Tag Archives: Goldberg¸ Rob

Rob Goldberg

Two-year GAL member Rob Goldberg is one of those Lutherie-Boom guys. As a teenager in the 1960s, he fell in love with the first handmade guitar he ever saw, and made a couple guitars on his own without much help. In 1974 he became Bill Cumpiano’s very first apprentice. After a successful run as a guitar maker in the Northeast, he took a break from lutherie of almost thirty years when he moved to Alaska, started a family, and had a career in fine arts. But the lutherie bug bit again, and he’s been back at it for more than a quarter century.

▪ bio current as of 2025

Meet the Maker: Rob Goldberg

2025
AL#154 p.6               
Tim Olsen   Rob Goldberg                                                                                       

▪ Rob Golderg is one of those Lutherie-Boom guys. As a teenager in the 1960s he fell in love with the first handmade guitar he ever saw, and made a couple guitars on his own without much help. In 1974 he became Bill Cumpiano’s very first apprentice. After a successful run as a guitar maker in the Northeast, he took a break from lutherie of almost thirty years when he moved to Alaska, started a family, and had a career in fine arts. But the lutherie bug bit again, and he’s been back at it for more than a quarter century. Mentions Ervin Somogyi, Sam Koontz, Michael Gurian.

Inlaying Guitar Fretboards with Glass

2025
AL#154 p.14               
Rob Goldberg                                                                                           

▪ Goldberg has combined a lifetime of skills to develop a distinctive method of inlaying stained glass into ebony fretboards. His big, bold designs move in a whole different direction from the delicate detail of etched pearl. He shows us how to do it and provides some inspiration in this article.