In speaking with Dave Wintz, the driving force behind Robin, one gets the feeling that this guy just loves guitars, especially vintage ones, and does whatever it takes to get that pure vintage feel into his new instruments. Formerly the owner-operator of one of Texas's most reputable guitar shops, Dave has abundant experience in restoration and finishing instruments from the vintage as well as the new side. Robin offers a real variety of guitars from the Avalon Deluxe in metallic gold, strongly reminiscent of a late 1950s Les Paul, to the Savoy , which rings my 6120 chimes, and brings up the rear with the Ranger series, paying strong tribute to Leo and his genius. Our sample guitar was the aforementioned Avalon, and it was a beauty to behold out of the sturdy black case, gleaming like a spotlight was shining right on it. The gold finish is truly deluxe and there are virtually no cosmetic glitches visible to the eye.
Tuners are usually tombstones, although others can be requested.
This is a real player's guitar with a great vintage vibe and a price tag way below the current Historical or reissue Pauls. Like a dream. The neck is fitted with precision, frets are jumbo and unmarred by any stray grit or file-strokes. The body is swamp ash or poplar, extremely resonant without any amplification, and the feel is as authentic as it comes. Finally, the twin Rio Grande humbucking pickups were perfectly matched and delived a convincing ballsy sound through a variety of amps, including a 1966 Fender Twin, Vibrolux and modern Carvin tweed combo.