[3] During the late-1950s to mid-1960s, the trends of surf music caused the electric guitar boom,[4] and riding on this big wave, Guyatone electric guitars with unique designs and low prices were exported to Europe and America under the various brands, and played by various guitarists including Hank Marvin from the Shadows,[5] Jimi Hendrix in the early days,[6] Steve Howe of Yes, and others.

[10] According to Hiroyuki Noguchi, editor of Japan's Guitar Magazine [ja],[11] Matsuki Seisakujo (松木製作所) was founded by Mitsuo Matsuki and his friend Atsuo Kaneko, who later became a famous player of Hawaiian and Spanish style guitars.

[10] According to correspondence with Toshihiko Torri, head of R&D at Guyatone,[citation needed] the Tokyo Sound factory began large-scale production in 1956.

[13] During the late-1950s to 1960s, Guyatone guitars were distributed under various brands by other manufacturers/distributors: In 2013 "Tokyo Sound Co. Ltd." was closed down[7] and transferred ownership of the "Guyatone" name to Hiroshi Matsuki (松木裕), son of the founder of Tokyo Sound Co., and brother to the president of the company, re-opening and re-organizing a short time later that same year.

[13] Guyatone now continues operations in its US office in Oswego, IL, USA with partner company DeMont MFG LLC.

[citation needed] In Japan, Guyatone began the development of a patented injection-molded guitar pick which uses small differences in contours and thickness, as well as material types, to change the feel of the pick instead of the traditional thickness of the plastic.