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Lyon & Healy Columbus Parlor Guitar / 1896-1915 / Scarred but Sweet! - $1,175 (Abington, Pa.)
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Coming into the shop, the guitar had evidence of numerous prior repairs, including repairs to three top cracks between the bridge and the end-pin, a somewhat butchered saddle and at least one prior neck reset. The repairs to the top cracks were very well done, but to be sure that the top would hold and not bulge, we added a triangular brace between the last transverse brace and the end-pin. The action was unplayably high, which is what necessitated very deep slots to be cut in the saddle, trying to lower that action. We removed and reset the neck and, after trying to fill the saddle slots, concluded that a new bone saddle was needed. We also replaced a missing end-pin, adjusted the nut slot depths, and installed a new set of bridge pins. Remarkably, for a guitar that is somewhere in the neighborhood of 125 years old, that is all it needed. Beyond the repaired top cracks, there are no cracks, splits or open seams, the fretboard and frets are in great shape, and the original tuners work very well, if a little stiffly. The guitar holds a tuning well and is currently strung with a fresh set of D’Addario Silk and Steel strings.
Here are some important specs:
Top - Adirondack Spruce
Back and Sides - “Mapleized” Birch
Top and Back are Transverse Braced
Fretboard - Brazilian Rosewood
Neck - Cedar
Bridge - Brazilian Rosewood
Nut & Heel Cap - Ebony
Total Length - 35 3/4”
Body Length - 17 1/4”
Body Depth - 3 3/4”
Lower Bout Width - 11 5/8”
Scale - 24 1/4”
Action - 5/64”, both E’s at the 12th fret
Fretboard Radius - 16”
Nut Width - 1 7/8”
String Spacing at Bridge - 2 1/4”
As you’ll see in the photos, there is plenty of room left in the saddle. The action at the twelfth fret on the Low E is 5/64”, very sweet indeed. It is also 5/64ths on the High E, 1/64th higher than a standard 1/16” action. It is very comfortable and could conceivably sneak down that extra 1/64th, but right now it plays without any buzzing or fretting out, and there is enough relief in the neck that taking it down any further might cause the strings to buzz on the highest frets. We’ll leave any further reduction of the saddle height up to you.
This Columbus is a surprisingly loud guitar, and has a wonderfully round bottom end. Check out our demo video for some finger style and flat picked playing, and you’ll hear just how versatile this centenarian is.
Also, be sure to check out our photos carefully, as we’ve tried to capture this guitar from all angles. It has plenty of nicks and dings, to be sure, and the repaired top cracks. But all things considered, it is in remarkably nice shape. The grain pattern you see on the back and sides is what they referred to as “Mapleized” Birch. In other words, the grain is effectively printed onto the birch in an attempt to make it look like Maple.
This Lyon & Healy Columbus will ship in a recent Breedlove Gig Bag.
Serial Number: 130989 (printed on the dovetail)
Price: $1175.00
For a video demo of this guitar, please visit our YouTube channel at this link:
https://youtu.be/yiB6qmrbV8Q