Parent brand:
product types:
- solid state amplifiers
- tube amplifiers
- bass effects
- fuzz effects
- overdrive and boost effects
- reverb effects
- tremolo and vibrato effects
- wah and filter effects
- mandolins
- ukuleles
- acoustic guitars
- bass guitars
- classical guitars
- electric guitars
Information:
The first Goya guitars were made in 1950s Gothenburg (Goteborg), Sweden by the Levin company. Levin used the Goya brandname on guitars exported to America through the Hershman Musical Instrument Company in New York. Goya and Levin guitars models are essentially identical. The distribution of Goya guitars then went to Kustom Electronics Inc. and then to Dude Inc. sometime in the early 1970s. Levin-Era Goya models have an interior paper label with the Goya trademark in a script style, reading "Made by A.B. Herman Carlson Levin - Gothenburg, Sweden".
The Martin Guitar Company took over the Levin company by 1975. By the late 1970s Martin Guitars started making the Goya guitars in Japan then moved manufacturing to Korea during the 1980s and finally to Taiwan during the 1990s. Martin stopped making the Goya brand guitars in 1996, although it still owns the brandname.
Goya electric guitars have been made in Sweden, Italy, Japan, Korea and possibly other countries by various guitars makers.
In the late 1950's, solidbody electric guitars and basses built by Hagstrom (another Swedish company) were branded Goya for U.S. distribution. In 1963 the company changed its name to the Goya Musical Instrument Corporation.
2 Comments
What does the letter behind
Submitted by Penny (not verified) on
What does the letter behind the numbers mean? I have a G300 and want to get another one, but can only find a G300N. What does the N mean? My G300 has excellent sound for the money we spent.
GOYA Model Letter
Submitted by guitar-list on
I would guess that the "N" stands for Natural finish. Maybe if there was a sunburst model it would be G300S.