Robert O’Brien is a classically trained guitarist and woodworker, who has always had the desire to put the two arts together and make guitars. This opportunity came in 1997, when he was living in São Paulo, Brazil.

“I had the opportunity of meeting Antonio Tessarin, one of the best and most highly regarded luthiers among Brazilian guitar makers”, says O’Brien. Over the next couple of years, he studied the craft under him and built several guitars under the supervision of Tessarin.”Antonio taught me the tricks of the trade and selflessly opened his shop and home to me. His attention to detail not only gave me the skills necessary to make a fine handmade guitar but also taught me to be passionate about the art of guitar building”.

Robert recently moved back to the States and now resides in Parker, Colorado with his Brazilian wife, where he continues building guitars using the methods learned in Brazil.

While still living in Brazil and after moving back to the States Robert studied steel string guitar building with Kent Everett in Atlanta Georgia. He builds both high end classical and steel string guitars as well as offers building classes in both subjects at Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colorado. He is the author of several instructional DVD’s on guitar building and finishing as well as the creator of the very popular Luthier Tips du Jour  instructional videos on Youtube.

“Each guitar I build is a labor of love. I’m sure you will appreciate the amount of time and energy I put into building each instrument and making it the best guitar yet”.