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This is one that the local vintage guitar store had in. I had a quick play, the action was a bit too low, strings too light but it still sounded good.
Interestingly the shop happened to have a Loar LH-650 too. It was fun to compare the Levin and the Loar. They both sounded great, but the Levin had a slightly sweeter sound with comparable acoustic volume.
I've raised the action a bit and it projects beautifully. It has an assertive mid range and the highs are crisp and almost have a in-built reverb to them. The neck is remarkably slim. It had a neck break at some point but it has been repaired and is mostly invisible. While there's no way of knowing, I believe this repair hasn't adversely affected the tone of the instrument.
Right now I'm not too fussed about putting a pickup on it, it sounds so nice acoustically. It really barks when you hit it hard. It would be an excellent rhythm guitar. I'm thinking a DeArmond 1100 would suit it nicely for when I do get around to amplifying it.
This is the photo from the guitar shop, I'll take some better photos and post later. The finish has some beautiful checking on it.
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Good catch! Levin made very fine archtop guitars. Have fun.
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Congrats! I had a Levin nylon string back in the 80's that was made in the 50's or 60's and was a superb sounding guitar. Those Swedish craftsmen were great. I think their archtops are generally a bargain and often sound great. It seems you lucked out. Way cooler than a Loar.
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Hi!
DA 1100 is the perfect match.
Have Fun!!
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Haven't had much time to play this guitar but I picked it up last night, and am still really impressed by it. It's about 16.5'' at the lower bout but has a fairly thin body. Maybe 3'' at the most? possibly less. The volume is impressive but so is the tone. It sounds like a bigger guitar than it is.
The neck is quite slim and fast feeling. I'm going to put some heavier strings on it. I actually don't know what's on it right now. I'm guessing they're 11-52s, I think a set of 12-54s but but with a 13 and 17 for the E and B respectively would really make it sing.
The next thing is to buy a Dearmond 1100 for it. Sadly I don't get many opportunities to gig with an acoustic. With the DeArmond I think it'll have a great early swing/bop sound. The adjustable poles hopefully will mean I can use bronze strings on it still... has anyone tried using bronze strings with an 1100? Monels will definitely work I bronzes don't I guess.
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Nice!
Only this weekend I came upon a 1965 Levin made Goya nylon string guitar. Very well made of solid mahogany and Alpine spruce. Excellent playability and a fine sound. Quality instruments indeed.
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Hi,
I use Martin Retro Monel whith 14 and 18 in the E and B strings.
It's amazing, and with de apropiate EQ it sound from swing to more modern compress jazz sound.
Have more fun!
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Congratulations you have a beautiful guitar!Does the guitar have its original pickguard? If so, save the original pickguard and make a replica to mount the controls. Save the original pickguard. That way you can always go back and leave it set acoustically.Please don't make holes i the original pickguard!I have a 1946 Levin Solist (non cutaway - 17.5" body) and it sounds really impressive with his DeArmond Rhythm Chief 1000. Originally came with a Wingtone pickup (Made in Sweden - controls mounted on its original pickguard). I made a reproduction of the pickguard to attach the control box of my DeArmond (without a Monkey on a Stick).You can check my solist in this link:1946 Levin Solist Archtop Strings questionKind regards !
Last edited by Jorge_70; 10-10-2019 at 03:42 AM.
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Sweet looking guitar! Congratulations, and play it in good health!
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Jorge - your Levin is beautiful!
I will have a replica pickguard made - I wouldn't want to mess with the original one, it's in such good condition still, with no signs of deterioration.
A friend of mine is lending me a DeArmond 1000 (has the monkey-on a stick setup) that I'll try that on it.
I think it will need a neck reset at some point, but by most accounts this isn't overly difficult as my Levin has a bolt on neck. The action is good, but the bridge is at its lowest on the treble side. It's not urgent, but something to put on the 'to do' list.
Enjoying the sounds and feel of this guitar a lot. The craftsmanship of this Levin is impressive and in my opinion comparable with Epiphone or Gibson of this period.
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