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Add to CompareNew Dammann Mandocello Guitar, Osage Orange/Sitka Spruce
The folks at Dammann Stringed Instruments have leaned into the challenge of modernizing the mandolin family. With numerous ergonomic and playability innovations, these instruments play easily, and offer clarity and depth of tone. We recently landed our first Dammann Mandocello, here in a Jumbo guitar body, and already we’re impressed. Locally sourced Osage Orange back and sides, Sitka Spruce top, and a Cherry neck to keep things interesting. This beauty has 10 strings, and can be tuned from C to E, making this playable with the first eight strings as an octave mandolin, or the bottom eight strings as a mandocello.
They’ve also engineered an adjustable neck angle, so there’s no fear of a neck reset to keep the setup where you need it, and a short 24.5 inch scale for easy fretting and intonation. A small soundport in the upper bout gives the player a bit more “me in the monitors,” and Dammann’s shop-made piezo pickup delivers faithfully acoustic flavor to your amplified endeavors. With the fifth C course, you’ve got an ferociously dynamic tonal palette at your fingertips. Traditional fiddle tunes are a blast to pick out on this Dammann, but there’s also latitude for complex chords, new voicings to accompany your songs, and all the color and sustain a Jumbo guitar body provides.
Something altogether new, this Dammann Guitar Mandocello feels natural in your hands, and is the best choice for expanding your tonal horizons.Other keywords: guitar-bodied mandocello, damann, damman, 10-string, pin bridge, gotoh
SOLD Read moreScale Length 24.563 in Nut Width 1.75 in String Spacing 2 in Woods Spruce - Sitka, Osage Orange
Ralph built his first instrument, an electric bass guitar, in 1969. His second instrument became the bass he played professionally through most of the 1970’s. Ralph wanted an electric Bass that felt more natural to play – especially important for someone trained on a traditional double bass – so he designed and built his basses to hang upright and allow for greater (and easier) reach up and down the neck and, thus, better playability.
Ralph set up Dammann Custom Basses in 1997 to produce his custom ‘Vertical Bass’ in small volume. That business still exists with Ralph continuing to fine-tune the shape, balance and electronics for superior bass playing.
During the 80’s Ralph started playing the Octave Mandolin. Soon after he ordered a Mandocello, a standard four-course model, and promptly fell in love with it.
Ray is a trained luthier who came to work in Ralph’s shop in 2007. Ray was looking for somewhere to hone his instrument making skills, and Ralph’s fully equipped shop was the perfect place. Both Ray and Ralph are accomplished musicians and both share a love of fine woods and expert craftsmanship.
Initially, Ray worked making Ralph’s custom basses but also spent time designing and making a range of acoustic instruments in the shop – everything from guitars to violins. Ralph’s interest in the mandolin and mandocello continued to grow and he asked Ray to build a five course mandocello. Ray, being Ray, built several and the acoustic version was a revelation to Ralph. And so was born the Dammann five-course Mandocello.
Ray makes these instruments to sound full and balanced. His skill at balancing all the variables at play in the design of the acoustic stringed instrument is evident when the player picks one up. Dammann Instruments can be made to accommodate whatever combination of instrument woods you like, tweaking the sound in one direction or another but the player can rely on the finished instrument to sing like no other stringed instrument he has ever heard.