Renowned luthier and Superstrat pioneer James Tyler passes away, aged 72

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Noted luthier and electric guitar designer James Tyler has passed away aged 72, according to an update from his family.

Tyler’s high-end instruments were the go-to designs for many LA studio players in the 1980s, including the likes of Dean Parks, Dann Huff and Michael Landau, and played a key role in the evolution of the era’s Superstrat arms race.

“It is with great sadness that we share the death on August 29, 2024, of James Lee Tyler, founder of James Tyler Guitars,” reads a statement from Tyler’s daughters Sarah and Jessica.

“James passed away peacefully in his home with family by his side after a long and valiant battle with interstitial lung disease. He was 72.

“In his 50-plus years as a guitar maker, James was a titan in the industry who helped shape the LA Studio Sound of the 1980s and was one of the first to strike out with his own (controversial) trademark headstock. His portfolio of clients was driven almost exclusively by word of mouth and spans across all musical genres.

“His combined studies of architecture, design, photography as well as his training as a high performance auto mechanic gave him meticulous skill and conceptual ingenuity. His success and popularity grew due to his tenacious commitment to achieving the exact sound, look, and feel of what a customer wanted. He was a true artist and craftsman in every sense.”

Tyler, like many guitarists in the late-20th century, was inspired to pick up the instrument in the wake of the Beatles’ arrival on US shores and soon began taking his instruments apart to inspect their inner workings.

By 1978, he had become the go-to repair man for the iconic LA vintage store Norman’s Rare Guitars, before launching his own repair shop in Reseda, CA in 1980.

His forward-thinking mods and high-performance builds soon caught the eye of the city’s demanding session players – including the aforementioned Parks, Landau, and Huff – as well as Buzz Feiten, Steve Watson and David Williams.

Those players would perform on sessions with the likes of everyone from James Taylor, to Cher, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Donna Summer and many others. As such, Tyler’s hot-rodded instruments were used on some of the era’s biggest hits, including perhaps most notably, Williams’ guitar work on Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean.

Around a similar time, Tyler’s store relocated to North Hollywood but eschewed tinseltown’s showy marketing or branding – or even a store sign – meaning his business was driven purely by reputation and word of mouth among the area’s studio cognoscenti.

Meanwhile, Tyler’s custom builds and increasingly outlandish finish options [see the Shmear designs – Ed] found placement on TV and in the hands of bigger and bigger names. Steve Lukather became a customer and Van Halen’s Michael Anthony commissioned Tyler to build the custom Jack Daniels and Tabasco Sauce basses.

In the late-’80s, Tyler unveiled his own (enduringly divisive) headstock design and debuted his Studio Elite build at the NAMM show. Tyler would develop more of his own designs throughout the ’80s and ’90s, with the internet offering more opportunities to sell direct to guitarists and spread word of his work.

Ever the boundary-pusher, in 2007, Tyler started to work with Line 6 on his acclaimed revamping of the firm’s modeling guitar, the JTVariax. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor later that year and underwent surgery.

He retired in 2022, leaving the firm under the stewardship of his luthier daughter Sarah Tyler and General Manager Rich Renken.

“Jim was a loving father and man of faith who equipped his daughters to be capable, strong women and always challenged us to do and be better,” reads Sarah and Jessica’s letter.

“Our earliest memories are of our dad at the workbench, pounding frets and dialing in the action of his guitars while letting us play and build with wood scraps and copper tape. As we grew, he invested countless hours training and refining our skills… We’re grateful to carry him forward in our hearts and hands.”

Tyler’s family have since announced their intention to set up a foundation in their father’s honor, “to support current and future generations of musicians” and are asking for donations, in lieu of gifts/flowers.

To make a donation to the James Tyler Foundation, head to GoFundMe.