Ribbecke Four Way Shootout

[Mark Kleinhaut]

This video is a "shootout" between four Ribbecke guitars that I have played and recorded over the years including the brand new double (front and back) compliant rim 17" which I have on loan that's just a few weeks old. The recording setup is exactly the same for each of the four tests, each sample starts out fingerstyle and then I pick up a Clayton Raven 1.52mm pick. All guitars have Stringjoy Broadways .012 round core nickel strings. Please listen on good speakers or headphones and I'd love to hear what you think of the differences and if you've got a favorite.

[spencer096]

Shootout implies there will be a winner, and all four were so fantastic sounding I really can’t pick a winner. The testa was my fav electric, double compliant my fav acoustic, the old halfling my fav best of both worlds and the 15” being just as good.

The man makes one helluva guitar to say the least. Goodness.

[nyc chaz]

Thanks for making this video.They all sound great.Plugged in,i liked the compliant 17 inch the best but that 15 inch really surprised me how good it sounded both plugged and unplugged.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Shootout implies there will be a winner, and all four were so fantastic sounding I really can’t pick a winner. The testa was my fav electric, double compliant my fav acoustic, the old halfling my fav best of both worlds and the 15” being just as good.

The man makes one helluva guitar to say the least. Goodness.

All of his work is fantastic! Thanks for listening!

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Thanks for making this video.They all sound great.Plugged in,i liked the compliant 17 inch the best but that 15 inch really surprised me how good it sounded both plugged and unplugged.

The 15 is the one I’ve been playing every day for the past two and a half years, so deepest bond right now for sure. The new 17 does have some extra secret sauce that’s hard to put into words- but these definitely something there!

[deacon Mark]

The RGC wins in all respects to my ears. The depth at the bottom is better much more breath of and acoustic with meat. To me acoustic with no amp it stood well ahead of the others. They were fine but not at all like the RGC.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

The RGC wins in all respects to my ears. The depth at the bottom is better much more breath of and acoustic with meat. To me acoustic with no amp it stood well ahead of the others. They were fine but not at all like the RGC.

Thanks for weighing in. The RGC is by far the oldest instrument in the pack- I’ve lost track exactly, but pushing 20 years)

[Sam Sherry]

This video is a "shootout" between four Ribbecke guitars that I have played and recorded over the years . . . .

[Don LaFontaine]In A World where 99% of guitar test videos begin with a view of the distortion pedals that will be featured . . . [/Don LaFontaine]

It's a joy to hear an audiophile-quality matchup of unique archtop guitars, strung for jazz, playing jazz, operated by someone who knows how to highlight what each has, so that people (like me) who will never touch a Ribbecke guitar have a chance at appreciating each instrument's positive qualities.


Sad to say, we now return you to the internet as we know it. Slap those 9s on the L5, hit the Rat pedal and crank up that Peavey Bandit, Joey!

[Mark Kleinhaut]

[Don LaFontaine]In A World where 99% of guitar test videos begin with a view of the distortion pedals that will be featured . . . [/Don LaFontaine]

It's a joy to hear an audiophile-quality matchup of unique archtop guitars, strung for jazz, playing jazz, operated by someone who knows how to highlight what each has, so that people (like me) who will never touch a Ribbecke guitar have a chance at appreciating each instrument's positive qualities.


Sad to say, we now return you to the internet as we know it. Slap those 9s on the L5, hit the Rat pedal and crank up that Peavey Bandit, Joey!

Best comments ever! Thanks!!!!!

[jads57]

I think at that level of luthier build, all will sound and play great. And since they are the same maker, they will have his style of build as well.
So probably the acoustic differences will matter most. But that said,
it depends on your mood on what feels best on any given day.

Acoustically I enjoy the first 17” guitar most.

[Cunamara]

Mark, thank you so much for your generosity in doing this! The first thing I would have to say about all of the guitars is that they all sound like Mark Kleinhaut. I am not really able to separate your sound from that of the instruments, even though there are differences between them. But that is to be expected.

I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite amplified, the RGC has a slight edge with a bit rounder treble end that I like a lot; followed by the CRx2 and the CR15 but it is really close and with my eyes closed I might not really be able to reliably differentiate between them.

Mentally for me the Testadura is almost in a different category, being closer to the ES-335 than an acoustic archtop, but a very fine sounding instrument amplified. Arguably you could do anything you needed to do in jazz on that instrument.

The acoustic samples were also really interesting. The CRx2 and the RGC sounded different but I'm having a hard time preferring one over the other. The RGC sounds perhaps a bit more like a traditional archtop whereas the CRx2 has a rounder treble sound unplugged, very close to its electric sound to my ears. The smaller CR15 sounded like a smaller guitar but still surprisingly robust for having a body with a significantly smaller volume. The acoustic qualities of the Testadura were a surprise- a significant departure from the ES-335 type sounds as those have little to no acoustic signature.

Thank you again for your time and generosity in doing this.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Mark, thank you so much for your generosity in doing this! The first thing I would have to say about all of the guitars is that they all sound like Mark Kleinhaut. I am not really able to separate your sound from that of the instruments, even though there are differences between them. But that is to be expected.

I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite amplified, the RGC has a slight edge with a bit rounder treble end that I like a lot; followed by the CRx2 and the CR15 but it is really close and with my eyes closed I might not really be able to reliably differentiate between them.

Mentally for me the Testadura is almost in a different category, being closer to the ES-335 than an acoustic archtop, but a very fine sounding instrument amplified. Arguably you could do anything you needed to do in jazz on that instrument.

The acoustic samples were also really interesting. The CRx2 and the RGC sounded different but I'm having a hard time preferring one over the other. The RGC sounds perhaps a bit more like a traditional archtop whereas the CRx2 has a rounder treble sound unplugged, very close to its electric sound to my ears. The smaller CR15 sounded like a smaller guitar but still surprisingly robust for having a body with a significantly smaller volume. The acoustic qualities of the Testadura were a surprise- a significant departure from the ES-335 type sounds as those have little to no acoustic signature.

Thank you again for your time and generosity in doing this.

Thanks. I had fun doing this. They’re all fantastic instruments and this exercise renewed my appreciation for all of them. The RGC and Testa get very seldom played anymore and I forgot how truly fantastic they are. I have a couple of other guitars in the house; an RGC Blue Halfling and a very fine Beneteau Concert (flattop), neither of which have been out of their cases in a really long time. Each instrument had its day as the favorite and played daily at the exclusion of all others. I’m really trying NOT to fall in love with the new CR17 since it’s not mine and must go home in a couple of weeks. So, I just put a fresh set of strings on the CR15 and man o man does that wake everything up!!! It’s a real reminder to put down a calendar date for new strings (which I never do despite these epiphanies) instead of the random recognition when it’s been too long.

[Rob MacKillop]

Good video, Mark. I’d like to have them all, just send them to Rob, c/o Scotland. I look forward to receiving them!

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Good video, Mark. I’d like to have them all, just send them to Rob, c/o Scotland. I look forward to receiving them!

I’ve heard too many a quip (on facebook) about the high cost of these guitars, so apparently I no longer can afford the postage. So, sorry….

[Rob MacKillop]

Boo!

[Stringswinger]

Thanks. I had fun doing this. They’re all fantastic instruments and this exercise renewed my appreciation for all of them. The RGC and Testa get very seldom played anymore and I forgot how truly fantastic they are. I have a couple of other guitars in the house; an RGC Blue Halfling and a very fine Beneteau Concert (flattop), neither of which have been out of their cases in a really long time. Each instrument had its day as the favorite and played daily at the exclusion of all others. I’m really trying NOT to fall in love with the new CR17 since it’s not mine and must go home in a couple of weeks. So, I just put a fresh set of strings on the CR15 and man o man does that wake everything up!!! It’s a real reminder to put down a calendar date for new strings (which I never do despite these epiphanies) instead of the random recognition when it’s been too long.

I once visited the home of a guitar collector to check out his collection of about 40 guitars. He had a binder that he kept opening as i played each guitar. I asked him what was in the binder. He told me that he had a page for each guitar and kept track of when he got it, how much he paid for them, and and each guitar had a full record of all work done on it, including every string change. He also had a calendar of upcoming string changes. Talk about OCD! Sometimes I wish I was that organized. I found that after playing about 6 of his guitars, my ears and attention span started to become challenged and less focused.

[jads57]

A guitar is best when it does what it’s designed for, and doesn’t get in your way. And I’m sure each of those instruments can do it spectacularly!

[Mark Kleinhaut]

I once visited the home of a guitar collector to check out his collection of about 40 guitars. He had a binder that he kept opening as i played each guitar. I asked him what was in the binder. He told me that he had a page for each guitar and kept track of when he got it, how much he paid for them, and and each guitar had a full record of all work done on it, including every string change. He also had a calendar of upcoming string changes. Talk about OCD! Sometimes I wish I was that organized. I found that after playing about 6 of his guitars, my ears and attention span started to become challenged and less focused.

Ive never wanted to be organized like that. Or maybe organized much at all beyond what’s needed to make one’s way in the world. Many a discovery I’ve made while trying to find my car keys or rewriting a composition because I could find where I’d saved it before.

[skykomishone]

Mark,
I like the bigger guitars, they sound big and full. The little guitars punch over their weight. I'm not a fan of 15" archtops usually, and that's the case with me here. I compliment Tom's creative engineering of the compliant rim approach. Between the two bigger guitars, I still prefer the sound of the traditionally carved one better. That's not to say that I didn't like the other. I only listened through the video once. I do like the sound you get from your guitar.
If I played them myself, my opinion from the driver's seat might be different.
Thanks for the opportunity to listen and comment.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Mark,
I like the bigger guitars, they sound big and full. The little guitars punch over their weight. I'm not a fan of 15" archtops usually, and that's the case with me here. I compliment Tom's creative engineering of the compliant rim approach. Between the two bigger guitars, I still prefer the sound of the traditionally carved one better. That's not to say that I didn't like the other. I only listened through the video once. I do like the sound you get from your guitar.
If I played them myself, my opinion from the driver's seat might be different.
Thanks for the opportunity to listen and comment.

Thanks for listening and your feedback. I was always a diehard 17 myself and only have come to appreciate the smaller bodies in the last few years. The 15 compliant rim is very comfortable to play with a 24.75 scale and the easy on the shoulders. And it does put out a surprisingly big sound that I’d never find wanting for anything except perhaps when you hold it up nose to nose against a 17 as I’ve done here. The RGC 17 Halfling is hardly a traditional instrument but it’s tilted more that way than the compliant rims which have some very unique tonal flavors. Ribbecke likes to say the CR is the next evolutionalry step after the Halfling, the two sides compliant Rim a small step beyond that. Incredibly, he’s got yet another idea beyind this in development…..

[joe2758]

Bigger ones clearly sound better

[joe2758]

favorite is the double compliant