Ted McCarty
Encyclopedia
Ted McCarty was a pioneer of electric guitar design and production. This began when he was chosen as vice president of the of Gibson Guitar Corporation
in 1949, then later as president in 1950. He remained president until 1966. This period became known as Gibson's golden age of electric guitars. During his tenure, Les Paul
's electric guitar
design, the first solid-body guitar produced by Gibson, came to fruition. The Gibson Les Paul
later became the company's flagship solid body. Never satisfied, McCarty sought to create a hybrid design that would combine the sustain of a solid-body electric with the mellow warmth of a hollow-body. The ES-335 was created as a "semi-hollow", with both a central block running the length of the guitar and hollow wings. McCarty was also responsible for the development of the Tune-o-matic
bridge
system, the humbucking pickup
, and the Explorer
, Flying V
, Moderne
, SG
and Firebird
guitars. Like Leo Fender
, McCarty never played the guitar. He instead talked with every guitarist he could in order to find out what guitar players were interested in.
In addition to his numerous inventions, he also is responsible for increasing Gibson's production from 5,000 guitars a year to more than 100,000. This increase in production allowed Gibson to grow from 150 employees to over 1,200 employees during McCarty's 18-year span as president.
In 1966 McCarty retired from Gibson and became president of the Bigsby
Company. He later became the mentor of Paul Reed Smith
. Smith found out about McCarty during a visit to the U.S. Patent office in the early 1980s, where he kept noticing McCarty's name among Gibson's patents. Smith later hired McCarty as a consultant, and credits his experience with McCarty as a defining moment in his company. In 1994, Paul Reed Smith's company PRS Guitars
, launched the McCarty model as a tribute to Ted. Previously, no instrument or company ever bore his name.
In April 2000 Ted became the very first person interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program, a video collection of interviews with many of the leaders and pioneers of the music products industry.
McCarty died in April 2001, at the age of 91.
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
in 1949, then later as president in 1950. He remained president until 1966. This period became known as Gibson's golden age of electric guitars. During his tenure, Les Paul
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...
's electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
design, the first solid-body guitar produced by Gibson, came to fruition. The Gibson Les Paul
Gibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
later became the company's flagship solid body. Never satisfied, McCarty sought to create a hybrid design that would combine the sustain of a solid-body electric with the mellow warmth of a hollow-body. The ES-335 was created as a "semi-hollow", with both a central block running the length of the guitar and hollow wings. McCarty was also responsible for the development of the Tune-o-matic
Tune-o-matic
Tune-o-matic is a name of fixed bridge design for electric guitars. It was designed by Ted McCarty and introduced in the Gibson Les Paul Custom guitar in 1954. In 1955, it was used on the Gibson Les Paul Gold Top...
bridge
Bridge (instrument)
A bridge is a device for supporting the strings on a stringed instrument and transmitting the vibration of those strings to some other structural component of the instrument in order to transfer the sound to the surrounding air.- Explanation :...
system, the humbucking pickup
Humbucker
A humbucker is a type of electric guitar pickup, first patented by Seth Lover and the Gibson company, that uses two coils, both generating string signal. Humbuckers have higher output than a single coil pickup since both coils are connected in series...
, and the Explorer
Gibson Explorer
The Gibson Explorer is a type of electric guitar that made its debut in 1958. The Explorer offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its sibling, the Flying V. The Explorer was the final development of a prototype design which years later Gibson marketed under the name Futura.The...
, Flying V
Gibson Flying V
-External links:*, , , , and , from the Gibson website*, a June 2001 article from Guitar Collector magazine*, a tribute site that lists all models and re-issues and most notable players**...
, Moderne
Gibson Moderne
The Gibson Moderne is an electric guitar model first designed by Gibson in 1957. It was designed alongside the Flying V and Explorer-"Futura" as part of a stylistically advanced line of electric guitars...
, SG
Gibson SG
At the launch of the SG in 1961, Gibson offered four variants of the SG; the SG Junior , the SG Special, the SG Standard, and the top-of-the-line SG Custom. However, Gibson's current core variants as of 2010 are the SG Standard and the SG Special...
and Firebird
Gibson Firebird
The Gibson Firebird is a solid-body electric guitar manufactured by Gibson from 1963 to the present.-History:The Gibson Guitar Corporation released several new styles during the 1950s to compete with Fender's instruments, such as the Telecaster and Stratocaster. After success with the Les Paul in...
guitars. Like Leo Fender
Leo Fender
Clarence Leonidas "Leo" Fender was an American inventor who founded Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company, or "Fender" for short...
, McCarty never played the guitar. He instead talked with every guitarist he could in order to find out what guitar players were interested in.
In addition to his numerous inventions, he also is responsible for increasing Gibson's production from 5,000 guitars a year to more than 100,000. This increase in production allowed Gibson to grow from 150 employees to over 1,200 employees during McCarty's 18-year span as president.
In 1966 McCarty retired from Gibson and became president of the Bigsby
Bigsby
The Bigsby vibrato tailpiece is a type of vibrato device for electric guitar designed by Paul A. Bigsby. The device allows musicians to bend the pitch of notes or entire chords with their pick hand for various effects....
Company. He later became the mentor of Paul Reed Smith
Paul Reed Smith
Paul Reed Smith , is a luthier and the founder and owner of PRS Guitars.Smith is originally from Bowie, Maryland. He made his first guitar while at St. Mary's College of Maryland, and continued to build guitars after he finished college, making them one at a time, one a month...
. Smith found out about McCarty during a visit to the U.S. Patent office in the early 1980s, where he kept noticing McCarty's name among Gibson's patents. Smith later hired McCarty as a consultant, and credits his experience with McCarty as a defining moment in his company. In 1994, Paul Reed Smith's company PRS Guitars
PRS Guitars
PRS Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer headquartered in Stevensville, Maryland. PRS Guitars was founded by guitarist and luthier Paul Reed Smith in 1985. The company is one of the leading manufacturers of high-end electric guitars.-Materials:...
, launched the McCarty model as a tribute to Ted. Previously, no instrument or company ever bore his name.
In April 2000 Ted became the very first person interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program, a video collection of interviews with many of the leaders and pioneers of the music products industry.
McCarty died in April 2001, at the age of 91.