My hubby just inherited his grandfather's guitar. I have tried to find out as much as i can about it, but there seems to be a serious lack of info regarding these guitars. And everything I have found thus far, does not resemble what we have in ANY Way! What I do know about Lyles if I'm not mistaken, is that they were made by Aria at the Matsumoto Guitar Factory until it got taken out in a fire in 1988. They were made for Gibson, they were cheap when made although very good quality and sound. and they are kinda rare. Here's what we have. Any info we can get on it would be great. I want to make sure it is properly protected both for sentimental value and for insurance purposes if needed. Here's what I got: It is rosewood fretboard on mahogany neck, solid brass bridge, stainless steel keys, mother of pearl inlay on the fret board. It also has black laquered pick gaurd with mother pearl floral design. Body has ivory (not sure if it's genuine) binding, Lyle logo on headpiece is gold leafing. The label on the inside of the guitar says its a model 710 but there is no serial number next to the serial space. What is the deal with these guitars? I cant even find anything on Lyle much less this particular model. Any info anyone can give would be awesome. Thanks
Builder: Lyle (Matsumoku), made in Japan model: 588 serial no: NA. There's lots of stories about Lyle guitars but not being sure what is the truth, I'll just provide. I have two guitars which I am trying to determine the value of one is an Alvarez acoustic model number 5230, mint condition with case. The other is used but the still has the best sound I have ever h.
But we know Lyle guitars were imported from Japan by L. Of Portland Oregon in the 1960s and 70s. Neck heel:Serial number 01040748 on my Takamine means it was made on Saturday, April 07th, 2001. It was the 48th guitar made that day. Jack plate – 1967 Rickenbacker 4005 bass. Neck plate (My Ovation Breadwinner) Serial number E 1411. Sam: Lyle guitars are listed in Blue Book into 3 categories: Low End, Middle Grade, and High End. They are not listed per model number as most are so I will need you to tell me the features, if it's an acoustic or solid body electric guitar, and post some pictures of the guitar that shows the front, back, headstock, and all marking so that I may evaluate the quality of construction and features. Lyle guitars are among the rarest brands of electric and acoustic guitars in the world. Produced during an indefinite timeline in the 1960s and 1970s in Japan, the history of the Lyle instrument brand remains somewhat of a mystery. Total distribution of Lyle instruments in the U.S. Was very limited.
Lyle guitars are among the rarest brands of electric and acoustic guitars in the world. Produced during an indefinite timeline in the 1960s and 1970s in Japan, the history of the Lyle instrument brand remains somewhat of a mystery. Total distribution of Lyle instruments in the U.S. was very limited. The same company that produced many of them, Matsumoku, also produced the more popular Aria brand.
Unfortunately the serial number on this Lyle Guitar does not help with dating. But we know Lyle guitars were imported from Japan by L. Of Portland Oregon in the 1960s and 70s. Neck heel:Serial number 01040748 on my Takamine means it was made on Saturday, April 07th, 2001. It was the 48th guitar made that day. Lyle guitars are among the rarest brands of electric and acoustic guitars in the world. Produced during an indefinite timeline in the 1960s and 1970s in Japan, the history of the Lyle instrument brand remains somewhat of a mystery. Total distribution of Lyle instruments in the U.S. Was very limited.
Origins
Serial Numbers Rolex
Japanese classical guitarist Shiro Arai founded the Arai Co. in the 1950s as an international importing company, which expanded to manufacturing in the 1960s adopting the 'Aria' brand name. The explosion in popularity of the electric guitar in the 1960s led them to begin manufacturing and distributing several different brands, Lyle being one of them. Arai attended the NAMM trade show and saw many of the American guitar designs that had attained popularity in the U.S. This greatly influenced Arai to produce similar models.
Arai - Matsumoku Alliance
By 1970, regular distribution of Japanese-made guitars, including Lyle brand guitars, began in America. In the early 1970s, Arai joined with instrument manufacturing company Matsumoku to produce guitars. It is inconclusive if they continued producing Lyle guitars at this time, but they did launch the Aria Pro II line in 1975, which included set-neck copies of the Gibson Les Paul and SG, and Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster guitars.
The L.D. Heater Music Company
The only known American distributor of Lyle guitars is the L.D. Heater Music Company. A small warehouse based in Beaverton, Oregon, L.D. Heater was owned by Norlin, the parent company of Gibson, and known more for their exclusive production rights to Alembic instruments. As protection from potential lawsuits, Lyle guitars were part of the contract that stated under which brand names Gibson-licensed guitars could be produced and distributed.
Lyle Acoustic Guitar Value
Misconceptions
A common misconception of the Lyle brand, among others, was that Norlin sued Matsumoku for copying their designs and shut them down. The actual lawsuit was indeed filed by Norlin, only not against Matsumoku but Elger/Hoshino--the American division of Ibanez--over elements of the Les Paul and SG guitar designs that Norlin/Gibson had since claimed as a trademark. The case was eventually settled out of court. Japanese companies preemptively altered the designs of their guitars in such a way that they would not be 'exact' copies of Gibson guitars. The true story of the demise of the Lyle brand is largely unknown to this day.
Significance
Lyle Acoustic Guitar Serial Numbers Identification
Lyle guitars have a legacy of mostly being rare guitar models that are hard to find and popular to collect. Most online reviews of Lyle products are positive, citing their long-term durability as a major asset.