Tom Ribbecke
Archtop fanatic Tom Ribbecke’s unflappable
dedication and patience over the last
30 years led to what is argu-
ably this generation’s big-
gest advance in archtop
design—the Halfling.
But he’s also changed the
lives of the troubled teens
he hires and mentors in
his workshop. Just ask
Oprah—she says his story
belongs on prime-time TV.
BY GAYLA DRAKE PAUL
The back of this
Halfling flaunts
stunningly matched
figured maple (note
the horizontal and
vertical striping), black
purfling, and a gold-plated strap button.
This amber-hued,
nitrocellulose-finished
Ribbecke Halfling archtop
features a 25" scale, a Sitka
spruce top, spruce X bracing,
a floating Kent Armstrong pickup,
and an ebony fretboard, bridge, and tailpiece.
