Luthier Rob Allen has a background as both a musical artist and a fine craftsman. It is a culmination of his experiences that make his instruments distinctly musical, organic in concept, and naturally appealing to the player. As a musician, Allen has played guitar with Melissa Etheridge (World Tour '92-'93), Ceremony (Geffen Records), and Kindred Spirit (I.R.S.). Allen has taught guitar at UCLA, and has recorded his own solo album (Mysterious Measures, released on the Suppletone label). Allen built his first electric guitar from raw materials at the age of seventeen, and shortly thereafter served as an apprentice to Seymour Duncan (Seymour Duncan Pickups) for three years. Allen has also had an apprenticeship with luthier Rick Turner, the co-founder of Alembic and now Rick Turner Guitars. In addition to working on his own designs, Allen has drawn from both of these modern pioneers. Since 1996, Allen has been handcrafting four- and five-string basses that feature internal hollow tone chambers, and Fishman piezo electronics (no magnetic pickups). Allen also built a line of RA series guitars and BB series Baritone guitars. For Allen's bass guitars, see the Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars. For more information, visit Allen's website or contact him directly.
Instruments currently built in Santa Monica, CA since 1996. Distributed by Rob Allen Guitars (Santa Monica), LA Bass Exchange (San Fernando Valley), and Rudy's Music (New York).