The Founding of Levin Instruments
Herman Carlson Levin was born and raised in Åsaka Sweden; at age 18 he attended carpentry school and later got an apprenticeship at a furniture maker in Gothenburg. In August 1887 Levin moved to America and worked briefly as a carpenter before getting a job in 1888 at guitar manufacturer. Three years later he and two partners started a small production of instruments in New York. After a visit back in Sweden 1895 Levin realized the demand for instruments back home was high and that manufacturing of instruments back in Sweden could be profitable. So with 4,000 kroners Levin opened up "Herman Carlssons Instrumentfabrik" at Norra Larmgatan in Gothenburg.
With a workshop of 70 m² and a crew of two, Levin started manufacturing guitars and mandolins. By the end of 1901 473 instruments had been made and in 1903, with a crew of five, Levin's 1000th instrument was made. The factory was one of the best in Europe and between 1904 and 1912 Levin received many awards including the gold medal in Madrid for best guitar as well as the exhibition's Grand Prix price. In the mid-1920s the plant had made over 50,000 instruments and in 1925 production of a line of banjos were launched. By 1936 the 100,000th instrument had left the plant and Levin was marketing a successful line of archtop guitars. Shortly before 1940 Levin employed a crew of 45 in facility of a 1000 m². In the 1950s, Levin launched a line of inexpensive guitars intended for schools and novice guitar players. These guitars were of lower quality than the rest of the Levin line up.
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