Ted McCarty
Theodore McCarty (October 10, 1909 – April 1, 2001) was an American businessman who worked with the Wurlitzer Company and the Gibson Guitar Corporation. In 1966, he and Gibson Vice President John Huis bought the Bigsby Electric Guitar Company. At Gibson he was involved in many guitar innovations and designs between 1950 and 1966.[1]
Life and career
Born in Somerset, Kentucky in 1909, McCarty earned a degree in engineering from the University of Cincinnati before joining the Wurlitzer Company in 1936.[2] He stayed with Wurlitzer until 1948 when he was hired by Gibson. Brach's Candy also wanted to hire him.[2]
McCarty was named vice president of the
The
In addition to his numerous inventions, he also is responsible for increasing Gibson's production from 5,000 guitars a year to more than 100,000.[2] This increase in production allowed Gibson to grow from 150 employees to over 1,200 employees during McCarty's 18-year span as president. In 1966, McCarty retired from Gibson and became president of Bigsby Electric Guitars.
In April 2000 McCarty became the first person interviewed for the NAMM Oral History Program, a video collection of interviews with pioneers of the music industry.
Death
McCarty died in April 2001, at the age of 91.
Collaboration
McCarty became the mentor of
The "Theodore" Guitar
A sketch of a guitar drawn in 1957 by Ted McCarty, was manufactured into a real instrument. The Theodore is an electric guitar made by
References
- ^ The Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. Smithsonian Institution. "The Electric Guitar-Ted McCarty and Paul Reed Smith. "Ted McCarty and Paul Reed Smith :: Invention of the Electric Guitar :: Smithsonian Lemelson Center". Archived from the original on 2014-02-12. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
- ^ a b c Moseley, Willie G. (13 August 2001). "Ted McCarty: I'm Not a Musician". Vintage Guitar. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ "Gibson | Theodore".
- ^ "Gibson debuts the Theodore, a brand-new body shape based on a 65-year-old archive design". 18 March 2022.
Further reading
- Carter, Walter. Gibson Guitars: 100 Years of an American Icon. Los Angeles: General Pub. Group, 1994.
- Hembree, Gil.Gibson Guitars: Ted McCarty's Golden Era: 1948–1966. Hal Leonard Corp, 2007.
External links
Business Wars from Wondery (June 24, 2019) - Season 24 Episode 2 - Gibson vs Fender “Loud and Clear”