r robinson guitars

EST. 2019 | usa

Acoustic | Electric | Resophonic Guitars

“Understanding tradition while daring to innovate — that’s the path to guitars that truly sing.”

Close-up of the back and side of a R Robinson acoustic guitar, showing a glossy finish and detailed wood grain patterns.

robert ‘bob’ Robinson | Luthier

Blending craft, artistry, and engineering, R Robinson Guitars builds instruments that honor tradition while embracing innovation. From his earliest classical and flamenco builds to modern acoustics, electrics, and resonators, Bob Robinson approaches every guitar as both an instrument and an exploration. His work integrates lessons learned from classical luthiery, sculpture, and decades of furniture design — producing guitars that are elegant, resonant, and remarkably playable. With every project, he listens deeply to musicians, refining designs through dialogue and experimentation.

boutique guitar showcase entour | 2019 - 2025

  • A Robinson acoustic guitar with a rounded body and a light-colored top, set against a black background. Text in the bottom left corner reads 'Boutique Guitar Showcase enTour 2023'.

    entour 2023

  • Image of an acoustic guitar with detailed close-ups of its body, neck, headstock, and side, along with specifications and branding information for R. Robinson Guitars Model 16

    entour 2023

  • Image of an acoustic guitar with detailed close-up shots of various parts, along with specifications and branding information, labeled as R. Robinson Guitars Model 10-C.

    entour 2023

  • A Robinson acoustic guitar with a wooden body and black pickguard against a black background, with white text reading 'Boutique Guitar Showcase enTour 2023'.

    entour 2023

  • Image of a modern, high-quality acoustic guitar with detailed close-up shots of the body, neck, headstock, and fretboard. It has a natural light wood finish and features a distinctive curved body, with specifications and branding for R. Robinson Guitars Model 21 listed at the bottom.

    entour 2023

  • A light-colored Robinson acoustic guitar with a dark background and the text 'Boutique Guitar Showcase enTour 2023' in the lower left corner.

    entour 2023

  • Image of a R. Robinson acoustic guitar with a natural wood finish, featuring detailed close-ups of the body and headstock against a black background, along with specifications and price listed below.

    entour 2023

  • A Robinson acoustic guitar with a light-colored top and darker sides, positioned against a black background, with text that reads "Boutique Guitar Showcase enTour 2023" in the bottom left corner.

    entour 2023

  • A Robinson acoustic guitar with a light wood body and dark fingerboard, set against a black background.

    entour 2022

  • Back view of a Robinson acoustic guitar against a black background, with the text 'Boutique Guitar Showcase enTour 2022' at the bottom.

    entour 2022

  • Close-up of a Robinson acoustic guitar body reflecting light, set against a black background.

    entour 2022

  • A light-colored Robinson acoustic guitar with a natural wood finish, set against a black background.

    entour 2022

  • Back of a Robinson acoustic guitar with a dark background, showing the wooden body and neck.

    entour 2022

  • A Robinson acoustic guitar with a wooden body, strings, and a sound hole, against a black background.

    entour 2022

  • Cream-colored electric Robinson guitar with black and metallic hardware on a black background, titled 'Boutique Guitar Showcase enTour 2021'.

    entour 2021

  • Electric Robinson guitar with a grey angular body, black pickups, and control knobs, displayed against a black background with the text 'Boutique Guitar Showcase enTour 2021' in the corner.

    entour 2021

  • Close-up of a Robinson leopard print electric guitar with black knobs and pickups, set against a black background. Text reads 'Boutique Guitar Showcase enTour 2021' in white.

    entour 2021

  • Front and back of a Robinson white electric guitar, one front view and one back view, against a black background, with specifications and price listed.

    entour 2020

  • Image shows the front and back of a Robinson guitar with a black body, and the back of another guitar with a brown neck and black body, against a black background, with specifications and details written above and below.

    entour 2020

  • Close-up of a Robinson acoustic guitar with a black finish, showing strings, sound hole, pickguard, and part of the neck against a black background.

    entour 2020

  • Close-up of a Robinson leopard print electric guitar with black pickups, bridge, and control knobs

    entour 2020

  • Front and back of an electric Robinson guitar with specifications for each. The left guitar has a leopard print body, guitar back is white.

    entour 2020

  • Close-up of a Robinson electric guitar with a glossy finish, showing part of the neck, pickups, and control knobs, set against a black background.

    entour 2020

  • A close-up of a leopard-print Robinson electric guitar with a black background.

    entour 2019

  • A display of the front and back of a Robinson electric guitar, on the front leopard print body and the back in white, on a black background with specifications and prices.

    entour 2019

  • Close-up of a white Robinson electric guitar with black pickups, knobs, and a wooden fretboard, against a black background.

    entour 2019

  • Front and back of a R. Robinson Guitar with specifications.

    entour 2019

“I just love making guitars — tools that carry both music and memory into the world.” 

Robert Robinson sitting on a couch holding an electric guitar, looking to his right, with large abstract paintings hanging on the wall behind him, a lamp on a side table, and a glass coffee table in the foreground.

bob robinson | Luthier

  • After moving to Chicago in 1981, Bob balanced furniture-making with guitar building, even while living in a gang-controlled neighborhood where survival demanded courage and persistence. His later venture, Troscan, a successful furniture design company he co-founded with his wife and business partner Deidra, reshaped his approach to luthiery, infusing it with an eye for structural innovation and utility. Today, Bob continues to craft guitars that merge tradition with bold new solutions — from rethinking bracing patterns to experimenting with neck construction. For him, guitar making is both personal and communal: a way to be useful, to bring music into the world, and to create tools that carry memory, story, and sound. He lives in Chicago with Deidra and their daughter, Fiona.

life with strings attached | Ep 52

robert robinson

“You have to have courage in this work — to try, to fail, and to start again.” – Bob Robinson

From Chicago’s Grit to Guitar Craft

Luthier Bob Robinson reveals his extraordinary path from a Florida childhood to building guitars in Chicago’s toughest neighborhoods. From repurposed crack pipes to classical experiments, he shares a raw, reflective journey of survival, innovation, and craftsmanship.

gallery | r robinson guitars

A modern acoustic R Robinson guitar with a light wood top, dark wood sides, and a long neck with tuning pegs, standing on a black stand against a plain gray background.
Close-up of a light-colored R Robinson acoustic guitar body with black bridge, gold tuning pegs strings, and a dark brown wood border.
Back view of a wooden R Robinson acoustic guitar on a black stand against a gray background.
Close-up of the side and back of a wooden R Robinson acoustic guitar, showcasing its rich wood grain and binding.
Close-up of the headstock of an acoustic R Robinson guitar with tuning pegs and a logo on a gray background.
A full view of an acoustic R Robinson guitar with a light wood top and darker wood sides, standing upright on a black display stand against a plain gray background.
Close-up of an acoustic R Robinson guitar's body showing bridge with six strings and tuning pegs.
Close-up of an acoustic Robinson guitar with a light wood top and dark wood sides against a grey background.
Back of a wooden acoustic R Robinson guitar on a black stand against a gray background.
Close-up of a wooden acoustic R Robinson guitar showing the back and neck with a smooth finish and wood grain.
A black hollow-body electric R Robinson guitar with circular sound holes, standing on a black stand against a gray background.
View of the headstock of a wooden R Robinson acoustic guitar with tuning pegs.
Close-up of a black acoustic R Robinson guitar with a wooden fretboard, circular sound holes, and white trim against a gray background.
Back of a black R Robinson acoustic guitar on a stand against a plain grey background.
Close-up of a modern, black electric R Robinson guitar with a unique, rounded body shape, white trim, and four control knobs, set against a plain grey background.