Levin Guitars – Swedish History, Small Parlors and Great Archtops

A short introduction to Swedish Levin guitars, Django Reinhardt and the vintage Levin instruments available at World of Sounds.

Levin is one of the great names in Scandinavian guitar history. At World of Sounds, I have a wide selection of vintage Levin guitars for sale, from charming small parlor instruments to large jazz archtops and powerful steel-string acoustics.

## A Swedish guitar-making tradition

Herman Carlson Levin founded his instrument factory in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1900. Over the following decades, Levin produced a remarkable variety of guitars and other stringed instruments, earning a reputation for fine craftsmanship. There is no single typical Levin guitar: the range included everything from simple, practical acoustics to beautifully detailed archtops.

## Levin, Django and jazz guitar

Levin also has a place in the story of European jazz guitar. Django Reinhardt is associated with Levin guitars, and the accompanying image evokes the era when large acoustic guitars helped shape the sound of swing. Django remains especially famous for his distinctive gypsy jazz playing.

## Small parlors and big archtops

I particularly enjoy the smaller Levin parlor guitars. They have wonderful vintage charm and can sound surprisingly full for their size. At the other end of the range are Levin's archtop models, with curved tops, f-holes and classic jazz styling. Levin also made many conventional acoustic and western-style guitars.

## Explore my Levin guitars for sale

Click a guitar to view its listing:

- [Levin Parlor 1914](https://michaelstaun.dk/en/instrument/reverb-93353482/)
- [Levin Parlor](https://michaelstaun.dk/en/instrument/reverb-85172144/)
- [Levin Royal 1946 – archtop](https://michaelstaun.dk/en/instrument/reverb-85859716/)
- [Levin Model 27 (1944) – archtop](https://michaelstaun.dk/en/instrument/reverb-85859838/)
- [Levin Model 4 – archtop](https://michaelstaun.dk/en/instrument/reverb-85952894/)
- [Levin Model 5 – archtop](https://michaelstaun.dk/en/instrument/reverb-92117873/)
- [Levin 5N – archtop](https://michaelstaun.dk/en/instrument/reverb-92180627/)
- [Levin W32, circa 1973](https://michaelstaun.dk/en/instrument/levin-w32-circa-1973/)

Availability changes as instruments are sold. Browse [World of Sounds Instruments](https://michaelstaun.dk/en/instruments/), especially the Archtop and Western categories, for more vintage guitars.

For me, Levin guitars are not just old instruments. They are pieces of Swedish musical history that can still be played and enjoyed today.