Lyon And Healy Serial Numbers It has bevels to the tonehole seats, but not the concave bevels diagnostic of Martins (with exception of Soprano). I'm more inclined to believe that it is a Couturiere body tube with some key guards supplied by Conn and possibly Martin.
It looks like keywork from before the time when the front F key became a standard feature. That suggests some time before the late 1920s, although some older designs were continued for second line horns. It was probably made by Couturiere, who made horns with soldered-on tonehole chimneys similar to Martins but without the concave bevel to the pad seat characteristic of Martins. The palm keys are Martin-like but the F# key and the C# keyguard look more Conn-like.
The bell key guards look as though they were attached after the engraving was done. If the length from the bottom of the bow to the top of the neck receiver is around 28 inches it is a tenor.
If it is less it is a c-melody. I have to disagree with this input. I do see beveled toneholes as you would see on a Martin stencil.
I also see a few small items that tell me it probably is a Martin. One being the characteristic lyre holder as seen on Martins. Conn had the patent on the front F key, so all makers except Conn went without a front F for a number of years.My further input is that this horn was probably engraved by Conn.
Martin did some great engraving also. The engraving is very well done. I believe Conn soldered on the key guards, as they also look to be Conn. The Mercedez Benz looking low C key guard is a Conn feature, but I have seen it elsewhere.Lyon and Healy did in fact make their own horns in the more primitive years, prior to this model. My thought is they chose to have Martin make the horn, then chose to have Conn engrave them and then put the conn Key guards on. This may have cost a bit more, but all the manufactureres were all located in Elkhart indiana. It has bevels to the tonehole seats, but not the concave bevels diagnostic of Martins (with exception of Soprano).
I'm more inclined to believe that it is a Couturiere body tube with some key guards supplied by Conn and possibly Martin. Did Martin ever outsource parts? If Couturiere were anticipating Conn guards for the bell keys then switched to another source for the order, that would explain why the guard feet are soldered on over the engraving. Conn guards were attached to the tonehole chimneys.Front F keys became standard on Bueschers by 1926.
Dan, a good question-and one that the sax community would probably kill to have an answer to.I've got an Eb tuba with S/N 10379 'American Professional'. I'd guess maybe 1920 or so and probably French import.L&H, aside from a period right around 1900, did mostly nothing but stencil stuff. Not all of it was good, and not all was terrible. Conn, King, Buescher, Martin and Holton all made instruments for L&H; a bunch more was imported.
It's a grand mess.6 valvesPosts: 5676 Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 1:48 am Location: Not out of the woods yet. The problem with Lyon & Healy brasses is that, as Chuck mentioned, the majority of their instruments were made by someone else. I do have a Lyon & Healy catalog/magazine that purports to show their manufacturing facilities making their 'own make' and 'improved own make' instruments from 1917. They claim to have made brass instruments from the 1890s. I don't think anyone has done a comprehensive study of their instruments, and I suspect that serial numbers were not consistent anyway due to so many coming from either other US makers or from Europe.Sounds like a good topic for a musicology dissertation.5 valvesPosts: 1669 Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2004 5:57 pm Location: Findlay, OH.