Bring to mind the video of John Lennon and Yoko Ono for “Imagine.” You know the one: it begins with the two walking along a misty path, and before long John is sitting at an all-white piano in an all-white room of an all-white country estate singing one of their most famous songs. Tom Ribbecke took this alabaster image to heart when he first conceived of this particular Halfling pin bridge archop project.
Indian Rosewood back and sides are paired with a three-piece Maple neck Cedar top which are both painted a creamy white. Simple Ebony bindings and trim delineate Rosewood from Spruce, and the Ebony pickguard and bridge set off the milky expanse of Ribbecke’s Halfling top plate—bass-side flat, treble-side arched—and the offset soundhole balances out the image. Beneath the hood lies a B-Band 22r UST pickup with volume control mounted inside the soundhole and terminates in the end pin jack. A 1 3/4” nut and 25.4” scale feel right at home on the gently curved C profile neck, and the setup is dialed in for slinky playability.
The voice is round, focused, and warm at the edges, with hints of punchiness in the bass. It’s not quite a flattop for brashness, and it’s not all the way an archtop for woof, but it blends the two in such a way that individual notes are three-dimensional and distinct, and they have a habit of hanging in the air. It’s easy to spend a long time exploring the tonal (to say nothing of the visual) nuances of Ribbecke’s unique top voicing techniques and the ability of his pin bridge archtops to provide a unique flavor to a wide range of genres and playing styles.
Here’s an additional demo with Al Petteway: https://youtu.be/sXXxoe8VWgw
Check out a riff with Paul here: https://youtu.be/KwRx7szuvYg
I have seen and played many of Tom Ribbecke‘s guitars and this one is special. I love the aesthetic, inspired by the Imagine album by John Lennon. this is a gorgeous version of an innovative instrument. | Scale Length | 25.4 in |
|---|---|
| Nut Width | 1.78 in |
| String Spacing | 2.19 in |
| Woods | Spruce - Sitka, Rosewood - Indian |
Bring to mind the video of John Lennon and Yoko Ono for “Imagine.” You know the one: it begins with the two walking along a misty path, and before long John is sitting at an all-white piano in an all-white room of an all-white country estate singing one of their most famous songs. Tom Ribbecke took this alabaster image to heart when he first conceived of this particular Halfling pin bridge archop project
I have seen and played many of Tom Ribbecke‘s guitars and this one is special. I love the aesthetic, inspired by the Imagine album by John Lennon 