Levin LS-18
by claesgellerbrink
Levin LS-18 Made in Sweden 1960
I finally got my hands on a Levin LS-18. Around Christmas 2015 I was offered to buy a Levin LS-16 that I’ve loved since the first time I played it. Therefore I’ve been really curious to hear what a full sized LS sounded like. These guitars seems to be fairly rare, I’ve seen one or two up on eBay in the last year but they have both gone for upwards of a £1000. I’m not sure why there aren’t more of these around in Europe, perhaps people refuse to sell them or they all got badged like Goya S-18 and shipped off to USA. The Levin LS-18 was introduced in 1958 and replaced by the LT-18 in 1964. The only difference sound vice that I’ve noticed between the LS-18 and the LT-18, both of them have flamed maple back and sides, is that the LS-18 seems a bit deeper in the bass. Perhaps it’s just this guitar, or the year, or the wood, it’s impossible to know without trying ten others. Other noticeable differences is that the LS-18 has thicker neck profile, different machine heads and centred pearl dot inlay instead of the LT-18’s bass side pearloid block inlay. It basically looks a bit more 1950’s and I love it.
There was quite a lot of work to do on this when I first got it. The action was so high that I couldn’t even get it in tune properly, the intonation was way off. I reset the neck and cleaned it up and now it both sounds and plays great.
Levin LS-18 / Goya S-18
Goliath size: Body width: 400 mm, body length: 505 mm, body depth: 95/120 mm
Fingerboard width: 43 mm, scale length: 630 mm
Spruce top, flame maple back and sides, 4-ply bound top, single-bound back
Mahogany bolt-on neck with adjustable truss rod
Single-bound ebony fingerboard with with centred pearl dot inlay. Nickel plated strip tuners with plastic buttons. Ebony bridge, metal Levin truss rod cover, natural finish and ten year warranty
Marketed by U.K. distributors as Super Goliath Model 1855
Claescaster 
[…] Goliath sized Levin collection so far: Levin LS-18 (1960), Levin LT-18 (1963), Levin LT-18 (1966), Levin LT-18 (1968), Goya T-18 (1966), Goya T-23 […]
[…] went pretty smooth so I think we will be back for a full album soon enough. I played on my 1960 Levin LS-18 and my 1966 Goya T-18. Now we just need to mix and master the songs and then I will post them […]
[…] back in 1965 and I think I might have to do the same on this one. I like the ones they used on the Levin LS-18 at the time, they are rounder and look more Gibson like, these square ones look like something from […]
[…] Levin LS-18 Made in Sweden 1960 […]
I recently bought a beautiful Levin LS 18 at a used music shop in bethel Connecticut. I paid only $200 for it. The only issue is it’s difficult to turn the tuning nuts but it stays in tune. I love it!
That’s a bargain, they can go for over $1000. Have you tried bicycle oil? If you find some good teflon based oil that isn’t to sticky you can just apply some to the tuner posts while the guitar is on it’s back and let it soak down to the tuners. That normally works really well.
Hi! I just love your guitars, man. Great site, full of amazinf pictures and great information. Can I ask you a question? I’m thinking of buying a Levin guitar, and I’m trying to decide between a couple of models. Could you tell me the string spacing at the bridge (from center of E pin to center of e pin) of your LS-18, if you still have it, and your LT-18? Also, do my eyes deceive me or that Goya T-23 (not an option for me) is spaced like a lyre??? Thanks a lot in advance. Take care!
[…] on a what appears to be a LS-18 body. The body has an old LS-18 label inside, just like the 1960 Levin LS-18 that I got, but the body is stamped inside with a Goya serial number for 1965, 227210, while the […]