Levin Unknown

Mine has been dated as 1952. The top is spruce with maple back and sides. The fingerboard is Rosewood and the bridge is Rosewood. The Bridgeplate is also maple in the style as the early (highly rated Martins)Originally the guitar was a sunburst but I have removed the original finish and staned the back and left the top clear. I would probably not have worried about doing this except for an accident with the guitar after a gig one night! I drove off having left the guitar on the roof of the car!

Sound balance overall is very good but mine lacks the volume and penetration of either of my Martins. It is a little "woolly" at the bass end but quite warm. Placed in front of a mike it comes to life! I have also fitted a Fishmann acoustic pick up system. Overall the guitar has sound charectoristics that are very useful for some material. I use it for a "Blues" sound that my Martins cannot deliver.

From the factory the guitar was almost unlayable! I have modified the action of mine several times through it's life. It is very easy on the fingers now. However I find that when I "push" the guitar due to lack of volume it tends to "rattle" a little. That just doesn't happen with either of my Martins. Ssound is a lot better now that a top quality cellulose lacquer has been applied.

Mine still has the original machine heads from when I bought the guitar. They are the early "kluson" style similar to the ones found on early Martins and Gibsons. However they are not the ones fitted to the guitar by the manufacturer.

Out of business after the company was bought out by the Martin Guitar company. The rumour at the time was that Martin were after the Levin stockpile of Spruce.I don't know if that is true

I have been playing for 40 years. I own two Martins. A D28 herringbone and an M38. (very rare)A Fender Strat (the obligitory) and a Gibson 335 I live in Australia but have left my Levin in the UK so I have a reliable acoustic to play when I am there. I don't like the idea of my Martins travelling through airport baggage handling sytems.If I lost this guitar I would probably not replace it. I keep the guitar because it taught me to play

Picked it up in Topeka, KS pawn shop for $45.00. I loved the texture of the sound. Spruce top, mahoganny sides and back, rosewood kneck with fancy "Martin" pearl inlay. Bridge has individual "screw in/out" saddles. I use light gauge R&R steel strings just like I use on my electrics. It is so smooth and comfortable to play.

The sound just pulls you in and can play it for hours. I play everything on it. It is very rich and full sounding.

Exelent action, no effort nessesary. Could use a little fret work but doesnt' bother me.

This guitar has and will be around for ever.

I've been playing for 37 years. I have and still own Stratocasters, Les Pauls, Telecasters etc. I love where this guitar takes me while just sittin' around the home pickin'. Any kind of music! I'v had Gibson, Epiphone, Guild, and Fender acoustic guitars but my Levin is the one.

I am very fortunate to own a Levin classical guitar. Levin Guitars were made in Sweden. My Levin guitars is made from solid wood, the back sides and neck seem to be made from maple and the top looks like pine and the fingerboard is rosewood.

Most classical guitars are 2 inches wide at the nut, the Lrven is only 1.75 inches this makes it easier to play if you did not learn on a classical guitar or if you do not intend to play classical music on the guitar.

This guitar dose not have the fan strutting favoured by all who copy the famous designs produced by the master maker of the Spanish guitar, Torres, but it has a simple arrangement of parallel struts similar to that used in the Lute, and in fact, to my ears it dose sound a bit like a Lute.
One problem with nylon strung classical guitars is they can sometimes sound too mellow and sweet, the Levin has a much brighter sound and each not played has a bit of bite to it.
Early music like ?Pavanas? arranged for the guitar dose sound very nice on this guitar as do some Bach pieces but I find this guitar just right for solo jazz and blues, this guitar can sound a bit like an ES175!.

When I bought the guitar, (second hand), the action was quite high and I found it necessary to fit low tension strings. There are some runs in the varnish . The guitar is very simple in appearance with a minimum of decoration although there is some very nice grain in the wood.

This guitar is over 30 years old and still has the original machineheads and I think that the guitar is completely original. unfortunately the guitar has been badly treated by previous owners and there are some deep scratches in the sound board but otherwise very good condition for its age.
The guitar did need some repair due to the bad treatment that it received from its previous owners.

Because of the large number of cheep Japanese imported guitars that were flooding into Europe, Levin found it increasingly difficult to compete, and around 1970 the Levin Guitar company were bought out by the Martin Guitar Company in the USA.
Guitars continued to be made under the Levin name but towards the end of 1970s, the Levin company ceased trading.

I wish I could go back in time an buy a few more Levin guitars, I wish I could visit the factory and thank the craftsmen for the love and care they put into there work.
I have been playing for 31 years, I have owned many guitars over the years and they have come and gone but a Levin is for ever!.

I can shed a little light on the levin story. I have a Jumbo acoustic which I can trace to 1959. At the time they were a european copy of expensive gibsons (even more so because it was only 10 years after WWII). They were made in Stockholm Sweden by the Levin Family. They made classical guitars but turned to steelies later on. I have only ever heard of 2 others in existance and one was a classical guitar. The guitar I have has the original case, slightly battered but original all the same. I thought it had been refinished but my local guitar restorer said it was original, only one machine head has been changed.

I use a dean Marley pick up with it but it doesnt do it justice. Mic'd up it sings so sweetly. I would never swap it for the world. Im after a 12 string guitar soon, I hope I can find a levin

The action is a bit higher than Im used to but now I can barre and play riffs like its my rickenbacker. The workmanship is there I just wonder how many guitars of our generation will still hold together so well after 40 years (My mates fender acoustic is poor in comparison)

Shit its 40 YEARS OLD. I play it all the time in the house, record with it and when we have the songs that need it play live with it too. I will be playing in front of 2000 people acoustically this month and will only take spare strings.

Erm, I think they went out of buisness like 35 years ago

I love this guitar. Sometimes I want to go easy on it because its so old but when I try guitars out Im looking at way over #1000 before I get anything near the same sound. It needs to be heard to be believed.

Does anyone know anything more about these fabulous guitars??