Lyle W-460

Lyle W-460 Humming Bird copy from Japan

clean crisp bright

Beautiful finish. It has held up extremely well for the last 40 years and looks brand new. I have treated this guitar very well since I purchased it 40 years ago.

It has survived in excellent condition without any accidents or repairs necessary. Just new strings when needed.

I do not beieve the company is still in existence after 40 years

40 years, mostly early church music when I was in high school, and man that was a damn long time ago. Maybe that connection with the greater power has protected this guitar all these years. I'm happy that others made the same purchase as I did many years ago. You could not afford the real thing when you made $1.25 an hour part time.

Purest acoustic sound that I have heard. Been in and out of Music stores looking for something comparable. Can only find it in the 2 grand plus category (I traded a half hours' work for the one I got).Cover up the name, you'd SWEAR it was a Gibson hummer!

The only problems I've had with mine have been self inflicted. I dropped it and craked the lower case binding. It still booms, and never goes out of tune.

Any good luthier can help you with it

I've been in music all of my 40 plus years. Only been playing guitar for 2. I also own an Ovation 1861 Balladeer (sweet), and a top o' the line Epiphone Elitist

1970 Lyle W-460 (Gibson Hummingbird replica)....Solid spruce top, what looks to be solid mahogany back and sides/might be laminate, mahogany neck. Headstock has the Gibson pearl that was later removed due to lawsuit. Identical color/finish to the Gibson Hummingbird...Adjustable bridge.

One word describes the sound of this acoustic and it isn't an overexageration...INCREDIBLE! It is an exact sonic replica of a Gibson Hummingbird, and it sounds better than any I have heard in the studio or performing live. I don't know how it was done, but it is unreal. Deep and rich bass, beautiful mids and highs, even loudness level across all strings. It sounds just like Angie and Sister Morphine by the Stones, just richer and better :) ;). I just had this setup by my Luthier and he wanted to trade me a 90 something Martin D-41 for it. The Martin was nice, but that was how good my Lyle sounds, near untouchable....So pretty sounding!!! I would never give a 10, but this just deserves it.

When I got the guitar some bonehead had electric strings on it and the action was just a mess. I don't know what kind of tuning was on there but it was absurdly high tuned. I knew it had potential because even with those strings I could hear the beauty underneath. Got it set up with light gauge acoustic strings now and everything tweaked out right by my luthier and the action is A+ all the way.

Amazingly, the finish on this guitar is near perfect. I can't believe it has held up so well over the 30+ years, but it looks brand new. Very beautiful and striking looking guitar.

Have to give it a 10 in this department. I don't know if the original owner kept it under his bed or what, but this beauty is brand new and it is 30 years old. I can't believe how high quality the build is. Solid all the way around and you feel it is built like a tank.

who knows...

Incredible guitar!! Amazingly deep and rich...sooooooo beautiful. I would be heartbroken if it was lost or stolen because it might be irreplaceable. I will be searching eBay and everywhere for another just to have. When I am playing it I have to smile because I can't believe how good it sounds. It sounds identical and richer than my vintage Gibson hummingbird. I just can't figure out how they did it! If you find one, buy it for the unbelievable price it is listed at, get a pro setup done and enjoy.

This got me thinking...you always hear guitar snobs bragging about their social status p***s extender guitars like vintage Martins and Gibson?s.....and they are always cracked, lifting bridges, warped pickgaurds, bellying, repairs all over and across the board. Just trying to buy one in decent shape is always a task. These high quality Japan replicas are constructed so much better and last so much longer, it is really time to start putting aside the neo-nationalism and start recognizing the quality of construction. I have seen FG-140's that have been played to death live, juke joints, bars, pubs, etc... and they suffer none of these issues. Sure there are junk Japan brands just like there are some junk American brands....but it is time to respect some of the higher quality builds like a vintage Yairi or a Lyle.

Before any snobs start shaking their heard and breathing fire I own a 67 D-18, a 72 D-35, and many other high quality vintage guitars. I just have a big enough package and/or bank account where I can truly respect and appreciate a beautiful, well built, amazing sounding guitar for what it is...
Priceless.

I bought my Lyle in California new in 1972 - I paid exactly $100.00. Got it on sale. It is manufactured in Japan and has 20 frets. I believe the top to be solid. The neck has inlaid mother of pearl in parallelograms. The quality of work inlaying the MOP is not great.
It exactly replicates the Gibson Hummingbird right down to the pick guard.

The reason I bought the guitar in 1972 was I fell in love with the sound that came from this instrument. It is deep, a bit "bassy" and whether striving for soft fine notes to hard driving beat, the quality is always there. I haven't found another guitar with the same sound and I have played a Hummingbird before. Gorgeous instrument but I have to say, the sound this Lyle makes is just as sweet - maybe better.
I have occassionally used a hole mike and an acousic mike for amplification - it amplifies exquisitly.

Set-up at the time I bought the guitar was great. Over about 10 years I needed some bridge work done. It seems about every ten years this is necessary.
The finish looks as good as the day I bought it. I have played for over 40 years and this guitar was my best purchase. I treat my equipment with much care.
The pick guard, with the hummingbird on it, has mostly worn off from so much play.

Nothing on my guitar has worn out or needed replacing and I have played it and played it hard for 33 years. Never any surprises. I have soloed with this with and without amplification. People love my "Hummingbird"

Been playing over 40 years. I own an Aria electric -strat type and an old German made Framus.
Several pieces of electronic gear including a 200 watt Heathkit that will blow your socks off, a Kustom 100 watt PA with Peavey column speakers, an Alisses 200 Watt power amp and keyboard.
If I had to replace this, somehow I would have to find the money to buy the Gibson Hummingbird.
I love the look - exacting to the Gibson Hummingbird and it is easy to care for. I can honestly say there is nothing I dislike about it.
I played it in the store where I bought it and immediately fell in love.

near exact clone of a Gibson Hummingbird acoustic --- has exact pickguard and paintjob as the Hummingbird which the pickguard shows is hovering with its beak inside a flower....

mfg in 1971, Japan, Matsumoku Company who also made Epiphone and Aria ....

laminated top .... don't know much about specs... fretboard looks like typical rosewood with inlaid mother of pearl squares ... 20 frets... very durable finish for a guitar that has lived for more than 30 years, no cracking... plenty of burnish/wear markings... and I've only ever really cleaned it twice...

Since I have continuously compared this to the Gibson Hummingbird the workmanship shows that they didn't take the time to be perfect with the mother of pearl.... but it is real and exacltly the same and its all still virtually as it came in '71

A Gibson Hummingbird has a dreadnaught body with fast, smooth, narrow neck (not as thin a neck as a thin neck strat tho) ... more like an electric's action .... however this Lyle acoustic guitar has lots of big crisp sound (replace original adjust bridge) .... I have tried to justify getting the real thing on six different occasions and everytime I get to the sound from the Gibson I just can't believe my '71 Lyle sounds equal and more.

tuners needed upgrading from the beginning (which I haven't done)... they come loose every ten years or so and I have to retighten... actually put superglue dab on them last time I did it ten years ago and they'er still snug -- not too

the bridge was originally adjustable, which I had replaced 10 years ago with bone and a professional setup.... I was gonna get an under bridge pup added at the time but the luthier declined saying that the bridge was already taller than he wanted and the pickup would be too much ... so I enjoy a Dean Markley Promag Plus (single coil) sound hole pup.

a few years back I had a gig where I miked the sound hole for an outdoor performance. low, high and mids were all clear and folks came up afterward and told me my Hummingbird was absolutely beautiful sounding. this guitar has lots of big crisp sound (I eventually replaced the original adjust bridge) .... sound is the same before and after the bridge upgrade.... I have tried to justify getting the real thing on six different occasions and everytime I get to the sound from the Gibson I just can't justify the cost because my '71 Lyle sounds equal and more.

when I go with a sound hole pickup leadwise I can keep up and still deliver sound detail and finesse during any part I want .... I have absolute confidence in any rythms warmth and volume.... obviously I can't get twang and extreme range but I can create lots of stuff by tapping, muting, etc..... the beauty I find is in being able to mute the sound in so many different ways compared to my fender tele or strat .... I am currently struggling to decide when to absolutely know not to use the Lyle because I used it for years before I had the fender electrics .....

About the setup, as I said, this guitar wasn't exactly setup to match its big, clear sound (mid, high, low) ..... so I had a pro luthier redo the nut, bridge, neck and to rework whatever needed adjusting.... they declined to add the under bridge pickup because the guitar was originally made with a tall, adjustable bridge.. when they shaped the new bridge it had to be too tall to maintain clearance down the neck.... but believe me they have this neck playable from bottom to top.... when I go with a sound hole pickup I can keep up and sound detail out shape and finesse almost part I want to.... obviously there's a bunch of difference compared to the feel and action of a fender strat or tele but in this case this guitar was made to play fast and loud and clear.... amped or not.

solid, well finished (not Gibson exacting) very dependable and have used it as my only guitar for both sound hole/open mic and unamped playing. In 30 years I've cleaned it only two times and so some of the dust, coffee and beer would come off brilliantly .... I haven't abused this guitar tho.

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I guess Japanese construction in the 70's was equal to the task of matching American guitars.

I've been playing casually for over 20 years, seriously for the past 15... I'd rate it a very sad day to loose this guitar because I couldn't afford to replace it or ever expect to find another one. It is playable better (and uniquely equal sounding) to any Martin I ever touched -- and a Taylor is close to my level of appreciation of this guitar .... A Hummingbird only looks like a W 460 Lyle.