1890s Lyon & Healy Size 1 Vintage Parlor Acoustic Guitar, Adirondack Spruce & Brazilian Rosewood, Collector-Grade

Up for sale, a circa 1890s Lyon & Healy parlor acoustic guitar in collector-grade condition, complete with the original chipboard case. Exceedingly well-preserved with a crack-free top/back and a 100% original varnish finish, tonewoods include an X-braced Adirondack spruce top, dynamic bookmatched Brazilian rosewood back/sides, and a cedar neck capped with an ebony fingerboard.

Produced by Lyon & Healy, a manufacturer who saw their most prodigious output under Washburn branding, this is a uniquely upscale instrument with elaborate multi-colored rope marquetry on the top, sound hole, and backstrip, louvered tuning machines on the slotted headstock, a pyramid bridge, and intricate yet restrained inlay patterns on the ebony fingerboard. The Size 1 body measures 9” across the upper bout and 12” across the lower bout, with a body depth of 3 3/4” at the lower bout.

The instrument delivers a sweet, even-tempered sound, offering ample projection given its stature and the light tension of silk and steel strings. There’s a guttural, bouncy quality in the low end, with excellent note separation across all strings and an airy, sparkling treble response. Responding well to a flatpack and absolutely singing when plucked with fingers, this Lyon & Healy is ideally suited for the studio with a condenser mic picking up its every nuance. Benefitting from a recent professional neck reset, reseated bridge and new carved bone nut, this Lyon & Healy is featherweight at 2lbs 11oz, dialed in for easy playability up the neck.

Neck Specs:

• Wood: Cedar
• Shape: V, measuring .885” 1st fret, .945” 7th fret
• Fretboard: Ebony, pearl inlay
• Frets: Slender bar frets, no wear
• Scale Length: 24 1/2”
• Nut: 1 7/8”, bone (modern)
• Headstock: Slotted, Brazilian rosewood overlay
• Tuners: Louvered, Patented March 13, 1894
• Serial: Four-digit, stamped on top of peghead

Body Specs:

• Wood: Adirondack spruce, Brazilian rosewood (bookmatched)
• Bracing: X-brace, single tonebar
• Bridge: Ebony pyramid, bone saddle
• Marquetry: Multi-colored rope binding, rosette and backstrip

The original varnish finish is 100% original and the preservation of this guitar is breathtaking. The top and back are crack-free, with three diamond cleats inside ensuring stability on a few extremely cleanly repaired side cracks which are virtually invisible from the outside of the instrument. Cosmetic wear is limited to light scuffing on the back and some minor marks on the body as a whole. The neck carve is similarly clean with a lighter satin varnish application than the higher gloss body, showing no notable palm wear.

The original chipboard case is included.