Looking for Steve Livengood Guitar Builder

[Joe Mendel]

I posted this over on AGF with no response, so I thought I'd toss a line in the water here to see what happens. Any info would be appreciated, I know at least a couple of builders here are in Colorado, where this guy was at the time he built the guitar in question.

Here goes:

A customer has a 12 string built by Steve Livengood that needs some work on the neck and I'm trying to find out some details before we decide whether or not to proceed.

It appears to have a glued, dovetail neck joint, but I would like to find out for sure. Also, there is no visible truss rod. What type of glue used would be helpful, too.

If anyone knows those details or can put us in touch with Steve, we would really appreciate it. The guitar was built in 1994, and Steve was then in Colorado Springs.

Thanks.

[strings777]

Sorry I'm no help, but I sure do love his last name!

[jim simpson]

Livengood Steven Guitar Shop
733 E Costilla St, Colorado Springs, CO 80903-3783
(719) 635-7162




Livengood's the best revenge!

[Joe Mendel]

Thanks Jim, the phone has been dis-connected. Do you know if he's still in business? I'm not having any luck coming up with information. Google, Facebook & Linked-in haven't turned up anything.
I'm reluctant to do anything with this guitar until I have an idea of it's construction. It's a pretty nice guitar and looks to be worth repairing, if I know what I'm getting into.

[jim simpson]

I'm sorry that info wasn't current. I suspect he's off the radar.

I wonder if the guitar has a carbon fiber rod since it doesn't have an adjustable one?

[Enginator]

I'm sorry that info wasn't current. I suspect he's off the radar.

I wonder if the guitar has a carbon fiber rod since it doesn't have an adjustable one?

To whom it may concern:

I own a Steven Livengood guitar, Model #1, Serial # 1. It is a solid rosewood back and sides with spruce top and ebony fingerboard, cutaway, acoustic. It does have a truss rod adjustable by nut at the head and the neck does have two pieces of carbon fiber inlaid one on each side of the rod. He did build some guitars withou the truss rod but using the inlaid rods.

Steven seems to have used mostly dovetailed and glued necks. It is likely to have either hide glue or titebond. He dropped off the map and no one even John Ramsey who's shop he used to work out of knows where he went. He disappeared the end of the 90s and is just GONE! Message me if you have a livengood or wish to share info.

H. Chasteen

[Joe Mendel]

Interesting that you brought this thread back to life. I never found any information about the builder or construction of the guitar. I did the repair anyway. I ended up removing the fingerboard and installed a lot of carbon fiber into it. It did not have a dovetail joint, I don't remember exactly what it was, but I never did come up with any idea how to take the neck off. It is holding up fine now.

A couple of years ago I got a phone call from a guy who found 2 Livengood guitars laying in the street, and found me through this thread. I still had the guy who owned the Livengood I worked on's contact info and called him. Turns out they were both his, they were moving and his mother in law drove off with them in the trunk with the lid open and they fell out. Fortunately, they weren't damaged and those guys got together and got the guitars returned to the owner. Honest finder and lucky owner!