Frequently Asked Questions & Contact Form

Are there music boxes currently in stock?

Open Days in Utrecht:

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

Stock in the workshop:

Due to the many orders, there is no stock present in the workshop.

Other sales points

There are a number of sales places in the Netherlands where you can buy the music boxes. They usually have a very limited stock of especially small music boxes. Click here for an overview of these sales spots.

What are the shipping times and costs?

Delivery times and shipping costs per country/region

The expected delivery date is stated on the product page of each music box.

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 The Bicycle Courier , DHL & PostNL (gift letter is sent for free)

5,50 € (Letterbox package) 4-6 days

8,25 € (Packet service) 4-6 days

RUSH DELIVERY: 

16,95 euro. (Courier) 1-2 days> if in stock & without engraving

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



Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg

12,00 € (Regular Post / Courier)  4-6 working days

26,00 € (express service) 1 Business Days


Denmark, France, Austria, United Kingdom

15,50 € (Regular Post / Courier) 4-6 working days

30,25 € (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?

 

If you have your own composition that you would like to have on mechanics, or a piece of music that does not yet exist on mechanics, then there are the following options:

Small winding mechanism with 18 notes

You can have your own melody made based on a music fragment (eg from You Tube movie) for each music box made for small winding mechanism (18 tones). On the product page of the chosen box, choose the option 'melody' > 'Custom Tune', and follow the instructions. Costs: 200 euros (this is on top of the price of the box) Delivery time: 2 months.  Choose a box

If you are going to make the arrangement yourself, keep the following in mind:

Large manual mechanism to program yourself

Another possibility is a 'make your own melody' set. If you are musically inclined you can make your own melody with the punch pliers and the supplied paper strip. This mechanism has 20 or 30 tones and a very nice warm sound. It is manual, which means that you have to keep running to let it play. On this website, the mechanism is available both separately and with a wooden sound box. Here for sale

Large runs for small mechanics with 18 tones.

The small machine heads with a self-supplied melody can also be made in large quantities: From 1000 pieces the price per hand mechanism is approximately 2,50 ex. VAT. plus 250 euro development costs and shipping costs (varies) Delivery time: approximately 8 weeks. For wind-up machine heads (18 tones), the minimum order is 250 pieces and the price is approximately 10 euros ex. VAT per piece. Delivery time: 8 weeks. (prices are only for the machine heads, without wooden sound box)

Large winding mechanism with custom melody

For a large, luxurious mechanism with 30 tones, it is possible to have an arrangement made of a piece of music that you supply yourself. This can be an audio file, (you tube) video or sheet music. Ideally both audio / video + sheet music. The mechanism fits a maximum of 35 seconds. So indicate with your application exactly which piece it is of a maximum of 35 seconds.

Costs: 250 euros (excluding music box). Only possible in combination with a music box for luxury mechanics. If you are interested, please contact Rob or order a music box directly. On the product page you can choose the last option 'Custom Tune' at 'Melody' and fill in the details. In the webshop menu, go to music boxes 'Met Luxemechaniek'. The delivery time for this music box with its own melody is approximately 8 weeks.

Can I supply wood myself?

It is possible to supply your own wood to make several music boxes. But it must meet a number of conditions, so that the wood is usable for me. In most cases, the price per box is the same as the prices in the webshop.

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
– MINIMUM ORDER: 4 boxes (with less I charge a surcharge per box)
................................................................................................................................. ..
** 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 with the details of the wood in question and which model of music box you would like. Please also send some pictures of the wood so that I can assess whether it will indeed work, to avoid disappointment later on. Because sometimes there are extra unexpected surprises with the wood. Also state which type of wood it is. (woods with a lot of resin such as Larch and Douglas I cannot use)
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.

ONLINE ORDERING FOR DECEMBER/JANUARY IS NO LONGER POSSIBLE!!! COME TO THE STORE IF YOU STILL NEED ANYTHING.

QUESTIONS ABOUT BOXES IN STORE HERE ANSWERED.

Contact Form

    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

    Visit in the workshop is by appointment only. 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 & showroom in the Donkerstraat

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

    More Info

    Shop window & shop of Robin Wood in the Donkerstraat

    Tribute to the trees

    A tree is like a book

    A tree is like a book in which time writes. Many city trees end up in the shredder and are stoked, as happens with classified documents that should no longer be read. It's a shame! In more and more cities, there is an initiative to really reuse this wood sustainably and give it back to the city in a new form, such as music boxes!

    Stadshout Tafelboom Utrecht

    Wood full of stories

    The wood for the music boxes is very carefully selected by Rob. They are made of the trees that grew in or near the city, on a square, in a street, park or urban forest, perhaps in a place where you like to go, you may have passed them hundreds of times! That makes this wood so special. We know where the tree was and sometimes there are still pictures of it. In short: Wood full of stories!

    New wood on the way !!

    SOON NEW MUSIC BOXES WILL BE MADE FROM THESE TREES:

     

    TEXEL:
    Beech, The Pine Forest. (2024)

    CHATEAU CORTILS (Blegny, Belgium)
    Cherry and ash wood (since summer 2023)

    UTRECHT
    Plane
    , Vredenburplein (since May 2023)
    Red beech, Emmaplein (expected 2024)

    AMERSFOORT
    Pedunculate oak, Stoutenburg. Branch of 'The Adam and Eve tree' (early 2024))

    AMSTERDAM
    Monumental Elm from 1891, Westerpark (since April 2023)
    Plane, Sumatrastraat (spring 2024)

    ZEIST
    lime from 1825, Hoog Beek and Royen. (as of Dec 2023)

    THE BOSCH
    Chestnut, De Parade (since Aug 2022)

    WANTED/EXPECTED: WOOD FROM THE HAGUE
    Tips are welcome! (No logs / logs, only planks)

    Interactive tree map

    This map shows all trees of which once upon boxes are made. The wood from this may have been used up for a long time.

     

    Click on the icon at the top left to expand / collapse the menu.

    If you click on a tree on the map or in the menu, more info and photos will appear if available.

    Most recent trees & wood

    You may still find boxes of these trees in the webshop.

    Trees from Utrecht and the surrounding area

    some trees from which Rob has made boxes over the years.

    Trees from Amsterdam & Haarlem

    There are no photos of many trees, but there are!

    Trees from other cities

    A selection

    THIS LIST IS NO LONGER UPDATE!

    Check out the boxes now in stock

    Amersfoort (NL)

    Es, Heiligenbergerweg

    Maple, Heiligenbergerweg

    Cherry, Wiekslag

    Oak, Heiligenbergerweg

    Expected in 2020:

    Red Beech, Burgemeester Brouwerplantsoen

    Marsh Oak, Everard Meysterweg

    Amsterdam

    Kers, Buitenveldert & Mozartkade

    Elm, Scheldeplein & 2e Jvd Heijdenstraat

    Ypres, De Lairessestraat, Czaar Peterstraat

    Es. Amsterdamse Bos Amstelveen & Prinses Irenestraat

    Berk, Princess Irenestraat Amsterdam

    Linde, Stadionweg Amsterdam

    Els, Vondelpark Amsterdam

    Chestnut, Vondelpark (exclusive)

    Maple, Mahlerlaan

    Maple tree, Frederik Roeskestraat (Buitenveldert cemetery)

    Plataan, Amstelpark (exclusive) very dark in color

    Trumpet tree, Fredriksplein

    New:

    Iep, Beethovenstraat / Johan M Coenenstraat (Boom stood next to the bridge where both streets meet)

    Water cypress, Frederik Hendrikstraat

    Elm, Prinsengracht (expected in February 2020)

    The Hague and surroundings

    Goudenregen, The Hague (Meppelweg)

    Taxus, Wassenaar (Klein Persijnlaan 25)

    Golden rain, Wassenaar (Klein Hoefijzerlaan 3)

    Oak, Rijswijk (Park Te Werve)

    Oak, Landgoed Duindigt (last pieces)

    Linde, Columbusstraat (last pieces)

    Kers, The Hague (New!)

    Elm, The Hague (New!)

    Eik, The Hague (Haagse Bos) (New!)

    Beech, Wassenaar (Landgoed De Horsten) (New!)

    Haarlem

    Beech, Bloemendaal (Krullenlaan)

    Elm, Oudeweg Haarlem (Out of stock)

    Linde, Hartekamp Heemstede

    Beech, Haarlemmerhout Haarlem

    Linde, Bakenessergracht

    European beech, Torenlaan Heemstede

    Leiden

    LEAD AND SURROUND:

    Maple, Leiden (Morsweg 88)

    Iep, Voorschoten (Richard Wagnerlaan)

    Linde, Noordwijk (Offemweg)

    Plataan, Leiden (Oosterkerkstraat)

    Robinia, Noordwijk (Offemweg) (last pieces)

    ROTTERDAM:

    Plataan, Crooswijk (Cemetery) Monumental plane tree of large size.

    Utrecht

    Maple, Schimmelplein Utrecht

    Maple, Park Transwijk Utrecht

    Elm, Utrecht. (House at Zuylenlaan) (last pieces)

    Esdoorn, Sonnenborgh (planting year around 1900)

    Maple, Wilhelminapark - Loolaantje (planting year around 1900)

    Plataan, Jaarbeursplein

    Boomhazelaar, Wichmanlaan

    Es, De Bilt (Landgoed Oostbroek) Branch of a living tree from around 1840!

    Maple, Maartensdijk (Landgoed Eyckenstein)

    Oak & Beech, Bilthoven (Renova Estate)

    Walnut American, Moreelse Park (exclusive)

    Maklura (Osagedoorn) Botanical Gardens (exclusive)

    NEW:

    Tree of Heaven, Willem de Zwijgerplantsoen.

    Linde, Maliebaan

    Ypres, Asselijnstraat

    Es, Bosch van Drakensteinlaan

    Groningen, Leeuwarden, Zwolle

    Iep, Leeuwarden (Stormhout 2013. Probably from the Rengerspark)

    Iep, Groningen (Noorderplantsoen) Tree from around 1880. Planting in the park

    Kastanje, Zwolle (Potgietersingel)

    Plataan, Zwolle (orphan countries hospital)

    Arnhem, Tilburg, Maastricht

    Peer, Arnhem. (orchard in Elst)

    Acacia, Tilburg (Landgoed Moerle)

    Walnut, Maastricht (Still too fresh to process. Ready around spring 2020)

    Abroad

    Abroad

    Portland, Oregon United States:

    Myrtle Wood, SE Liebestreet

    Antwerp:

    Plane tree, Italy lei

    Photos of woods

    Please note that these photos only give an impression! Color and drawing of the wood are different with every box, even if it is made from the same tree!

    WOOD TYPES NEDERALND

    Most common types of wood

    Exclusive woods