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TCM Empress Review
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Comes complete with a deluxe hardshell case and limited lifetime warranty.

TCM
Empress

Guitar Shop "Review"
By Baker Rorick
August 1998

Terry C. Mclnturff has been building guitars tbr 20 years, including a stretch in Hamer's custom shop. His guitars have a distinctive, identifiable offset shape with an overall PRS vibe. They're hybrids, combining traditional set-neck construction, a la Gibson, with Fender-ish aspects like the 3-pickup configuration and a vibrato bridge. Mclnturff offers half a dozen different models, ranging from $1,500 to $5,000. The TCM EmmprEmpress ( $2,200 ) sits in the middle of the line, and our test guitar had a one-piece top of "master grade" Flame maple, a $600 upcharge.

The Empress's thin U-shaped mahogany neck ( a fat '57" carve is also available at no extra charge ) is graphite-reinforced from the 9th fret to the body. Nut width is 1-11/16". The thick slab rosewood fingerboard, equipped with 22 jumbo frets, dressed high and round, has beautiful Paua shell inlays in a "rope" pattern. Mclnturff uses a scale length of 25-1/8", and the neck joins the body at the 19th fret, Nickel plated hardware includes Sperzel locking tuning machines and a TCM Vibe Strat-style trem made by MannMade, USA.

The Empress is equipped with a pair of Terry's own TCM single coils ( neck and middle ) and a TCM Zodiac humbucking ( bridge ) pickup, with a master volume and a master tone control and a 5-way pickup selector, which is oddly located way down on the lower edge of the body. The back of the body has a waist cut for comfort, and a dog-leg shaped control cavity, its cover held by 3/4" long screws. The cavity and inside cover are fully shielded with black paint, and there's an inset panel-style jack on the side. Every aspect of the Empress evinced impeccable craftsmanship and its Tangerine finish was flawless.

As for feel and sound, the Empress is surprisingly Strat-like. Though the selector switch is out of the way, it's also out of reach, but the volume control's plastic speed knob is perfectly placed for pinky swells, and the tone control is exceptionally responsive, with a very smooth taper. The TCM Vibe can raise or lower pitch. It was set up with rather loose tension, so resting my hand on the bridge often inadvertently affected pitch, but that can be adjusted to taste. Mclnturffs pickups are great. The zodiac bridge 'bucker is ful1 and raucous, with cutting, ice-pick treble. The single coils, despite some inevitable buzz, are very powerful and delivered nice, danky strat-like scratch. Neck/mid and mid/bridge combinations provide classic out-of-phase Fender sounds, but the presence and musicality of the 'bucker ended up my favorite. There was not as much sustain as the Jaros, but few vibrate-equipped guitars can compete with hardtails in that regard, and the Empress is available in a tune-o-matic with stop-tail piece version with Grover tuning machines, at the same price. Overall, a very bright and snappy guitar, and a joy to play.

McInturff's idiomatic shape may not be attractive to all, but quality and attention to detail are very impressive, especially tbr the price. The TCM Empress should appeal to Stratophiles, and is an exceptional value for a limited production, handcrafted guitar.