Circa 1922 Lyon & Healy Style A Mandolin – Used

The most iconic “non-Gibson” American mandolin design, the Style A was Lyon & Healy’s top mandolin model and was priced accordingly (about the same as Gibson’s F-4). This example has a nicely figured birds-eye maple back, which we rarely see on mandolins from this era. Thankfully has its original tuners, pickguard, and tailpiece, as these parts are nearly impossible to find at any price. There’s light fret wear to the original frets, and finish wear from handling to the top, back, and lower side, but this is wear TO the original varnish, and not through it to the wood beneath. Best of all, it’s a very responsive mandolin that rings with a rich throaty tone, even at the lightest touch, and the neck is as straight as you’d find on any new mandolin. These don’t sound like a Gibson F-5, but they don’t sound like an F-4 model either and can more than hold their own next to any oval hole mandolin, new or old.

These highest-grade Lyon & Healy mandolins were also sold with Washburn paper labels, but the “Style A” designation seems to be consistent. The label on this one states “A-Profes” (for Professional), which we’ve only seen on a few but it’s unclear what that meant 100 years ago. The original case shows a fair amount of wear to the exterior but it’s very solid.