Julian Dammann, 2015

Julian Dammann’s guitars are among the hardest instruments in the modern classical guitar world to acquire, with a wait list well over ten years and only a handful circulating among top players. As the son of Matthias Dammann, the creator of the double top, Julian builds instruments that carry forward the lineage of one of the most influential families in guitar history. His guitars are now being played by leading international artists including Marco Topchii and Łukasz Kuropaczewski, both of whom record and perform on Dammann instruments around the world.

This 2015 cedar double top is a deeply expressive and immensely powerful concert guitar that captures everything players love about the Dammann aesthetic. It is impossibly lightweight, extremely responsive, and capable of enormous dynamic range with the slightest variation in the right hand. The sound is among the deepest and most resonant of any modern guitar we have played, with clarity and projection that stand alongside the finest examples of the double top tradition.

Specifications

Luthier: Julian Dammann
Year: 2015
Top: Cedar double top (four fan braces)
Back & Sides: Wenge
Construction: Doubletop
Scale Length: 650 mm
Fingerboard: Raised
Tuners: Sloane
Strings: D’Addario XTC45FF with normal tension nylon first string
https://ddar.io/guitar-collection
Condition: Very good; genuinely played with light wear, fully stable and structurally sound

Sound

This guitar offers one of the deepest, most responsive voices we have encountered on a classical instrument. The clarity and projection are strikingly reminiscent of the greatest Matthias Dammann guitars, evoking the sonorities heard on the Manuel Barrueco and David Russell recordings that defined the modern double top sound.

The sensitivity is extreme. Every nuance, every subtle shift in articulation, and every small change in nail angle is captured and transformed into expressive detail. Players with a controlled right hand will find a powerful partner here, and the guitar rewards relaxation, allowing beautiful, full tones to emerge with almost no effort. Dynamic control is astonishing: crescendos, decrescendos, timbral shifts, color exploration, and the shaping of long phrases all feel amplified by the design of the instrument. This is one of the most colorful double tops we have ever played, with a vast spectrum of voices that contradict any stereotype about modern construction lacking tonal variety. Volume is enormous; it is one of the loudest guitars on the planet, a characteristic that hardly needs mentioning for a Dammann but is nonetheless true.

Playability

The instrument is extremely lightweight and exceptionally lively under the hands, with a very low action that still leaves room for adjustment at the saddle. The 650 mm scale adds comfort compared with the 664 mm models built by Matthias Dammann.

Construction & Design

This cedar double top is built with four fan braces and minimal additional bracing, paired with wenge back and sides. Design details include a low profile bridge with tie block detailing that echoes the rosette, a raised fingerboard, a scooped heel in the style of Matthias Dammann, Sloane tuners, a Manuel Ramirez-inspired headstock shape, and a V-joint at the back of the neck, a hallmark of the Hauser lineage seen on both father’s and son’s guitars.

The rosette is unmistakably Julian’s, featuring small triangular motifs forming a circular mosaic filled with texture and subtle wood patterns best appreciated up close. Golden-yellow accents appear in both the inner and outer rings and continue along the bindings, echoing the visual language of his father’s work. The wenge back and sides are beautifully figured, and the label is elegant, signed, and dated 2015.

This instrument has been genuinely played and shows normal signs of use consistent with a professional-level concert guitar. Light scratches and handling wear are present on the top, and the back shows chest-area polish wear from regular playing. There are no structural issues: light lines visible in the top under raking light have been confirmed by the maker to be non-issues, likely inherent to the doubletop construction. The neck, relief, and action are excellent, with room to adjust at the saddle. A repolish would of course make the instrument look new again should the next owner choose. Overall it is in very good condition, fully stable, and performing at an elite level.