Guyatone
Product brand
UnclaimedJapanese musical-instrument brand known for electric guitars, amplifiers, and effects pedals.
Last updated October 30, 2026
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Overview
Guyatone is a Japanese musical-instrument brand and manufacturing business associated primarily with electric guitars, guitar amplifiers, and effects pedals. Its origins trace to Matsuki Seisakujo, established in 1933 by Mitsuo Matsuki and his associate Atsuo Kaneko. The company emerged during a period when Hawaiian music was becoming popular in Japan, encouraging the development of amplified Hawaiian instruments. Matsuki combined woodworking experience with studies in electronics to produce electric instruments, initially selling guitars under the Guya name during the late 1930s. Production was interrupted in 1940 when Matsuki was drafted during the Second Sino-Japanese War. After the war he established Matsuki Electric Sound Laboratory, and the business resumed with electric Hawaiian guitars. The Guyatone name began appearing on instruments in 1951. The company also expanded into amplifiers and phonograph cartridges; its cartridges reportedly gained a significant institutional market through use by NHK. Corporate naming changed several times during the postwar period, including transitions involving Tokyo Sound Company and Guya Co., Ltd. Guyatone's manufacturing activity expanded substantially during the 1950s. Company records identify July 16, 1956, as a founding date for the Tokyo Sound factory, although some historical accounts place the corporate name change to Tokyo Sound in either 1952 or 1956. By the late 1950s and early 1960s, the business was producing large quantities of slide guitars, electric guitars and basses, amplifiers, and microphones. Its instruments were often characterized by distinctive designs and comparatively accessible prices. The brand benefited from the international electric-guitar boom associated with surf music and other popular styles from the late 1950s through the 1960s. Guyatone instruments were exported through distributors and frequently sold under other names. In Japan, Hoshino Gakki distributed instruments connected with Guya under the Star and Ibanez brands. In Britain, Guyatone instruments appeared through Antoria, Freshman, Futurama, and Broadway importer or retailer brands. In the United States, Buegeleisen and Jacobson distributed Guyatone-produced instruments under Kent and related brands including Saturn, Marathon, Starlight, and Royalist. The brand's historical profile is also tied to musicians who used Guyatone instruments or rebadged versions. Reported users include Hank Marvin, Marty Wilde, Rory Gallagher, Ringo Starr (during his time with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes), Jimi Hendrix (early years), Steve Howe, and Hound Dog Taylor. Some Guyatone designs influenced later copies and reissues, including Ibanez's Jet King 2, which drew on the earlier Rhythm Maker design. Guyatone experienced major interruptions in 1940, 1968, and 2013. Tokyo Sound Co. Ltd. closed in 2013, and the Guyatone name was transferred to Hiroshi Matsuki, son of founder Mitsuo Matsuki. The brand was reorganized and resumed operations that year. In the United States, it subsequently operated with DeMont MFG LLC in Oswego, Illinois. That manufacturing operation was later absorbed into DeMont Guitars. Current ownership is held by former Guyatone R&D engineer Toshihiko Torii through DeMont Japan and by Nate DeMont of DeMont Guitars. In December 2017, a fire occurred at the DeMont/Guyatone manufacturing facility. Guyatone also developed a patented injection-molded guitar pick and launched a website in late 2018. The brand remains associated with vintage Japanese electric instruments and ongoing guitar-related manufacturing activity, although detailed current product and company information is limited.
History
Guyatone's history begins with Matsuki Seisakujo, established in Japan in 1933 by Mitsuo Matsuki and Atsuo Kaneko. Kaneko's interest in Hawaiian and Spanish-style guitars, combined with Matsuki's woodworking and electronics skills, led to experiments with amplified Hawaiian instruments. During the late 1930s, the business produced Rickenbacker-influenced electric guitars under the Guya name. Production stopped in 1940 after Matsuki was drafted. After returning from wartime service, Matsuki founded Matsuki Electric Sound Laboratory and rebuilt the business. The postwar company concentrated initially on electric Hawaiian guitars, reflecting the popularity of Hawaiian music in Japan. In 1951, Matsuki began using the Guyatone name. The firm broadened its output to include amplifiers and phonograph cartridges. Its cartridges reportedly became widely used by NHK, providing an important non-guitar market. The company underwent several corporate-name changes. Historical accounts identify Tokyo Sound Company as a postwar corporate identity, with the timing variously reported as 1952 or 1956. The Tokyo Sound factory's own records identify July 16, 1956, as a founding date. In 1968, the company became Guya Co., Ltd., before returning to the Tokyo Sound name. These changes coincided with a period of rapid expansion in Japanese electrical-instrument manufacturing. By the end of the 1950s and into the early 1960s, Guyatone was manufacturing slide guitars, electric guitars and basses, amplifiers, and microphones at industrial scale. The brand's guitars were notable for unusual body shapes, relatively low prices, and designs suited to the growing market for electric popular music. The international boom in surf music and electric guitar created export opportunities, and Guyatone instruments were distributed by third parties under numerous labels. Hoshino Gakki exported Guyatone instruments from Japan under the Star and Ibanez names before the opening of the Tama factory. One important design was the Rhythm Maker, associated with the model 1860 and related instruments from around 1960. Historical accounts connect an early Rhythm Maker to Jimi Hendrix, while later copies and related models appeared in the catalogs of Kawai and other Japanese manufacturers. Ibanez subsequently reissued a related design as the Jet King 2 between 2004 and 2007. In Britain, James T. Coppock of Leeds introduced Guyatone instruments under the Antoria label. Other instruments entered the market through Conn-Selmer UK brands such as Freshman and Futurama. Guyatone's early bolt-on-neck LG-40 was distributed by multiple importers, including J. Mauriat, Rose Morris under the Broadway name, and Bell Music of Epsom. In the United States, Buegeleisen and Jacobson introduced Guyatone-produced instruments under Kent and related budget labels. These distribution arrangements made Guyatone hardware available internationally even when the Guyatone name was absent from the headstock. Musician associations helped preserve the brand's historical significance. Reported players of Guyatone instruments or rebadged models include Hank Marvin, Marty Wilde, Rory Gallagher, Ringo Starr, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Howe, and Hound Dog Taylor. Guyatone's instruments also circulated through the collector and vintage-guitar markets as examples of Japan's early postwar contribution to electric-guitar manufacturing. The company encountered a further crisis in 2013, when Tokyo Sound Co. Ltd. closed. Ownership of the Guyatone name was transferred to Hiroshi Matsuki, a son of the founder, and the enterprise was reorganized. Later operations involved former Guyatone research-and-development engineer Toshihiko Torii and Nate DeMont of DeMont Guitars. Guyatone activity continued through a U.S. presence in Oswego, Illinois, and collaboration with DeMont MFG LLC, whose assets were later absorbed into DeMont Guitars. The manufacturing facility suffered a fire in December 2017. The brand also pursued new product development, including a patented injection-molded guitar pick designed to vary playing feel through changes in contour, thickness, and material. A website was launched in late 2018. Although public information about present-day scale and distribution is limited, Guyatone remains an active name connected to Japanese electric-guitar history and contemporary DeMont-related operations.
- 2018
Website launched
[1]Guyatone launches a website in late 2018.
- 2017
Manufacturing facility fire
[1]A fire affects the DeMont/Guyatone manufacturing facility in December.
- 2013
Tokyo Sound closure and Guyatone reorganization
[1]Tokyo Sound Co. Ltd. closes, the Guyatone name is transferred to Hiroshi Matsuki, and the business is reorganized.
- 2004
Ibanez reissues a related Rhythm Maker design
[1]Ibanez produces the Jet King 2, a later model associated with the earlier Rhythm Maker design.
- 1968
Corporate identity changes to Guya Co., Ltd.
[1]The company changes its corporate name to Guya Co., Ltd. before later returning to the Tokyo Sound identity.
- 1960
International distribution expands
[1]Guyatone instruments enter overseas markets through labels and distributors including Star, Ibanez, Antoria, Kent, and other brands.
- 1956
Large-scale factory production begins
[1]Company records identify July 16, 1956, as the founding date of the Tokyo Sound factory, marking the beginning of large-scale production.
- 1955
First solid-body guitar introduced
[1]Guyatone introduces its first solid-body electric guitar.
- 1951
Guyatone name introduced
[1]The Guyatone name begins appearing on the company's instruments.
- 1948
Postwar re-establishment
[1]Matsuki rebuilds the business as Matsuki Electric Sound Laboratory and resumes production, initially focusing on electric Hawaiian guitars.
Products and positioning
Historically positioned as an inventive, accessible Japanese maker of electric string instruments and related audio equipment, with distinctive mid-century designs and substantial export activity through distributor and rebadged brands.
Electric guitars
LG-series guitars
The LG family includes early Guyatone electric guitars, including the LG-40 bolt-on-neck model and the LG-70 associated with the model 1830. These instruments illustrate the brand's mid-century approach to affordable construction, distinctive styling, and export-oriented production. Different versions were distributed under Guyatone and third-party labels in Japan, Britain, and the United States.
Electric guitar · 1960
Rhythm Maker
The Rhythm Maker, associated with Guyatone model 1860 and related instruments from around 1960, is one of the company's best-known vintage designs. Its historical importance comes from its unusual appearance, circulation through international distributors, reported association with early Jimi Hendrix, and later influence on copies and reissues. Ibanez used the design lineage for the Jet King 2 reissue.
Electric guitars · 1948
Electric Hawaiian and slide guitars
Electric Hawaiian and slide guitars were central to Guyatone's postwar revival and early manufacturing activity. The company resumed production with electric Hawaiian instruments after 1948 and later produced them in substantial quantities during the 1950s and 1960s, when Hawaiian and other amplified popular-music styles supported demand.
Guitar amplifiers
Guyatone guitar amplifiers
Amplifiers became an important part of Guyatone's product range alongside guitars. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the company manufactured thousands of amplifiers per month according to historical production figures. The amplifiers supported the growing electric-guitar market and helped make Guyatone a broader musical-electronics manufacturer rather than only a guitar maker.
Effects pedals
Guyatone effects pedals
Effects pedals are part of Guyatone's modern and widely recognized product identity. Public reference material confirms the category but does not provide a complete catalog or reliable launch chronology for individual pedal models.
Guitar accessories
Injection-molded guitar pick
Guyatone developed a patented injection-molded guitar pick intended to change playing feel through controlled differences in contour, thickness, and material type. The product reflects the brand's continued interest in small-scale technical innovations for guitar accessories.
Brand decisions
2017
Response to manufacturing-facility fireOtherBackground
The DeMont/Guyatone manufacturing facility sustained a fire in December 2017.
Action taken
The available reference material records the incident but does not specify the complete operational response.
Aftermath
The brand continued to be associated with DeMont-related operations afterward, although the scale and production consequences are not documented in the supplied sources.
2013
Reorganization after Tokyo Sound closureStrategyBackground
Tokyo Sound Co. Ltd. closed during a major crisis for the business, creating uncertainty around the Guyatone name and operations.
Action taken
The Guyatone name was transferred to Hiroshi Matsuki and the business was reopened and reorganized, with later operations involving Toshihiko Torii and Nate DeMont.
Aftermath
Guyatone continued operating through U.S. and Japan-related partnerships, including DeMont-associated manufacturing and distribution activity.
Sources1 sources
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