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I've recently come across a Lyon & Healy piano. I contacted the company that made them and they told me that their warehouse burned down and all their records went up in flames. Now they make harps and only harps.

Does anyone have any information on this type of piano?

Lyan & Healey built some absolutely cream pianos most recently in the late 80's
I've seen these 46' pianos and thought they were the absolute best ever built in America.
If it's one of those gems [they really look like a modern 46'] you're on to something.
Play a bass note: should sound like a grand!

what yr is it? i have an old lyon&healy 5'6" grand(1920's). happy to tell you what i know.
Ol_tex@hotmail.com

in accordance to the message that i posted on July 4th about the Lyon & Healy...

i believe that it is a 4'6" year unknown... it has been refinished once. the label is in mint condition.

i found out that one of my friend's parents was going to throw it out and chop it up for firewood... i told them i'd take it off their hands.

MikeSF has a real total rebuild candidate should he ever want to consider an upgrade. There are ways now in which a to make a 5'6" grand sound like a much larger piano. Lyon & Healy were among those makes under the first tier of classic American piano brands. They intermittently made pianos. Now they make only harps as has been pointed out. Their scale designs have been highly regarded. I have serious doubts about any grand piano, regardless of make, that's any shorter than 5'.

david,
tell me more...
i wasnt planning to rebuild it because i like it as is, but if you think a rescale, rebuild, etc would do some serious good for this old piano, i would consider the investment.

I'm confused. Is it a 4 ft 6 in grand, or a 46-inch upright?

Either way, properly rebuilding a piano this small would result in a piano that is worth less than the price of rebuilding.

After knowing this, you may still choose to rebuild it if the piano had sentimental value.
Maybe it was passed down from dear Grandma Harriet, who brought it over from the old country.

But it isn't too small.



Which means that a proper rebuild which can be done for around $10K (including refinishing, new physically crowned soundboard, rescaling, pinblock of course, best bass strings and hammers) would result in a piano that would be the rough equivalent of a piano costing at least $15K new. The key is what condition his action is in, whether reconditioning would work as well as replacement. If there's no verdigris or oxidation, his action can be upgraded nicely with the right hammers to match, he could end up with something in the Steinway M category when he's done.

now yer pulling my leg...right?
david, lets talk more about this offline, ok?

BTW, kenny, we are talking about 2 different L&H pianos here, medusa has a vertical and mine is the 5'6" grand.