An Interview with Harvey Levy of Levy’s Leathers

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/nTw7m)

Harvey Levy with Laskin Guitar

RDGN: How long has Levy’s Leathers been in business?
Harvey Levy: 36 years

RDGN: Where are you located?
Harvey Levy: Two factories: Antigonish Nova Scotia & Winnipeg Manitoba

RDGN: What is your job title at Levy’s Leathers?
Harvey Levy: Vice President

RDGN: Which Product line came first? (Music Products or Hunting Products)?
Harvey Levy: They both emerged around the same time (1976). At first hunting grew and then within a ten year period the music side took off.

RDGN: How did you ever come up with merging 2 such diverse product lines?
Harvey Levy: Our hunting products are really guns lings or straps for guns. As with guitar straps they are made with leather and other webbing type materials. Only the attachment ends differ. When we first began in 1975. We would travel across Canada with a van full of various leather goods (belts, dog collars, guns lings and guitar straps). Having so many different products for different businesses allowed us to spend a few days, even in small towns visiting the various retail stores and
delivering out of the back of the van. We also made promotional key fobs for automobile dealerships.

RDGN: Are both product lines made in the same building?
Harvey Levy: The slings and guitar straps are made in both factories. The high end gig bags are made in our Winnipeg factory only and our entry level gig bags are made in China.

RDGN: Which product that you manufacture are you most proud of and why?
Harvey Levy: The guitar straps. I have been playing guitar, song writing and performing for fifty years (I just returned from a song writing trip to Nashville). When I joined my brother Dennis in 1979, I was playing in a band and immediately started designing some straps. At that point we had only three basic models. I have always thought of the guitar strap as a fashion item. The first thing I did when my brother gave me a guitar strap (before I joined him in the business) was to run to the mirror to see if it looked good with my outfit and my guitar. Clearly I am a vain guitarist and I thought there must be others like me and so began designing with that in mind. I am very proud of the fact that we offer over 350 models and over 3000 designs and colors.

RDGN: How long have you been playing the guitar?
Harvey Levy: Since 1961.

RDGN: What was the first guitar that you owned?
Harvey Levy: I play left handed and my brother Dennis owned a Framus. He wasn’t bothering to play very much, so without him knowing about it, I switched the strings around and started to learn a few chords. By the time he noticed, I was ready to buy my first guitar. I wanted a Goya, but couldn’t afford it, so I bought an EKO.

RDGN: What groups inspired you to want to learn to play the guitar? Harvey Levy: Everly Brothers, Bob Dylan, Peter Paul & Mary, Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot.

RDGN: What was the first song that you wanted to learn to play? Harvey Levy: Wake Up Little Suzie but it took a long time to learn how to make the fast chord changes. I think Michael Row the Boat Ashore was what I actually learned first.

RDGN: What is your most favorite guitar that you have ever owned? and why did you like it so much?
Harvey Levy: In 1988 I took possession of a handmade one
of a kind William (Grit) Laskin guitar. It is still my main guitar; however I do have 14 others, both electric and acoustic, one National resophonic one banjo and a mandolin (all custom made left handed). It is my favourite because the sound, the action and balance across the strings is sweetness itself.

RDGN: What makes Levy’s Leathers different than the other companies out there?
Harvey Levy: I cannot comment on other companies, but Levy’s removes about 100 of its models every year and introduces a new 100 every January at NAMM. I still design a few of the straps, but I have four other designers/artists working with me and they are all guitar players of varying abilities, but they all understand that a guitar player wants to look good whether he in on stage or in his basement pretending he is on stage. First of all a guitar strap must do its job (hold up the guitar). After that has been accomplished the appearance is paramount. We consider the guitar strap to be a fashion accessory.

RDGN: Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers, either about you or your company?
Harvey Levy: Be sure to visit our website after the NAMM Show. We will have a video of our booth and new straps. Every year we launch our new product on our website: www.levysleathers.com.

RDGN: We would really like to thank, Harvey Levy and Levy’s Leathers for taking time out to help us with this interview.