Flammang

The name Flammang derives from Luxembourg, a grand duchy in Europe bounded by Belgium, Germany and France. Did you know this country has only 998 square miles, with a population of under 400,000 which is about the same as Staten Island? This maker's name is pronounced with the accent on the second syllable. Flam-mang! I know it's hard to believe (and to say) but soon this word will become part of the standard vernacular -- the generic synonym for "fine acoustic flattop." David Flammang, however, is not from the grand duchy, himself, he works in East Hampton, Connecticut but is originally from Waterloo, Iowa, the 8th of 9 children, who was destined to be a woodworker. The summers of his youth, an article in the October issue of Woodshop News says, were spent building houses with his father. After giving college a try he worked with his brother, Paul, for another dozen years in trim carpentry which involves doing high-level finished woodwork in homes: the moldings and the cabinetwork. Although David built his first guitar in 1988 it took him until 1996 to begin constructing them full time, including the time he spent making guitars under the Euphonon brand for Walter Lipton of Orford, New Hampshire. "My guitars are about balance, appearance and tone," he modestly says. One of his guitars was played by Donna Martin at the Lilith Fair performances and many are used by singer-songwriters on the east coast. A CD album is planned featuring various artists, each of whom owns and will use his or her Flammang in the recording studio. We'll provide details as they come out of our Telex machine, the one that you hear clicking constantly in the background when you phone us. Production so far has been 39 guitars under the Flammang brand name, each displaying the lower case "f" logo on its headstock, simple yet elegant, understated, just like his guitars, and inlaid in mother of pearl.

5-23-05