Levin 335 acoustic archtop
I intend to have two Epiphone guitars, my Joe Pass Emperor II, and I would like a Sheraton at some point in the near future.
These are moderately priced guitars, that are affordable to me. Then with a little work I can get them to where I want them to be, and for sure, they can certainly do what I require.
But, in truth what I would ideally like to have, is the quality of the original Epiphones and Gibson guitars. So, if I had the finances, I would have a vintage 1960 Epiphone Zephyr, or a Gibson 175, instead of my Joe Pass, and a Gibson 335 or an original Sheraton instead of one of the later made affordable Sheratons.
So, the aim is to try to get as close as possible to the original quality I want, at a price I can afford.
Living in Sweden, of course I had to check out the guitars made here. My research led me to a guitar maker called Herman Carlson Levin. The older Levin guitars were built to standards that are lacking in later mass produced guitars.
So, one could say the quality of these vintage Levins are comparable with Gibson or early Epiphone guitars. Levin vintage archtops, are beautiful guitars and I have recently, for a very fair price, bought a nice example of a 1959 Levin 335. The Levin quality was such that at one time Martin guitars were made by Levin artisans.
The seller was keen that the guitar be played, rather than just kept as a specimen by a collector. I traveled to Gothenburg to collect the guitar last weekend. The guitar is in reasonable condition given its age, and the fact that, during its 50 years, it has obviously had a couple of floating pickups attached, then removed, it is currently in its original acoustic configuration.
The guitar needs a bit of work on the set up, but the intonation and action are fine, and it plays well, and also has a lovely feel and tone, especially since I changed the bridge. I will have a little work done on this guitar, which I am very happy with.
I might even one day get a nice floating pickup and see how that sounds. However, really just enjoying the acoustic side of this guitar at the moment.
The seller wanted the guitar to played, and indeed it is being played and enjoyed on a daily basis.
The beauty of this guitar is, it is the real deal. The latter day Epiphones are mass produced replicas of once handmade, original guitars. My Levin 335, was made with that handmade precision, and OK, it has picked up some character over the years, but with a little work will be soon back to its pristine glory.
I plan to have 4 guitars to cover the various styles I want to play and learn and the Levin 335 is my second acquisition after my Joe Pass Emperor, and like the Joe Pass, it is here to stay.
I now have two guitars I am very happy with, and can get down to some serious practice hours, enjoying them both.
here I am trying out the Levin, with that Hooker tune I am trying to learn, (you can hear the original here)
