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MAKER’S MARKS
“THE PICKUP I HAVE IS OF MY OWN INVENTION.
I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THE
FIRST MODEL THAT I MADE WORKED
SUCCESSFULLY, AND CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED
THE BASIC IDEAS OF THE INVENTION”
ABOVE Tom’s dive into In his second letter, though striking a conciliatory
the archives has revealed tone, McCarty asserts his belief that Gibson is the
many previously unseen originator of the humbucker, and that Ray could be
correspondences, including infringing upon its patent by continuing his work on
this letter from Gretsch
to Ray regarding the pickups the Filter’Tron. He points out that the patent request
he’d made for Chet Atkins, for Lover’s design had been made about 18 months
and tense exchanges between previously, and that unless Ray could “prove a prior
Ray and Gibson’s then- right”, he should either “cease and desist manufacture
president Ted McCarty or obtain a licence” from Gibson to produce
humbucking pickups.
Why the change of approach from McCarty? The
opening paragraph of this second letter likely explains
it. “It is my understanding that Chet Atkins is playing
a new Gretsch instrument which is equipped with
two humbucking pickups, which we believe are an
infringement of our humbucking design,” he says.
When he wrote his first response in October, it seems
McCarty was unaware that one of the biggest guitarists
in the US was already playing to audiences with Butts’
humbuckers – and the Gibson humbucker wouldn’t
even be available until the following year. It’s possible
that, upon realising this, Ted took a tougher stance.
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This a fascinating letter from one of the key movers
and shakers of the early days of the electric guitar, and
it reveals something all but unknown about the origins
of the humbucker. What’s even juicier than Ted’s
defensive manoeuvre, however, is Ray’s response.
Across three hand-written pages, Ray not only
sheds more light on this particular portion of guitar
history but also provides a solid sense of his character.
This was a man unwilling to be cowed by a large
company such as Gibson. He agrees that, without
comparing the two pickup designs, it’s difficult to
draw conclusions on their similarities. But he then
matches McCarty’s assertiveness. “The pickup which
I have is of my own invention,” says Ray, “and I have
good reason to believe that I can prove that my
invention was made substantially prior to the one
which you have.”
Ray digs in on the patents too. “It is the advice of my
attorneys, who have full knowledge of the circumstances
as they thus far exist, that my position is a reasonably
secure one and that it is very likely that you may find
yourself in the position of being an infringer.”