1960s Landola-made Val Dez 00-Size Guitar

I've only worked on Landola-made (from Finland) guitars a couple times in the past, but when I have I've always been surprised at how good they are. This one leaves me feeling the same -- it's built in the mold of a Gibson LG-2 or B-25 but with Martin-esque visual features. It's a short-scale guitar with "rectangular taper" x-bracing in the Gibson fashion and a medium-C neck with 12" radius fretboard that feels very '50s Gibson. It originally had an adjustable bridge, too.

So, yeah, it handles like an LG-2/B-25 and sounds like a very, very good B-25 from the early '60s. It's warm and wide-sounding but also chunky and dry. The top is cut thin and it appears to be solid spruce over solid mahogany in the body.

While the label in the soundhole says "Val Dez" and imported by "Espana" it has "Made in Finland" at the top of the label and only one maker was building out of Finland for the Espana brand at the time, so it's deinitely a Landola make. This model is called the "V-66 Buffalo" in their own-brand catalogs, apparently, as well. The build quality is along the lines of the Bjarton and Levin instruments -- so about a match for a concurrent Guild -- though the construction's a bit different.

Repairs included: bridge reglue, new rosewood saddle, fret level/dress, new bone nut, replacement pickguard and truss-rod cover, replacement bridge pins, cleaning, setup.

Made by: Landola

Model: V-66 Buffalo (per Landola catalog)
Serial number: 210236

Made in: Finland

Top wood: solid spruce

Back & sides wood: solid mahogany

Bracing type: x

Bridge: rosewood

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: mahogany

Tone: chunky, woody, warm, full

Suitable for: blues, folk, country, old-time, roots-rock

Action height at 12th fret: 3/32” bass 1/16” treble (fast, spot-on)
String gauges: 54w-12 lights

Neck shape: medium-full C

Board radius: 12"

Truss rod: adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: small-medium

Scale length: 24 13/16"

Nut width: 1 3/4"

String spacing at nut: 1 7/16"

String spacing at bridge: 2 1/8"

Body length: 18 3/8"

Body width: 14 1/4"

Body depth: 4 1/4"

Weight: 3 lb 6 oz

Condition notes: it has weather-checking to the finish throughout but no cracks. The pickguard and truss cover are replacements -- as is the new rosewood saddle and ebony bridge pins. The nut's new, too. Otherwise the guitar seems to be original. The Kluson tuners may be later additions but they're right for the period.