Q:  Terry, what WERE the first two guitars that you built 25 years ago?

A:  One was a round-shouldered, otherwise D-28 style dreadnaught. It sounded pretty tight, and the joinery was great in some areas and pretty iffy in others. I did manage to make a straight neck and I did manage to get the neck pitch correct...the guitar was traded to my landlord for two month's rent as I recall!

I went on to build a number of acoustic guitars and when I got my chops up, I began the art of restoration of acoustic guitars of all types, including members of the Gibson mandolin family.

The innumerable hours spent inspecting, and tentatively at first, working on various 1920's era Lloyd Loar Gibson products, pre-war Martins, and later Gibson and Fender products of all vintages amounted to quite an education. As a result I am lucky to be able to discuss the plusses and minuses of (and the proper removal of) the Verzi Tone Producer, to be able to perform authentic "French Polish" finishing, and know from the inside an original PAF pickup.

How fortunate was I to have had such a wealth of fine instruments to study? I am the luckiest man I know!!!!

My second guitar, that saw "first note" on January 6th, 1978, was an electric guitar. This was a solid body guitar, a double cutaway not too dissimilar from a TCM Glory Standard. Carved, Birdseye maple top on a mahogany back with a one-piece mahogany neck. The 25-1/8th-scale fret board has become somewhat of a TCM trademark. I remember slaving over the Mother of Pearl RB 250 inlays. It had 22 frets and two humbuckers. In fact, these pups were Gibson T-tops that I took apart and substituted rod magnets in place of the slugs. I was young then…

I had no idea at that time that I'd stick it out and go on to build TCM guitars for guys like Jimmy Page, Brad Whitford, Dave Hidalgo, Brad Delson and Eric Clapton.

Q:  How long does it take to design a guitar like the ones you’re building for the 25th Anniversary?

A:  Some of these ideas have been swimming around in my head for decades but I never had the opportunity to sit down and really think them through, let alone draft them on paper. I think that one of the reasons why the TCM standard line has been largely bullet-proof (meaning, few spec changes over the years) is because I had decades to decide what I wanted to do if I ever started a guitar company, and the original prototypes for each model came out very close to what I saw/heard in my head. Some of the more complicated designs, like my new hollow body, take a bit more time and prototyping. I’ve been sketching these thoughts for so many years; I’m confidant that what I’m hearing in my musical imagination will be a successful reality.

Q:  What do you mean when you say “Musical Imagination”?

A:  A painter sees the finished picture before she begins and works through various methods to achieve and release the image in her head.  I actually hear guitars before they are conceived in the form of a body shape, neck profile, tone woods, and I “build up” the materials to achieve and release the sounds I hear in my head! It’s sort of a backwards way of designing, but I’ve been pretty lucky so far.

Q:  If your 25th Anniversary Edition models sell out, will you make more?

A:  All orders for 25th Anniversary Edition models must reach my office by January 31st, 2004; however, the extensive design work and prototyping that I am doing for the 25th Anniversary Edition guitars have resulted in a whole new set of features, many of which will be available from me in the future.

Q:  Can I get in line for any of your new 25th A.E. models?

A:  Yes, you can apply for a slot. Just contact an authorized 25th Anniversary dealer and they will assist you with the transaction and policies.

Q:  How many of these 25th A.E. guitars will you be producing or designing per month?

A:  That’s difficult to answer, because I am coming up with quite a few new designs as we speak.  I will happily accept and fill each and every order I get; there will be a number of new designs that will be offered up for sale without a prior order as well.

Q:  What prevented you from building these designs before? Were you waiting for your 25th anniversary to announce them?

A:  Our production environment did not allow for me to devote the time to creating the guitars I am about to build. I have been, and still am, a critical part of our work force at TCM. I get my hands dirty everyday and that’s the way I like it! Now that we have been operating for almost 7 years and my talented team has the floor under control, I finally have the opportunity to step back into the more creative side of my craft. I feel very lucky to be in this position but I have certainly paid my dues. It’s my time to have fun while I still can; that’s what life is supposed to be about.