Herman Carlson Levin - Luthier

Herman Carlson Levin, a Swedish luthier, is known for making the highest quality pre-war guitars in Europe. Some people call them the "Gibson of Sweden". Many people recognize these guitars as being the finest ever built.

C.F. Martin certainly took notice, when they bought the company following the death Mr. Levin, and quickly drove Levin out of business.

In August 1887, Levin moved to America, working briefly as a carpenter before getting a job in 1888 at a guitar factory. He moved back to Sweden and built a reputation for top-notch quality. He passed away in 1948 & the brand suffered. We only focus on pre-1948 Levin guitars.

"Levin's are just incredible, I think if they had a stronger management structure following Mr. Levin's death, they might be a premier brand along side Gibson & Martin." said our shop manager Randall Van Dyke. "Birch gets a bad name because of US mass-production of the 30's but Levin did some great things with Birch. Those guitars have a different voice than the Brazilian Rosewood guitars but they are of equal quality to the finest US made instruments."  

We have the largest inventory of pre-1948 Levin's in the United States. Contact is you'd like to know what is currently available. Looking to sell a pre-48 Levin? We'd love to hear from you.