G l o r y S t a n d a r d 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 Standard Review
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Comes complete with a deluxe hardshell case and limited lifetime warranty.

TCM
Glory Standard

Guitarist Magazine "Review"
By Ben Z. Bartlett
February 2000

An eye-pleasing maple top on a Honduras mahogany body with custom DiMarzio pickups and high-end hardware.

Namm vets will remember these outstanding guitars from last summer’s Nashville show. Terry C. McInturff’s career spans 2 decades, during which time he’s drawn upon experience as a guitar repairer to the pros and a performing artist to really fine-tune the McInturff guitar. The instruments are hand-crafted in North Carolina by a team of luthiers-all of whom are players- using the finest materials in the world.

Building Blocks

The Terry McInturff Glory Standard model features a number of innovations. Hidden inside the neck from the ninth through to the hand-cut neck joint lie a series of graphite reinforcement rods. Although invisible, their strengthening properties are apparent in the truly solid feel of the guitar and the perfect tuning stability.

The Ratings Game

Quality

Playability

Sound

Value

Verdict

McInturff Glory Standard

The headstock aids tuning too with a shallow nine-degree pitch, GraphTech nut and a remarkably straight string pull. The Glory’s hardware is simple enough; Grover machineheads and Schaller Nashville tune-o-matic and tailpiece, all in smart chrome here, but gold is also an option.

Moving to the Glory’s neck, it’s just sheer indulgence, right from the crowns of the 22 pyramid-profiled, medium-jumbo frets to the ornate, slash-style paua shell inlays. I usually prefer satin-finished necks, but the Glory’s neck is exceptional enough to sway me. The shallow "C" profile is slim by vintage standards, but gives you enough to grab hold of. A Gibson style, 12 inch fingerboard radius guarantees choke-free bendability and the upper fret access is effortless, thanks to an accommodating chamfer of the cutaway. The neck has plenty of mass here for really digging in on high bends.

The custom wound TCM Zodiac humbuckers were co-designed by DiMarzio’s Steve Blucher. They’re governed by a specially wired five-way switch capable of dishing up a variety of usable tones and thanks to an extra capacitor and resistor arrangement on the volume pot, you don’t lose your highs as you turn the guitar’s volume down.

McSounds To Go

The tonal range of the Glory is far wider than I’d expected; you still get clear, crisp harmonics even from the neck pickup. The Glory’s tone is woody and ripe with some plump mid-range and sweet sustaining trebles. Those ever present highs ensure you get a full sonic paintbox to play with. It’s far better to have these higher frequencies there to begin with and adjust to taste with the tone, than to try and add "artificial" frequencies via the amp’s EQ. I think you’ll agree.

Value & Verdict

Guitarists are prepared to pay pots of money for American custom shop guitars. Here I found nothing but the highest quality luthiery and supreme attention to detail-the machinehead washers are flush-mounted and the strap-pegs were designed for Jim Dunlop Straplok compatibility. Details like that all help to elevate the Glory Standard above it’s rivals. Hand-signed and numbered, hand-crafted and finished, this really is quite a guitar.

WE LIKED…Attention to detail, fantastic sound and playability, top quality.