When you think of someone who has been convicted of second degree murder, who comes to mind? A scary individual you wouldn’t want to associate with or a compassionate luthier who builds guitars in his two-car garage in San Diego? Meet Robert Vincent, compassionate luthier. On Vincent’s 20th birthday, he was out with a group of young men who had had too much to drink.  A fight started and a man in Vincent’s group shot a Marine in the other group. Just because of being on the scene, Vincent was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to 16 years to life, the same sentence as the shooter. Vincent was devastated. He had just became a journeyman automotive painter, something he had pursued from an early age, and he had two young sons at home and a wife. 

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Vincent was sent to the newly opened and violent Pelican Bay Maximum Security Prison. It was a frightening time for him and a culture shock. He had never expected to be in prison. After spending four years there, Vincent was moved to a medium-security prison, Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, California. The level of violence was lower and they offered a wide variety of education and rehabilitation programs. 

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The prison in Tracy had a California Arts in Corrections program on guitar making. The director asked Vincent to come and spray the guitars because of his experience spraying automobiles. Vincent soon realized the two were completely different, but he began to develop a deep interest in guitar making. Then he met classical guitarist Kenny Hill, who had started the program, and heard him play. It changed his life. “I never knew that a wooden box with strings could make that kind of sound,” he said. Kenny Hill saw how serious Vincent was about building guitars and encouraged him to keep learning the art.

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Upon release, Vincent worked at a family business for the first year and began creating a guitar making studio in his garage in San Diego. Adjusting to life after prison was difficult, but he was fortunate enough to have strong family support throughout his incarceration as well as after he was released. Vincent believes guitar making is his calling in life. Now, he diligently works to complete handcrafted guitars with beautiful sound and his own design. The process to complete one guitar typically takes a couple of months. Vincent makes about 6-8 guitars a year.

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While Vincent’s business thrived, he was cautious about telling his story. One dealer who praised his guitars learned he had spent time in prison and would not speak with him again. Eventually, however, Vincent felt ready to make his story public. He has been kind enough to be interviewed as part of the Second Chance Podcast Project.