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.
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.
- Aug 13, 2012 I bought an airline acoustic guitar and am trying to find out how to read the serial number and learn when it was made. The serial numbers inside are N-1 and L6045 6891 read more.
- Lyle guitars were distributed in the US solely by the L. Heater Music Company of Beaverton, Oregon, USA. It has been suggested that 'the Matsumoku Company manufactured many Lyle branded guitars in Japan from (approximately) 1965 to 1972 until they were bought and shut down by Norlin, Gibson 's parent company at the time'.
Pictures Of Lyle Guitars
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. I just bought a red solid body lyle guitar but cant find any numbers on it. Hi, stumbled on the site checking for details on Epi SG's. Jan 13, 2016 Help with Hohner Guitar identification I have no idea what the name of the model is - I can t seem to find a serial number on the boday or neck anywhere.
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
Lyle Acoustic Guitar Value
Misconceptions
Lyle Acoustic Guitar Serial Numbers Pre 1975
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 Guitars History
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.