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Post by onaclearday on May 9, 2020 19:24:59 GMT 1
Hello, sorry if I break some rules by posting in english, but I've seen somebody on the acousticguitarforum say that you guys here have a lot of knowledge about Levin guitars. So I would like to please ask you some questions about the smaller body Levins. I want to buy a parlor sized Levin and the current models I see that are in my budget are a Model 15 Diplomat(50s) and Model 60(40s) and Model 28 Nevada(50s) Do you know if these guitars have any trussrods, and if they don't is there usually any problems with their necks? Also I've heard that the best Levins are the older ones. Are the Levins from the 40s good or should I spend more on earlier (1918,1919 models).
Thank you very much for reading and sorry if broke any rule!
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Post by anakronfilm on May 9, 2020 21:34:25 GMT 1
None of the models you mention have an adjustable trussrod. Vintage Guitars website has detailed information about all the Levin models, check there to see all about this. I have had many Levin guitars and very few have had any neck issues though.
In my opinion Levin made their best parlor guitars pre 1930. During the 30's many - if not all - Levin parlors had their frets installed in the wrong places which makes intonation a nightmare. After 1940 the parlors were the low end offerings from Levin, not necessarily bad instruments but not made with much love and attention to detail.
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Post by onaclearday on May 9, 2020 21:52:20 GMT 1
None of the models you mention have an adjustable trussrod. Vintage Guitars website has detailed information about all the Levin models, check there to see all about this. I have had many Levin guitars and very few have had any neck issues though. In my opinion Levin made their best parlor guitars pre 1930. During the 30's many - if not all - Levin parlors had their frets installed in the wrong places which makes intonation a nightmare. After 1940 the parlors were the low end offerings from Levin, not necessarily bad instruments but not made with much love and attention to detail. Thank you for your answer! I've been researching the Vintage Guitars website for a while now but couldn't figure out for sure if they have truss rods. But do you know, do they have non-adjustable ones? |
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Post by anakronfilm on May 9, 2020 22:01:17 GMT 1
None of the models you mention have an adjustable trussrod. Vintage Guitars website has detailed information about all the Levin models, check there to see all about this. I have had many Levin guitars and very few have had any neck issues though. In my opinion Levin made their best parlor guitars pre 1930. During the 30's many - if not all - Levin parlors had their frets installed in the wrong places which makes intonation a nightmare. After 1940 the parlors were the low end offerings from Levin, not necessarily bad instruments but not made with much love and attention to detail. Thank you for your answer! I've been researching the Vintage Guitars website for a while now but couldn't figure out for sure if they have truss rods. But do you know, do they have non-adjustable ones? I don't think they have that either. I'm sure more people, such as Roger, will turn up and give their opinion on the subject of Levin parlors. |
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Post by rogerh on May 10, 2020 8:00:37 GMT 1
Old Levin guitars before 1930 never had any reinforcements in the neck. In fact many really old ones had poplar wood necks, a really soft and light wood. I think the very cheapest Levin parlors from 1950s have poplar necks too. Later Levin's from around late 1930s had an aluminum reinforcement in the form of a T-bar. Only in the 1960s and 1970s some models have an adjustable truss rod (and for the most part a special not so good one I might ad). Original old parlor Levin with a glued on bridge can not be stringed with more than 0.10 strings or nylon strings, at least not the good ones with a soft poplar neck. Tailpiece parlor Levin with a hardwood neck can be stringed with standard 0.11 strings. I love the old parlors before 1920 with soft, light and green poplar wood in the neck. With a carbon rod insert they make for the best sound, better than later parlor guitars with either a very thick poplar neck or a hardwood birch/maple neck. If you are looking for a really good sounding old Levin parlor that is modified to cope with standard 0.11 strings or Newtone Heritage low tension 0.12 strings, you can have a look at my page www.gammelgura.se. |
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Post by onaclearday on May 10, 2020 19:28:07 GMT 1
Old Levin guitars before 1930 never had any reinforcements in the neck. In fact many really old ones had poplar wood necks, a really soft and light wood. I think the very cheapest Levin parlors from 1950s have poplar necks too. Later Levin's from around late 1930s had an aluminum reinforcement in the form of a T-bar. Only in the 1960s and 1970s some models have an adjustable truss rod (and for the most part a special not so good one I might ad). Original old parlor Levin with a glued on bridge can not be stringed with more than 0.10 strings or nylon strings, at least not the good ones with a soft poplar neck. Tailpiece parlor Levin with a hardwood neck can be stringed with standard 0.11 strings. I love the old parlors before 1920 with soft, light and green poplar wood in the neck. With a carbon rod insert they make for the best sound, better than later parlor guitars with either a very thick poplar neck or a hardwood birch/maple neck. If you are looking for a really good sounding old Levin parlor that is modified to cope with standard 0.11 strings or Newtone Heritage low tension 0.12 strings, you can have a look at my page www.gammelgura.se. Thank you for the detailed answer! Your guitars seem to be the best of both worlds vintage vibe and modern convenience I really like that. |
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