Levin Goliath

I have a 1964 model and it is a wonderful guitar.

I took it on a balloon tour of Europe in a motorhome. We kept it in the shower and one day it leake all over the guitar. My insurance paid a rebuild in London and after further ajustments it is simply the finest acoustic I have ever played. Still in top nick!

Somehow it has a unique sound this.

Since the rebuild it has a great action and is in tune all over the fretboard. The original bridge and tuning pegs were a bit duff really

I also have a Gibson TV special (1950) which I sadly customised as well as a Steinberger which I love too and a few other Fenders and bits and pieces.

My regrets have always been the gear I sold (best AC 30 in the world once modified by Mike Harrison at H&H, as well as a Dave Davies type Guild Starfire and a Martin 00018 I bought for 10 quid) Worst guitar I ever owned - a gold plated three pick up Gibson SG.

This is a 1964 Spruce topped dreadnought Levin made in Sweden. The Top is solid spruce, the backs and sides are solid maple (stained to look like mahogany but the tiger stripe cannot be hidden that way) and the neck is one piece mahogany. The headstock is part of the neck - no scarf joint. Open geared 3 a side (on a strip) tuners originally with white plastic buttons. Solid Ebony fingerboardand rosewood bridge.
I bought the guitar new in Glasgow, Scotland.
The gutar was cracked in a car accident, in a couple of places on the sides - that is why I can vouch they are solid maple - in 1974 and was repaired and repolished.

Superb. It has improved year on year and sounds wonderful

Always had a beautiful action. The neck was slimmed down by me shortly after I bought it but it still plays like an electric with a good low action no buzzes. The guitar is increbibly light and is a pleasure to play. The action is sloightly higher than when new because the top has crept a little at the bridge but it is still only 3.2mm on the base at fret 12.

Superb in every respect.

Never needed it.

This is a 1967 Goliath (according to the Levin dating by serial number) which I bought new in 1969. It is a Dreadnought style with a blonde finish and solide spruce top. The neck is one solid piece of mahogany (how many guitars do you see that on these days!) with an ebony fingerboard and half block position markers. The rosewood bridge has plastic individually adjustable string saddles. The tuners are closed back and unbranded. The back and sides are mahogany.

I originally bought this guitar for playing in folk clubs after leaving a rock band and selling my electric gear. The sound was originally quite tight but it has mellowed over the years. It was never super strong on the bass end but it has amazing volume and quite a balanced tone. It projects well both on chords and fingerstyle and turns out a really good gritty sound if used with some attack.

The action was always good. It is not in the league of current acoustics which emulate electric guitar necks. The gloss finish was good - it is quite crazed now. I remain unsure of the adjustable bridge saddles however I would not replace them as they are original features and I am not sure whether any replacements would do any better.

This is a solid, dependable guitar which I have used for over 40 years. It has not been seriously gigged for all of that time. It certainly was my main acoustic guitar for 30 years and has not let me down. I did drop it once which resulted in a split to the back. This has been repaired. The guitar looks it age now but that is not surprising given the use it has had. However, it is a comfortable old friend which I still take to the local pub - and it outperforms most of its newer rivals.

The company was taken over by Martin in the early 1970's. I have never had any cause to contact them. It has been to my local guitar repairer only once - for the back split and a refinish of the original frets.

I have been playing, not always particularly well, for 40 years. My main acoustic guitar is now a Yamaha CPX10. I have a Takamine 12 string and various electric guitars which I play for my own amusement. The Levin is a relic from a bygone age - it may not be as fine as a custom built guitar or some of the more modern equivalents. But it has proved its worth by its sheer longevity. It is a throwback to my youth and, for sentimental reasons, I would never part with it.

A 1962 model Goliath, I bought it from a school friend in, I think, 1964, for #25. A Blonde, Spruce topped model, it looks so much better than the Sunburst. It is all original, in superb condition, other than the back was repaired in the early 1970s after I dropped it and split the back.

I play many styles of music, none terribly seriously, and for the last 30 years, not in public, but I just accepted the sound as that of a good old acoustic until our son became interested in guitars and we went into shops trying instruments. I have played Gibsons, Yamahas and various other revered makes, but the Goliath makes them all sound tinny. Joe loves the sound of the Levin and all his young friends agree. I was in Andy`s of Denmark Street some time ago looking at Roy Harper`s former Martin which was for sale for #6,500. I mentioned my Levin to the salesman who told me how valuable thay have become, so, other owners out there, look after it! The sound is rich and beautifully balanced.

The action is a fine for me - some guitars may be easier to play, some I have played are a lot more difficult - but I am used to it. The finish is superb and, again, makes nonsense out of even the "best" new guitars. The neck nut seems a little crude, as do the pegs for the strings, but the feel of the instrument is awe inspiring.

I used to play a lot and have not experienced any durability problem and with normal maintenance it has not deteriorated in the 40 years I have had it. It feels fragile, but I am sure it is not, and have never doubted its strength.

Any decent repair shop would be able to help should a problem arise.

I have been playing for over 40 years, have a 1964 Epiphone Rivoli Bass, a Vox Phantom Mark V1, the "Teardrop" and my 1964 Vox AC 30, all in excellent condition. Most precious to me is the Levin.

Early 50s -bought second-hand by my old man, then a professinal folk musician, who used it as his main axe until I trashed it, aged 3, in a temper tantrum! Had it fixed again about 5 years ago and ohmigod does it sound good now - just keeps getting better

dunno much about wood and all that - solid top, sunburst finish, all original save the nut and (I think) a re-fret - heavy wood for the fretboard, does make bending a bit of a chore, tuning heads need replacing but can't bring ourselves to do it...

still looks just superb - aged beuatifully, all things considered, scratched right up but that just adds character - begs to be picked up and played with (!)

Fantastic both for your strummy background stuff, and for anything more forceful - the old man plays fingerstyle but i prefer a plec, somehow it copes wonderfully with both. Rich tone, wonderful long reverb - dark and moody in the bass, a lingering midsection and sweet as the honey next door in her summer dress in the treble...

only problems come with temperature change - she can be a bit harsh if it's too cold, prefers the warm really - oh and tho i would prefer to have her strung with something heavy, the old man insists on light gauge strings, which i think robs her of a bit of volume - but she still sounds way better than my Simon & Patrick ever will...

Action does need to be adjusted about once a year - high maintenace maybe, we put it down to her having sat idle for 15 odd years and redjusting to being played again. Problems with the tuning heads, like i said, can cause a few problems - but to get them replaced would seem a real shame cos she's all original -oh what to do?

bookmatched all right - finishing on the guitar was flawless, plus the guys who rebuilt it (Mansons) did a superb job - of course she is all scratched, and the breaks inflicted by my three-year old foot are still visible - but hey, that's old age for you...

She withstood twenty years of being played live, and has had a couple of recent outings - have to say she sounds great just played straight into an SM57, tried various clip on pick-ups and they just don't do her justice. Loves being played live and is versatile enough to cope. Cold weather doesn't suit her, that's the only drawback.

solid as they come - should still be sounding as good when my son is playing it in twenty years time...

Just the best acoustic you will find for folky stuff - works well either in ensemble, or accompanying vocals - personally, i find her confidence makes up for the lack of mine when i'm singing, sure she carries me in some of my weaker songs!

I also own a Simon & Patrick SP6, which is great but less classy - the Levin is a real lady, which may limit what she can do, but she's a lot more versatile than you might think to look at her! the only reason i would hesitate to use her live is cos she is such a part of the family, i can't imagine losing her...

if you see one of these, pick it up. You won't regret it...

This is a fairly late Goliath I think. I got it second hand in about 1970. Dreadnought style. It has a sunburst finish, with a spruce top. Neck is mahogany. I had always assumed the back and sides were a European hardwood, but they may be some type of mahogany too. Pickguard is elongated, rather than the classic teardrop shape. Tuners are closed back,unbranded and have never been the best feature. I would replace them, but the guitar is all original. The bride has plastic individually adjustable-height saddles, screwed into a rosewood bridge.

I played this guitar in folk clubs for years, using steel-wrapped strings. I stopped using it because I started using a range of tunings, and got a Fylde, then a Northworthy, which are more suited to fingerstyle, and are easier to retune. I re-habilitated the Levin a few years ago, making a minor alteration to the nut, and play it occasionally at home. The sound is nice, but I prefer a rosewood bodied guitar.

The action needed some adjustment, though I didn't realise this for years. Altering the nut improved the intonation. The individual bridge saddles are good for adjusting the height of the action, but there is no compensation in string length. My friend, a guitar maker, tells me that replacing the bridge would improve the tone. Haven't done this for financial and sentimental reasons. Finish is excellent, the only flaws being those I have added over 30 years.

This guitar is well built, and hasn't warped or shifted in 30-odd years.

Company is long gone!

I have played for 35 years - floor spots in folk clubs, very rare solo gigs. I have a Northworthy (a one-off - the first they ever sold), a Crafter electro-acoustic, plus miscellaneous fiddles.

The Levin is a link with my early playing days, and one of my most treasured possessions. If it were stolen, I wouldn't buy another, because it wouldn't be the same.

An original pre-Martin model with no physical alterations except for new Schaller tuners. The date of manufacture has eluded me for many years as it was bought 2nd hand, so if anyone knows how to date them I'd be over the moon. However, the originality is the reason for my rating.

I play with an acoustic band playing traditional Welsh and Celtic music in a modern powerful style and the unsurpassed tonal qualities of my Goliath is the envy of many professional guitarists I meet in the festivals we play at all over Europe. Whether playing power chords or picking, the guitar seems to respond so intuitively I wonder sometimes if it's playing me!

The action is simply superb even though it looks as middle-aged as me.

I suppose at it's present age(whatever that may accurately be), I can only seriously give this a rating of ten out of ten.

Not applicable I'm afraid

At the age of 48 I've been for 37 years and most of that time in acoustic bands with fiddlers and accordianists, etc., and I also play a 1967 Epiphone Folk De-luxe Model which my father bought me for passing my high school exams. This however resulted in me failing every other exam I tried because I spent all my time trying to play like Bert Jansch - I'm still trying! My only fear now is one of losing my beloved Levin - do I take it abroad on gigs or wrap it in cotton wool and just look at it? The answer is always "take it" because it deserves to be played. It really is one of the guitar "GREATS"

None- acoustic guitar. Had pickup once but my dad gave it to a friend.

Brilliant tone- nicest acoustic I've ever heard. With big old strings, it sounds nice and aged, with wee small strings it sounds brand new.

There used to be a huge action and it was impossible to barre but I got it lowered. The fingerboard's horrible though- I should really get it seen to- you can't bend strings for love nor money. I't got loads of scraches on its beautiful finish.

My wee brother 'nudged it with his foot' and it developed a second soundhole where there souldn't be one, but I got it fixed up good as new. It's got loads of scratches but they're my fault- it is good and strong.

I've never heard of Levin so I can't contact them about its history of pickup.

It's the first guitar I got and I'll never want anothe. If I get a pickup fitted and a shiny new fingerboard it'll be the best acoustic in the world ever. If you see one second hand- take it.