The guitar brand name "Goya" existed from the mid 1950's to 1996. Nylon and steel
string acoustic and acoustic/electric guitars, hollow body electric guitars, solidbody
electric guitars and basses, thinline electric archtops guitars, banjos, mandolins and
amplifiers. The Goya brand name was initially used by Hershman Musical Instrument
Company of New York City, New York, in mid 1950's for acoustic guitars made in Sweden
by Levin, particularly known for its classical guitars.
Sparkle plastic covered Model 80 (ESP24 Standard) and Model 90 (EDP46) hollowbody
electric "Les Pauls" (with replaceable pickup assemblies) - made by Hagstrom -
introduced mid 1959. These are relatively rare.
By 1963 company had become Goya Musical Instrument Corporation, marketing primarily
Goya acoustic guitars. Goya purchased by Avnet, Inc., prior to 1966, when Avnet
purchased Guild Guitars. Probably some 1970's guitars were made in Japan.
Brand name purchased by C.F.Martin in late '70s with Japanese-made acoustic guitars,
solidbody electric guitars, basses, banjos and mandolins imported in around 1978 and
continuing through the 1980's. Brand name was then used on high-quality Korean-made
acoustic and acoustic/electric guitars, banjos and mandolins. Brand name "Goya"
discontinued in 1996.
Goya instruments were originally produced in Sweden by the Levin Company that has
been making guitars since the 1900's. Distributed by Hershman Musical Instruments
Company of New York. Later Goya instruments were built in Korea from the early 1970's
to 1996, and were distributed by the Martin Guitar Company, located in Nazareth,
Pennsylvania. The Goya trademark was originally used by the Hershman Musical Instrument
Company of New York City, New York in the 1950's on models built by Sweden's Levin
Company (similiar models were sold in Europe under the company's Levin trademark).
Levin built high quality acoustic flattop, classical, and archtop guitars as well as
mandolins. A large number of rebranded Goya instruments were imported to the U.S.
market. As a side note - Anders Wasén of Gothenburg, Sweden (where Levin/Goya was made)
provides this additional information: H.C. Levin was from Sweden and as I was told
worked in the United States as a trainee at the Martin Guitar Company. So did his son
just before World War I (as he told me himself). H.C. went back to Sweden and formed
the Levin Guitar company (Goya in the US).
In the late 1950's, solidbody electric guitars and basses built by Hagstrom (also a
Swedish company) were rebranded Goya and distributed in the U.S. as well. In 1963 the
company changed its name to the Goya Musical Instrument Corporation.
Goya was purchased by Avnet in 1966, and continued to import instruments such as the
Rangemaster in 1967. By the late 1960's, electric solidbody guitars and basses were
then being built in Italy by the EKO company. Avnet then sold the Goya trademark to
Kustom Electronics. It has been estimated that the later Goya instruments of the 1970's
were built in Japan.
The C.F. Martin company later acquired the Levin company, and bought the rights to the
Goya trademark from a company named Dude, Inc. in 1976. Martin imported a number
guitar, mandolin, and banjo string instruments from the 1970's through to 1996. While
this trademark is currently discontinued, the rights to the name are still held by the
Martin Guitar company.
The Goya company featured a number of innovations that most people are not aware of.
Goya was the first classic guitar line to put the trademark name on the headstock, and
also created the ball end classic guitar string.
Levin-Era Goya models feature interior paper label with the Goya trademark in a cursive
style, and designated "Made by A.B. Herman Carlson Levin - Gothenburg Sweden." Model
and serial number appear on the label, as well as on the neck block.
Albin Hagstrom's company produced guitars in Sweden from 1957 through the early 1980's.
Early distributors included the Hershman Musical Instrument Company of New York (under
Goya logo) and Selmer, U.K. (under Futurama logo). Hagstrom really came into it's
stride during the beat boom of the early 1960's, making functional, affordable models
such as the Kent. Hagstrom also began to export widely, often badging guitars to suit
the marketing brands of the customer. Thus some US Goya-brand guitars orginated at the
Hagstrom plant, as did a number of British Futurama models..
The earliest known Goya guitars that I can VERIFY are from 1958. I have a 1958 Goya Guitar catalog to
base that statement on. Also, all Goya guitars with labels saying "Made by A.B. Herman Carlson Levin,
Gothenburg, Sweden" have serial numbers showing a 1958 date using the "Locksley Serial Number List."
I believe that list can be ONLY be used for Goya guitars having that label. All other Goya guitars CAN NOT
use the "Locksley Serial Number List."
Goya guitars were imported from Sweden by Kustom Electronics in the late 60's to early 70's. I have a
"Kustom Goya Ad" dated 1971. I've been told that Kustom didn't put serial numbers on the Goya guitars.
The Goya distributorship was then sold to Keith Dodd of Dude Inc. in the early 70s who I've been told did
put serial numbers on the Goya guitars. Kustom Electronics originated in Chanute, Kansas as did Dude Inc.
Around 1977 the Goya franchise was sold by Dude to the Martin Guitar Co., who began importing Goya
guitars from the orient (I have a 1977 Goya Martin Guitar catalog).
Goya was a brand applied to guitars imported into the US by Hershman. From 1959 some
were made by Hagstrom in Sweden, with distinctive touches including colorful plastic
finishes and multiple control layouts. By the late 1950's the influence of electric
guitars had spread worldwide, evidenced by other countries' contributions to the cause,
and some of these did make their mark on a pre-beat boom British market. In Sweden,
accordion maker Hagstrom decided it wanted a piece of the electric guitar action and
launched two- and four- pickup solidbody models in 1958. These visually arresting
guitars boasted banks of pushbuttons and chromed panels plus abundant sparkle and
pearloid plastic - all unsurprisingly appropriate in view of their accordion-derived
ancestry. Such exercises in excess even fared well in the US where Hagstroms bore the
Goya brand name.
Jimi Hendrix played a psychedelic (paisley design) Goya Rangemaster, which can be seen
in the "Jimi Hendrix Electric Gypsy" book by Shapiro & Glebeek. The picture in the book
has this description "Goya - probably made in early 1968. This photograph (taken around
March 1968 in the USA) shows Jimi playing this Italian-manufactured guitar - the first
psychedelic guitar available on the market." NOTE: I believe I saw the guitarist for "Country
Joe and the Fish" playing a Goya Rangemaster during a performance that was shown on "The
History of Rock 'n' Roll" shown on PBS television.
Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac fame composed her first song "I've Loved and I've Lost"
with a Goya guitar, her very first guitar, given to her by her parents on her sixteenth
birthday. Asked during a MTV interview, "How long, actually, have you been composing
songs?" she answered, "Since my 16th birthday, the day I got my Goya guitar. I wrote a
song that day." Another great artist that used a Goya guitar in all her songs was Melanie.
If you ever saw the 1967 movie "The Sound of Music" then you saw Julia Andrews playing a
classical Goya guitar (I believe it was a G-13 model).Another artist associated with Goya guitars is Mason Williams, who gave us the great guitar instrumental "Classical Gas." His second guitar was a Goya which he bought in 1958.
The Goya Rangemasters electric guitars were produced between 1965 - 1969. The "Goya" brand
name was used at various times by Hershman Musical Instrument Company of New York, an importing firm,
and as was so often the case with distribution companies one brand name turns up on guitars from a
number of different sources. The Rangemaster model, for example, is of Italian origin, reflecting a 1960s
predilection for multiple control layouts and most likely comes from the EKO factory. The vibrato bar,
however, was provided by another Goya supplier, the Hagstrom company of Sweden." NOTE: Someone
informed me that they had talked with a production manager from "EKO" in the 60s who said they had no
involvement with Goya. That same person suggested to me that the "Polverini Brothers" in Italy made the
Rangemaster guitars. It has also been suggested that Italian guitar maker Galanti made the Goya
"Panther" models. The Goya Panther and the Galanti guitars look nearly identical.
The Japanese manufacturers who started to mass produce electric guitars in the early
1960's included Fujigen Gakki which made guitars with Goya, Kent and other importer
brands. Greco instruments were imported to the U.S. through Goya Guitars/Avnet. Avnet
was the same major company that also acquired Guild in 1966.
NOTE: The "Greco" brand guitars as owned by the Hershman Musical Instrument Company of New York (Goya Guitars Inc.) during the 1960s are NOT the same as the Japanese made GRECO guitars made in the 70s and 80s. The Hershman "Grecos" were made in various European countries and are listed in my Greco catalogs. I believe the "Greco" name comes from the 16th century painter El Greco (there were no guitars around during his days). The logo for the Hershman Grecos are in the same style as the Hershman Goya logo and different than the Japanese made GRECO guitar logos. By the way, speaking of logos, the Goya logo did go through a change sometime in the 1980s when Martin owned the Goya brand - some of these guitars were made in Korea.
