Dennis Tolz, 2019

Most guitars pass through our hands on their way to someone else; this 2019 Dennis Tolz stayed. It belongs to Evan's personal collection, it has gone on stage with him for many concerts, and it is perhaps the most traditional-feeling doubletop we have ever laid our hands on.

Dennis Tolz builds some of the most sought-after concert guitars in the world. His wait list stands at 14+ years, and only a small number of guitars leave his workshop each year. Hear his guitars in the hands of David Russell, Thibaut Garcia, and Kevin Loh.

What makes this one so interesting is where it falls in his work. It was built in Berlin in 2019, while Dennis was still assembling his guitars on the solera, the traditional Spanish workboard, and just before he introduced the WaveGuide, the small internal tornavoz he now uses to lower the main air resonance of the guitar. Both changes came at around the same time, shortly after this guitar was finished, which makes it a snapshot of his work right before that turn.

Dennis has continued to develop his guitars in remarkable ways since, and his latest instruments are absolute works of art. Many players will prefer the qualities of those newer guitars, and we understand why. When a maker works at this level there is no better or worse, only guitars that sound different from one another. This one checks every box for Evan, and plenty of boxes for the players who come by and pick it up.

Reserve a Dennis Tolz

This guitar remains in Evan's personal collection.

We are proud to be one of the very few dealers of Dennis Tolz guitars. If you are looking to reserve one of your own, please contact us at info@guitarcollection.com.

The best way we can describe the sound is a Torres with a great deal more power behind it. The voice is very clear and full of color, with the character of a great traditional Spanish guitar and the added strength of a doubletop.

It is worth being plain about what this guitar is not. It is certainly not the loudest doubletop out there, and it is certainly not the most responsive. What it offers is a very clear sound, a wide palette of colors, and a feel under the hands that is far closer to a traditional guitar than most doubletops come. The main air resonance is E.

It is also simply very easy to play, on a 650 mm scale with a 52.5 mm nut. For Evan it is a guitar to feel completely at home with, which is why it has been his choice for so many concerts.

The top is a spruce doubletop built around a Nomex core, and the guitar is finished in French polish. The back and sides are a set of Honduran rosewood that is nothing short of miraculous to look at: glowing amber and orange, with darker figure running the length of the back.

The rest of the guitar is quietly elegant. The rosette is a set of concentric dark rings picked out with fine light and red lines, the bindings are dark, and the headstock is a clean, unadorned shape fitted with Scheller tuners. The label reads Berlin, 2019, and is signed by the maker.

Specifications

Top: Spruce doubletop (Nomex core)
Back & Sides: Honduran Rosewood
Finish: French Polish
Label: Berlin, 2019, signed

Dennis Tolz was born in 1985 and grew up in Berlin. He trained at the guitar making school at Newark and Sherwood College 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.

His doubletop concert guitars join traditional fan strutting and Spanish heel construction with modern composite technology. 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.

To hear Dennis talk about his work in his own words, watch our interview with him.

Excellent condition. This is a played guitar with many concerts behind it. Please see the photographs for a complete view of the instrument.