Aaron Ringo

Weatherford, Texas

Aaron Ringo builds classical guitars in Weatherford, Texas, where he founded Wood Ring Guitars in 2010. Woodworking runs in the family: his great-grandfather arrived from Holland in the 1920s as a carpenter and cabinet maker, and music filled the household he grew up in. Ringo took up guitar at sixteen, discovered classical guitar at twenty, and studied intensively with his mentor Sabine Madriguera, performing and competing with an award-winning ensemble at Collin College. A member of the Guitar Foundation of America and of Luthiers Interactive of North Texas, he also profiled renowned luthiers for Soundboard magazine from 2013 to 2015.

His path to the bench began with a player's question, what makes some guitars sound so much better than others, and his building answers it with method. Wood Ring guitars are offered with optimized fan bracing or double top construction, traditional or elevated fingerboards, handmade rosettes, and traditional French polish, with woods selected individually for their beauty and sound. Ringo tests each instrument at multiple stages of the build rather than judging the soundboard only once, part of an ongoing research habit in acoustics and quality. His philosophy holds that the sound is the spirit of the instrument, playability and beauty its body.

We first met Aaron many years ago through guitar competitions and festivals around the United States. We always made a point of trying his latest guitars, and many of the players around us were winning competitions on his instruments. Aaron is making first rate doubletops, and his guitars are extremely comfortable under the hands as well. In other words, it is easy to recommend a Wood Ring guitar, whether for a professional or a serious student, and we are proud to represent his instruments in the US.