Guyatone

Guyatone

Industry	Musical instrument
Founded	1933; 88 years ago (1933) as "Matsuki Manufacturing" in Yamanashi[1]
Founder	Mitsuo Matsuki [1]
Headquarters	Japan
Products	Electric guitars, amplifiers, effects units
Website	guyatone.com

Guyatone (グヤトーン or ガイアトーン) is a Japanese manufacturing company which makes electric guitars, guitar amplifiers, and effects pedals.

History[]

Early history[]

LG-60B (1959)

LG-140T (c.1964-65)

(Left: Rory Gallagher's collection^[2] exhibited at Harrods in 2007)

One of the earliest guitar manufacturers in Japan, Guyatone began production in 1933.^[3] According to Mr. Hiroyuki Noguchi, editor of Japan's Guitar Magazine,^[4] "Matsuki Seisakujo" (松木製作所) was founded cabinet maker's apprentice Mr. Mitsuo Matsuki and friend Mr. Atsuo Kaneko, who later became a famous player of Hawaiian and Spanish style guitars^[5] as well as help with the formation of the great Teisco in 1946.^[6]

Matsuki had been enrolled in electronics classes, studying nights after his cabinetry apprentice job.^[5] Hawaiian music becoming increasingly popular at the time led Mr. Kaneko to inquire to his friend Matsuki about building an electric Hawaiian guitar using his wood working and electronics skills.^[5] In the late 1930s the "Matsuki Joiner" company ("Matsuki Seisakujo" in Japanese) was formed^[5] producing and selling mostly American style (Rickenbacker style) guitars under the Guya name.

In 1940 Matsuki was drafted into the war between China and Japan and production halted for several years. After returning home, Matsuki formed his own company, "Matsuki Denki Onkyo Kenkyujo" (松木電気音響研究所^[3]), translated means: "Matsuki Electric Sound Laboratory."^[5]

Guyatone name[]

In 1951 Matsuki began to use the Guyatone name on his instruments. They also began to make amplifiers and cartridges for record players.^[5] These cartridges found a large market after being routinely used by NHK, a government-owned broadcasting station. In 1952^[5] (or 1956^[3]) the name of the corporation was again changed to Tokyo Sound Company (東京サウンド(株)^[3]). Eventually it was changed Guya Co., Ltd. ((株)グヤ) and then back to Tokyo Sound Co. once again.^[3]

According to correspondence with Toshihiko Torri, R&D at Guyatone,^{[citation needed]} the Tokyo Sound factory began large-scale production in 1956. Guyatone's own records indicate them as being founded on July 16, 1956. By the late 1950s or early 1960s, they made up to 1,500 slide guitars, 1,600 electric guitars and basses, 2,000 guitar amplifiers, and 5,000 microphones a month.^[7]

During the late-1950s to 1960s, Guyatone guitars were distributed under various brands by other manufacturers/distributors:

ZIP200B (1979) bass amp

EX2 Solid state guitar amp with 15 inch speaker

VT2 Vintage Tremolo (micro effect series)

WR6 Auto Wah

Zoom Box USA Made Limited Reissue

TZ2, the Fuzz (micro effect series)

Prototype Humbucker

• In Japan, Hoshino Gakki had exported Guyatone under the Star and Ibanez brands,^[8] before Tama factory was opened in 1962. Their model 1830 (c.1960, LG-70)^[9] or model 1860 "Rhythm Maker" (1960) is said to be a model^[10] for which Jimi Hendrix had traded in his Danelectro, in 1962.^[11][12] Then, this model was roughly copied by Kawai as model "S-180" (1964),^[13] and some lots were also manufactured by FujiGen.^[14][15] Kawai's copied model was played by Hound Dog Taylor,^[13] as seen on his first album Hound Dog Taylor and the HouseRockers in 1971. And in the 21st century, Ibanez reissued the Rhythm Maker as Jet King 2 (2004–2007).
• In the United Kingdom, James T. Coppock (Leeds) Ltd. had introduced Guyatone under Antoria brand in the late 1950s,^[16] and these were played by Hank Marvin,^[17] Marty Wilde,^[18] Rory Gallagher,^[2] Johny Guitar, and Ringo Starr from the Hurricanes,^[19] and even possibly young Jeff Beck.^[19]
• In the United States, Buegeleisen and Jacobson (B&J) in New York City had introduced Guyatone under the "Kent" brand, along with re-badged brands such as Saturn, Marathon, Starlight, Royalist, etc. (Note that Kent guitars, established in 1960, were initially manufactured by Hagström, then also manufactured by Guyatone, Kawai, FujiGen, Teisco, Matsumoku)^[20]

Demise and rebirth[]

In 2013 "Tokyo Sound Co. Ltd." closed their doors to business^[21] and transferred ownership of the "Guyatone" name to Hiroshi Matsuki (松木裕), son of the founder of Tokyo Sound Co., and brother to the president of the company, re-opening and re-organizing a short time later that same year.^[7] Guyatone now continues in its US office in Oswego, IL, USA with partner company DeMont MFG LLC, where the new Guyatone WR6 pedal & Excelsior 5 guitar are produced.

Later, DeMont MFG LLC was purchased and absorbed into "DeMont Guitars" along with all assets. The Guyatone company is now owned by former R&D Guyatone engineer, Toshihiko Torii (DeMont Japan), and Nate DeMont (DeMont Guitars / Guyatone)

Latest products[]

In 2017 the WR6 AutoWah was launched as an all USA-Made pedal, limited to 100 units. The DeMont / Guyatone Manufacturing facility sustained a fire in December 2017 resulting in a slow release of the product. 2018 also introduced a limited run of 10 hand-made, USA Guyatone Zoom Box re-issue pedals. In 2020, designer Toshihiko Torii finished and released the Guyatone CBu1 (Cooler Booster) and ODu1 (Principal Overdrive) were released in limited numbers and to great accolades in the Japanese market. The new micro case was designed similarly to the M2 series case, although this time made from cast aluminum.

Likewise, in Japan, Guyatone began development of a patented injection-molded guitar pick which uses small differences in contours and thickness, as well as material types, to change the feel of the pick instead of the traditional thickness of the plastic.

Vintage Documentation

In late 2018, Guyatone launched the GuyatoneGuitars.com site to document and collect information about vintage products and instruments as an on-going project, but has since been re-vamping all of the catalogs to be re-released online in the near future (2021)

References[]

Bibliography

• OUTPUT. Y.M.M. Player Magazine mook (in Japanese). Tokyo: Player Corporation. 1982-01-20. ID:09818-1-20. External link in |publisher= (help)
• 60's Bizarre Guitars. Guitar Magazine mooks / Rittor Music mook (in Japanese). Tokyo: Rittor Music, Inc. 1993-03-01. OCLC 269873814. ID:4-69771-02, , ASIN B0064YESZO.
• Fjestad, Zachary R. (2014). "GUYATONE". Blue Book of Electric Guitars (15th ed.). Blue Book Publications, Inc. ISBN 978-1-936120-56-7.
• Meyers, Frank (2015). History of Japanese Electric Guitars. Centerstream Publications. ISBN 978-1-57424-315-4.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Guyatone.

• Official website
• Japan-DeMont-Guitars – partner in Japan
• Oceanbeauty. "Guitar List 5 - GUYATONE". blogs.yahoo.co.jp (in Japanese). – major domestic models in the 1950s–1960s.