1999 Matthias Dammann "Torres" SP/CSAR

Year	1999
Top	Spruce
Back & Sides	CSA Rosewood
Scale Length	653 mm
Nut width	52 mm
Finish	French Polish
Country	Germany
Luthier	Matthias Dammann

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Jan Depreter's "Moreliana - Homage to Sergei Rachmaninov" by Qingchuan Li on a Dammann "Torres"

Bogdanović's "Sonata 4, Mvmt. 2" played by Sebastian Robles on a 1999 Matthias Dammann "Torres"

Description

Cover of Orfeo Magazine No. 22, Gernot Wagner and the double top

This 1999 Matthias Dammann “Torres” is a spruce and CSA rosewood classical guitar – one of his rare traditional models inspired by Antonio de Torres, from the Russell Cleveland collection.

Dammann’s Torres Model

What is not so well known is that Matthias has also built some very impressive traditional models inspired by Antonio de Torres, and this is a near-perfect example of this effort. The slightly smaller, more compact body size and lightweight build make this guitar an absolute delight to play.

Sound and Materials

The ultra-quick response and huge volume make playability a breeze – it seems to play itself with only the slightest effort from the player. Condition is like new, and the materials are striking, including a gorgeous three-piece back of CSA rosewood. Qingchuan Li (Depreter’s “Moreliana”) and Sebastian Robles (Bogdanović) play it in the videos above.

From the Russell Cleveland Collection

This guitar comes from the Russell Cleveland collection.

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:

Cover of the print edition Orfeo Magazine 21–25

Orfeo Magazine 21–25 (print edition)

Background

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.