Longtime employees at Hoffman Music know a universal truth in the guitar department – the right guitar finds you.
For some, it takes decades. Though, Rob Ruggiano has been searching for something much more after bouncing back and forth between Los Angeles and Spokane for nearly all his life.
“I dibble-dabbled with just about everything that didn’t require me to use needles,” Ruggiano said. “Art and guitars brought me back from that.”
On a bet from a friend, Ruggiano set out to build a guitar entirely out of sugar cubes. It started as nothing more than an improbably project. But brick by brick, Ruggiano realized he actually building up a series of old memories.
“He could write some amazing songs,” Ruggiano said. “Every sugar cube that I place sparks a memory for me.”
Roughly a year ago, Ruggiano learned his old friend in LA – Jon Linley – died. Roommates, coworkers, and artist; the two were friends for decades. In Linley’s memory, Ruggiano offered the guitar his namesake.
“A nickname I gave him, oh, 25-30 years ago. Schmindelhoffer. Don’t know where it came from. Don’t know what it’s about,” Ruggiano said. “Something just told me that this, this guitar, was his.”
A lifetime later, Ruggiano decided he would just build the right guitar – that’s true. Though, it’s tough to tell exactly who found who.
“I feel Jon,” Ruggiano said. “I absolutely feel him.”
