American alder and maple, and Indian rosewood boards. The scale length is 25.5”, same as our domestic models. The pickups are to our own spec, not exactly the same as the U. S. ones, but very close. In fact, some players prefer them.
We also offer upgrade options like U. S.-made loaded pickguards for anyone who wants to mod up.
[ WM ] How did you decide which models to release first?
[ Rich ] We started with our staples. The MK1 bolt-on model is our Studio Elite shape— Stratinspired but with a more refined upper horn and the Tyler headstock. The M1 set-neck version is based on the Mongoose, which Jim designed back in the’ 90s. They feel like Tylers through and through.
[ WM ] How did you personally end up back at Tyler?
[ Rich ] It goes way back. I came to L. A. to study at the Dick Grove School of Music. I’ m a bass player, and Jim’ s shop was known as The Place for Bass back then. I walked in one day, got to know Jim, and eventually worked for him during the late’ 80s and early’ 90s.
After that, I moved on to Fernandes, Line 6, and KRK / Gibson. At Line6, I worked on the Spider Valve, M13, and the James Tyler Variax. I even did some record production and was preparing to go union for film mixing when the pandemic hit.
That’ s when Jim called and asked if I could help around the shop. It started casual, but pretty quickly I took the job as General Manager. Jim was preparing to step away, and I helped transition the business to Ian. Now I oversee product development, and five years later we’ ve quadrupled production, grown to 20 employees, and have a lot of momentum.
[ WM ] What does the future look like for Tyler Guitars?
[ Rich ] We’ ll definitely be in a bigger shop. We’ re scaling up smartly. Jim built this brand slowly and without outside investors, which gave us a solid foundation. With the renewed interest in’ 80s-style instruments and our expanded line, I think we’ re ready to take that next step— right alongside companies like PRS, but still keeping that Tyler uniqueness.
We’ re bringing back basses this year, which I’ m personally excited about. There are new models in development, and the energy in the shop is high. It feels like the beginning of a whole new chapter.
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