May 28, 2019 Lyle Guitars Serial Numbers W4b5; I inherited a lyle 6 string guitar from my mother, who bought it second hand in Oregon in the 70s. Model number is 355, and serial number is T4063. I took it into the local guitar refurbisher (I live in New Zealand) who had never heard of Lyle, but said it's in great condition and appears to be very well made. Lyle Guitars - Models. Lyle Explorer Copy Lyle 585 Lyle 630L Lyle 680 Lyle 690-DL Lyle 7535 Lyle 1100-L Lyle C-600 Lyle C-601 Lyle C-610 Lyle C-630 Lyle F-500. I inherited a lyle 6 string guitar from my mother, who bought it second hand in Oregon in the 70s. Model number is 355, and serial number is T4063. I took it into the local guitar refurbisher (I live in New Zealand) who had never heard of Lyle, but said it's in great condition and appears to be very well made.
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. 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.
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.
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 Guitars For Sale
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.