My career in lutherie started in the mid-1970s when I learned guitar repair and guitar building from my mentor, Jim Beach, of the legendary Wooden Music in Chicago. Back then, it was common to see pre-war Martin acoustic guitars, D’Angelico and Gibson jazz archtops, Lloyd Loar-period Gibson mandolins, and late 1950s Stratocaster and Les Paul guitars. They were just all old instruments that needed repair. Handling these instruments helped me appreciate what makes a guitar sound, play, and look great.

I started making electric guitars in 1978 under the brand name Midnight Guitar Works. The guitars were inspired by the Strat and Explorer body shapes. I took a break in the mid-1980s to raise a family and restarted building in the late 1990s under the name, “R S Mizek, Luthier” and shifted my focus from building electric guitars to acoustic guitars. I rebranded the business in 2003 to Roberts Luthiery and added arch top mandolin to my product offerings.

I’m building my best instruments ever. I feel it’s my golden age and my goal is to always make my next one my best one.