![lyon and healy banjo lyon and healy banjo](https://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000067778299-bntafu-t500x500.jpg)
They do have one very odd feature, one that I believe is unique to Lyon & Healy mandolins. They have a subtle glow about them that I don't see on a lot of other fretted instruments. I don't know for sure, but I wonder if Lyon & Healy used violin makers to build their carved mandolins. The finish on the Lyon & Healy is a little thinner, the binding is a little more elegant and the top carving is a little more refined. Gibsons from the same period are certainly well-made, but when you see a Gibson A style next to to a Lyon & Healy it just looks a little crude by comparison. It's hard to tell from the photo but the detail work on these is just amazing. They also sound great for classical and jazz but they aren't really loud enough for bluegrass. Lyon & Healy's carved mandolins were beautifully made and pretty much every one I've ever played has had a sweet, delicate tone that still has enough oomph to be heard in a living room Irish or old-time session.
![lyon and healy banjo lyon and healy banjo](https://www.hangoutstorage.com/banjohangout.org/storage/cphotos/large/66/66182-31260-1-228860.jpg)
Lyon & Healy introduced three carved mandolins at first, the fancy A, the moderately ornamented B and the plain C, the model here. Up until then Lyon & Healy, under the Washburn brand, was the largest US builder of bowl-back mandolins, a style of instrument that was slowly being supplanted by the louder, easier to hold Gibson template. Lyon & Healy started making carved top mandolins sometime around 1912, a little more than a decade after Orville Gibson introduced the new concept to the musical public.