Washburn Style E Flat Top Acoustic Guitar, made by Lyon & Healy (1923-5), black hard shell case.

I purchased this 100-year-old parlor acoustic a few months ago from Retrofret in Brooklyn NY:

Washburn Style E Model Flat Top Acoustic Guitar, made by Lyon & Healy (1923-5), made in Chicago, serial # 6607, natural finish, pearwood back and sides,cedar neck; spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, black chipboard case. This lovely if unassuming little guitar was a product of Chicago's Lyon & Healy factory, and carries their premium Washburn brand. In the early 1920s Washburn did an aesthetic about-face; previously their guitars had been known for having very elaborate inlay and decoration, but the 1922 line was suddenly sleek and mostly unadorned. The Style "E" was the fifth model down the line and features a body made of figured pearwood ("Nyssawood" in Washburn's parlance) and a cedar neck, good quality spruce top, rosewood fingerboard and minimal decoration. The pearwood back has some lively grain figure, quite unlike most other tonewoods. The distinctive rosewood "Smile" bridge with delicately curved ends was a unique feature of this new line, as is the celluloid ring set around the sound hole edge. The spruce top is lightly built with canted ladder bracing, which is a particular Chicago trademark from the 1910s and 20s. Despite its austere appearance, the Style E was a fairly expensive guitar in its time, retailing at $35. It is very well-made of high quality material and is a very delicate and responsive guitar, quite suitable for fingerpicking styles.Overall length is 37 1/2 in. (95.2 cm.), 13 in. (33 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.). This is simply a superbly preserved and original guitar, showing only minor wear and tear for being just about 100 years old. The finish has dings, dents and scrapes overall and some fairly minor pickwear to the top. Structurally the instrument is in very fine condition with no visible cracks or major repair. The neck angle is excellent with the original uncut bridge. Having had a recent refret, these new frets have hardly any wear, breathing new life into this guitar. The original tuners still work well. Due to the very light construction we would recommend this guitar be used with silk & steel strings only; strung this way it has a lovely sweet sound that can get surprisingly powerful if pushed. This is simply a neat 1920s piece, used but not abused and ready for another century, resting in a modern HSC. Excellent - Condition.

I'll add, the top has some very minimal distortion. I addressed this with Retrofret and they put me in touch with their luthiers who assured me that it wasn't affecting the playability or stability of the instrument. I had a respected luthier in Seattle assess it as well, and he agrees with their opinion. The bridge has a JLD Bridge Doctor device installed with brass bridge pins. This helps prevent the string tension from pulling the bridge and further warping the top. These ladder-braced parlors sound so good, but come with the pro's and con's of their construction, the Bridge Doctor will help stop the problem from affecting the playability. The original bridge pins are included if you decide you want it to be 100% original.

Excellent-sounding acoustic, so resonant that some notes seem like they have a natural reverb. Can't beat the sound of a truly vintage instrument. Message if you have any questions, thanks!