1996 Matthias Dammann CD/CSAR (ex Andrew York)

This 1996 Matthias Dammann is a cedar and CSA rosewood sandwich-top classical guitar with only one owner to date – Andrew York, who recorded and concertized on it for many years.

Andrew York’s Dammann

Andrew recorded and concertized on this instrument for many years, and also used it for his Mel Bay DVD “Contemporary Classic Guitar” (see the video excerpts above). The label is signed and dated 1996.

Sound and Condition

The sound is extremely powerful and very bold, and requires little effort from the player to produce a huge sound. Although Andrew played this guitar professionally for many years, he took excellent care of it – apart from some wear in the finish, it has no cracks or repairs and is in prime condition for further use in any professional setting. This is an extremely impressive example of Dammann at his best.

Read more: Orfeo Magazine No. 22 – Gernot Wagner, Pioneer of the Double Top, and the New German Generation – also available in print in the collected edition Orfeo Magazine 21–25:

Orfeo Magazine 21–25 (print edition)

Matthias Dammann and the Double Top

German luthier Matthias Dammann has become a household name in the aficionado community, above all as the most famous exponent of the “sandwich” or double top. In the 1990s he and Gernot Wagner were searching for ways of building guitars with greater volume: Matthias was making tops of two thin wooden skins with thin wooden strips in between, and when Nomex – a light honeycomb material from aircraft building – was discovered, he immediately made a guitar with it in place of the wooden strips.

Barrueco, Russell, York and Tennant

The result is a lightweight top that has been very attractive to hosts of top players in their search for a guitar with immediate response, enhanced volume and ease of play. Manuel Barrueco, David Russell, Andrew York and Scott Tennant are among the many who have performed and recorded on his instruments. He works in Bavaria, where he is still building today.