Once I Loved

[Mark Kleinhaut]

"Once I Loved", by Antonio Carlos Jobim

This guitar is the Testadura-MK by the ingenious luthier Tom Ribbecke. I’ve been so preoccupied this past year with the uniquely amazing compliant rim instrument Tom built for me that I’ve neglected doing much with this one, but recording with it this morning I’m reminded what a work of art it truly is.

[frabarmus]

Beautiful, as always.

On a side note, I'm curious about the reason for naming the guitar "Testadura"?

Testa dura, in Italian means, literally, "hard head", usually in relation to a "stubborn" person.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Beautiful, as always.

On a side note, I'm curious about the reason for naming the guitar "Testadura"?

Testa dura, in Italian means, literally, "hard head", usually in relation to a "stubborn" person.

Thanks for your comments. So, Tom Ribbecke did tell story a few years back about how this name came to be chosen. He was hanging out with Bob Benedetto a bunch at the time and the notion came about how many great instruments were made by Italian luthiers and how often their instruments had Italian sounding names. Tom told Bob he had a new model similar to the es335 classics but with a few twists and how he wanted it to have an Italian sounding name. Bob supposedly asked Tom about names his mother would call him when he was very young and at his most destructive age, and something about falling down stairs or out of trees or off skateboards came to mind having to do with surviving his youth because of his hard head.

[kris]

Great sound and great playing!

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Great sound and great playing!

Thanks for listening- I appreciate it very much.

[Rolf Field]

Very nice again Mark. I've switch between some recordings of you on the forum to compare the sound of the guitars. I must say i prefer the sound of this one. Just a bit. It seems a bit "fuller"/ "warmer". I've got some nice desktopspeakers but far from high end. So there's a handicap.
Both guitars sounds fine in your hands though.
Keep on going. you're a inspiration. I equal your skills only in my dreams.

[Mark Kleinhaut]

Very nice again Mark. I've switch between some recordings of you on the forum to compare the sound of the guitars. I must say i prefer the sound of this one. Just a bit. It seems a bit "fuller"/ "warmer". I've got some nice desktopspeakers but far from high end. So there's a handicap.
Both guitars sounds fine in your hands though.
Keep on going. you're a inspiration. I equal your skills only in my dreams.

Thanks for listening and investigating the sounds I’ve recorded with different instruments. My sense is that this instrument has got a more familiar or classic electric guitar sound like an es335, which is the model it’s based upon. The set in pickup has a particularly warm and full sound that’s present , typical of most Gibsons, so it’s truly that jazz guitar sound we all grew up on.

The floating pickup guitars that have gained favor in recent years are more acoustic sounding and the idiosyncrasies of individual instruments seem to come more to the fore. In other words, you hear more of the guitar and not mostly the pickup. Some floaters sound so bad, nasal, thin and strident and others are gorgeous. I think they really challenge the luthier to up their game - and they sure cost more.