Robin Guitars Ranger Standard

2004 Ranger Standard. 22 Frets. Swamp Ash body. Maple Neck. Volume Tone and 5 way switch. H/S/S Rio Grande pickups. Satin Blonde. Black neck dots. Black single ply guard. Strat body style. String through bridge. Grover inline chrome tuners. Fat neck similar to 50's Gibson. Medium frets. Made in USA.

Very versatile sound. Great guitar for rock, blues, country players, especially if you are doing a lot of cover tunes without changing guitars. Humbucker in neck position on a bolt-on is sweet. Best position is neck humbucker and middle single coil combined. I has a unigue voice in that setting. I think the satin finish adds to the ringing sustain of the guitar. There is a big difference in the sustain of this guitar compared to my Fender American Deluxe Strat and Tele guitars. I play straight through a Mesa Boogie F-30, no effects. Bridge pickup is great for fingerpicking with some reverb from the F-30.

Bought used off of eBay. I took it to Bill Foley at German Village Music Haus in Columbus, OH and had it set up. No major work was needed, just some adjustments and it plays beautifully. This is a gigging guitar with simple, classic materials. Satin finish and 52 blonde swamp ash and maple neck are classic and hide a lot of dings and scratches you would normally see on the glossy finishes. This particular guitar weighs in a 7 lbs. even, the lightest in my collection. It is a bit lighter than my SG. It is very comfortable to play. I like Gibson necks, and this is the first time I have had a maple neck with the Gibson feel. Neck pocket is perfect. There is one flaw in the finish where some flaked off along a wood grain line in the lower bout. That may be a wood, finish, or climate problem. Since I bought it used, I don't know which it is. Some small knots in the fingerboard that may bother some people.

No frills gigging Guitar. The humbucker in the neck is starting to show wear under the high E already. The finish is starting to go from satin to semi gloss where your arm hits the top. This guitar should relic relatively quickly with natural play wear. The tuners hold well, and I do a lot of bending. The single ply pickguard is a classic look in black, but I would prefer a triple ply because of the beveled edge you get. I may change it in the future.

Bought it used. I have e-mailed the president of Robin, Dave Wintz, on two occasions and he responded to both. Refreshing. They have a good chat board going at the web site www.robinguitars.com. Good interaction between some of the largest Robin dealers and their customers on the board. Dave Wintz does monitor that board himself.

Hobby player for about six years. I have American Deluxe Fat Strat and Telecaster. Gibson SG Standard. Paul Reed Smith Custom 22. Alvarez Jumbo acoustic. The Robin is a tremendous value in a guitar. On the used market they do not command the price that they deserve. I should have paid at least $800 for this guitar used, similar to used Fender American Deluxes. The pickups are much better than Fender Noisless. They have more character and color. I love the Rio Grande pickups, fat maple neck, and the light weight of the guitar the most. I will get another one. Robin has some of the most beautiful flame maple necks and bodies. The next one I get will be all tricked out with flame maple.

Early 80?s 3-tone sunburst Ranger standard with rosewood neck and cool, reversed headstock.

This guitar was purchased on eBay as a telecaster alternative. It has a humbucker in the neck, which is what sounds to be like a 2/3rd?s humbucker because it is only truly hum-canceling when used in conjunction with the neck (Strat style) PU. The bridge was missing and I dropped in a Fralin blues special tele pickup.

It has a Strat type hard-tail bridge with vintage style saddles, as well as vintage kluson type tuners. It has chrome hardware, with black guard and plastic. Really a beautiful guitar when seen hanging around your neck. Much better playing, sounding, looking than any Telecaster I have ever ran across.

This is a Swamp Ash body with a rosewood neck. The sound is what really sets this thing apart.

Sparkling clean Strat... no problem.
Fat, stank, gnarl Strat... no problem.
Out-of-phase, jazzy-smooth Strat... no problem.
Fat, humbucker neck lead tones... no problem.
Rabid dog tele twangs... no problem.

Think I am partial to this guitar? wait till I get into the playability part!

Robin guitars are flawlessly constructed.
There are NO imperfections in any I have ever picked up.
The most consistent guitars on the planet.

The neck profile is the best blend of modern features with classic appearance/construction that I have ever seen. The action is so low that it actually makes me play better. Some how, some way... the thing doesn?t buzz. It is a relatively wide neck, but the back contour feels like it was made for my hand. It is one of the fastest necks that I can easily transition from chords to single note leads, and then back to chords with ever.

I would count on this thing OVER any Telecaster, which may be considered a remarkably durable guitar because of its simplicity. However, Robin's are notorious for their attention to detail and I bet that the chances of a cracked bridge, poorly wound PU, or weak fret-glue would be higher with a Fender.

The president of the Company will return your eMail, or call you personally, no matter how trivial the concern.

Can you get Mr. Smith, or PRS on the phone with a bitch?
Will the Director of the Fender Custom Shop give you a call?. HELL NO!

Robin is a boutique guitar, built for the most discriminatory musicians.

Been playing for 12 years, mostly roots based rock (which is so heavily dependant on tone and soul)

I have several Strats, Tele's, and even a few hollow-body Gretches. There has even been an old Les Paul under my bed from time to time. Nonetheless; the next guitar that I get from robin will be identical to this one with a maple neck and a Strat style tremolo just to give a different sound than this one.

I have several Strats, Tele's, and even a few hollow-body Gretches. There has even been an old Les Paul under my bed from time to time. Nonetheless; the next guitar that I get from robin will be identical to this one with a maple neck and a Strat style tremolo just to give a different sound than this one.

This guitar would be a classic like the Tele, Strat, and Paul had it been created in the 50's instead of the 80's.

Robins rule... there is just no way to argue it.

1992 US made (Houston) strat-like body - differs from a regular strat in having slightly more squared off corners - more like a tele. Contoured back and top rear sections. The headstock is reverse style and it, the neck, and body are all finished in black. The pickguard resembles the type found on the original Fender Precision Bass and is aged pearl in color. Very sharp looking guitar.
The fretwork on this guitar is very impressive. The frets are vintage style and finished as nice as they get. The rosewood fretboard is nicely rounded and exceedingly comfortable.
The Ranger Standard has an unusual pick-up layout: neck humbucker, strat middle, and tele bridge. I replaced the original middle and bridge pickups with what Robin are using today - a vintage tallboy strat pickup and a muy grande tele bridge pickup. These are excellent pickups, by the way. Their tallboy strats are punchy and loud, but clear as a bell. The muy grande tele pickup is louder and slightly fatter than normal, but not so overwound that all the highs are lost. Switching is via a 5-way strat type switch, but the volume and tone controls are a la Tele.
Tuners are vintage Kluson replicas and the case is a nice black tolex type.

Great sounding guitar for blues, rock or country. The neck humbucker is full sounding without being muddy and the bridge pickup is fat sounding with plenty of bite. The middle/bridge position is the classic "quacky" strat sound with plenty of snarl. The neck/middle sound is unlike a strat, but useful. You can get something closer to a strat sound by rolling off a little volume. All in all, a versatile set of sounds.

Very nicely made with beautiful fretwork and a very nice finish. Absolutely no flaws whatsoever. Very resonant - this guitar feels very "alive" when you play it.

Everything is very solid. It should last for years.

The company is very responsive and has a great reputation for customer satisfaction.

Robin guitars are not as plentiful as other makes, but they deserve a closer look. They're beautifully made, have unique character, and are a great deal at the price. I only wish they were distributed more widely (I'd love to get a Savoy!).