Robin Ranger [Archive] - The Gear Page

duckbunny

10-03-2007, 10:23 AM

I have one that I bought second hand and it's a terrific guitar. Maple neck with a Rio Muy Grande Tele in the bridge position, a Rio strat in the middle, and a Lace p-900 in the neck. Hardtail bridge and a gibson-style toggle on the upper horn and a push button on the pickguard to bring the middle pickup in.
I call it my "blues guitar," but it can really cover most styles really well. The P-900 is my secret weapon. (sshhh!) A true humbucking P-90 that actually sounds like a good P-90 ( are you listening, Gibson?) Great Jazzy sounds from the neck.
Build is solid, and the fit and finish is first rate. I know they market it with the "Tejas" hype, but it can really cover lots of ground and do it well.

neastguy

10-03-2007, 11:39 AM

I tried out two of them, for me they didnt work... both very heavy and needed setups very badly... I'll blame that on the music shop.. it must of been 90 degrees in the shop..

Jet Age Eric

10-03-2007, 12:58 PM

Jet Age Greg bought one and really digs it. I might get a crack at it this weekend. -E

Relicaster

10-03-2007, 02:19 PM

80's(?) Tokai made model.

http://relicaster.com/robin/3.jpg.JPG

96-ish US version

http://relicaster.com/robin/3.JPG
http://relicaster.com/robin/1.JPG

Vintage

10-03-2007, 02:25 PM

^^^
Kick Ass! They make here where I live, I have been meaning to try one forever!

Mudder

10-03-2007, 02:53 PM

I think the cat from the North Mississippi All Stars plays a Robin, maybe not a Ranger. Great player.

ford

10-03-2007, 09:33 PM

I picked one up in May new from BCR Music. (http://www.bcrmusic.com) It's a great, great guitar. It hangs with any of the Grosh, Fender CS and Suhr's I've played. Priced about the same as the Suhr Pro series for the most part, depending on options.

Mine is a sweet metallic blue color with a mint pickguard and a very DARK rosewood board. The neck is big and chunky....... the Rio pickups sound great...... classic tone with more oomph in the bridge and the Genuine Texas humbucker in the neck is really sweet... here it is....

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o316/bryanford/BlueMintangle.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o316/bryanford/BlueMintbody.jpg

rock

bford

mgarrison99

10-03-2007, 09:59 PM

Eric Johnson was pictured with one when he first hit the scene with his own band. I think I have an old guitar mag with him holding one.

* velcro-fly *

10-03-2007, 10:44 PM

These have caught my attention, but don't hear too much talk about the 'round here. Any users? Tones available?

Thanks,
Greg

Bwahahahahhaahah....my 03' USACG parts-o'caster 51STP Ranger Replica :D

http://www.usacustomguitars.com/gallery/S/images/stratele%20full.JPG
http://www.usacustomguitars.com/gallery/S/images/stratele%20body.jpg

Couldn't find a used Ranger at that point...Tommy was milling these parts, I've since built 4 of these....my latest is shell pink and about 3/4's finished.

This Wrangler is just sick......

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s108/Snakebitemusic/Telecopy-1.jpg
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s108/Snakebitemusic/Telecopy2.jpg

If you want to dabble, USACG is the way to go.

Steve E

ford

10-03-2007, 10:52 PM

Bwahahahahhaahah....my 03' USACG parts-o'caster 51STP Ranger Replica :D

http://www.usacustomguitars.com/gallery/S/images/stratele%20full.JPG
http://www.usacustomguitars.com/gallery/S/images/stratele%20body.jpg

Couldn't find a used Ranger at that point...Tommy was milling these parts, I've since built 4 of these....my latest is shell pink and about 3/4's finished.

This Wrangler is just sick......

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s108/Snakebitemusic/Telecopy-1.jpg
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s108/Snakebitemusic/Telecopy2.jpg

If you want to dabble, USACG is the way to go.

Steve E

By the way, due to a threat from Wrangler jeans a year or two back, the Wrangler is now called the Rawhide.... I know the jeans company just wanted to make sure nobody became confused and walked outside wearing their guitar for pants.:rolleyes:

rock

bford

Mudder

10-04-2007, 12:30 AM

Wrangler jeans never made anything nearly as cool or good looking as that guitar...

gkelm

10-04-2007, 06:14 AM

Thanks guys.

BTW, Steve...I've wondered about the S-51, did Fender "borrow" that design from Robin? Didn't realize USAGC had those...cool idea.

rhinocaster

10-04-2007, 09:37 AM

I've owned about 6 Robins over the past 15 years. They are very nice guitars. I don't have any of them now. Didn't like the reverse headstock on one, way too thin of a neck on one, huge neck pocket gap on one (Only one I've ever seen like that), ex-wife took one, guitar "Tech" ruined one, and gave one to a close friend.

Maybe I need a new one?

ford

10-04-2007, 11:32 AM

I sold a great Wrangler to a friend.... I still get to play it.... I have the Ranger. I have an Avalon Sport on order from just about when three of my guitars were stolen in April. It's going to be TV White with one p90 bridge pickup. I would love to have a Savoy also.

If you live near Houston, the factory does a tour once a month I believe. It's cool. Very small factory with only a handful of people working there.

rock

bford

* velcro-fly *

10-04-2007, 02:15 PM

Thanks guys.

BTW, Steve...I've wondered about the S-51, did Fender "borrow" that design from Robin? Didn't realize USAGC had those...cool idea.

Actually, according to a story I was told - Fender "borrowed" that from USACG.....apparently someone from FMIC saw my guitar and the USACG webmasters. At the time mine was built, the Ranger was not in production. Mine predated the S-51 by almost 2 years, and the 51STP name was a tag the webmaster came up with for '1951 Strat Tele P-Bass'.

Now, the USACG version was a direct "borrowed" design from Robin, absolutely 100% verified. Robin put the Ranger back in production after the USACG mutts hit the streets....and granted - Fender had the Tele bass pickguard / control layout happening long before any of these guys....

Bottom line is Tommy and USACG re-lit the fire for this guitar. I will say that the control layout solved my problem with Tele's and I couldn't be happier.

I still think the Wrangler above is one of the coolest guitars I've run accross, although I've had that Twangbucker bridge setup before and prefer a stock Tele bridge pup.

Steve E

BCR Greg

10-04-2007, 02:29 PM

Velcro, when did you build that guitar?

Here's a Robin catalog shot from 1983, predating your guitar by a decade or so...

http://www.robinguitars.com/vintage/b_page3.jpg

* velcro-fly *

10-04-2007, 08:17 PM

Velcro, when did you build that guitar?

Here's a Robin catalog shot from 1983, predating your guitar by a decade or so...

http://www.robinguitars.com/vintage/b_page3.jpg

The point was that the Robin Ranger wasn't even on their radar until the USACG copies started popping out. It was likely a result of FMIC doing their basic search of completed customer instruments in the regular efforts to keep people honest.

My comment about them not being in production refered to the fact that Robin had ceased building them for awhile, and in fact would not even cut replacement pickguards. I know because I asked several times...

No question about what came first, and no question about what inspired the request for Tommy to set up to mill the bodies and cut pickguards - The Robin Ranger.

Steve E

ford

10-05-2007, 11:44 AM

Cool catalog pics... I forgot they had those on the Robin website (http://www.robinguitars.com).....

rock

bford

wgs1230

10-05-2007, 12:48 PM

ford

10-06-2007, 01:21 PM

The Rangers coming out of Robin today are WAY past the regular Fender USA line in terms of quality....(I sold a lot of Fender's in my day as a salesperson) Rio's/Robin have the same owners and are both made in the same factory. You can find good deals on them used. The new prices aren't crazy for the quality of the guitar you get.

If you order a custom guitar you can get any neck profile you want. The Rangers that have been coming through BCR Music (http://www.bcrmusic.com) have great feeling, BIG necks... I know, I have one... big piece of wood it is.

Greg has a sweet seafoam Ranger in the dealer's emporium right now. If you like Koa, he also has a beautiful one up for sale also.

rock

bford

BCR Greg

10-06-2007, 01:36 PM

Robin's one of those companies which has been through some management changes over the past 20 years, and at one point (early 90s?) most of the product was being made in Japan. The specs for the recent MIA pieces I've tried fall in the range of American Series Fender and 90s Tom Anderson: poly finishes, brass bridges, relatively thin neck profiles, pickups with flatter midrange response than "vintage" (iirc, they're OEM'ing from Rio Grande). They've been on the heavier side of the Strat spectrum, though not so much as to be dead. Also, like G&L and Hamer, they tend to resell cheap- you might find a bargain which plays really well.

Nope. Same ownership since the beginning. The first guitars from the 80's were Japanese made to their specs, but all Robins have been made in Houston since the early 90s. Necks are much thicker now, and the company has been making much LIGHTER guitars for me in the last few years. Robin has just adopted a UV cure finish technology that gives a harder, thinner finish than in years past.

Robin is a small company of dedicated maniacs that do a helluva job. I play them at every gig.

ford

10-07-2007, 12:19 AM

ah... someone with more knowledge than me..... I knew Dave had been involved with ownership since the beginning.

That's cool to know about the UV finishing they have now.... I know my Ranger isn't a thick finish at all.

rock

bford

mgarrison99

10-10-2007, 09:06 PM

Here's that pic of Eric I mentioned earlier:
http://www.robinguitars.com/images/ej3.gif

Jazzgear

10-10-2007, 09:48 PM

I have a new Texas Rawhide I purchased over the summer. Let's put it this way, prior to buying that guitar, I already had an Anderson Baby Blue T Classic that I had received no less than a month prior to my encounter with the Robin. The store owner let me take the Robin home for the night.

Needless to say the Robin never came back to the store (bought it) -- and that same weekend I listed the brand new Anderson on eBay.

I don't know about past Robins, but right now they are putting out guitars that are on equal footing to the Andersons, Suhrs of the boutique world -- for alot less money too.

stongemon

10-10-2007, 10:46 PM

2003 Robin Ranger
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c244/stongemon/2003_Robin_Ranger/rrfront.jpg
7 lbs, nice chunky maple neck

2004 Robin Ranger
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c244/stongemon/2004_Robin_Ranger/rbfront.jpg
6 1/4 lbs, medium maple neck with rosewood board

the red one feels like an old Tele to me, but the blue one sounds really good on the strat pickup. If they had the bridge pickup on a traditional 3-saddle bridge, I could live pretty happily with them (just needs a little more twang). Nice guitars, and that satin finish (nitro? I don't know) feels really good. But there's this 5 1/2 lb Vintage Hot Rod Tele that was whispering it's siren song in my ear...

(we all know where this story goes lol...)

ford

10-10-2007, 10:54 PM

You should keep one! Keep the red one with the maple neck and maybe try a different pickup in the bridge.

rock

bford

KBR

10-10-2007, 11:32 PM

I like the 6 1/4 lb one, selling?
Not a fan of Blue axe's but like 6 1/4 lbers!

I have owned some Rangers and made some last 10 years, Tommy got me started, I hounded him to make the 51 STP.

stongemon

10-11-2007, 08:40 PM

I like the 6 1/4 lb one, selling?
Not a fan of Blue axe's but like 6 1/4 lbers!

I have owned some Rangers and made some last 10 years, Tommy got me started, I hounded him to make the 51 STP.

Both are available - there is a listing on the Hamer Fan Club with pricing and contact info here:

http://www.hamerfanclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=22262

additional photos are here (2003 red):
http://s28.photobucket.com/albums/c244/stongemon/2003_Robin_Ranger/
and here (2004 blue):
http://s28.photobucket.com/albums/c244/stongemon/2004_Robin_Ranger/

the 6 1/4 lbs weight was quoted from the friend who sold it to me; I will pick up a digital scale at lunch tomorrow and verify the weights on each. The blue one was the lightest guitar I owned until that Hot Rod Tele (feels just a little lighter than the Robin, but not by much). I do keep looking at the hollow Tele bodies at warmoth that weigh about 3 lbs, and wonder how much the complete guitar would weigh. One of these days I might just have to find out lol...

I like the variety of tones that you can get out of the Rangers, but there's a twisted part of me that looks at the neck pickup and whispers 'Filtertron' to me. Hmmm...

ford

10-11-2007, 09:30 PM

Well I already have my Ranger, but those prices are very nice.... a new Ranger would probably cost 900 or more depending on options....

rock

bford

stongemon

10-12-2007, 05:25 AM

Well I already have my Ranger, but those prices are very nice.... a new Ranger would probably cost 900 or more depending on options....

rock

bford

according to the Robin Guitars website, the Ranger Standard lists for $2395 - most of the new ones I've seen have streeting in the $1800 area (typically one of the higher-level versions with flametops etc). My benchmark is Hamer guitars, and the list on those has been increasing about 8-15% every year (usually a price adjustment for each NAMM show). It kind of snuck up on me, but I find myself thinking that anything new and US-built under $3K list seems pretty reasonable. Now if I can just get my wife to see things that way lol...

Old Tele man

10-12-2007, 08:16 AM

...the "Wrangler" name is an idustry-associated "trademarked (™)" name with pants and clothes, not guitars, so one wonders "why / how" they could threaten ANYBODY using the name with GUITARS?!?!?

Jazzgear

10-12-2007, 09:17 AM

...the "Wrangler" name is an idustry-associated "trademarked (™)" name with pants and clothes, not guitars, so one wonders "why / how" they could threaten ANYBODY using the name with GUITARS?!?!?

And don't forget cars too! Jeep Wrangler?:rolleyes:

stongemon

10-12-2007, 08:59 PM

picked up a Rapala digital scale today in the fishing dept at Sports Authority for $15 (15 lb max so I won't be weighing my 12 string basses lol). The blue Robin Ranger is 6 lbs, 4 ounces and the red Robin Ranger weighs in at 7 lbs 4 ounces. Funny enough, the new Vintage Hot Rod tele that I guess-timated in the sub 6 lb range is actually 6 lb 14 ounces. Still rings like a bell, but I can now continue my search for the elusive 5 lb tele. Maybe a thinline...

Big Al Z

08-31-2009, 07:14 PM

Let's revive the thread . . . .

What about the Pro Series ? Looks like satin paint. Saw one that was a '06 or '07. MIA ?

gkelm

06-04-2010, 10:20 AM

My curiosity's been stirred again and I found my on thread. :)

* velcro-fly *

06-04-2010, 12:05 PM

I played a Robin Strat type hardtail yesterday with the three single pups slanted lefty style, fat flamey maple neck, swamp ash body...suffice to say the guitar was KILLER.

Guitar was at The Twelfth Fret in Portland..