c.1964 Levin-made Goya G-10 Classical Guitar

May 14, 2013

c.1964 Levin-made Goya G-10 Classical Guitar

Yes, well, I've worked on a lot of this model, and enjoyed them all. The G-10 is the most-often seen Levin (Swedish-made) product in the US (where they were mostly branded Goya) and they're just simply great, no-frills classicals. They're lightly fan-braced, have choice wood stock (solid spruce over figured solid birch), and are built to last. They've also got thin and fast (front to back) necks with standard classical spacing at the nut. This makes them some of the most comfortable-to-play classicals I've come across as well.

I picked this up last week in the shop and my work on it included a fret level/dress, cleaning, and setup. It has a repaired and cleated hairline crack near the center seam on the top that is perfectly stable and good to go, but otherwise has no other repairs and is in good health.

The finish has the usual weather-checking on the top but looks great and glossy all around. There are a few scuffs and small scratches on the back and sides, but it's really in great shape. Very clean for a G-10!

I love the simple red/brown inlaid rosette on these guys. It's classy. The top is also bound in simple plain black binding. This guitar has a 14" lower bout which makes it just slightly smaller than "concert" classicals and thus a perfect crossover folk/jazz/flamenco sort of instrument as it sits so beatifully in the lap.

The strings are light-tension D'Addario Pro Artes. I like to keep the tension on these guys fairly low (medium tension at most) since the bracing is so very light (which is why it sounds so darn good and full).

I love the stair-step headstock shape. Everything on the guitar is original, including the cute yellowed plastic saddle and nut.

Both the fretboard and bridge are Brazilian rosewood. This particular guitar has a cool light-colored bridge which looks great with the buttery-yellow top.

You an see some of that flamey/curly birch on the sides, here.

The board has side dots for easy positioning. The neck itself is a good single piece of mahogany with a quick profile and has some pretty light curly figure here and there on it.