Ribbecke Guitar Corporation Halfling Jazz Guitar

Beautiful to look at and to hold.

I do not own one, but have tried one and was not particularly delighted by the voice. While tones were consistent in timbre and volume over the entire fretboard, I didn't find the voice unique or attractive, but instead woody and confined. It wasn't an archtop sound, not a traditional steel-string acoustic, but something more like the strange Martin F-1, which can't make up its mind what it is. I did not hear it sing out with joy, but, if I can coin a phrase, simply wanted to talk about its own goodness. That's my take, anyway.

A gem, top to bottom. Not particularly easy to play -- action was not particularly high, but it felt stiff, even more so than my own archtop. However, the axe was not set up for me and once set up, may play somewhat easier.

For the past two weeks I have been greatly enjoying my new Halfling guitar, which was built to order by Ribbecke Guitar Corp. in northern California. The time from deposit to delivery was just about seven months, and the entire experience has been excellent. The crew at RGC was a pleasure to work with at every step, providing helpful suggestions regarding the upgrades I wanted. I especially appreciated their ???can do??? attitude when it came to the custom electronics I wanted to combine with their own guitar making artistry to build my dream guitar.

My instrument started with the basic Halfling jazz model (MSRP $7,000) and was upgraded cosmetically with blue finish and custom inlay, and sonically with electronics provided by Graphtec???s modular Ghost pickup system. So, in addition to the floating Kent Armstrong neck position humbucker standard on the Halfling, the Ghost offers Piezo output and 13pin midi for guitar synth control. The surface mounted controls (located and arranged to my exact specifications) are volume and tone for the mag pup, volume for the midi, volume for the piezo and three little toggle switches that control the pup selections and midi program.

Versatile electronics are a bonus, but for my purposes it would have meant little if the instrument in any way lacked first class sound and playability. I???m pleased to tell you the Halfling scores a perfect 10 and is quite simply the best guitar I???ve ever played, let alone owned. It may or may not be possible to dissect exactly why this guitar is so good, and in the following paragraphs I???ll try, but the most important thing for me boils down to the sense of sheer inspiration I feel when playing. The sound is so smooth and articulate, while utterly responsive to every nuance of touch, one almost can???t help but play with a higher level of refinement. Of course, that may not be everyone???s cup-o-tea, but it sure is mine!

Ribbecke has created a guitar with a unique design, where the bass side of the top plate is like a flattop and the treble side is like an archtop (hence the name ???Halfling???), and it is clear that this results in something very special with the way the low end speaks like an acoustic and morphs into an archtop sound as you go up the register. The change follows the rise and fall in pitch
whether you move up or across the fingerboard, and it overlays the guitaristic changes in timbre we normally associate with playing in different parts of the neck. I've never heard or "felt" any guitar do that and the effect is really quite magical.

Amplified, the sound is rich and lush through my Clarus/ Raezer???s edge rig, almost velvety in the way a routed pickup sounds, and there is none of the nasal or brittle quality often equated with carved tops with floaters. Even with the piezo blended in, the sound stays very warm and round in a most pleasing way. The clarity of each note is right there, yet the blend on chords is rich everywhere on the fretboard. And sustain is another factor to rave about as notes and chords just ring and ring longer than you would ever expect, it gives new pleasure to playing slow luxurious long tones.

The first four days with my Halfling, I played in completely unamplified as it arrived the day I was heading out for a Thanksgiving getaway and didn???t bring an amp. It was quite enjoyable to play this way, although in retrospect I???d say that playing through the amp is still way better because the sound is just so huge this way. But I did notice something during my early acoustic stage, which was that there was not one speck of unwanted sympathetic vibration on any of the knobs, switches, jacks, pups or anything. Not one buzz or rattle on a guitar so expertly put together. Also, I found I could dig in really hard and it would not overdrive the string in that physical way where it bottoms out on the frets, gets buzzy and you start losing tone. It puts out a huge dynamic range as a result.

Weighing in at six and a half pounds, the guitar is nice and light, making it very comfortable for long periods of standing. The neck feels great to me, almost the same as the PRS neck I'm used to with the 25 inch scale and the geometry of the tailpiece and headstock provide all the right breaking angles to allow for very comfortable level of string tension. I???m using D???addario Chromes in 12???s, (just like on my PRS) and it???s easy to play.

Another extremely important factor for me is that the guitar must be very feedback resistant so I that I can actually gig with it. Otherwise, what???s the point? I???ve not yet had the opportunity to play out with a drummer or horns yet, but I can tell it???s going to be fine. I turned the Clarus up to 1:30 on both pots, opened guitar all the way and now a single howl. I just held it with open strings within 5 feet of the cab and nothing. Tapped the box a bit to try to incite it, and again nothing.

I am only beginning to explore the diverse sounds and effects available with the midi implementation, but so far my impressions of the Halfling???s capabilities are excellent. I believe the same clarity of tone and separation of notes enjoyed acoustically, also play strongly to the digital conversion process, that is; the six Ghost saddle pickups receive a clearer signal which translates to better tracking. So far, my favorite effect is blending some mellow voices of woodwinds and French horns underneath the clean guitar tone for a subtle doubling effect. I think it???s a given that a guitar synth will never track as perfectly as a keyboard midi controller, but a strength we guitarists can play on is the blending approach of both analog and digital voices. Someone would have to put midi triggers in a concert Steinway to get the same effect of a Halfling guitar synth controller.

Finally, I have to add to top this all of, that this guitar is drop dead gorgeous. The Halfling is a very handsome instrument to begin with, but the blue finish and inlay really bring it up another level. Of course the workmanship is fantastic and it???s always inspiring to hold a work of art in your hands when playing.

In summary, she drives like a sports car, sounds like an angel and looks like a supermodel. What could be better?

My new Halfling by Ribbecke Guitars in an incredible instrument, absolutely the finest I've ever played, let alone owned in 36 years of guitar playing.

My introduction to this instrument started last spring when I met up with Mark Guest (who reviewed the instrument here this past April)and I had the pleasure of playing his Halfling for an evening. It was an amazingly trancendent love at first "sight" experience and within days I was having conversations with Ribbecke about building me an instrument.

Shortly after this, I posted the following comments on the RMMGJ newsgroup:

"This guitar has something really special going on with the way the low end speaks like an acoustic and morphs into an archtop sound as you go up the register. The change is pitch driven so it happens regardless of whether you move up the neck or accross the neck. I've never heard or "felt" a guitar do that and the effect is really magical. The clarity of each note is there while the blend on chords is rich everywhere. Beyond that, the guitar is extremely responsive and even with low action I found I could dig in really hard and it woulnd not overdrive the string (I mean in that physical way where it bottoms out on the frets, gets buzzy and you start losing tone) unless you got rediculous with it. It puts out a huge dynamic range as a result.

The neck is a perfect size for me and feels almost the same as the PRS neck I'm used to. The scale of 25 is the same as PRS and it's one of the very few guitars (like the PRS) where the string tension is remarkably low and therefore very stress free on the hands to play. Mark had 13s on it and it felt like 11s.

Let see, what else. It seems incredibly feedback resistant so I can
actually gig with it. Turned the Clarus ups to 1:30 on both pots,
opened guitar all the way and now a singlle howl. I just held it with open strings within 5 feet of the cab and nothing. Tapped the box a bit to try to incite the ususal and again nothing. I didn't want to play at that volume- but it passed the test in flying colotrs. Add to to all this that the guitar is drop dead georgeos and it's a real winner.

In summery, she drives like a sportscar, sounds like an angel and
looks like a supermodel. What could be better?"

Well, getting one of my own would be "better", so.....

I already had ideas for my dream guitar, and Ribbeck was accomodating at every step of the way. My guitar is upgraded with a georgeous blue nitro finish, Ghost piezo/midi pickup system and custom inlay.

I play jazz. Modern (original compositions) as well as standards in a variety of settings, though predominantly concerts. I have several Raezer's Edge speakers and I use Clarus amplifiesr made by Acoustic Image. The tone of this guitar is exceptionally clear, with a smooth transition of timbre as you work up the register. The sustain is phenominal, and letting chords just ring out is such a simple pleasure. Tone is very full. Not overly bright or dark- just sort of organic and velvety. The feel is amazing and I find I can get so lost in the sound of this guitar-which is hard to put into words. The best thing I can say is that it inspires me to play with nuance, finesse and fire

Intonation and setup is fantastic. I opened the case and didn't have to change a thing. I know this review is lacking in criticism, but there is simply nothing bad to say, it's that good.

Everything seem rock solid, but it's only been here a little over a week. I have no reason to thing anything might malfunction and would not likely bring a backup to a gig. 9 rating is only because I have not had it long enough to be certain it's a 10.

The people at Ribbecke were fantastic to deal with during the construction process. By phone and email, they are extremely responsive and customer service oriented. You can go to their website and see a photo log of the guitar being built (after it came out of finish). http://www.ribbeckehalfling.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43

I have been playing for several decades, and as I said earlier, this is the best instrument I have ever played. It's inspiring to play an instrument that itself is a work of art, there is a kind of magic int he responsiveness and subtlety of what it can do. The basic model is fantastic in of itself, but the custome upgrades I had done really took it to another level. The piezo pickup by Ghost (check them out too at http://www.graphtech.com/prodghost.htm really adds tonal options in ways a second humbucker could not do, it gives you some of that acoustic quality at loud amplifed levels.

Of course midi implementation with the Ghost opens up a whole other world of sonic possibility. I also have a Godin Freeway SA that has the Ghost pups which I use with an Axon 100 MkII. The same pup system on the Halfling tracks better than the Godin (which wasn't so bad) most likely because the clarity and separation of individual tones on the Halfling provides "cleaner" information to the midi converters, so it make less tracking errors.

Visit me at www.markkleinhaut.com Soundclips with the Halfling will be posted sooner or later

I got a new guitar, a Ribbecke Halfling, the other day and it deserves
mention here. Let me first get the obligatory "Yes, I was asked to
endorse the guitar" out of the way. It was not a gift. It is a
fantastic instrument and I am deeply honored to endorse it.

I stumbled upon a luthiers' convention about 3 years ago and got to
play a bunch of cool guitars. The guitar that stood out head &
shoulders (and torso) above the rest was Tom Ribbecke's Halfling
prototype, an acoustic guitar that shares archtop and flattop tonal
characteristics. It was one of the "magic guitars" that we get to play
(or even own) pretty infrequently. The tone was unique and beautiful,
fit and finish was impeccable, and the guitar was beautifully set up.
Oh, and it looked great, too. Tom & I chatted about whether I could
ever own a Halfling (I'm pretty tight with my (few) pennies) and
agreed "if it is meant to be, it will be." Fast forward to 2007 and
Tom has set up a small Halfling production shop and I have a beautiful
blue Halfling that sounds and plays great.

I'll gloss over the things that I feel one should expect when buying
an expensive "boutique" instrument...The action and neck profile is
wonderful, the guitar is nicely balanced and comfortable to play. The
fit and finish is great. Blah, blah, blah...every expensive boutique
builder delivers these things, right? NOT! But I'm not interested in
bashing builders who seem to lose interest in their work before it's
finished. The sound of the guitar is what I want to talk about.

I had TI BeBop 13's installed at the factory setup. The first note I
played on this guitar as I was tuning it up startled me. The low E is
powerful...loud, round, tight, and much warmer sounding than a typical
archtop. I've noticed that a lot of the boutique builders are making
more responsive sounding guitars than the traditional boxes built to
cut through a big band. It's almost as if the makers are trending
toward more flat top characteristics in their archtops. Ribbecke has
taken this trend and twisted it into the Halfling, which uses an odd
bracing system that gives an archtop-like bottom end, and flat-top-
like uppers. That's the concept, sort of...except the sound is not split
up so distinctly. The lower strings are more resonant sounding than
any archtop I've played, yet never sound flabby or uncontrolled. The
uppers have a little flat top "shimmer" but not a lot. I may be
suppressing some of the high frequency overtones by my choice of
strings, and I will try some others, just for grins. I've been playing
more solo gigs and so use keys that allow me to incorporate open
strings whenever I can. This guitar is going to open up a lot of
territory for me, I think. My previous main guitar, a Wes L-5, sounds
and plays great, but I feel that L-5's sound best when notes are
fretted, as opposed to open strings. The Halfling does both
beautifully.

I ran the Halfling through my JazzKat amp on a gig last night and the
tone was great. I got lots of compliments on the sound and the
appearance of the guitar. I use the JazzKat for convenience, but
tonight I think I'll bring a Clarus/RE combo...probably the S12ER. I
suspect that the extended range cabinet will really bring out the
tonal strengths of this guitar. The guitar came equipped with a Kent
Armstrong floater specially designed for the Halfling. I like the
sound of a set-in humbucker, but this combination may win me over.
It's too early to tell whether I do some experimenting with alternate
pickups, but if I do, I expect that the Ribbecke folks will continue
to be as easy to work with as they were during the building phase. Tom
did a great job of convincing me that he knows a few things about how
pickups and guitars match up, and he just might have made a new
convert to floaters. I found the tone quite nice, not nasal/raspy like
some floaters, and the note s

I am reviewing the Ribbecke Guitar Corporation's brand new Halfling Jazz Guitar. My guitar is the first one produced (serial #A-1) and happens to be one of the limited edition artist series. The guitar sports all solid woods with a spruce top, flamed maple back and sides, and a 3 piece birdseye maple neck. It is a 17" wide and 2 7/8" deep. The guitar has a kasha style ebony bridge and hinged tailpiece...very cool. There is a special vine-o-life inlay on the fretboard. Apparently this was done for the first 3 halflings. The inlay quality is excellent. Tuners are non-locking Sperzel. The neck is the most comfortable neck I have ever played- somewhere between a C-shape and D-shape...more of a C-shape. It has a 1 3/4??? Nut Width, is 2.2??? at 14th Fret, and has a scale length of 25" with 22 frets. The guitar was made in 2006. It has a floating passive Bartolini pickup with a volume and tone control hidden under the ebony pickguard...very classy. These pickups are only available on the first couple batches of halflings and they are amazing- incredibly clear. It also has on offset soundhole. The features on this instrument are based on Tom Ribbecke's private practice guitars. They are typical of a super high-end archtop.

The sound of a halfling is hard to describe because this is the first production guitar with a half archtop/half flattop design. Tom Ribbecke has a patent on the design. It has the treble of an archtop and the bass of a flattop. In other words there is a really nice sparkle on the trebles and an incredibly clear and deep fundamental bass tone. Very rich, very full tone. It's somewhere in-between an archtop and flattop. In my opinion it combines the best elements of both designs into one superior instrument. The bartolini pickup does an excellent job of transfering the great acoustic tone to the amp.

The guitar was set up with perfect low action with 12-56 guage electric strings. Tom has said that the instrument can handle acoustic strings or electric strings and that this choice will further influence the bias towards archtop or acoustic. The guitar finish and setup is truly flawless. Excellent craftsmanship.

I've now been playing the guitar for a few months. Over this time, the guitar has remained in tune and is functioning perfectly. It already sounds great but it does feel like it will mature as it begins to open up. I've heard it takes at least 2 years for a guitar to really open up. I would depend on this guitar at the gig...no need for a backup.

Tom Ribbecke's reputation as a luthier and businessman is stellar. I have had many conversations with Tom about these guitars. He is a true professional and always returns phone calls in a timely manner. His explanations and description of the halfling designs are what led me to take a chance on purchasing the first guitar without even hearing it. I'm not sure about the warranty on the guitar...never bothered to look and I'm not concerned.

I have been playing for about 20 years. I have been lucky enough to own many high end custom guitars (D'aquisto, American Archtop, Teufel, C.P. Thornton, etc.). This guitar ranks among the best. The seperation of notes is equal to the D'aquisto...you need to hear it to believe it. I actually prefer the Halfling to a traditional archtop for most styles of music. The guitar is more versatile. One thing I may like to see in the future is an option for a second pickup or the option to place the pickups in the top. Other than that this thing is a beast.