PRS Guitars today announced a documentary on Paul Reed Smith’s mentor and friend and guitar industry titan the late Theodore “Ted” McCarty and his lasting impact on both Smith and the company.
This touching and informative video features archival interview footage of Ted McCarty himself, and interviews with Paul Reed Smith, McCarty’s daughter Sue Davis, PRS Signature Artist David Grissom, and several PRS Guitars employees. The full-length, 73-minute video is now available on the PRS Guitars YouTube channel. A trailer was released earlier this month.
Ted McCarty served as vice president of the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1949 and as president from 1950-1966. In addition to the Les Paul and Tune-O-Matic bridge, McCarty was also responsible for several other patents and innovations, including the humbucking pickup (with engineer Seth Lover), Explorer, Flying V, SG, ES 335, and Firebird to name a few. After leaving Gibson in the mid 1960s, McCarty became co-owner of Bigsby.
“Ted McCarty was a legend. Incredibly smart. Really exceptional,” said Paul Reed Smith. “He was a champion, an industry icon, a leader, a mentor, a friend. In the end, he was family.”
Paul Reed Smith first came across McCarty’s name in the US Patent office in the early 1980s, later enrolling him as a manufacturing and business consultant. McCarty died in 2001 at the age of 91, but his contributions continue to ripple through the guitar industry. PRS introduced the first McCarty model in 1994 and has since honored him with many instrument designs. Now, the McCarty family of guitars spans from the SE Series to Core instruments and represents more vintage-appointed PRS guitars.
“There is no better time to reflect on our history than as we close our 40th anniversary,” said PRS Guitars COO Jack Higginbotham. “Ted is a part of our foundation. He’s central to who we are. As we continue to grow the company and evolve and create new instruments, he’s fundamental in our thought processes of building great instruments. Ted will always be a part of the story of PRS Guitars as it goes forward.”
“If you ask anyone who’s an expert over the age of 50, ‘Can you teach me,’ they say ‘Okay, I’ll teach,’ because they don’t want to die and have their gems of knowledge not be passed on. Ted was a prime example of that. He wanted his knowledge base to be passed on, and he decided to pass it on to us (at PRS Guitars), which I loved,” continued Smith.
“I feel so proud that PRS has once again honored my dad – this time through a great video tribute to his life and impact – and I am delighted and honored to have been a part of this project as well. When Paul asked my dad to put his name on a guitar, dad wasn’t so sure anyone would want to buy it. Paul and PRS have made sure that the name Ted McCarty – and the man that he was – will be remembered for a long time to come. And for that, I could not be more thankful,” said McCarty’s daughter, Sue Davis.
McCarty’s significance at PRS didn’t stop with Smith. Through visits to the factory, attending The NAMM Show, a large photo of him in the PRS Guitars factory lobby, and stories passed down through employees, even many of those who never met him say they feel his influence.
“What ties Paul and Ted together for me is the pure joy of teaching. The same joy I imagine Ted felt when he became Paul’s mentor – the joy of being asked about his life’s work – is something I know Paul feels today. The openness we have to ask Paul anything mirrors the way Paul once asked Ted everything. Their relationship went far beyond business; I’ve heard Paul describe Ted as being like a grandfather to him. The honesty and integrity around that relationship and the continued relationship with Ted’s family speaks to what PRS Guitars truly is: a company defined by people, relationships, and shared passion,” said PRS Guitars Director of Marketing, Judy Schaefer.
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