Lyle/L&D Heater
Lyle
Lyle guitars were imported from Japan(Matsumoku Co., who also produced Aria brand guitars) in the 1960s & 1970s by the L&D Heater Co. of Portland Oregon. An interesting side note is that Lyle guitars were licensed copies of Gibson guitars.
A popular misconception of the Lyle brand was that Norlin(parent company of Gibson) sued the Matsumoku Co. for copying their guitar designs and closed them down.
The 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.
A popular misconception of the Lyle brand was that Norlin(parent company of Gibson) sued the Matsumoku Co. for copying their guitar designs and closed them down.
The 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.
L.D.Heater Music Company
The only known distributor of Lyle Guitars in America is the L.D. Heater Music Company, which is based in Beaverton, Oregon. Norlin, the parent company of Gibson, owned L.D. Heater. Lyle guitars, as protection from potential lawsuits, was part of the contract stating under which brand names Gibson-licensed guitars could be produced and distributed.
Nice #336C vintage Lyle eliptical cork-grip/D'Andrea made
(reverse side of above pick)
Lyle vintage eliptical guitar pick/D'Andrea made
1970s Lyle eliptical 'flame style celluloid' vintage guitar pick/made by D'Andrea
Lyle(fading logo) 351 guitar pick/made by D'Andrea
1970s LD Heater vintage triangle celluloid(gold foiling on tortoise celluloid/made by D'Andrea)
1970s Clear, blue LD Heater vintage 351 picks/made by D'Andrea
1970s vintage LD triangle celluloid/made by D'Andrea(gold leaf hot-stamped)
1970s 368 shaped LD Heater vintage celluloid, medium gauge/made by D'Andrea
