Over
the years, Gibson's Ted McCarty-era guitars have found their way into
the capable hands of icons like BB King, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Jimmy
Page, Keith Richards and Eric Clapton. One can barely turn on the radio
without hearing further evidence of the guitar designer's influence: George
Harrison (The Beatles), Pete Townshend (The Who), Ace Frehley (Kiss) and
Joe Perry (Aerosmith).
The talented inventor's wildest and most recognized guitar designs emerged
as a retort to jibes by rival Leo Fender that Gibson "hadn't invented
a new thing in years." McCarty (pictured above with a photo of a
Les Paul craftsman), a commercial engineer by training, responded by scrapping
the traditional rounded guitar shape and drew up three new models with
angular body shapes.
The Flying V, Explorer and Moderne models shocked the industry when unveiled
during a 1958 trade show. The jagged designs, though too futuristic even
for guitar slingers in '58, eventually took hold of the revolutionary
spirit of artists like Jimi Hendrix. The Flying V adorns Planet Hollywood
restaurants around the globe.
McCarty's
practical contributions to the industry are far less flashy. He invented
a scratch plate that converts an acoustic guitar to an electric guitar.
He also fashioned the one-piece bridge/tailpiece as well as the Tun-o-Matic
bridge.
Gibson's champion left the company in 1966 to purchase Bigsby, an accessory
company specializing in guitar vibrato systems, which he ran for another
20 years. He later worked as a consultant to the Paul Reed Smith guitar
company in the 1990s, which acknowledged his contributions to the industry
by naming a guitar after him, an honor usually reserved for high-profile
musicians.
Though the music world will miss him, one thing is certain: Ted McCarty's legacy, the Les Paul guitar, is in good hands.
Links:
Listen to the "Standard" Les Paul guitar on the extensive Gibson site.
Read an interview with McCarty where he talks about his days at UC.
McCarty also created an electric ukulele for Arthur Godfrey.
