About our Team

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.

Katie McCartney began a few years ago as an apprentice under Ray and has taken over shop operations and building.  Her visual art and design background inform her approach along with a deep love of nature, material and process.  Katie continues our tradition of building sustainably with local woods, prioritizing playability and tone and creating instruments that are a reflection of the landscape and ecology of Virginia.  Her greatest sense of satisfaction comes from knowing instruments leaving our shop are being played and enjoyed from stages to firesides and becoming part of a new musical story.