FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Why another guitar line?
Well, this takes a story. We came across a guitar from China that was unusually well built, and managed to identify and contact the factory and have some samples sent to us. The basic product was well designed, and we discussed a number of upgrades that would make this a more premium product. These included upgrading the pickups to ones from a reputable factory in South Korea, upgrading the necks on the set neck guitars from Maple to Mahogany on several models(most cheaper imports use Maple necks), upgrading the nut from plastic to bone, upgrading the tuners to a better quality tuner, etc. The woodwork and finishes were already superb, which provided a solid basis for a decent instrument. We then decided to offer the instrument with case, as purchasing the instrument with a hard shell case was substantially less expensive that stocking both guitars and cases separately.

And yes, when we say set up in Canada we mean that we inspect, test, and set up each instrument before we send it out, which includes levelling & dressing the frets for a low buzz free action, setting the truss rod, installing Sfarzo SFT strings, setting the strings to the correct depth on the nut (most cheap imports are WAY to high over the nut), setting the bridge height, and adjusting the intonation. All the basics have been set so you will have a fully playable instrument right away.

So again, why another guitar line?
Well, after all this, we found we had a product at a price a little higher than most of the cheap imports, but a lot less than equivalent instruments with the upgrades we mentioned above. So what we attempting to offer is the best value available for the price you will pay.

So just how good are they?
If your standard is a Gibson custom shop Les Paul or ES335, let's face it, you are going to need to spend multiples of thousands of dollars, and we won't pretend we are in that game. BUT, these are WAY better than you would expect for the price. Perfectly acceptable as a back-up instrument for the working musician (or if you have your main 2 or 3 axes and need a different sound for some songs and don't want to break the bank AGAIN), or the serious nonprofessional musician, or student looking for something well above standard student offerings, you would be quite happy with a Levi. And for the record, my personal favorite is the least expensive - the model DD59-A (Strat type) which actually has a fatter sound than my US made Fender Strat (albeit my Fender has the Lace Sensor pickups).

***Something new*** We are now able to put Kent Armstrong pickups into these guitars for a very reasonable price. We just recently upgraded a BR82-A hollowbody with these (Vintage "C" in the neck position and a Vintage "C+" in the bridge position) and upgraded the tuners to Kluson Deluxe Tonepros (nicer look and feel)...these guitars sound very good stock, but for under $200 for this upgrade, this took it up into a new league where you would expect to pay a lot more again.

What is "Introductory Street Pricing?"
That is the actual price we will be selling them at for now. Eventually we will have to raise it a bit as it is a skinny margin. But we want to get lots of these out there initially, so we've set a price so that you will say, when you pick one up and play it, "this is a no-brainer....!"

Why the brand "Levi?"
Great name, great associations, but most important is the name of the first grandson of the company owners.

Are you reputable? Why should I trust you?
Good question, and valid. We have actually been in business for several years selling specialty woodworking tools on the web via our own website, eBay, and Amazon. Or company is R.G. Woodworker Specialties, and you can check out our website here. On eBay, we have over 4000 positive feedback responses and, as of this writing, ONE negative, which is followed by an apology from the customer...you can verify that here. And on Amazon you will find us here. Our point in saying this? Are we in business to make money? Of course! But we are looking at product which is a win/win for both ourselves and our customers, where we provide you with a product at a price that is more than fair and leaves you feeling like a winner too. Our business philosophy remains the same here, we are only offering a different product (and one which is a lot more fun to deal in!).

Do you actually play the instruments?
Yes...started when I was 14 with an old Kent my parents bought me at Ted Good Music in Brandon Manitoba. Had lots of no name brand guitars go through my family's hands then...Raven, Sears, etc. Have had my original Ovation for 32 years now, a couple of Peaveys and a Guild SG copy have come and gone, and still have my US Fender Strat, 84 Squire Jazz bass fretless (one of those early Squires made in Japan with US parts!), and a Tune Bass Maniac (anybody remember those?).

Other questions you would like to see answered here?

Email us and if appropriate we will add your question and our answer to this page.