Lyle l-260

so this guitar was made in 1978 in japan by the matsumoku factory. the first number of the sn is the year it was made. lyle guitars were only around for 11 years (1969-1980) so it has to be a 78. definately looks that old. i think the top is sitka spruce because sitka is know for thin growth rings and the wood is definately spruce. the neck is rosewood and the back and sides are mahogany. this particular guitar has plastic gotoh tuners on it kind of like a schaller m-6 (maybe stock, maybe not). the bridge is probably rosewood and it has come away from the body slightly under the 6th string. the saddle itself is a pickup made of plastic/metal/plastic laminated together and i can plug the thing into an amp or pa. the neck has got a flower style inlay on it that is pretty to look at, but it has risin from the fretboard near the lower frets. wish i knew if it was solid top or not. i play it lots but i don't remember. the finish is transparent and is a medium to light laquer. when i bought it the plastic nut was shot so i had my luthier friend put in a bone nut. that only cost 20 bucks including new strings. the rosette is simple, not elegant, i like it. the pick gaurd has a cool shape. nuff said.

i like boom chuck country and travis pickin. i don't plug the thing in much. i like the pickup its got in it, i just don't plug acoustic guitars in much. the sound depends on the strings yer runnin. theres a world of difference between martin marque lights and d'addario ej17s. the things loud. good folky sound. could sound better.

factory it was probably beatiful. 30 years of use has washed away the factory setup. its pretty hard to bend strings cause the action is high. that kinda sucks cause i like to bend strings. i was thinking about taking out the pickup saddle and installing a bone saddle to lower it down cause the neck is set pretty darn straight. like i mentioned earlier the inlay has risin from the fretboard. finish is good. my only complaint is that the action is too high.

played a live show in a park within 3 days of buying it. i ran it straight into the pa, no preamp and it sounded great. the buttons are solid, i don't worry about it breaking at all.

are you kidding me? maybe martin would give support but lyle is long dead and gone.

i've been playin since i was 11 or 12 when i got my first guitar. im 24 now and i own a 1966 harmony stella, a 1982 yamaha cg80a, a 1980 gibson l-6s and a red knob fender princeton chorus amp. if the thing gets stolen or lost i would save and buy a martin. is what it is, the price was right and i saw it had potential. i love the way it sounds with my harmonica, its just right. my favorite feature is the spruce top. i hate the action. i think martins make the most playable acoustic guitars. they feel good in the hands and they have nice expressive tones. this guitar is not a martin, but it is cool and it has its place. well worth it. i like old guitars.