lyon & healy

EST. 1864 | usa

Acoustic Guitars


lyon & healy

A close-up image of a Lyon & Healy acoustic guitar with a wooden body, six strings, and a sound hole, against a black background.

Founded in 1864 in Chicago by George Washburn Lyon and Patrick Joseph Healy

  • Their catalog spanned everything from student-level parlor guitars to ornate auditorium models that rivaled Martin in quality and refinement. Many of their instruments featured solid spruce tops, Brazilian rosewood back and sides, and advanced X-bracing decades before it became standard elsewhere. Lyon & Healy guitars stood apart with bold ornamentation—colored wood purfling, intricate pearl inlays, and presentation-grade finishes—bringing a striking visual artistry to their sonic innovations.

    Beyond their own name, Lyon & Healy created and distributed the Washburn line, a brand that would carry forward their influence even after the company was absorbed by the Tonk Brothers in the late 1920s. Today, Lyon & Healy lives on as a Chicago-based maker of world-class harps, but their guitars remain a hidden chapter of American luthiery, quietly cherished by collectors and players who know their legacy.


boutique guitar showcase entour | 2025


gallery | Lyon & Healy guitars