RIBBECKE GUITARS

Luthier Tom Ribbecke has been building and repairing guitars and basses in the San Francisco bay area since the early 1970s. Ribbecke's first lutherie business opened in 1975 in San Francisco's Mission District, and remained open and busy for ten years. In 1985, Ribbecke closed down the storefront in order to focus directly on client commissions.
Ribbecke guitars are entirely hand built by the Ribbecke and his small staff of workers and they work directly with the customer when building a guitar. Beyond his signature and serial number of the piece, Ribbecke also offers a history of the origin of all materials involved in construction. In 2004, Ribbecke formed the Ribbecke Guitar Corporation that was created to put more guitars into players hands. American luthiers build the guitar with the aid of a CNC machine, and final set-up and inspection occurs at the Ribbecke shop. Under the new Ribbecke Guitar Corporation, they have introduced the Halfling by Ribbecke (see Halfling by Ribbecke) and Kiso (see Kiso) trademarks. Although Ribbecke does have standard production models, custom-built models can be created and several options are available on all models. In 2008, Ribbecke announced that he was going to stop taking orders for custom built guitars. For more information, visit Ribbecke's website or contact him directly (see Trademark Index). For more information on Ribbecke acoustic guitars, refer to the Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars.