design— he was even involved in outfitting the Beijing Olympics’ opening ceremonies. When he acquired Tyler Guitars in 2022, he brought a big-picture mindset.
At the time, I was hesitant about going offshore. I’ ve worked with companies like Line6, KRK, and Fernandes Guitars, so I’ ve spent time in Chinese factories— I understood the challenges. My feeling was: let’ s grow the brand more before jumping into overseas production. But Ian had a vision, and he proved to be right.
[ WM ] What changed your mind?
[ Rich ] Ian visited several factories personally and ultimately connected with Yako, a facility I already knew from my time at Fernandes. We were half-owners of that factory 30 years ago, and when they learned I was involved again, it was like reconnecting with old friends. The first prototypes were okay, not great but we gave detailed feedback. By the second round, they’ d improved significantly. By the time we hit production, we were thrilled. We quietly debuted the line at NAMM 2025, and even the skeptics were impressed. One dealer who originally opposed the idea is now ordering 30 to 40 units at a time.
[ WM ] Who’ s the target buyer for these guitars?
[ Rich ] It’ s been broader than we expected. We’ re seeing everyone from doctors buying for their kids’ first guitar to known artists who want a Tyler they don’ t need to worry about for road gigs. But the coolest trend is seeing it act as a gateway— players buy the offshore model, fall in love with the feel and sound, and then start saving for a U. S.-built Tyler.
[ WM ] How do you ensure quality, especially overseas?
[ Rich ] You get what you demand. We don’ t approach factories asking for a $ 300 guitar. We go in with our standards and say,“ This is what a Tyler needs to be.” That’ s why the offshore guitars sell around $ 1,799, which is not cheap, but fair for what they are. In fact, the luthiers at the factory are stoked because they rarely get asked to do this high level work.
We mandate things like rolled fretboard edges, precision nut work, and pro-level fret dressing— details that matter. Every guitar is inspected at the factory and then in Beijing before it leaves to our warehouse and directly to our international dealers. After this, each dealer worldwide does their own inspection. These are not mass market and they are handled with care.
[ WM ] How close are the specs to your U. S. builds?
[ Rich ] Pretty close. We’ re using North
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