The Vintage Acoustic Maker No One Talks About Today

In the early 1920s, Lyon & Healy rivaled Martin with X-braced tops and plenty of bling.

- DAVE HUNTER

UNLESS YOU HABITUALLY peruse the dusty corners of acoustic-guitar specialty shops in search of petite-bodied parlor guitars from yesteryear, you might not know the name Lyon & Healy. But the brand was once one of the most prominent American guitar makers, and for a time it was a central fixture in Chicago's massive instrument manufacturing scene.

It was also one of the best when judged by its upper-level flattops of the early 20th century. In terms of both build quality and presentation-grade ornamentation, the 1920s Lyon & Healy auditorium model featured here could have given Martin's 00-45 of the era a run for its money, although it arguably wasn't put together with quite the same depth of craftsmanship, nor has it attained a comparable status over the past 100 years.

George W. Lyon was a long-term employee of Boston's Ditson Company, a music publisher that also dealt in musical instruments, which was a common practice in the day and for many decades after. Ditson partnered Lyon with the younger Patrick Healy and sent the pair west to Chicago in 1864 to establish what would initially be another Ditson outlet. Lyon & Healy eventually built the enterprise into much more than that, even overtaking their original employer in scope and market reach.

Among the better-known creations from Lyon & Healy are Washburn guitars, originally branded "George Washburn," using Lyon's first two names. Many early 1900s Washburns were virtually interchangeable with the other guitars that Lyon & Healy manufactured and distributed. While all Washburn guitars of the day were made by Lyon & Healy, not all Lyon & Healy guitars carried the Washburn brand.