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L-L'B |
Le-Li |
Ll- |
made |
info
updated 15/10/2011 |
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HG Leach
 |
1980 to present |
Harvey Leach,
Cedar Ridge, California
http://www.guitarsessions.com/nov06/guitar_maker.asp Image
eBay:
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Richard Leach
Guitars |
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Leamy |
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Anthony Leamy,
Florence, Italy |
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Leban
|
1960s |
Leban Imports of Maryland,
Baltimore imported musical instruments including Cyclone brand
guitars from Japan. Included copies of Vox Phantom, Made in
Japan.
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Lebeda
 |
1978 to present |
Luthier
Jiri Lebeda of the Czech Republic.
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Ledesma |
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Facebook |
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Le Domino
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1920s-1930s |
Le Domino brand is associated with
James R. Stewart Co circa 1920s until he went out of business in
1930. His company was acquired by Tonk Brothers, who then sold
all his brand names off to Regal. Tonk sold most of his
manufacturing equipment to Harmony and the rest to Slingerland.
Le Domino is big in ukuleles. The
guitars are less common, but not particularly high grade. Most
are plywood. [Source:
Blue Book]
Image eBay:
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Leduc
 |
1978 to present |
LEDUC GUITAR, made since 1978.
Guitars and basses, mostly electrics, life time guaranteed, hand
made in Boulange, France.
Some famous users as Abraham Laboriel, Marcus Miller, Ritchie
Blackmore, Frederic Monino, Andre Manga ...
International patent in 1991 for the free-floating soundboard as
featured on the U-guitars and U-basses.
Maximum production of a thousand instruments a year during the
eighties.
Since 2004 Christophe is working alone, on high-end custom
electrics and acoustics.
Other info.
The free-floating sound table :
The process of the "free-floating"
sound table and its special asymmetrical bridge has been
patented in 1991. The table "manages" energy applied on the
strings, limits buzzes, increases the sustain when one needs
some. The table acts as an expander that develops subtleties of
playing.
The bridge is supported by the
table on its bass side and by the body on the treble side. The
more the string is on the bass side, the stronger is the
interaction with the table. The more the string is on the treble
side, the more it has sustain. It gives an incredible equality
of tone in the whole register.
[Source: Christophe Leduc, email
11/9/2009]
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Hugues Lefort |
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St-Basile-le-Grand, Quebec,
Canada |
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Legato Lutherie
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Jeremy Anderson, builds in
Howard Lake, Minnesota, USA
Images of Legato #15 built in
2006 courtesy of lofapco, Acoustic Guitar Forum 2008
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Legend Guitars |
1988 to
present |
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LEGG Guitars
 |
1995- |
Rimini, Italy.
LEGG GUITARS was 'founded in 1995
by a passion for music by Giuseppe Gobbi, the company's founder
and in Rimini, Italy, Through the years and 'evolved into the
construction of guitars and basses designing his own line and
modern system construction (glued neck and body) is unique in
the world, this system from its original instruments in the
sound rich in harmonics and sustain.
Dating Legg guitars
Every instrument and 'encoded with
a serial number that identifies the number of the instrument and
the date of manufacture. [Source: Giuseppe Gobbi, email
25/1/2011]
http://www.guitarsmatrix.com/profiles/legguitars.html |
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Lehmann |
1971 to present |
Bernard Lehmann, Lehmann
Stringed Instruments. Rochester, New York, USA
Dating
Lehmann guitars
"Bernie
Lehmann started building instruments in 1971. Labels are all
either handwritten in India ink or printed with handwritten date
and serial number. There is usually a signature and date on the
top inside the instrument. As of March, 2008 he has made 416
instruments. He has made many kinds of instruments including:
steel string, classical, gypsy, arch top, tenor, plectrum, solid
body, and bass guitar; dulcimer; lute; vihuela; vielle; rebec;
viola da gamba; hammered dulcimer; plucked and bowed psaltry;
banjo; mandolin, Renaissance and Irish cittern; and requinto.'
[Source: Bernie Lehmann, email 20/3/2008]
Bernie Lehmann's
blog
Image Lehmann web.
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Lehtela
Guitars |
1997 to present |
"I have built to the public since
1993 although the official launch date was 1997 with the
inception of LA Guitar Factory which I still operate. It
functions as home to Lehtela Guitar Craft ( custom guitars and
luthiery school) as well as a guitar repair center where I
employ a small staff of apprentices.
2) The guitars are all built at the shop mentioned above in
Charlotte, North Carolina USA. The instruments are either signed or bear my logo with an A
and an L. I market them under both my name as well as business
name Lehtela Guitar Craft.
3) All of my instruments have been serialized with first two
numbers representing the year ( 99, 02,etc.) and the the last
two numbers representing the chronological succession (
01,02...). In some years the year will follow the numbered
succession, so this part has not always been consistent."
[Source: Ari Lehtela, email 4/4/2008" |
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Leigh |
2004- |
Leigh guitars are made in San
Diego, California, USA since 2004.
All custom hand made. Serial
numbers start at at 8764 and go up from there. Leigh logo on
headstock. Started making acoustics in the beginning, now they
make electric guitars and basses exclusively.
The company's designer, Jeff
Leigh, worked for Taylor guitars and Dean guitars before
starting his own company. [Source: Jack Starr, email 20/1/2011]
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Leilani
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1940s-50s |
Leilani lap steel
guitars were made by Gourley of Hollywood Cal. which was also
made by Dickerson/Magnatone. It is from the 1940s or '50s. It is
all original and covered in purple pearloid (mother of toilet
seat). It has the "concealed" pickup like other Dickerson and
Magnatone models and a volume control. [Source and images
courtesy of Mark Kesterson 4/09]
First guitar has an early serial number
101 on side
of headstock - suggests late 1940s.
 
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Ola Ivarsson Leira |
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http://www.steinnes.net/gitar/index.html |
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Leland |
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? made by Larson
Image
Larson Brothers:
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Lentz
 |
1975 to
present |
Scott Lentz,
San Marcos California, USA
"Dating
Lentz guitars
On
all early guitars the name Lentz is in blue. Around 2002 we
changed to silver. I have made S style guitars since the early
80's, some with Jackson heads, some with slab boards. All the
guitars produced from 98, have the maple radiused and fret board
glued over i.e. (lam neck)... Early
guitars have the zinc block later have the steel block. Hardware
was from Gotoh with some machines being Kluson. Every guitar I
made, the neck was sent to the buyer for approval and the name
of the buyer and date was either printed on the heel or later
the bottom. The later guitars have the tone circuit using .01
cap on the neck and middle on the first tone pot and.022 on the
rear tone pot" [Source: Scott Lentz,
Gear Page Forum ]
Reviews are at Harmony Central
Lentz Guitar Forum |
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Leo Master
 |
1930s |
Guitars and
banjos.
? Made by
Martin, Regal and Paramount?
Image courtesy
Lowell Levinger ,
Players Vintage Instruments |
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Lero
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Lero guitars made in Japan
late 70s/80s
Lero owner facebook group
Image Lero guitar and bass
ebay:
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Levin
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1900-1977 |
Leving guitars
was founded by
Herman Carlson Levin, in Gothenberg, Sweden. Classical
guitars, mandolins and ukuleles. made guitars for other brands
including Goya from 1955 to mid 1970s. [Source: Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide
]
Check out Johan Eliasson's Levin
Resource page
Levin
information pages Sweden
Levin guitar
catalogs:
http://goyaguitars.tripod.com/levin_catalogs.htm
1940s-1957
http://www.acousticmusic.org/Instrument-Catalogs-sp-87.html
Levin guitar serial numbers:
http://www.whitetreeaz.com/vintage/goya.htm
Reviews are at Harmony Central
Image courtesy
of Johan Eliasson and label from eBay:
see
Goya |
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Gary Levinson |
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see Blade |
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John Le Voi Guitars
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1970 to present |
John Le Voi
specialises in custom-built fine quality gypsy jazz guitars.
He also makes mandolin
family instruments, bouzoukis, selmerzoukis
Made since
"1970, John Le Voi Guitars Workshop,
West St, Alford, Lincolnshire. LN13 9EZ, UK
All
instruments have a label with the date of manufacture visible
through the soundhole. I have never used a serial number system
but no two instruments have the same date.
I have
specialised in Selmer type guitars since 1976 (more than 450 to
date) but still make flat tops and the mandolin family
instruments." [Source and image courtesy of John Le Voi, email
21/11/2008]
John Le Voi at
myspace
Reviews are at Harmony Central |
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Levy-Page
Special |
1930s |
Acoustic guitars ? by Gibson for a
distributor. [Source: Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide] |
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Bill Lewis
Guitars
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? to 1978 |
There is very little on Bill Lewis Guitars on the web. Best I
can find is that he sold one to David Gilmour in 1970 and that
in 1978 the inventory and mailing list of Bill Lewis' company,
Lewis Luthier Supplies of Vancouver, Canada was sold to a group
now trading as Allied Lutherie [Source:
Allied
Lutherie ]
http://www.gilmourish.com/?page_id=89
http://www.raincoast.bc.ca/lewisguitar.htm
http://billlewis.synthasite.com/
Image source:
Canary Bird's Nest |
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Michael Lewis Guitars |
1981 to present |
"I keep a information sheet for
each instrument I make, which includes the date started and date
finished. Other than that some of my instruments have the date
written on the label, but not all of them. The D'Angelico series
I make 5 digit serial numbers stamped near the center of the
back on the inside. For specific information just notify me and
I will do my best to supply the information.
I started making instruments in 1981 (banjos and mandolins) and
doing repair work. In 1993 I was invited to make a replica
D'Angelico guitar for the GHS String Co., to be exhibited at the
NAMM show in January of 1994. I had been making flat top steel
string guitars previously, but stopped making them in 2000 to
focus on the carved plate instruments. For the guitars I have
focused mostly on the D'Angelico archtops as well as absorbing
elements from Gibson and Epiphone repair work I have done over
the years. For the mandolins I have focused on the Lloyd Loar
signed Gibson F models, D'Angelico mandolins, and instruments
from other modern makers." [Source: Michael Lewis, email
23/3/2008] |
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Liberty Guitars
 |
1987 to present |
Resophonic
guitars, New
Smyrna Beach, Florida, USA |
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The Liberty
Guitar |
1930s |
By Harmony, made in Chicago
Image eBay
The first soundhole label states - "The
Liberty Guitar - This instrument is warranted to be made of
Selected Seasoned Materials and of the Best Workmanship.
Constructed to permit of being played in the Hawaiian Style".
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Li Bo |
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http://www.steinnes.net/gitar/index.html |
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Liddy Guitars |
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John Liddy, Mt Barker, South
Australia |
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Josef Lidl |
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Josef Lidl
began making various musical instruments in the late 1800s in
Czechoslovakia. The guitar i have is set up Hawaiian style and
is very small (probably what one would consider as "travel size"
many years ago). It is old, but i can not tell you how old as
there is no dating ID but it does have the Joseph LIDL label
inside. The outside of the front is stamped "Guaranteed Non
Splitting" in a straight line with "Made in Czechoslovakia" in a
semi circle located close to the bridge. There is part of a
trademark stamp that is visible on the inside back near the neck
but the only letters visible end in REL [Source: Doug Ranson,
email 27/3/2011] |
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Lifton |
-1973 |
Lifton is a famous musical
instrument case manufacturer.
Lifton Manufacturing closed in
late 1973. The company was started by Maurice Lifton and after
his death, run by the family until they closed it in 1973. The
family still owns the name and the copyrights. [Source:
The Session]
After Lifton went out of business
their blocking was sold to Harptone Source:
Banjo
Hangout]
Images ebay:
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Lightwave
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Lightwave guitars was founded by
Christopher Wilcox and developed optical pickups. Carpinteria,
California USA
Images eBay:
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Lignatone
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Lignatone instruments
including Pilot logo guitars were made in Czechoslovakia. Images from
eBay.
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Liikanen |
1986 to date |
Guitars made in Helsinki,
Finland |
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Linc Luthier |
1991 to present |
Lincoln Hoke,
builds basses in Upland, California since early 1990s [Source:
American
Basses By James H. Roberts, Jim Roberts]
"Established 1991, Upland
California.
Dating Linc Luthier guitars
Have to call or email to verify date
originally sold. Serial Number inside guitar in upper F- hole
logo." [Source: Linc, email 26/11/2008]
Reviews are at Harmony Central |
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Lincoln
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Lincoln guitars were made in
Japan late 70s or early 80s. [Source: Vintaxe]
Examples seen include copies
of famous Americans (eg Les Paul, Hummingbird acoustic)
Reviews are at Harmony Central
Images Lincoln guitar
courtesy of Keith Pettitt, UK email 19/10/2010.
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Lindberg
? Lindbergh |
1950s |
Produced by
Hoyer for Lindberg Music store, Germany, [Source:
Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide]
Lindberg
jazzbox
http://www.wietsesguitars.nl/pagina5.html
see Hoyer |
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Lindell
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Apparently Lindell guitars,
ukuleles were made by Teisco
example
http://www.vintage-guitars.se/1960s_Lindell_(Teisco).htm
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Lindert
 |
1986 - 2002 |
Lindert guitars was established by Charles Lindert in
1986, producing hand made guitars out of Chelan Falls in
Washington. Production moved to Korea in the early 2000s, and
the company shut down in 2002. [Source:
Wikipedia]
According to the Lindert website
on the internet archive 2002 " Lindert Guitars started out as
one-off custom made instruments for discriminating musicians.
These musicians didn't like what
they found in the "Big Two" line up and all the resulting
knockoffs, so we built what they were looking for.
A unique kind of guitar that
played like a dream and just oozed tone, tone, tone. The result
of this real-world R&D? Lindert Guitars."
Images from internet archive:
Lindert catalog (paid)
http://www.vintaxe.com/catalogs_american_lindert.htm
Reviews
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/brand/Lindert
These images are from eBay:
Dating Lindert guitars
This is a Lindert from 1990 - from the serial number on the neck
plate it would appear that the year of manufacture for Lindert
guitars is the first 2 digits of the serial number.
 
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Lindsay Wilson Guitars
 |
2008 to present |
Lindsay Wilson Guitars are made in
the UK.
"I only started pro last Xmas
2008. I make them in North Devon in Great Britain in my workshop
at the bottom of the garden and can make about six a year, all
one off's made one at a time for an individual client, I don't
have dating labels as yet but will...they will take the form of
a metal badge on the back of the headstock with a serial number
that can be traced." [Source: Howard Robinson email 27/9/2009]
Reviews are at Harmony Central |
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Line 6 |
1996 to present |
Modelling guitars |
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Lion |
1960s |
by Egmond
http://www.daisybelle.nl/nedgit.htm
Example Wietse
Guitars |
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Lion
Guitars |
1995 to present |
Luthier Arne Hempenius, The
Netherlands |
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Liquid
Metal
 |
Current at 2010 |
Vancouver, BC Canada
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Kim Lissarrague |
1991 to present |
Kim Lissarrague
worked with James Cargill
Guitars between 1997 and 2000 and now makes
classical guitars in the Blue Mountains, near Sydney, Australia.
"I
began making musical instruments at age 13 in 1991. It was in
1997 when I started using a serial number. Initially I traded
with the name KRL Guitars. The serial number was then stamped on
the back of the headstock. Since 2004 I have been concentrating
on classical guitars and just have my name Kim Lissarrague on
the label.
The serial number can now be
found after the signature, on the bottom right hand corner of
the soundhole label, which contains firstly the year, followed
by the production number. eg 2007/84, or in some earlier cases,
05-39, where the first two numbers are the year and the second
two are the production number.
My workshop is in Katoomba,
in the Blue Mountains, Australia. I work alone, and make about
twenty guitars per year."
[Source: Kim Lassarrague, email 28/11/2008]
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James Lister |
2001- |
James Lister guitars are made since" 2001, Sheffield,
England.
Dating James
Lister Guitars
All labels are dated year of
manufacture, and numbered sequentially.
I studied luthiery for 2 years at
London Guildhall University (formerly the London College of
Furniture), and then went on to specialise in classical and
flamenco guitars at Newark and Sherwood College under the
tuition of Roy Courtnall and Tony Johnson.
I build mainly in the Spanish tradition, most of my guitars
being made to a consistent design based on a 1938 Hauser, but
incorporating my own aesthetic ideas, and a slightly modified
strutting pattern.
I make between 10 and 12 guitars each year, and teach luthiery
at Newark College 2 days a week. [Source & images:
James Lister, email 21/12/2010]
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Listerud Bass |
current |
Custom basses made in Norway.
Reviews are at Harmony Central |
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Little Guitar Works |
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Twisted neck bass guitars. Jerome Little, |
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L-L'B |
Le-Li|
Ll- |
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L
continued |
