Levin Model 124 1962 Sunburst

This is a really nice original Levin parlor model in sunburst finish.
It’s made in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1962.
The neck is straight and the action is measured for you as visible in the pictures.

This guitar is sold “As-Described” and is excluded from our shops return policy.

Specifications:
Non-cutaway.
Body width: 320 mm.
Body length: 450 mm.
Body depth: 98 mm.
Fingerboard width: 45 mm.
Scale length: 595 mm.
Spruce top
Flame birch back & sides.
Single-bound top.
Unbound back.
Mahogany neck.
Unbound rosewood fingerboard.
Rosewood bridge.
Nickel plated tuners with white plastic buttons.
Sunburst finish.
One year warranty.

In the video a 1963 Levin Model 124 is played. Our guitar is from 1962, but the sound is relevant to what you can expect when fingerpicking.

The Levin story
Before Levin

Herman Carlson was born in Åsaka, Sweden on September 25, 1864. After a completed woodwork education he was apprenticed to a cabinet maker in Göteborg. During that time he also attended evening classes at the local woodwork association where he after 2 ½ years of hard work excelled in his examination to become a journeyman. At that time it was customary to take on a new surname after a completed journeyman education and Herman choose Levin to be added to his name.

In America

In 1887, Herman Carlson Levin travelled to the U.S.A. where he soon found work as a polisher at a guitar factory in New York City. This is where he gradually learned about guitar making and in1891 he was ready to open his own business.

In ca 1895 he joined Robert H. Benary to form the Metropolis Musical Instrument Co. to manufacture and distribute mid-priced banjos, guitars and mandolins. In 1897 he filed for a patent for his combined guitar and mandolin.

Back in Sweden

In 1900 he returned to Sweden, and on July 27that year, he opened the Herman Carlson Levin Musikinstrumentfabrik (Herman Carlson LevinMusical Instrument Factory) on Norra Larmgatan 4, in Göteborg.

In the humble beginning the factory consisted of two men in a 70 square meter space. In the first year, 90 instruments were completed, but business grew and at the end of 1903, the work force had grown to five men completing 1,648 instruments.

The awards

The first official recognition came early. By 1903 the company had been rewarded no less than five silver medals (highest award) at various exhibitions held in Sweden. The success grew with a gold medal at the exhibition in London in 1905, and the climax came in Madrid in 1907, where the company was rewarded not only the gold medal, but also the Grand Prix.

The growth

By 1908 more than 10,000 instruments had left the factory, and ten years later, more than 40,000 instruments was completed, and the work force had grown to 30 men working out of a factory of 600 square meters. However, on October 11, 1918 a fire broke loose in the factory and during the following years the work force had to be cut down to 5-10 men. In 1925 Levin added banjos to its line and the production started to grow rapidly. In 1929 Levin also added orchestra guitars and by 1936 more than 100,000 instruments had left the factory. Just before the outbreak of World War II the workforce consisted of 45 men and the factory floorspace had grown to more than 1,000 squaremeters. The war years brought a shortage of foreign woods such as ebony, rosewood and walnut, and furthermore, periodically half the work force was drafted to military service.

The new factory

At the same time, there was a large demand for instruments, and since the old factory building already had been expanded to its limits, a new factory of 1,800 square meters floor space was set up in the former space of Rörstrands Porslinsfabrik (Rörstrands Porcelain Factory) on Kvillegatan 9, in Gothenburg. The move took place in the summer of 1943 and the work force was expanded to 70 men. Drums were added in that year, and in 1948 instrument number 200,000 was completed.

Goya

In 1952 initial contacts were being made between the Hershman Musical Instrument Co. of New York and Levin regarding what in 1954 became Goya branded instruments made by Levin for distribution in the U.S.A.

Electrics

As 1956 came to an end the total number of produced instruments exceeded 300,000. In the new redesigned line of 1957, the archtop guitars were now available with one or two DeArmond pickups in addition to the fully acoustic versions.

 F. Martin & Co.

In 1972 negotiations between the C. F. Martin &Co. and Levin resulted in that C. F. Martin & Co.purchased Levin in June 1973.

Made in Finland

In ca 1977 some nylon-string models were beingbuilt by Landola in Finland.

Made in Japan

In ca 1979 some steel-string and nylon-stringmodels were being built in Japan.

Factory closes

The factory closed in 1979. Some models builtin Finland and Japan were still available.

Svensk Musik AB

Svensk Musik AB purchased the Levin brand name and part of the remaining stock fromC. F. Martin & Co. in 1982. The production was restarted in early 1983 with the first two models being the LG 8 and LG 17, both assembled with bodies made by the Hans Persson guitar factory in Lugnås, Sweden and necks supplied by Landola in Finland. In addition to those, the model L 44 was imported from Czechoslovakia. In 1988 three more models were added to the line of Swedish made guitars, the Classic 8,Classic 10 and Classic 12, and the whole production was moved to the Hans Persson guitar factory in Lugnås.

Svenska Levin AB

Svensk Musik AB changed name to Svenska Levin AB in ca 2000 and model L 40 was being imported from Asia. After 2004 the line was expanded with more nylon-string models in addition to steel-string western models and archtops, all being imported from Asia.