On July 27th 1900, Herman Carlson Levin began building his wonderful stringed instruments in a small workshop in Gothenburg, Sweden. My great passion is collecting these instruments that, to my eyes (and ears), were some of the finest guitars ever built..

Certainly, many people today know of Levin for its fine old arch-top guitars or its plainer and not quite so fine-sounding beginners' instruments from the 50s and 60s.
But long before this, Levin was top of it's class in Europe and other parts of the world. It already achieved a high-point as an instrument maker at the 1907 World's Fair in Madrid, where it won the gold medal for the best guitar. Remember, this was in the Spanish guitar builders' home territory. Not only that, Levin was awarded the exhibition's Grand Prix!

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House of Musical Traditions in Takoma Park, MD (just outside of Washington DC) is a dealer for Steve Carmody acoustic guitars. Here we have Mark Sylvester, one of our teachers, demonstrating the Concert Jumbo #13 guitar. It features a Sitka Spruce top, Honduras Mahogany back & sides, Indian Rosewood binding, Ebony fingerboard & bridge with bone string pins, Paua abalone rosette and Fishman Gold Plus II active undersaddle pickup.

For many years, HMT has been lucky to have the repair services of local luthier Steve Carmody. Steve is well-known as one of the best luthiers in the tri-state area. He is an authorized Martin warranty repair technician. Many of our staff guitarists do not entrust their instruments to anyone else but Steve!

Since 1989, Steve has repaired and restored thousands of guitars, including hundreds of instruments from the "golden era" of American guitar making. This background has provided him with a deep sensibility about the desirable features that he believes should be found in a fine steel string guitar. Now Steve has designed a guitar that combines all of these qualities with a pristine, elegant aesthetic.

The Concert Jumbo #13 has a deep body to support harmonic sustain and balanced tone. The jumbo concert shape, comfortable neck, and Steve's shop set-up support impeccable playability. The neck (slightly wider than that of #12) evokes a vintage '30s Martin neck. Steve's attention to detail extends to the Waverly tuners (handmade in the USA; list price $150), Fishman Gold Plus II active pick-up, and bone bridge pins.

Price on this model is $3,200, which includes hardshell case. To inquire about purchasing, please contact HMT directly at hmtmail@hmtrad.com or 301-270-9090, or visit our website at www.hmtrad.com.

To find out more about Mark Sylvester, visit www.marksylvester.net. Inquiries on lessons with Mark (he teaches guitar, banjo, mandolin and bass) can be made to House of Musical Traditions.

On this video Mark is playing two original selections from his CD "Music For Solo Guitar." The first is called "American Gypsy Pt 2;" the second is "I'll Not Be Weary."

Video produced by Glenn Tucker with audio engineered by HMT's in-house engineer and pro audio repairman Trevor Higgins.

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FOR MORE VIDEOS LIKE THIS JOIN THE YOUTUBE GROUP NAMED "AFRICAN MUSIC AND DANCE VIDEOS!"

http://youtube.com/soukous

Our videos are often long which means you have to be patient: It takes longer for them to load into your computer and start playing. Press 'pause' to let more video build up before pressing 'play.'

On this recording, Jonal sings (he sang with O.K. Jazz shortly before and after the death of Franco). Shiko Mawatu on guitar. Shiko told me the other night that his first professional guitar playing job was touring with...DOCTOR NICO! Wow!!

This video: In Kenya this song is known as "Sina Makossa." According to sources at Africambiance.org this tune was originally recorded by a Kenyan/Tanzanian group called Les Wanyika -- it can be purchased on a CD called 'Kenya Dance Mania', which has some other great East African music on it. Lokassa ya Mbongo does a nice job playing Professor Omari's original rhythm riffs from that recording, while lead guitarist Shiko Mawatu follows the lead of Les Wanyika guitarist Ngereza's original but brings a lot more skill to the playing. Listen to Shiko to hear what Ngereza really wanted to do.

You can follow discussions like this among the savants at africambiance.org. I'm grateful to "antony" and "adoyo" there for their insights on SINA MAKOSSA.

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House of Musical Traditions in Takoma Park, MD (just outside of Washington DC) is a dealer for Breedlove acoustic guitars and mandolins. Here we have Mark Sylvester, one of our teachers, demonstrating the Revival OOO-R guitar. Traditional in both design and aesthetic, Revival Series guitars capture the essence of legendary "pre-war" guitars. Timeless form, vintage aesthetics and "pre-war" X-bracing meet with Breedlove Craftsmanship in an American made, hand built guitar that represents a new benchmark for performance and value. Breedlove Revival acoustic guitars feature forward X bracing, and a graduated top thickness. Revival tops are thicker in the middle and thinner toward the perimeter, delivering a tone that is powerful and explosive, and also very balanced. All Revival models are handmade in Bend, Oregon.

The OOO-R is a 12-fret slotted headstock model featuring a Sitka Spruce top, Indian Rosewood back & sides, Ebony fingerboard & bridge, Ivoroid binding with bwb purfling, Abalone rosette, Gotoh tuners and semi-gloss finish.

List Price on this model is $2,939 and includes a hardshell case. Please contact HMT directly for discounted price and availability at hmtmail@hmtrad.com or 301-270-9090, or visit our website at www.hmtrad.com.

To find out more about Mark Sylvester, visit www.marksylvester.net. Inquiries on lessons with Mark (he teaches guitar, banjo, mandolin and bass) can be made to House of Musical Traditions.

Video produced by Glenn Tucker with audio engineered by HMT's in-house engineer and pro audio repairman Trevor Higgins.

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The Guitar Amp and Vintage show in Brisbane 2008, and an extensive interview with Steve Jackson.

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For More Info or to Buy Now: http://www.hsn.com/redirect.aspx?id=il&url=http%3A//www.hsn.com/cnt/prod/default.aspx%3Fpfid%3D323954&afsrc=1&sourceid=youtube&cm_mmc=advsvc*youtube*na*323954
Take the stairway to guitar heaven with this timeless Esteban Vintage Legacy Master Series Guitar Package. This steel string cutaway will bring you to tears with its soulful acoustic sounds. ...
Prices shown on the previously recorded video may not represent the current price. View hsn.com to view the current selling price. HSN Item #323954

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In this video we demo the GLab Dual Vintage Overdrive or DVO pedal. This pedal does so much you wont believe it! For the demo we use a Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar through a Fender Hot Rod Deville 2x12 combo all tube amp.

For more info on this pedal go to:

http://www.glab.com.pl

To order the effect or for questions contact Ben at:
ben@blackhawkmusic.co.uk
or visit the Black Hawk Music site at:

http://www.blackhawkmusic.co.uk

MAny more gear reviews and lessons on our full instructional website at:
http://www.nextlevelguitar.com

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1965 Gibson J50 - Like New Old Stock

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Joe Sligh plays "The A Song" on a 1960 Gibson J45.

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More footage from Reunion Blues Vintage Guitar Show 2008.

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