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TCM
Taurus Standard Review
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Comes
complete with a deluxe hardshell case and limited
lifetime warranty.
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Super
Customs |
Guitar Player "Review"
By Art
Thompson
September 2000 |
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McInturff Taurus Standard and Pawar Player
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The
reasons for choosing a boutique guitar are as varied as the
models available. Top- notch workmanship and playability are
the obvious benefits of buying a premium-dollar ax,
but some builders are also seeking to enhance the sonic
flexibility of their creations via smart new passive
pickup systems. Terry C. McInturff and Pawar approach the
custom equation from different angles. The former uses
the Les Paul template as a launching pad to create an
instrument with expanded range, while the latter goes for a
unique look and a patent-pending pickup system. We
tested the two guitars through a Matchless Chieftain,
a Marshall JTM-45 Offset, a vintage Gibson Discoverer,
and a Dr. Z Route 66 through a Bogner 1x12 loaded with
a Celestion Vintage 30.
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| The Les
Paul-style McInturff Taurus Standard ($3,200) offers
outstanding workmanship, playability, and sonic
range. The Pawar "Turn of the Century"
Player ($2,500) goes for a unique look and
sports proprietary multi-coil pickups to expand its
tonal flexibility. The
Taurus Standard receives an Editor's Pick Award.
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The
Ratings Game |
Tone |
Playability |
Workmanship |
Materials |
Vibe |
Value |
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| McInturff
Taurus Standard |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
4.5 |
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McInturff
Taurus Standard |
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Terry
McInturff constantly raises the bar when it comes to execution
of design and workmanship. The Taurus Standard ($3,200)
is an exquisite instrument that echoes the Les Paul,
while enhancing the LP theme in a number of ways. The meaty
neck joins the body in a swooping cutaway that
incorporates a body bevel for better access to the upper
frets. |
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The
elongated headstock flares from the neck in a gracefully
sculpted volute, its flame- maple face precisely routed to
accept the Sperzels' securing nuts (the strap buttons are
also recessed for a cleaner look). The
graphite-composition nut is incredibly smooth, and the
jumbo frets are immaculately shaped and polished – you can
hardly feel their ends when running your hand along
the unbound fretboard. |
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An
exposed strip of maple rims the perimeter of the gorgeous
flame-maple top, which is flawlessly finished in
honey-hued nitrocellulose lacquer. Equally splendid is the
thick mahogany body, which features a system of
"fan style" chambers for enhanced resonance.
Even with the missing wood, however, the Taurus weighs in at
a chubby 9 lbs. Cosmetic touches include a paua-shell
trussrod cover, paua fretboard inlays, and abalone side
dots. |
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The
TCM Zodiac humbuckers feed a pair of volume controls, a
single tone control, and a 5-way selector that yields
the following pickup configurations: |
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Position
1 Neck humbucker in series.
Position 2 Neck outside coil.
Position 3 Neck and Bridge pickups in parallel.
Position 4 Inside coils in parallel.
Position 5 Bridge humbucker in series. |
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The
control cavity is neatly shielded with conductive paint and
the wiring is very tidy. A welcome feature is
McInturff's bridge ground shock protect circuit, which only
allows 40 volts to pass through strings in a
reverse-ground situation. Think of it as life insurance. |
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The
Taurus' slightly V-shaped neck gives your hand plenty to
hold onto while maintaining an incredibly sleek feel.
The strings bend with such Teflon-like ease over the
wide, polished frets that it's hard to believe this
guitar is equipped with a .011 - .049 gauge set. The
Taurus remained buzz free in all registers, and no
intonation problems were encountered. It would be hard
to imagine a nicer setup. |
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Strummed
acoustically, the Taurus sounds thick and resonant, and
produces marvelous sustain. The pickup selections
offer a variety of single-coil and humbucker tones,
and, thanks to a circuit that allows the volume
controls to function completely independently (which
is not the case with a Les Paul), you can fully utilize the
range of the Zodiac pickups. For example, in position
4 you can turn off the inside coil of the neck pickup
and groove on the unique blend of warmth and twang
produced by a rear-pickup coil that's sensing the
strings about 2" inboard from the bridge. It's a cool
sound. |
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In
series-humbucking mode, the Zodiacs provide an excellent
balance of power and clarity. The neck-position tones
are crisp and throaty, while the bridge 'bucker provides
ungodly presence and sustaining wail. The sounds
remain bright when the volume controls are rolled
down, and though the tone control can muffle the sound
excessively when turned to zero, its smooth taper
gives you plenty of opportunity to mellow brightness
without compromising note detail. |
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The
Taurus' outstanding workmanship, smart features, and burly
tones make it the Lexus SUV of set-neck solids. If
you're seeking the ultimate Les Paul experience, you may
find the Taurus delivers more booty than you bargained
for-and at a price well-below some new, top-line Pauls. |
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The
Ratings Game |
Tone |
Playability |
Workmanship |
Materials |
Vibe |
Value |
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| McInturff
Taurus Standard |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
4.5 |
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Website design © 2000-2006 Greg
Weber & Terry C. McInturff Guitars
All other content © 2000-2006 Terry C. McInturff Guitars
Please send comments or questions to info@mcinturffguitars.com.
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