1926 Levin Model 1 Parlor Guitar

This understated, Swedish-made parlor guitar was built by Levin -- the same folks that supplied guitars for the Goya brand (most-known for their nice classicals) from the '50s and through the '60s and early '70s. I've only worked on four other prewar Levins -- and two of those were lute-guitars! This one was brought in for a repair via a customer.

Even though this guitar has a serial number that dates it to 1926, its outside trappings give it the look of a late-1800s instrument with its "size 2" body, tight waist, and lack of binding on any edges. It's built sturdy and cleanly and, quality-wise, fits somewhere between a mid-grade Oscar Schmidt and an entry-level Bay State. It's a lot cleaner than an Oscar Schmidt but it's still somewhat odd, design-wise.

It's ladder-braced and a little stiffly at that, but it does have a good, midsy, woody sort of tone that's intriguing and keeps you playing. As usual for these old 12-frets, it sounds a lot better fingerpicked than flatpicked. I'm assuming that this was built with steel strings in mind, as gut/nylon strings would not drive this top at all and the neck is definitely baseball-bat territory.

Work included: a neck reset (w/two bolts added -- it's a tenon joint), fret level/dress, bridge reglue and modification, cleaning, and a setup. It plays with a straight neck and bang-on 3/32" EA and 1/16" DGBE action at the 12th fret, strung with 50w-11 gauges.

Scale length: 24 3/4"

Nut width: 1 3/4"

String spacing at nut: 1 9/16"

String spacing at bridge: 2 3/16"

Body length: 18 1/8"

Lower bout width: 12 1/8"

Upper bout width: 8 3/4"

Side depth at endpin: 3"

Top wood: solid spruce

Back/sides wood: solid birch

Bracing type: ladder

Fretboard: walnut

Bridge: ebonized birch

Neck feel: medium-big C, flat board

Condition notes: everything is original to the guitar save the new bone saddle. There's one sealed hairline crack on the back but otherwise no cracks. The finish is in excellent shape and the guitar shows only minor wear throughout. The back has a few more scratches here and there, though. Below the bridge is a lip bare of finish as I had to move the bridge forward for better intonation.

The nut is ebony.

The pearl dots are original, but I also added side dots.

This original bridge had a very deep slot cut to accept a fret saddle -- almost 1/4"! Unfortunately, Levin chose to make this particular bridge out of birch (not tough enough) and cut it with a bizarre, steeply-sloped top, so I knew it would need to be reinforced or the front wall would blow-out with the drop-in saddle it would need to play in tune and have correct action height.

It's inelegant, but a simple screw and washer keeps the bridge's front from blowing-out. I strung it without it installed to see what would happen, but the whole front sagged-out, so this was the solution to keep the original bridge (rather than a rosewood or ebony new one) and have it functional at the same time.

The back and sides have "faux-grain" painted-on.