Frequently Asked Questions & Contact Form

Are there music boxes currently in stock?

Physical store in Utrecht:

I am open twice a week at a beautiful location in the heart of Utrecht. There is a wide selection of music boxes available for direct sale. View the agenda for all dates.

Monthly online sales:

From April 2025 is the webshop still only three days a month Open. You can then buy music boxes that are available from stock. The offer is placed in the webshop in the weeks before the sale so that you can already see what will be for sale.

Other sales points

I am currently not making boxes for other outlets/shops due to lack of time. So the outlets are most likely sold out. Click here for an overview of these sales spots.

What are the shipping times and costs?

Delivery times and shipping costs per country/region

Please note: The webshop is only open three days a month for the sale of music boxes. See webshop for the next date.

Note: With engraving + a maximum of 5 days extra delivery time.



Pick up in Utrecht (NL)

During checkout you can also choose to pick up instead of shipping.

You can pick up in the shop on Friday and Saturday 14-17 pm in the center of Utrecht (Donkerstraat 21). Or by appointment in the workshop at Europalaan 41



The Netherlands.

Delivery with PostNL

Gift letter will be sent free of charge (within a few days)

5,50 € (Letterbox package) 2 days 

8,25 € (Packet service) 2 days

RUSH DELIVERY (THIS OPTION IS DISABLED IF IT IS TOO BUSY!): 

16,95 euro. (Courier) 1 day > if in stock & without engraving

[Urgent delivery with engraving = 2 days extra delivery time!]



Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg

12,00 € (Regular Post / Courier)  3-4 business days

26,00 € (express service) 1 Business Days


Denmark, France, Austria, United Kingdom

15,00 – 20,00 euros (Regular Post / Courier) 4-6 working days

30,00 - 55,00 euro (Express Services) 1-2 business days


Hungary, Portugal, Sweden

16,95 € (Regular Post / Courier) 4-6 working days

18,50 € (Regular Post / Courier) 4-6 working days

32,50 € (express service) 1-2 business days


Italyë, Poland

18,00 € (Regular Post / Courier) 4-6 business days

40,00 € (express service) 1-2 business days


Europe other countries

18,00 to 29,00 euros (Regular Post / Courier) 4-6 working days

45,00 € (express service) 1-3 business days

You can also use the shipping calculator in the shopping basket to calculate the shipping costs.


Worldwide

Worldwide shipping is VAT free with regular mail or Express service. Please note that you may have to pay import duties (TAX).


United States, Canada, Mexico

27,00 € (Regular Mail) 7-25 working days depending on destination

59,00 € (express service) 1-3 working days depending on destination


Asia, Australia, New Zealand

30,00 € (Regular Mail) 7-25 working days depending on destination

65,00 € (express service) 1-3 working days depending on destination


Other countries worldwide

35,00 € (Regular Mail) 7-25 working days depending on destination

75,00 € (express service) 2-4 working days depending on destination

 

You can also use the shipping calculator in the shopping basket to calculate the shipping costs.

All prices including 21% VAT if applicable.

CAN I HAVE MY OWN MELODY MADE?

THIS IS POSSIBLE, BUT NO LONGER THROUGH ME. YOU WILL CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER OF THE MECHANISMS YOURSELF. SEE BELOW.

Small winding mechanism with 18 notes

Can you here order (you arrange this without me). A wooden box made by me for your own mechanism you can here order or come to the store in Utrecht. If you order in the webshop, choose the last option 'without mechanism' in the drop down menu 'choose melody'. You can then put the mechanism in yourself or I can do it for you if you come to the store or send the mechanism to me.

Large wind-up mechanism (30 notes) with custom melody

Can you here order. This comes standard in a wooden box. If you prefer a wooden box from me for your own mechanism you can order it here order or come to the store in Utrecht and I will put it in. If you order in the webshop, choose in the drop down menu 'choose melody'  the last option 'without mechanism'. You can then install your own mechanism or I can do it for you if you bring it to the store or send the mechanism to me.

Large hand mechanism with paper sticks.

No longer sold by me.

Large editions (from 1000 pieces)

Unfortunately I can't help you with this.

Can I supply wood myself?

SINCE JANUARY 2025 I NO LONGER MAKE MUSIC BOXES TO ORDER. SO IT IS NO LONGER POSSIBLE TO HAVE MUSIC BOXES MADE FROM YOUR OWN WOOD. UNLESS….. THE WOOD ALSO HAS A SPECIAL VALUE FOR ROBIN WOOD (E.G. BECAUSE OF THE TREE/LOCATION) AND BOXES FOR THE SHOP CAN ALSO BE MADE FROM IT.

THE WOOD MUST MEET THE CONDITIONS BELOW.

Conditions for supplying wood:

– SAW PLANKS (so no logs, wood slices)
– FREE OF cracks and large knots (small knots allowed)
– DRY WOOD with a maximum of 15% moisture **
– FREE OF metal, screws/nails etc. (if in doubt, check with a metal detector)
– MINIMUM THICKNESS: 3,5cm for Piccolo and Lude models. 5cm for model Robin and Tamino
– MINIMUM WIDTH: 18cm
– MINIMUM LENGTH: 54 cm
................................................................................................................................. ..
** A plank of a freshly sawn tree dries on average 1 cm per year, provided it is placed in a well-ventilated and dry place. So a board of 4 cm thickness needs 2 years, sometimes less in hot dry summers, e.g.

Send a message

If the wood you have in mind meets the above conditions, please send me an email with your request and the details of the wood in question. Also send some photos of the wood so that I can judge whether it will indeed work, to prevent disappointment later. Because usually there are additional unexpected surprises with the wood. Also mention which type of wood it is. (I cannot use wood types with a lot of resin such as Larch and Douglas)
Where else can you buy the music boxes?

You can find all (physical) sales points here

I'm looking for a melody that does not appear in the webshop

Unfortunately it is not possible to request a different melody.

This is because I only purchase from the supplier a few times a year, and have to purchase at least 100 pieces per melody, which is expensive.

You can buy a music box without a mechanism from me and put in the mechanism that you have bought yourself somewhere else through me or yourself. Please note that the model is identical, otherwise it will not fit.

To have a mechanism made with your own melody, see the question 'can I have my own melody made'

What is the difference between manual and wind-up?

The difference is that a manual mechanism you have to turn the lever to make the music sound. This lever is always on the side and is visible. Depending on the melody, it is silver-colored with a red ball or completely gold-colored. A manual mechanism has 18 tones.

A wind-up mechanism plays by itself for a few minutes. You just have to wind it up, the further you wind it the longer it plays. The winding key is at the bottom of the box, out of sight (except for Piccolo, who has it at the top). A wind-up mechanism is available in various versions. The smallest has 18 tones. Larger, more expensive machine heads have 30,36,50 or even 72 tones.

What does showing 18/23/30 mean?

This indicates the number of notes that are on the mechanism.

To be more precise; The mechanism has a comb with teeth that are tuned from high to low. There is also a rotating cylinder with pins, the position of these pins determine the melody, and every time a pin hits a tooth, a tone is heard.

The smallest and most sold mechanisms have 18 tones. (music box Piccolo, Lude, Celesta, Robin, Tamino) There are also larger machine heads with 30 (Tamino, Calandra) and 50 tones (Orpheus, = temporarily unavailable).

You can imagine that the more tones there are, the nicer it will sound, because it is closer to the original. The mechanism also plays longer and contains a larger fragment of the original piece of music. The quality of the materials is better and so is the sound.

Questions about engraving

I do not yet know the text for engraving.

For example, if you want the box to be delivered quickly before a birth, but you do not yet know the name and date of birth, it is best to order the box (with engraving, fill in: 'text will be later') due to delivery time / availability . As soon as you know the text for engraving, email this to me. Then I can usually engrave it within a few days.

Can I have my own logo / image engraved?

Yes, that's possible. Keep in mind that the engraving is black / white. So if a logo / image is graphic then we can usually engrave it. When a good quality file is supplied in pdf, the price is 15, -. If the file still needs editing then 10-20 euro is added. Send the file by e-mail for a quote.

Can I have multiple surfaces engraved?

Yes, that's possible. First choose the area before the first engraving and fill in the desired text. After this an option for a second engraving for another plane appears. If you want a third engraving, please contact us.

Layout of text

By default we use the font 'Gabriola Regular'. Subtle, elegant and with beautiful sleek lines, perfect for engraving. (a different font is possible on request if it is in our 'font' collection)

The layout is provided by us by engraving. How this will look depends on the number of characters and the available surface. It is therefore possible that texts with long sentences are divided over multiple lines. If you would like to have an example of this in advance, let us know.

 

If your question is not answered above, you can use this contact form. Rob still receives many messages every week, it can sometimes take a while before you receive an answer.

THE WEBSHOP IS CURRENTLY CLOSED. NEXT THREE-DAY ONLINE SALE IS ON APRIL 7, 8 & 9, 2025. It is not possible to reserve a box in advance. The physical store in Utrecht is open twice a week and has sufficient stock for direct sales! (visitors only)

ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT BOXES IN THE PHYSICAL STORE Click HERE ANSWERED.

Contact form

    After sending, receipt will be confirmed below. You will not receive any additional confirmation by email.

    FOLLOW ROBIN WOOD!

    ADDRESS & CONTACT

    Rob de Looff

    Robin Wood Music Boxes

    Workplace:
    Europalaan 41
    3526 KN Utrecht
    The Netherlands

    Shop window & Shop:
    Dark Street 21
    3511 KB Utrecht

    Call: + 31 (0) 6 11 30 38 99
    Email: rob@robinwoodmusicbox.com

    Workshop is not a visiting address. The shop is open twice a week. More info below.

    Greetings from the music boxes

    maternity room!

    Workshop De Createur Europalaan

    The workshop on the Europalaan. On the left is Rob's studio.

    Shop window & shop in the Donkerstraat

    Shop window & shop in the Donkerstraat. See calendar for opening hours

    More Info

    Shop window & shop of Robin Wood in the Donkerstraat

    Robin Wood Music Boxes

    Music boxes made of city wood

    NATURE

    The beauty of wood

    MUSIC

    The magic of sound

    30 note music box

    ATTENTION

    Made with love!

    Robin Wood studio

    Each box is a unique gift

    City trees that had to disappear are transformed into music boxes here!

    An ode to the trees & the birds!

     

    Robin Wood music boxes are made with love and in small quantities from local wood.

    The second life of urban and regional trees that had to be felled.

    So not anonymous wood, but wood with a story!

    Blog
    The last news

    Blog Robin Wood Music Box

    OPENING HOURS

    in Utrecht center

    As the birds sang their serenades from the branches of the trees,

    this is how the most beautiful melodies now sound in the wood of these trees, which have now become sound boxes.

    For Rob, the music boxes are therefore 'An ode to the trees and the birds' and made to give to those you love!

    take a look

    Behind the scenes

     

    Atelier Robin Wood

    "Anonymous wood doesn't interest me"

    Trouw newspaper. Oct. 2016

    Music box maker Utrecht

    Visit Robin Wood's charming shop!

    Open twice a week in the city center of Utrecht.

    Read more

    What is city wood actually?

    Utrecht table tree

    Italian Film Composer visiting Utrecht.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Documentary almost ready! Read more

    Music box Amersfoort

    THE WEBSHOP IS CURRENTLY CLOSED. THE NEXT THREE-DAY ONLINE SALE IS ON 7, 8 & 9 APRIL 2025

    To the webshop

    Music boxes made of wood

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Answers to frequently asked questions

    Sales points in NL

    Museum play clock

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    LATEST MUSIC BOXES

    LATEST REVIEWS

    • Music box Robin wind up with Tree of Life. Lebanon Cedar from Lanaken (near Maastricht)

      Hello, I am super happy with the box, very nicely made and nice to know that it is unique 😊. The melody also sounds beautiful, I hope that it stays that way and that after a while or after many times of winding the quality does not decrease. Also nicely wrapped? Really nice. Was looking forward to it and the wait was more than worth it.
      Els from Belgium

      Els
    • Mini Music Box Piccolo Manual. Sweet Cherry from Amsterdam (Kraton Garden Java Island)

      Ordered for my sister. Our father was born in Java. She loves Amsterdam. And also classical music. Everything came together in this music box.

      Helen B.
    • Music box Lude Wind-up with Robins. Elm from Utrecht (Azialaan or Beneluxlaan)

      Very happy with the beautiful music box. Received it as a maternity gift and also given it to others as a maternity gift.

      Nienke van Son
    • Music box Lude Wind-up with Robins. Elm from Utrecht (Azialaan or Beneluxlaan)

      They are so cute, the boxes! And so beautifully wrapped.

      Marjolein ten Cate

    STAY INFORMED

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