How It All Began

In 1962, a father's response to his 3-year-old son's request for a guitar resulted in one of the most unique chordophones conceived in the 20th century. What resulted from a pile of plywood paneling, old banjo and mandolin parts, a table leg, and part of a orange packing crate, was a "wedge shaped" hybrid he dubbed "The Guitalin". The sound emitted from the trapezoidal instrument was so intriguing that he decided against letting his son use it as a toy. First used commercially in 1964 by The Bray Brothers on Independence Records 2305 P4KM-1903 (later re-released under Rounder Records 0053), on the tune Barbara Allen, it eventually played an important role in the success of Sufjan Stevens' Carrie & Lowell album released in 2015; 10 years later to go Gold. It has since become one of Stevens' signature timbres, appearing in at least a dozen of his newest compositions, many times mixed with ukulele.

Plant hope and join the Mayfield Family

After a near-decade hiatus from 2015 to 2024, Lyle Mayfield's youngest grandson, Nathan Smith, has recommenced production of his grandfather's “guitalins,” with plans to expand into other hybrid creations, including structurally improved updates of Lyle's designs, in addition to works of Nathan’s own creation. His ultimate goal, as he honors the work of his grandfather, is to provide new instruments, new timbres for today's most promising musicians & composers, in order to provide them with the inspiration so desperately needed at this moment in our culture, for reaching the darkest corners of the human soul. Your investment today in the purchase of one of our instruments would be a seed, planted to generate hope through the songs of tomorrow. Welcome to your place in the Mayfield Family.