Lyle LEA40

I believe this guitar was made in 1984, which is when I purchased it new. This is a very nice electric/acoustic, made in Japan when that really meant something. The body is a single cutaway stye, for easier access to the higher frets. This was actually one of the lower end models of the short Lyle era, but the quality really demonstrates how much better the woodworking was back then. It has 20 nickel frets. Piezo acoustic pickup mounted under the bridge, powered by the standard 9v battery. Has 3-way tone and single volume controls, all slider style. Body is made of a really nice, fine-grained spruce, in trans sunburst color, and is bound on front and back with cream binding. Top is perfectly matched 2-piece spruce; you have to look really close, and at just the right angle, to see the seam; this craftsmanship is as good as it gets. Neck is mahogany, including the angled pegboard, and has a truss rod. Bound rosewood fretboard, with flying sparrow inlays (I believe that was the Lyle logo) at the 5th and 12th frets; binding is same cream color as the body. Tuners are probably stock Lyle, but they are very impressive. Even after 22 years, they are super smooth, and have a pretty high ratio, which allows for ultra-fine tuning; very nice. I'd be very disappointed if I had to replace them.

As an acoustic guitar, it has a very nice full sound. It's not quite as full as my Ovation, but still very nice. And, hey, the Ovation was $1400, so maybe it's just my wallet that's convinced me it sounds better. I've used the Lyle on several recordings, and have found that it's actually easier to tune in the mix with the Lyle, than with my Ovation. Very odd phenomenon, but likely this is just because the Lyle works better with my microphones. To the naked ear, the Ovation is superior, but on recordings... well, it's nice to have both options, because both have made their way into my 'classics'. The pickup however, is not impressive at all. Very tinny sounding, and nothing can be done about it - it's just not good. Probably the main contributor to the lower price of this guitar, is the low-end electronics. I've never been a fan of acoustic guitar pickups, because they NEVER capture the true sound of the acoustic guitar - even the best ones - so, it's more important to me how an acoustic guitar sounds without the pickups. Even with my Ovation, I never use the pickup during recording. So, I'm giving the Lyle a pretty high rating on sound, but keep in mind that I really only care about the true acoustic sound.

As I hinted at before, this guitar's build and finish is exceptional. Considering what I paid for this guitar, it is probably the best overall value of any instrument I've ever owned (which has been dozens - I lost track long ago). The action and playing on it is wonderful; it is so easy to play, I can strum on this baby for hours and never get tired. I've written about 100 songs with this guitar, as I have it lying around all the time, and use it whenever I get inpired. The craftsmanship on this guitar is simply flawless.

22 years old, thousands of hours of playing time on it, and this guitar still looks and plays fantastic. Sure, it's got its share of nicks and dings, but considering what it's gone through, it has held up to the test of time like a real trooper. Neck is straight as an arrow, finish is still shiny, fretboard still in great shape; all-in-all, still looks close to new. Could probably use a fret job, but other than that, it's in great condition. I would never use any guitar in a gig without a backup. That's just foolish.

N/A. Never needed it, and this company is no longer in business. Too bad.

I've been playing guitar for about 30 years. I have so much gear, there isn't enough space on this server to list it all, but here's the short list: 17 guitars, 4 basses, keyboards galore, saxophone, recording studio, 37 mics, yadda, yadda.... You get the point: I'm a gearhead. If this guitar were stolen, it would be impossible to replace; it may very well be the last one on Earth. I love the action and feel of this guitar. Very smooth, easy to play - practically effortless. And the tone is very full, so it's just a really good all-around acoustic. Electronics are null. I've played well over a hundred other acoustics in my 30 years, and this Lyle is still one of my favorites. In sheer playability, it compares at least as well to guitars 10 times the price.