Levin Parlor guitars.

[coastie99]

I love small-bodied guitars. I'd love to own a collection of Parlors. And, I've just spent a lot of my Sunday afternoon noodling around at the computer finding out more about Levin Parlors.

I came across this ……….. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTdSjvi27Oo

That tiny guitar cannot be producing that volume and tone !! It just cannot be !! It's impossible !!

I desperately need one.

And, I found a Guild connection. Avnet, for some time at least, marketed Goya Guitars, made by Levin.

 

[davismanLV]

Hey Gary, I have to say... I love the little small ones that sound like they're big. (that's a GREAT video!) I kinda wish I had a guitar from the past.... just to see what I missed. The roomie had a Goya mahogany (we're talking about 30 years ago)..... I'm gonna say about an 00 size? Had to have the bridge reglued and it was hard to play. I think it sounded good but... I'd like to play it now... knowing what I know now.

Speaking of "Knowing What I Know Now"..... one of my FAVE artists singing an amazing song. No one does it better than this lady......

Sorry for the diversion, boys and girls.

 

[houseisland]

Just out of general interest ......

Here is an interesting little 1930s Maybell parlor model made by Slingerland, nore commonly known for their drum kits: http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/van/msg/4708439136.html

The person posting CL ads here, always featuring the funky rose colored armchair, has had and continues to have quite a number of interesting guitars from the 20s on up. I suspect from the general neighborhood given in the ads that the poster may be one of Vancouvers better known luthiers, but this is only a vague suspicion.

Also if you ever get a chance to try one of Larrivee's parlor models, I recommend that you do so. They are quite rare. They seem to have been made in both rosewood and mahogany, and there were 3/4 size ones in the mahogany at least. Here is a rosewood one for sale locally.

http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/nvn/msg/4687621182.html

 

[houseisland]

Removed by poster.

My post showed up twice. Weird.

 

[beinhard]

I love small-bodied guitars. I'd love to own a collection of Parlors. And, I've just spent a lot of my Sunday afternoon noodling around at the computer finding out more about Levin Parlors.

I came across this ……….. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTdSjvi27Oo

That tiny guitar cannot be producing that volume and tone !! It just cannot be !! It's impossible !!

I desperately need one.

And, I found a Guild connection. Avnet, for some time at least, marketed Goya Guitars, made by Levin.

Did you see this? http://www.vintage-guitars.se/Levin/Levin_info.htm
And this? http://www.bottleneckjohn.com/levin.htm

Being made in nearby Sweden, Levins used to be very common around here.
I have a few of their nylon string models, including a Classic 12 that I bought new back in 1980.

beinhard

 

[coastie99]

Hello Beinhard. Thank you for that information.

I sought out that Levin information over the previous weekend and bookmarked it. However, for some unknown reason, I didn't go looking for Bottleneck John.

What I need to do now, is find a Swedish backpacker who's touring the West Coast, and have her translate the information for me ! This is a very popular adventure-tourism destination for international backpackers.

 

[davismanLV]

Thanks, beinhard!! I loved reading about the history of Herman Carlson Levin and his rise in the world of lutherie. Also, the connection with Goya and Martin, although Mr. Levin was long gone by the time any of that happened. Good history!! :encouragement:

Gary, I think that's a very little known fact, that only females can translate..... LOL!!

 

[Nivello]

I am the guy playing the Levin parlor in the first video posted in this thread. Thanks for posting it, and thanks for the kind words about it. It is a small guitar, but actually it is of "concert size" as it is called in the old Levin catalogs. An ordinary Levin of the time was even smaller.

Nice to see Bottleneck Johns name mentioned too, he is a great player and a good friend of mine. He has loads of videos on YT with old Levins and is quite a collector.

Actually there is one more connection between Levin and Guild than the one mentioned. Mark Dronge is married to the sister of Goran Levin, Levin's last CEO. It's a small world...

 

[Westerly Wood]

I am the guy playing the Levin parlor in the first video posted in this thread. Thanks for posting it, and thanks for the kind words about it. It is a small guitar, but actually it is of "concert size" as it is called in the old Levin catalogs. An ordinary Levin of the time was even smaller.

Nice to see Bottleneck Johns name mentioned too, he is a great player and a good friend of mine. He has loads of videos on YT with old Levins and is quite a collector.

Actually there is one more connection between Levin and Guild than the one mentioned. Mark Dronge is married to the sister of Goran Levin, Levin's last CEO. It's a small world...

well this is brilliant man: http://youtu.be/NTdSjvi27Oo
makes me want to get one.
what kind of slide are you using? and i notice you have it on the pinky finger?

 

[Nivello]

Thanks, Westerly Wood! The slide is made of glass and 2 inches long, I find longer slides hard to use on a small guitar like this. I bought it from a US seller on eBay called bim6, when I check now it seems he doesn't sell this exact model anymore. I'm glad I bought two! And yes, I have it on my pinky, mostly because it enables me to play some chords and stuff with the other fingers while I have the slide on.

If I can make a shameless plug here, I have made a documentary film about Levin/Goya guitars that was completed earlier this year. That's how much I like Levin guitars! It's available on DVD directly from me (info@anakronfilm.se) or on eBay for those who are interested in Levin guitars and the history of the company. Bottleneck John is actually in it, talking about and playing his parlors. You can see a trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB2FcFmn3qQ