Tom Ribbecke's Annual Archtop Workshop

Each year in the Fall, a small gathering of guitar makers join Tom Ribbecke at his Healdsburg, California studio for a week-long workshop in archtop guitar building. I've studied with Tom in both 2005 and 2006.

Tom takes a full week out of an insanely hectic schedule (fulfilling his custom orders and running a second business - the Ribbecke Guitar Corporation, which manufactures the "Halfling" guitar) to give his time and attention to a small group of 4 or 5 other guitar makers. Typical days for Tom and the class start in the morning and run well into the night; a few evenings past midnight are not uncommon.

Two moons over the Ribbecke guitar shop.