James Tyler Guitars

James Tyler Guitars is a boutique electric guitar manufacturer established near Van Nuys, California, in 1972.

James Tyler is a custom maker heading a team of three other guitar builders based in the Los Angeles area. His most famous guitars were the superstrat-style Studio Elites (Elite, Deluxe, Standard, HD and Retro) and the radically styled Ultimate Weapon with three humbuckers, Demeter active mid-boost circuit, Sperzel locking tuners and an original recessed Floyd Rose locking tremolo, introduced in 1987. These high-class instruments, based on the classic Fender Stratocaster design, had been synonymous with the session rock guitarist in mind.

Tyler builds guitars and basses for Michael Landau, Steve Lukather, John Fogherty, Robben Ford, Buzz Feiten, Dann Huff, Jerry McGee, Abe Laboriel, Michael Anthony, Bob Glaub and Neil Stubenhaus. Primarily known for its high-end boutique instruments held in high esteem by many Los Angeles and Nashville session musicians (including Michael Landau, Dann Huff and Neil Stubenhaus among others), Tyler Guitars had built over 150 guitars since 1999 and currently produces 12 instruments per month.

Many Tyler guitars (such as the Classic, the Mongoose and the Tylerbastar) are mostly inspired by the Fender Stratocaster, the Fender Telecaster and the Gibson Les Paul and are made of alder, ash, mahogany and jelutong (also known as mamywo or malaysian mystery wood), available in solid, transparent, burst (2-tone sunburst, tobacco sunburst, cherry sunburst and jimburst) and psychedelic finishes (burning water, ice water, psychedelic vomit and several variations of "shmear" such as haz-mat spill sewage fiasco, yellow candy lemon and copper patina), featuring a variety of premium options (including active electronics, Sperzel locking tuners, a variety of pickups and pickup configurations, quilted, flamed and exotic maple bent tops and abalone dot-inlaid quarter-sawn maple necks with a 1959 backshape featuring birdseye maple, rosewood, pao ferro or ebony fingerboards with 22 Dunlop medium-jumbo frets).

Tyler guitars were initially offered with pickups from other manufacturers such as DiMarzio, Suhr and Seymour Duncan until 2007, when James Tyler began making his own pickups. Recessed Floyd Rose locking tremolos (which debuted in 1982) were re-introduced on some guitars after a 15-year absence.

James Tyler also produced a limited run of bass guitars between 2000 and 2006. These basses were available in 4, 5 and 6-string versions, fretted and fretless, with 34", 35" and 36"-scale lengths, solid alder, ash or mamywo bodies, quarter-sawn maple necks with 24-fret pao ferro fingerboards, Bartolini and Basslines humbucking pickups, Hipshot UltraLite tuners and a Demeter active 3-band EQ. The line also included signature instruments for Abe Laboriel and Neil Stubenhaus.

James Tyler discontinued the electric bass production in 2007 to concentrate on his more successful electric guitars. The same year saw also the release of the Studio Elite 20th Anniversary and the limited-edition "Ice Water" Studio Elite models, celebrating the instrument's 20th anniversary. The 20th Anniversary featured an ash body with cherry sunburst finish, no pickguard, cream binding, Demeter active mid-boost circuit and an ebony fingerboard, while the Ice Water was an limited edition run of 36 pieces featuring alder, ash and mamywo bodies, an ice water finish, a 3-ply black pickguard and a 22-fret Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with abalone dot inlays and Hipshot locking tuners.