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2006 Ribbecke Halfling

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Serial#: 1038 Dated: 12/06, Label hand signed by the builder

Body size at lower bout: 17", Body Depth: 3 " Scale length: 25" Nut: 1 3/4"

Finish: Sunburst, nitrocellulose lacquer type.

Materials: Solid bookmatched Sitka spruce top; handcarved bigleaf tiger flame maple back and sides; 3 piece flame maple neck with birdseye maple facing on back of peghead; solid ebony fingerboard; pearl headstock logo; bound body, headstock, neck and soundhole; solid bone nut.

Hardware: Hardware includes solid ebony finger rest, tailpiece and tuner buttons; gold Grover Super Rotomatic tuners, compensated adjustable ebony bridge; Kent Armstrong Handmade floating humbucking pickup with thumbwheel tone and volume controls and endpin jack.

Notes: Few have done more to further the craft of the modern archtop guitar than California luthier Tom Ribbecke. Since founding his first workshop in San Francisco in 1972, Tom has produced not only master quality instruments but master quality luthiers themselves, in workshops and videos that have made him a legend among builders worldwide. Now relocated to scenic Sonoma County, Ribbecke continues to produce hand built masterworks of stunning quality for a few lucky players each year.

This exquisite instrument is an example of his Halfling Model, a revolutionary design that employs a unique compound curvature of the soundboard. With a conventional arch on the treble side, the instrument produces the characteristic clarity and precision of a traditional archtop. A dramatically flattened profile for the bass side, combined with the round soundport, allows for greater bass response and sustain. This hybrid construction is designed to give the player a tonal response combining the best of both arch and flat top instruments.

This handsome guitar is an early example of the model, and bears the unique Amaryllis peghead inlay, found only, we are told, on the first 100 Halflings produced. Constructed of bookmatched bigleaf tiger flame maple, with a solid tap-tuned Alaska cedar top, and hand crafted ebony hardware, the 17" Venetian cutaway body is X-braced, and finished in a lustrous sunburst finish.

The neck has a classic gentle D profile, with a generous 1 3/4" nut, with smooth low action over a fresh high-precision setup. The voice is warm and woody, with exceptional bass response, and an attractive mellowness that translates smoothly through the pickup. Apart from a few scattered wisps of checking on the top, the guitar looks much as it did when it first left the workbench. A unique model offering the best of both worlds, the Halfling has a devoted following, and we are pleased to offer this outstanding example in gleaming condition. One only: call now.

Setup: This instrument is strung with medium gauge nickel roundwound strings (.012-.054). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 4/64" to 5/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief for acoustic playing with medium strings. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.

Case: Original deluxe arched plush lined hardshell case.

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