G l o r y C u s t o m R e v i e w // T e r r y C. M c I n t u r f f G u i t a r s

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

TCM
Glory Custom

Vintage Guitar Magazine"Review"
By Steve Patt & Bill Johnson
September 1998

Terry C. McInturff and his rather deluxe guitars. These are made to compete with the PRS high-end guitars as well as some of the Gibson Historic collection - very showy, plays like a dream, and costs like a nightmare. KIDDING! They're a bit pricey, but you do get a lot for your money. The line of electrics comes from Terry's shop in Holly Springs, NC, and includes the basic TCM Polaris, a slab style body of Honduras Mahogany ( looks a bit like a Les Paul TV Special ) with a set neck, graphite reinforcement rod, and Seymour's best - the Lover Humbucker pickups- very sweet, at $1,500 includes a deluxe case.

Toward the top of the scale includes the TCM Custom which is what we received for a review, As per typical southern modesty, Terry apologized for the road weary shape the guitar arrived in. "It's a traveled demo", he explained. "Please excuse any scratches".

Well, if this is as bad as they get, watch out, because our deep blue TCM was as perfect as you could ask for, with a dazzling finish over rippling, flamey maple, a composite radiused neck that played itself, and greatt attention to detail. Featuring a 25-1/8" scale length, the neck was one piece Honduran with graphite reinforcements and a steel curved rod for neck adjustment. The Indian rosewood fretboard was exquisite, and the inlays quite impressive, including subtle little details like abalone side dots. The 9 degree headstock pitch was perfect for the string pull and the set neck gave us a solid feel you don't get from other guitars.

As for the body, the big leaf maple over Honduran mahogany was a bit hit, and the semi hollow chambers really make a difference - great tone, and quite light. I loved the "Shetley Blue Stain", and the nitro finish was without flaw. Our test guitar featured TCM Zodiac pickups, each custom made, and pretty good looking and sounding compared to Duncans, with a brilliant sheen to the bridge pickup, and a nice fat sass to the neck pickup. The electronics are top notch and quite quiet.

Bill tried it out and noted, "It's got a modern style neck, with a flat radius, quite comfortable to the hand, and I would call this one thin without being too thin. I would guess from it's resonance that it has hollow tone chambers ( he's right on the mark there ), which also accounts for it's light weight - really easy on the shoulder. The cosmetics are just beautiful - how can you go wrong with this ultra flamey top, and all the detail work they've put into these trapezoidal paua shell abalone inlays? I also like the high quality parts they've used throughout, Sperzel tuners, custom pickups. lt's classy and feels quite a bit lighter than the PRS McCarty, which I would compare it to favorably." These guitars are, as we noted, not inexpensive, with the TCM Glory Standard running $2,800 and our own TCM Custom a bit more, but the feel and tone were of unmistakable high quality.