Design
Composite (Double) Tops
For the past few years I’ve been adopting the use of tops that incorporate an inner layer of honeycomb, commonly referred to as double-tops. Pioneered by Mattias Dammann (no relation to Dammann Custom Instruments) and Gernot Wagner in the late 90s, this method of top construction has gained significant popularity, particularly with the classical guitar community. By removing much of the extra mass from the middle of the top’s cross-section this technique leans on the principle that in bending the inside and outside of the top are subject to the most stress and strain while moving towards the middle approaches a neutral state. As long as the core material can couple both faces adequately, one ends up with a comparatively lighter and stiffer top which translates to a more responsive and often times louder instrument, all other things being equal.
In addition to the honeycomb (also referred to as Nomex for the resin used to impregnate the paper honeycomb), I also have recently been utilizing a style of hollowing utilized by makers such as Antonius Mueller and Glenn Canin where a pattern is routed into the top. This method achieves similar results in terms of volume and responsiveness but with a sound profile that is closer to a traditional top.
User-Adjustable Neck Joint
After growing tired of tedious adjustments at the saddle to get the action just right only to have it move again in response to the seasons, I started to look into adjustable neck joint designs. Initially inspired by Viennese guitars from the Romantic period by Stauffer and Scherzer, gradual improvements were made to operation, adjustability, durability, and stability until the neck joint has reached it’s current state of development and has been granted a US Patent: US 10,559,287 B2.
By inserting an allen wrench into an access point at the heel and rotating an adjusting bolt, the action can be instantly changed to dial in the desired string action. The fingerboard extension is cantilevered over the top to allow for this movement and additionally promote easier access to the high frets. The neck can also be translated forward and backwards as well as tilted to the treble or bass side to allow for adjustment to different compensation needs and instrument deformation down the road. Saddle height also becomes a function of sound instead of string angle geometry so the saddle is now solely a tool for shaping the sound instead of a factor in setup and playability. Being able to control the action with the turn of a wrench is a truly liberating experience for the player and I personally can’t imagine going back to a non-adjustable design.