The Rietbergen has a complex, rich, and versatile voice - nice top-end clarity coupled with a fat midrange - that sounds great clean or it can pack a punch when you crank your amp.

Why We Love This

Named for Nik Huber's wife's family name, the Rietbergen is an heirloom quality hollow-body constructed of a carved, exceptionally curly maple top and carved Mahogany body that incorporates a center block into the design. The build quality and attention to detail are flawless and make this ultra-lightweight guitar (5lbs 7oz) feel instantly comfortable and familiar.

An Abalone Signature Logo, custom Tiger Eye finish, quilted maple bindings, Haussel pickups, curly maple binding, nickel hardware, and an ebony fingerboard and headstock veneer round out the deluxe appointments.

On first glance, you'd be forgiven for thinking the Rietbergen is a jazz style guitar only - but - in hand, the experience is quite different. While it does indeed sound beautiful for jazz passages via the Haussel neck pickup, flicking the 3-way into the bridge position unleashes a very ES-335-like bite and midrange, excellent for overdriven playing. A cool surprise? The tone control is a push/pull for splitting the humbuckers for single-coil tones, thus expanding the huge range of tones already available.

The Rietbergen is a remarkably cool guitar that would satisfy both players and collectors looking for a unique instrument built by a company at the the top of their game.