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Dammann Custom Instruments

Dammann Custom Instruments

Our shop only builds instruments that are in some way unique to us in design (see the Innovative Design section of our website). Our patented Total Control Neck improves a player’s relationship with the instrument in a revolutionary way.

I (Ralph Dammann) started as an electric bass builder building an instrument that hangs upright and is a bass player’s instrument rather than just a bass instrument that guitarists can play. When Ray Varona joined me in 2007, we began to make acoustic instruments and developed our five-course mandocello.

We work principally with body and neck woods we have harvested, dried, seasoned, and processed. Our favorite tonewoods are Walnut, Cherry, Locust, and Osage Orange. We buy our top woods because neither Spruce nor Cedar grow well around us.

We build five-course mandocellos, alto mandos, acoustic guitars, and electric basses.

Located: Charlottesville, Virginia United States

Professionally Selling For: 31 Years

Shows: New England Conservatory Guitar Festival , Guitar shows in Nashville, TN; Columbus, OH; Philadelphia, PA; Long Island, NY; Asheville, NC; and Atlanta, GA , Scheduled to be at Woodstock in 2020 and 2021 - canceled, COVID , Scheduled to be at Mountain Acoustic Festival in 2020 and 2021 - canceled, COVID

Instrument Types: Steel String Acoustic , Mandolin , Acoustic Bass

List Your Instruments

With skilled marketing and elegant presentation, The Luthier’s Showcase endeavors to become the go-to hub for musicians and collectors interested in precisely the kind of work that you do. For a yearly fee, roughly equivalent to a festival table fee, registrants receive:

  • Year-round, all-day exposure focused on the instruments! Users of this site can search by instrument types or by the Luthier’s name.
  • Luthiers will be able to clearly and unequivocally demonstrate their status as a professional by presenting their bio, experience, notable clients, shows attended, professional organizations, publications, areas of expertise, testimonials, and more.

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