~1915 Lyon & Healy Lakeside Natural

Lyon & Healy 'Lakeside' c 1915 | $675 | (v 2009) In the first part of the twentieth century Lyon & Healy was one of the largest of the musical instrument manufacturers in the US. The bulk of their output was made with skilled craftsmanship and quality materials, and a good number of the instruments survive today. With such a large output and a very wide range of models produced, it can be difficult identifying and dating these instruments. The book, Washburn: Prewar Instruments Styles by Hubert Pleijsier, is an in-depth look at these guitars and a big help in sorting things out. L&H produced a number of off-brands, and based on survivors today, the Lakeside line must have been pretty popular in its day. Pleijsier goes on to explain that the Lakeside brand was by and large designed for steel strings as early as 1915. Although Lakeside guitars had no serial number or label, it can be dated in the 1915-1920 time frame based on materials and appointments, as well as the run of the model over time.

This example is cataloged by L&H as a size 1. The lower bout measures 12 5/8" and is 4 1/8" deep at the end pin. Overall length of the body is 18 1/4". Scale length is 24 1/4". The fingerboard measures 1 13/16" across at the nut, and string spacing is 2 5/16" across at the saddle.

The back and sides are white oak, a favorite of ours. The ladder-braced top is white spruce and sports red, black and yellow purfling around the top and sound hole. The bridge appears to be ebony, and is the 'floating' type, but has two pins that go into the top for alignment purposes. The saddle is the fret wire type, typical of many 'catalog' guitars of the era. The neck is straight-grained poplar dyed mahogany, and is carved in a flat-ish 'V'. The fingerboard might be red bean wood, or another type of tropical mahogany-like wood. Through the sound hole the name 'Lakeside' can be seen branded on the center strip. The ebony nut appears to be the original. The tuners are period replacements.

This guitar is another 'labor of love' instrument for us, since it needed more work to make it stable and playable than it is likely worth, but that's pretty much how we operate sometimes. First, the neck and then the fingerboard was removed. We slotted the neck, and installed two carbon fiber rods for stability. Next, we filled several long top cracks with splints made from an old spruce top. Some damage on the lower part of the back was glued. The neck was reset, and the fingerboard re-installed, leveled and re-fretted. A number of back braces were glued, all work completed with hot hide glue. The original tuners had a broken gear and wouldn't hold tune, so we replaced them with a period-correct set we had on hand. There are nicks and dings from wear and use. Overall, the guitar is now very stable and ready for another hundred years of enjoyment.

The guitar plays really well. The comfortable neck and action (~7/64"), plus the straight neck with new frets, allow it to be a smooth player. The best thing is that it produces a very pleasing tone, especially for its size. We attribute that to the stiff neck, oak wood and deep body. The tone is full, and each string/note has a certain depth to it, with a nice amount of sustain, and just a hint of the arch top 'nasality'. Great finger picking guitar.

Comes with a soft case.

Check out the sound clip!