Levin Mandolins

[Michael Wolf]

do anybody have experiences or information about Levin Mandos?
I do know the history of the company and the Goya-Story, but I want to know what you think about their quality and value.
I have the chance to buy one (A-style), but it has to be restored a bit and looks very used, but they are rare. Since it is on ebay, I can't test it.

Cheers
Michael

[Spruce]

I've never seen on of their mandos, but there is the famous picture of Django playing one of their guitars (http://www.themomi.org/museum/django/images/B_djangoplays.jpg)....

[Michael Wolf]

Hello Bruce,
I saw the picture before, but never realized that this is a Levin. They made very beautifull archtops and they are very expensive. I think they are rated as good as classic american archtops. You see them mostly in Sweden (who wonders). You can see good pics on "Vintage Guitars, Sweden".
I had the chance to play a Aristocrat-Model on a festival. It's a double cutaway body and it was their biggest master-model. Very nice and great sound, but 3000,-Euro (far to much, I think).
I wondered, if their A-styles have the same standards as the fancier models. They all seem to have carved woods, but the sample I'm thinking of is in a bad shape. It lacks some of the top-binding. On the other hand the woods are beautiful (nice figured maple back).

Cheers
Michael

[AndyEnglish]

I sometimes see Levin Guitars along Denmark street (Central London). I once played a Levin mando there and it was sensational - really mellow but still punchy. I'm trying to picture it but cannot even remember what shape it was - just the sweet sound.

[grandmainger]

I sometimes see Levin Guitars along Denmark street (Central London). I once played a Levin mando there and it was sensational - really mellow but still punchy. I'm trying to picture it but cannot even remember what shape it was - just the sweet sound.
Hey Andy,

You got lucky to find a good mando on Denmark Street. I went 3 times in the past few months and the only acceptable one I saw was a monstrously overpriced battered Gibson F5 Master.

Any place in particular you went to?

[Spruce]

I recently saw some cool stuff on Denmark Street, but man was it overpriced...
The strong pound didn't help matters any, either...

[AndyEnglish]

Denmark Street is more for window shopping - although you can beat the prices down quite a bit if you strike lucky. Smart people get on the train to Brighton and head for the Acoustic Music Company!

[delsbrother]

What, no response from levin4now? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

OK, I'm revealing quite a lot about my taste in musical instruments, but here goes:

More than you ever wanted to know! (http://goyaguitars.tripod.com/index1.htm#home)

Levin's evidently known more in Europe for its (maple) classical guitars. I secretly lust after a clean, Swedish made 40N archtop two point mandolin.. Seen a couple advertised (one re-topped by Monteleone that was going for $$$), but never played or heard one..

I'm trying to get Michael Robinson at Myrareguitars.com (http://www.myrareguitars.com/toplevel.html) to build me a repro Rangemaster emandocello, but so far no luck - which you could take as a good thing or a bad thing, I suppose.

[delsbrother]

Here's an interesting two point OVAL HOLE Goya at Players Vintage Instruments.. Strange but true! http://www.vintageinstruments.com/photos/inst20/goyaful.jpg

[delsbrother]

Whoops, just reread the posts that said you already knew about the history - sorry. Is the one you're going for a two point A?

[Michael Wolf]

delsbrother,
thanks for the nice picture. This model is new to me and interesting too, since I like ovalholes.
This one looks exactly like the Levin Aristokrat top of the line model, which had f-holes.
This was a fine instrument, but as I mentioned, overpriced.
The one I wanted was a normal A-body, but I didn`t by it, because I felt it was to expensive for the bad shape (some bindings were missing, couldn`t test it, was on ebay here in Germany).

Cheers
Michael

[Michael Wolf]

Sorry, forget this one. But now.....

[Michael Wolf]

Deleted my first mistake, first time I try this functions.

This is the Levin Aristokrat.

Cheers
Michael

[Peter Hackman]

Deleted my first mistake, first time I try this functions.

This is the Levin Aristokrat.

Cheers
Michael
I used to own a blonde Aristokrat, the first one they built
in many years. Nice fullsounding thing, used it for
5 years, and even recorded with it. In the summer of '69 -
on my first and only trip to the US -
the dovetail came unglued and I had John Duffey in
Arlington fix it up for me. He set the neck back a bit
for better volume. I've never played an Aristokrat
as good as that one, oh, perphaps one, an ovalhole,
similar to the one pictured above.

I've played the example in the picture. Much older and not nearly as good; sounds more like a bicycle bell.
I won't cut my Collings!

Most Levin mandolins were cheap beginners' instruments
and the idea, of course, was you begin on mandolin and
then go on to learn a "real" instrument, the violin.