Dennis Tolz

Kiel, Germany

Dennis Tolz was born in 1985 and grew up in Berlin, where a teenage love of the guitar grew into a calling. He trained at the Newark School of Instrument Making in England, graduating as the best student of his year and receiving the Ashley Mark Publishing Prize from Classical Guitar magazine. Returning to Germany in 2008, he continued his studies in Markneukirchen and earned the title of master luthier. Today he lives and builds in Kiel, in northern Germany, producing a small number of concert guitars each year.

Tolz builds double top concert guitars that join traditional fan strutting and Spanish heel construction with modern composite technology, an approach shaped in part by Gernot Wagner's generous knowledge of double tops. He is as much researcher as craftsman: modal analysis and frequency response measurement are part of his daily routine, and he works toward target masses and frequencies rather than fixed dimensions. His recent WaveGuide development, a seven gram internal fitting, lowers the main air resonance to deepen the bass without dulling his characteristically clear, strong trebles. Players including David Russell and Thibaut Garcia count among his customers.

We consider Tolz one of the most exciting builders working today, and his guitars are among the most sought after in the world, with a waitlist stretching over a decade. Several examples have passed through our shop, from a 2019 spruce and Brazilian rosewood guitar to a 2023 spruce double top and a 2024 model with his new WaveGuide system. In hand, the basses are deep and resonant yet never cover the upper voices, the trebles sing with natural sweetness, and the sound stays woody and alive. Our expert team is glad to discuss the next arrival.