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"I'll start this page off with a 1999 picture of my brother Mark and me during a little jam session at his house in Port Townsend, Washington. I'm playing my favorite Goya guitar, a model T-18, which I received from a very dear friend. Mark, in the white t-shirt, is playing lead and I'm just trying to stay up with him. He's a really good guitarist and I try to pick up any tips I can from him. I'm only a beginner but enjoy country, blues and surf music. My T-18 guitar handles the first two type of music but I need to go electric with an Italian made Goya Rangemaster for the surf sound. I have twenty one Goya guitars in my collection so I have a lot of instruments to choose from no matter what kind of music." |
| Here's a circa 1972 photo of George in Los Gatos, California with his mid to late 1960s Goya model T-3 steel string guitar (s/n 351570). He purchased it from a co-worker in 1970. It's similar to the T-3 shown in the 1967 Goya Catalog except the bridge consists of six individually adjustable screws. At the time George got this Goya he had been banging away for six years on an old Stella with an action so bad that he couldn’t play bar chords above the 4th fret. "Wish I had known about bottleneck back then," comments George. He also says, "I have yet to see another guitar with sides and back as beautiful as this one." George also has an older Goya G-10, Guild G-312, Les Paul Standard, Fender Strat and Jazz Bass, and various other stringed weapons of aural integrity. George expresses his inner most feelings when he laments, "If only Stevie Nicks would have teamed up with me instead of what's his name, she might have been a real star..." |
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Judy lives in Southern California and likes playing folk, blues and rock on her many guitars. Here she is with her Goya model F-12 guitar purchased from an eBay auction. She's a computer hobbyist and records her own music MP3 files. We've exchanged many emails and I consider her a friend. She's also a very good guitarist. |
| Cap from Wisconsin playing his Goya 12-string model TS-4 guitar. He paid about the same price on eBay as when the guitar sold new in the early 60s. Cap feels the Swedish Goya guitars are equivalent or better than Gibsons and Martins. Cap takes his TS-4 to the Milwaukee Schooner Society for shanty sing-alongs led by the local folk singer David HB Drake (www.DavidHBDrake.com). Cap can also be found strumming on the tall ship S/V Denis Sullivan. Cap also has a Goya model G-10 he acquired from eBay. He uses it mostly for playing folk music. Cap says, "After all these years, finally got that wonderful Goya sound." He plays some classical and modern music with the Goya G-10. |
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Gary from Florida is shown playing his Goya model F-11 guitar he got from eBay ($335 s/n 115328 N.Y. 10). He owns four other Goya guitars he got from eBay; M-22 ($275 s/n 201807 N.Y.10 from the original owner who claimed to have purchased it in 1958 - it has a tag stating Boston 15 Mass.), G-10 ($355 s/n 167056), G-17 ($492 s/n 200930 N.Y. 10), and a G-20 ($560 s/n 303612 N.Y. 10010). Gary also purchased a Goya G-50 which is extremely rare. The only reference we could find to one was on page 9 of my 1967 Goya Guitars Catalog which states that the G-50C model was made in the U.S.A. (Gary's G-50 is still somewhat a mystery with regard to serial number and origin since the inside label says "Made in Sweden"). Gary began playing guitar in 1961 at the age of 12. He was always attracted to acoustic guitars. He had a folk/rolk band through late 60s and early 70s and played frat parties and bars. He used a pick-up for amplification and the band was called the "World's Worst." Gary claims they got by with decent vocals. His first encounter with a Goya guitar was in 1962. He says, "couldn't afford the one I wanted. 40+ years later, I guess I am re-living my childhood." He loves Peter, Paul & Mary, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Arlo Guthrie, Cosby Stills Nash & Young, Eric Clapton to name a few. Gary occasionally writes his own songs. His Swedish mother contributed to his attraction for vintage Goya guitars. Gary's other passion is horses. He has four quarterhorses now (Zandy, his newest filly was born September 9th, 2002). |
| Chris, born and raised in Los Angeles until age 10, now resides in Virginia with his Goya G-10. He bought the guitar for about $100 in 1959. He purchased the guitar in Brooklyn, N.Y. It has a serial number of 96410 with a New York 10, N.Y. address on the label. Chris bought a new plush case for the guitar recently and says, "Perhaps it is my imagination, but I think it sounds better now coming out of the new case!" |
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Here's a photo of the 1992 mini-reunion between two members of the musical group "The Highlanders" . Larry listens while Jim plays his Goya F-25 guitar. "The Highlanders" were a folk group formed in the fall of 1963, in Lenoir, North Carolina, when Jim was a sophomore in high school. They performed locally for about a year and a half. The guitar purchased in 1967 belonged to the noted performer and North Carolina native Arthell "Doc" Watson, and to his son the late Merle Watson (who reportedly used it in recording an album). Jim was inspired by the late Dave Guard and took up playing the 5-string banjo in the 1960s. He switched to guitar after hearing Peter, Paul & Mary. He spent the summer of 1963 listening to their first album to reproduce the accompaniment. Consequently, Jim's style developed into a blend of two guitars, based also on the three-finger Travis picking. Jim still plays without picks and grew up in the foothills and mountains of North Carolina. |
| Patrick lives in Louisiana where he plays his Goya Concert size guitar. (Model No. G-10 Serial No.376985 Made By A.B.HERMAN LEVIN GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN) The guitar was originally purchased by someone else in 1958 for $89.50 plus $10.00 for the alligator style case. The guitar came from National Distributors, C. Bruno & Sons, Inc., 460 W. 34th St. New York 1, N.Y., who have been in business since 1834. Patrick says he's still very much in the learning stage, but enjoys the heritage, quality and sound of his beautiful Goya guitar. |
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Here's Peter Ahlin of Eskilstuna , Sweden (one hour drive from Stockholm and four hours from Gothenburg where the Levin guitar factory was located). He works as a technical writer for Volvo. This is his 1966 Levin model LT-18 guitar (serial no.472915) which is identical to the Goya model T-18 (made by Levin). He bought this Levin guitar with his very first wages in August 1971. Peter plays in three different groups. One group from work with six members who play covers that make people smile. Peter also plays with another person doing ballads and pub-music. In his third group they play only Beatles and call themselves "Strawberry Fields." Peter is the registrator and archivist for the "Norton Owners Club of Sweden" (the old English motorcycle) with almost 800 members. Peter donated the 1975 Levin "75th Anniversary" Brochure on this web site. Peter provides Swedish to English translation for me (thanks Peter). He can be reached at eva-karin.peter@telia.com |
| Wayne was out looking for a solid body electric guitar with a thinner neck when he walked into a local guitar shop. They had 4 to 5 guitars displayed in the front and the brown Goya electric caught his eye. It was priced at $250.00 Canadian and looked better than the $700.00 guitars beside it. He said, "It was love at first sight." It also sounded better than the other guitars so he bought it. He's been told that he got a really good deal on it (and I concur). Wayne tried a lot of guitars since and feels the sound quality and workmanship is comparable to guitars costing four times as much. Wayne likes to play folk music on his Goya guitar. There's no serial number on the guitar or where it was made. It appears to be a Japanese Goya guitar possibly from the 1980s (or earlier). If anyone has information about this type of guitar please contact goyaguitars@usa.com and I'll pass the information on to Wayne (he and I would both like to find out about this wonderful Goya electric guitar). Thanks |
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A native of North Carolina, Joe Phillips moved to South Florida about 23 years ago. During a return visit to see family in 1993, Joe stopped in at a pawn shop in Shelby, N.C., just shopping for a guitar. He purchased this Martin Goya Model G335S for $250. (Serial No. 9212000068 indicating a 1992 model and "Made in Korea") He did not know how to play but planned to learn. Finally, ten years later in January 2002, after retiring, Joe began taking guitar lessons. He plays with the Lazy B Ranch Pickers on Tuesday nights in North Fort Myers, Florida and with another group at a Punta Gorda, Florida city park on Thursday nights. He likes music ranging from country, gospel, bluegrass and blues. He enjoys flat picking and finger picking styles. "At age 62, I don't expect to be in Nashville anytime soon, but I am playing with some very talented people and I sure do appreciate benefiting from their experience. When you get around a group of musicians everybody is happy!" He says it was a rewarding experience and his Goya guitar proved to be up to the task with its great mellow sound. |
| Here´s a picture of Dennis from Sweden with his beautiful 1966 Goya-Levin guitar (s/n 465429). It has "827" stamped on the back of the guitar which may indicate a model number. There's no other identification marks except for the Levin coat-of-arms metal plate on the peghead. It´s presumably made at the Levin factories in Gothenburg. The neck is very slim (almost like Gibson) and easy to play. The original hard shell case (OHSC) is white'ish with green plush-like lining inside. Dennis tells me, "It´s a small jazz-world over here." This is their web site www.hothousejazz.nu (it's in Swedish but you´ll understand most of it by clicking on the links to f.ex."orkestrar") which presents all the bands connected to their club in Malmö. As a side note, Dennis found three of his good friends listed on my web site. Dennis states that, "Mattias Hallin bought a Paramount C banjo from me about ten years ago and Benny Trapp plays drums in the Absalon Orchestra where I play banjo and guitar." (Note: Mattias and Benny were instrumental in providing the original "Locksley" serial numbers list posted on my "Goya/Levin/Hagstrom Serial Numbers" page and are mentioned there). Dennis met Anders Wassén at a jazz festival this 2002 summer (Note: Anders provided valuable Levin information and is mentioned in paragraph 5 on my "Goya Information" web site page). I think I’d have to agree with Dennis. It is a small Goya world. |
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Jim from Florida is shown with his two Goya Rangemaster Model 107 electric guitars that were made in Italy. The Rangemaster on his right was bought new by Jim in New York City on July 5th, 1967 and has been in his possession ever since. He paid $298 for it plus an additional $50 for the hard shell case. The other Rangemaster he's holding in his left hand was purchased from eBay during an online auction in August, 2002. He got the guitar and case for the same price that he paid for his new one thirty-five years ago which was a pretty strange coincidence (the Rangemaster Model 107 guitar is listed on page 15 of my 1967 Goya Guitars Catalog). Jim states, "I have always thought the Rangemasters were great guitars with a really nice mellow sound." Jim also adds, "A friend/bandmate from back then had the solid body model and still plays it to this day as I do my pair of 107s!" |
| James from Spring Hill, Tennessee is the youngest Goya guitar owner on this page. He's 15 years old and a major fan of "Weezer," a contemporary rock group (their style of music is called "emo"). James plays bass guitar in his band "Elixir" (temporary name). They play mainly alternative rock. James purchased this unusual Goya bass guitar from a local guitar store called the Guitar Shop. He says, "I fell in love with this guitar as soon as I saw it. I am now a true fan of Goya guitars." James is also a major fan of the Rickenbacker 4003 style bass so naturally he enjoyed the body style on this Goya. His Goya bass guitar is nearly identical (right down to the fret markers) to a 1978 Rickenbacker Model 4001 bass guitar (shown on page 188 of "The Official Vintage Guitar Price Guide") except for the Goya logo on the headstock. James played his Goya bass guitar on a Crate 160 watt Bass amp that he reserved and is saving up for. |
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Here’s a picture of Robby with his favorite 1960 gold sparkle Goya electric guitar made by Hagstrom of Sweden. Robby is a professional musician and is currently touring with a very talented young writer, singer and guitar player named Shane Dwight (www.shanedwight.com). He has been playing guitar in the Shane Dwight Band for almost two years and appeared on two of his CDs plus performing all over the West Coast with over 200 shows per year with Shane. They have also done several TV shows in the past year and were headliners at this year’s Monterey Blues Festival (2002). Robby has also played with several other very successful musicians over the years. Most recently he worked with Brad Gillis of NightRanger (formerly with Ozzie Osborne). Robby’s latest solo CD is called RobbyZ "I’m Your Man" which features Brad Gillis on guitar, Tommy Thompson (of Gregg Allman Band) on keyboards and Chris Miller (Dave Maniketti Band) on drums. You can check it out at Robby's web site www.robbyzrocks.com (I purchased Robby’s CD off Amazon and really like it). |
| Kim from northwest Wisconsin has a beautiful Goya-Martin G312 guitar. I believe this guitar was made in Korea sometime in the early 1980s. Kim purchased it approximately six months ago (June 2002). Kim originally took guitar lessons when he was about ten years old but they didn't last very long. He always wanted to play guitar but never really got around to it again until recently. Kim is now taking guitar lessons with his son and says, it seems to be going well." |
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George is from Canada, where he picked up his Goya Medalist Series M-30 (s/n 5234). George found it hanging in a pawnshop, all decorated with ugly stickers for $140 Canadian (about $90 US). When he got this Korean-made instrument home, underneath the stickers was a nice-looking guitar. A new set of strings and a little neck adjustment, and voila!...it's a great player too. As a Christian, George plays guitar and sings in a contemporary worship team in his church. He also goofs around at home playing a lot of the rock, folk, and blues he knew from his teen years. George has over 50 other guitars which he bought with the intention of keeping for awhile and then selling. Somehow the buying and keeping is easier than the selling. This is his only Goya. |
| Steve lives in Mississauga, Ontario (Canada) and bought this Goya electric guitar recently from a colleague, who bought it new in the early 1980s for his son who quickly lost interest and it stayed in his basement until Steve acquired it. Steve took it apart, polished the frets, "fed" the fretboard, and dropped the action, etc. He's very pleased with it now. It has 24 frets on a flat Les Paul style fretboard. The back neckplate has "Made in Japan" and the number "13" stamped on it. The pickups appear to be switchable humbucker/single coil with impressive output. Steve has played guitar for 40 years and piano for a few months. He has a PC based digital studio. The other guitar in the background is a 1965 Harmony H-19 Silhouette and the amp in the lower right is a 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb. Steve is the original owner of both. |
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As singer songwriter Dwight Mark began working on his next CD album he realized that of all the instruments featured - mandolins, Hawaiian Weissenborns, Portuguese guitars and such, he had no vintage guitar to make the "vintage instrument" CD complete. Since becoming addicted to eBay he has found himself an early 1960s Goya M-24 guitar in excellent condition. Dwight has begun playing his Goya in acoustic settings and takes his guitar to gigs with the band Dysfunction Junction, which has been playing the Denver, Colorado area for over 6 years. Pictured in the background is an unusual Levin brand instrument. Dwight says, "In addition, I also bought a Levin Lute shaped guitar last year which is a little beat, and I paid a bit for that as well, but I play bouzoukis and mandolins with my band, I figured if I had this guitar, it looks just like a mandocello with 6 strings and it goes nicely with my Gibson mandolin." Dwight's debut CD titled "Good Thing" is a collection of acoustic pop-rock and ballad songs featuring several unusual vintage stringed instruments, as well as John Magnie, Steve Amedee and Tim Cook from the band the Subdudes. To find out more check his great web site at www.dwightmark.com . |
| Didier decided to become a guitarist while living in Lyon, France. He was sixteen, and was looking to buy his first electric guitar. Fortunately, a jazz guitarist was selling his for $80. "When I saw the Goya Rangemaster I was really impressed by all the buttons." When he first tried it on a loud amp back at home he was crazy about it. "The semi-hollow case was perfect for Larsen, and you could modulate it with the bigsby! Which was pretty much what I could do at that time, and great for the teenage Punk Rock band I was in." The Goya Rangemaster was his main guitar for some time before switching to other semi-hollow guitars. But he says about the Rangemaster, "I will always keep it. I love the neck, and it's my first guitar, and the only one with a bigsby." His Goya Rangemaster is a Model 109R (serial number N3953). It decided his guitar style and sound. He now plays rock under the band name 'Didier et les Ombres' which is featured at his web site http://didier.elo.free.fr/index_e.html. You'll be able to link to his music on MP3. Didier's final comment is, "I know one of these days I'll use the Goya for a new recording." Note: I have his CD "Didier et les Ombres (the Shadow) and it is very good. I definitely recommend it |
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Johan Eliasson lives in a town called Östersund in the middle of Sweden. He's holding his 1902 Levin parlor guitar (serial no. 937) with his 1907 Levin guitar in the background. He bought the 1902 guitar a couple of years ago for $30 from an old man in a vintage bookshop in Gothenburg. He also has a 1950 De Luxe model among others that he uses professionally. He has quite a collection of Levin guitars but is always on the lookout for more vintage guitars. He says, "If there´s anything I really want, it´s a genuine American built parlor!! Not a Martin, but a Bruno, Lyon&Healy, Washburn, Larson(Swedish) Vega, Stella or something like that!! Please write him at info@johaneliasson.com if you can help with his quest. Johan has a CD out featuring pure acoustic blues titled "All over again" performed by his duo "The Hot Tamales." He uses both the 1950 Levin De Luxe and the 1907 parlor guitars on that album. On his other CD "First Takes" he plays slide guitar with his 1959 Levin 320 while performing with his electric blues band "The Mudcats." I have Johan's CDs and like them very much. I recommend all three CDs. You can find out more about Johan, his wonderful Levin guitars, and his music at his web site www.johaneliasson.com |
| Adam is from Jackson, Michigan and owns five Goya guitars (S-18, M-24, T-16, N-22 and his latest an F-11 s/n 200202) all in exquisite condition and strung up with flatwounds. He did a lot of cleaning and polishing to get them that way. Here's a picture of Adam playing his favorite Goya, a fine T16 guitar. It has 'Goldbug' - 'Man in the Moon' bronze bridge pins and Schaller tuners. He also installed a bone nut and bone saddle on it. "I guess, out of desperation, I've become an amateur guitar tech." He found his N-22 (s/n 253504 NY 10010) on eBay with a 'buy it now' for only 200 bucks! He'd really like to have a T-14 some day. His S-18 has a serial number of 148135. He plays whatever comes into his mind. "I'm like a guitarists' guitarist. All I do is compose, record, forget what I just composed, repeat ad nuaeum. I'm finally getting a set together to start playing live again, as I'm sort of lonely..." |
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Gerry lives in Brampton, Ontario (Canada) and bought this Goya electric guitar at a charity auction recently (2003). The back neckplate has "Made in Japan" and the number " 8 " stamped on it. I believe it was made in the mid 70s to early 80s for Martin Guitars who owned the Goya brand name at the time. His guitar is similar to Steve's from Mississauga, Ontario, who is pictured above with his Goya electric number "13" guitar from Japan. Gerry would like more information on his beautiful Goya guitar so please email him at gwhite1206@rogers.com if you know anything about this model. Also, Gerry owns a" Washburn" millenium special edition Model DM2000SCE with serial number 5 of 560 acoustic electric and a "G W Lyon "Acoustic Model CD7MA serial number 9507060233 which he's trying to find more information on. Thanks |
| Greg lives in Santa Ana, California, and plays this long-scale Goya bass. While at a local community college flea market Greg ran into a guy selling off ALL his instruments and gear in order to move to Hawaii. There was another really cool bass there but the Goya's 5-piece neck-thru-body and natural wood finish sealed the deal for $200. It most likely was made in Japan sometime in the mid- to late-70s, Greg say, "feels mighty, plays tightly and sounds like a P-bass." It also came with a cool hardshell case that fits the instrument's unusual body shape perfectly! If anyone has information on this Goya bass guitar please contact Greg at ashbaughg@adelphia.net. Greg and his wife own a Goya acoustic guitar as well. |
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David is a Renaissance man from Texas who loves visual, audible and edible art, "My homemade beef jerky is the best I have ever had." He's shown here with his classic Greco guitar ( label reads, Model No. GR-9 Serial No. 1130 Greco Created expressly for Hershman Musical Instrument Co., Inc By Goya Guitars, Inc. Made in W. Germany). It was made in the mid to late 60s for Hershman who owned both the original Goya and Greco brand instruments. David paid around $150 in the early 2000s for it from a local music store. David is self taught and started formal lessons recently. He says he can comfortably sing and play "Dead Flowers" by the Rolling Stones all the way through. He's been writing prolifically with his Greco guitar for about 3 months and states, "can't wait to record!" David has been playing at "open mics" and still getting over his stage fright! He loves all types of music and likes his own more and more, thanks in part to his Greco guitar. In his own words..."I love blues and bluegrass even though this is not the guitar necessarily for those genres. I almost bought a Goya platpickin dreadnought on eBay but the price got out of range. I guess the demand for Goyas are increasing since Martins are so outrageously priced and I don't think sound as good. I guess the larger classical neck is one of the best features on my Greco-Goya. I have big hands and it seems easier to make a cleaner chord with the wide neck. Of course the nylons and lower action is also a bonus for ease of play. The sound is sometimes very magical and there is no way I could ever replace this guitar. Well I'll keep practicing and thanks for your interest in my GR-9." |
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I'll let Gary from Oregon tell this in his own words... "They were still laughing when I packed my newest addition to my guitar arsenal out of the music store in Portland, OR. Where I had gone with some bandmates to pick up strings for the evenings gig. I was packing a new cheap case that the salesman had thrown in the deal valued at $30.00 list. Inside was the most unique bass guitar I had ever seen (my main bass was a Rickenbacker 2003). The salesmen were laughing because they felt the instrument was more of a joke than a viable axe and they were glad to be rid of this instrument which I had just purchased for $50.00 (case included). That was 23 years ago and I have enjoyed that many years of being able to safely tell anyone that I had a bass that they more than likely had never seen and to this day that has been the case. When playing with a Rockabilly band a few years back the bass actually had a groupie! The guitar is a 1960 Goya bass Serial # 477/589 (made by Hagstrom of Sweden). The guitars were manufactured for one year, all shipped to the USA. The bass I have is the only one I have ever encounted (being badged a Goya, not Hagstrom) and at this time I have found no further information or other Goya basses of this vintage. This model marked Hagstroms first venture in building electric basses and they picked quite a striking design. I have played the bass for many years but made sure to only utilize rarely as to keep it in the best condition possible. Sparky is still in great shape for his age. Plugging it in to a Ampeg SVT stack last week also proved that the electronics as well as craftmanship of this bass were top notch. The neck is almost fretless in feel as the clear epoxy fretboard almost encapsualtes the stainless steel frets. Low action and a strait shortscale neck make it an ease to play and its light weight is just an added bonus. I was recently offered $2000.00 for this instrument by a national guitar chain that deals with vintage instruments. Not bad for a $50.00 spur of the moment purchase, and oh yes I still have the bass. Any information on this Goya bass would be greatly appreciated." Email: gengelmann2@comcast.net |
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