D'Angelico Excel Cutaway Arch Top Acoustic Guitar (1960)
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Item #13635
D'Angelico Excel Cutaway Model Arch Top Acoustic Guitar (1960), made in New York City, serial # 2117, natural lacquer finish, flame maple back, sides and neck, spruce top, ebony fingerboard, original brown hard shell case.
This stunningly well preserved beautiful blonde cutaway D'Angelico Excel from 1960 is a wonderful example of this builder's fully evolved work, a true piece of guitar making art and a simply fantastic instrument. John D'Angelico built these instruments individual players of his day but he really was building for the ages, each one standing as a unique creation. This guitar "excels" when played acoustically and could easily be adapted to amplification, demonstrating once again that the authentically legendary status held by this builder is no fluke.
In 1960 the Excel was one of two basic styles offered by D'Angelico, with many custom variations at the player's whim. This 17" model was not the most elaborate and expensive D'Angelico guitar; that distinction belongs to the 18" New Yorker. Still, many players preferred the smaller and easier to handle Excel; even after it was technically no longer the flagship model the Excel made up a large part of D'Angelico's production. He had first made cutaway instruments in 1947 following Gibson's lead and by the time this guitar was made, the rounded treble-side cutaway was a standard feature.
Each D'Angelico guitar was individually built to order often reflecting the player's personal preferences, but all shared the same high standards that characterize these purely handmade instruments. This Excel is from the period that saw the final flowering of D'Angelico's talents, when he was widely considered the premier builder of carved top guitars in the world, competing only with Gibson. After Jimmy DiSerio left the operation in 1959 the young Jimmy D'Aquisto was handling more of the major construction work. The workmanship on this guitar is a bit neater than the shop's earlier instruments, with more exacting detail while maintaining the purely handmade aspect.
By this point the original Epiphone company was gone, the Strombergs were dead, and most other builders had abandoned the carved top guitar in favor of purpose-built electrics. Even Gibson built only small numbers of their acoustic L-5C and Super 400C guitars in this period, and to many professional players a D'Angelico was superior to anything else available.
John's clients primarily consisted of working guitarists, both well-known names in the jazz and session/broadcasting worlds as well as now-forgotten players who worked the more prosaic restaurant, wedding, and "casual" gigs still common at the time. This guitar is noted in the D'Angelico ledgers as sold on September 22, 1960, to a name noted in printed transcriptions as "C. Maley," by the late 1950s the ledgers are somewhat spottily written by hand.
This blonde Excel is a typical instrument for the period. The back and sides are made of beautiful very tight-grained curly maple, with a subtler figure to the back and more strident flame on the sides. The X-braced top is carved from fine tight-grained spruce with the grain pattern opening up towards the outer edges. The top and back have 6-ply Celluloid binding inside a double wide outer layer, with a double side line. The f-holes are triple-bound. The body dimensions are exactly 17" at the lower bout width with a depth at the rim of just under 3"; this is a hair smaller than some Excels. The carved adjustable ebony bridge and engraved, gold-plated Art Deco tailpiece are typical D'Angelico fittings of the period. The multi-bound celluloid pickguard is an exact repro of more recent vintage, we believe made by Mirabella.
The one-piece maple neck has a 1 21/32" nut width and a 24 3/4" scale. The triple bound ebony fingerboard is ornamented with very neatly executed pearl block inlay. The neck has a medium-slim shallow "C" profile and is very comfortable to play, slightly wider than some. The triple bound headstock with a thick outer layer has the "D'Angelico New York" pearl script inlay at the top above the inlaid pearl block design engraved "Excel," and is crowned with the traditional finial at the peak. The tuners are the gold-plated Grover Imperials used on all of these guitars; there are two small pearl pieces inlaid into the back of the headstock, which is ebony veneered. The metal truss rod cover is a visual pun, mimicking the stepped silhouette of the New Yorker hotel on 42nd Street.
While set up in purely acoustic mode this Excel has served as an electric guitar in the past; a DeArmond Rhythm Chief pickup (with no controls) is in the case pocked and the holes for the bracket still in the fingerboard extension. This can be re-mounted if desired, but the pickguard would need to be adapted to fit it and whatever controls are desired. As it is this instrument has a fabulous acoustic tone, sweet, powerful and supremely well-modulated, simply one of the finest late-period D'Angelicos we have had the pleasure to offer.
Overall length is 42 in. (106.7 cm.), 17 in. (43.2 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 15/16 in. (7.5 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 21/32 in. (27 mm.).
This seriously beautiful guitar has survived 65 years on the planet with only very light wear, showing no major repairs or alterations. The original Celluloid pickguard disintegrated some time ago, fortunately it must have been removed early on so left only some faint discoloration on the top beneath the newer one. The lovely ambered blonde lacquer finish is completely original with no heavy wear, just small dings and dents overall and some minimal checking, mostly on the headstock.
The instrument has no visible cracks or repairs; a slight discoloration to the spruce grain on the top under the pickguard is the result of Celluloid off-gassing. The repro pickguard sits on an older bracket, well-worn and appropriate but not original to this instrument. There is another small stain on the top just below the fingerboard extension from the lacquer reacting to a pad under the DeArmond pickup once fitted. There are two small open screw holes on the side of the fingerboard extension; "Vampire bites" from this pickup installation. These could be filled, or the DeArmond remounted as desired. The bass side of the heel still has the "D'Angelico Strap Button" -- a small eyehook -- mounted in the original spot.
The elaborate multiple binding on this guitar shows no celluloid distress at all, not even any notable shrinkage which is delightful indeed. Except for the pickguard and bracket the hardware is original including the Grover Imperial tuners, engraved stairstepped tailpiece and carved ebony bridge. The guitar has been neatly refretted with fairly slim wire, probably due more to player preference than any fret wear. The bone nut was replaced as well.
This blonde Excel is visually stunning, plays effortlessly and sounds truly spectacular in the purely acoustic mode. All of John D'Angelico's instruments are special; this one is a splendid example of the later models when not only was John at the top of his form but Jimmy D'Aquisto was beginning to contribute more to their creation. This is certainly one of the best preserved of these still on the planet, a superb find in every way still in the original hard case. Overall Excellent - Condition.
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This stunningly well preserved beautiful blonde cutaway D'Angelico Excel from 1960 is a wonderful example of this builder's fully evolved work, a true piece of guitar making art and a simply fantastic instrument. John D'Angelico built these instruments individual players of his day but he really was building for the ages, each one standing as a unique creation. This guitar "excels" when played acoustically and could easily be adapted to amplification, demonstrating once again that the authentically legendary status held by this builder is no fluke.
In 1960 the Excel was one of two basic styles offered by D'Angelico, with many custom variations at the player's whim. This 17" model was not the most elaborate and expensive D'Angelico guitar; that distinction belongs to the 18" New Yorker. Still, many players preferred the smaller and easier to handle Excel; even after it was technically no longer the flagship model the Excel made up a large part of D'Angelico's production. He had first made cutaway instruments in 1947 following Gibson's lead and by the time this guitar was made, the rounded treble-side cutaway was a standard feature.
Each D'Angelico guitar was individually built to order often reflecting the player's personal preferences, but all shared the same high standards that characterize these purely handmade instruments. This Excel is from the period that saw the final flowering of D'Angelico's talents, when he was widely considered the premier builder of carved top guitars in the world, competing only with Gibson. After Jimmy DiSerio left the operation in 1959 the young Jimmy D'Aquisto was handling more of the major construction work. The workmanship on this guitar is a bit neater than the shop's earlier instruments, with more exacting detail while maintaining the purely handmade aspect.
By this point the original Epiphone company was gone, the Strombergs were dead, and most other builders had abandoned the carved top guitar in favor of purpose-built electrics. Even Gibson built only small numbers of their acoustic L-5C and Super 400C guitars in this period, and to many professional players a D'Angelico was superior to anything else available.
John's clients primarily consisted of working guitarists, both well-known names in the jazz and session/broadcasting worlds as well as now-forgotten players who worked the more prosaic restaurant, wedding, and "casual" gigs still common at the time. This guitar is noted in the D'Angelico ledgers as sold on September 22, 1960, to a name noted in printed transcriptions as "C. Maley," by the late 1950s the ledgers are somewhat spottily written by hand.
This blonde Excel is a typical instrument for the period. The back and sides are made of beautiful very tight-grained curly maple, with a subtler figure to the back and more strident flame on the sides. The X-braced top is carved from fine tight-grained spruce with the grain pattern opening up towards the outer edges. The top and back have 6-ply Celluloid binding inside a double wide outer layer, with a double side line. The f-holes are triple-bound. The body dimensions are exactly 17" at the lower bout width with a depth at the rim of just under 3"; this is a hair smaller than some Excels. The carved adjustable ebony bridge and engraved, gold-plated Art Deco tailpiece are typical D'Angelico fittings of the period. The multi-bound celluloid pickguard is an exact repro of more recent vintage, we believe made by Mirabella.
The one-piece maple neck has a 1 21/32" nut width and a 24 3/4" scale. The triple bound ebony fingerboard is ornamented with very neatly executed pearl block inlay. The neck has a medium-slim shallow "C" profile and is very comfortable to play, slightly wider than some. The triple bound headstock with a thick outer layer has the "D'Angelico New York" pearl script inlay at the top above the inlaid pearl block design engraved "Excel," and is crowned with the traditional finial at the peak. The tuners are the gold-plated Grover Imperials used on all of these guitars; there are two small pearl pieces inlaid into the back of the headstock, which is ebony veneered. The metal truss rod cover is a visual pun, mimicking the stepped silhouette of the New Yorker hotel on 42nd Street.
While set up in purely acoustic mode this Excel has served as an electric guitar in the past; a DeArmond Rhythm Chief pickup (with no controls) is in the case pocked and the holes for the bracket still in the fingerboard extension. This can be re-mounted if desired, but the pickguard would need to be adapted to fit it and whatever controls are desired. As it is this instrument has a fabulous acoustic tone, sweet, powerful and supremely well-modulated, simply one of the finest late-period D'Angelicos we have had the pleasure to offer.
Overall length is 42 in. (106.7 cm.), 17 in. (43.2 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 15/16 in. (7.5 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 21/32 in. (27 mm.).
This seriously beautiful guitar has survived 65 years on the planet with only very light wear, showing no major repairs or alterations. The original Celluloid pickguard disintegrated some time ago, fortunately it must have been removed early on so left only some faint discoloration on the top beneath the newer one. The lovely ambered blonde lacquer finish is completely original with no heavy wear, just small dings and dents overall and some minimal checking, mostly on the headstock.
The instrument has no visible cracks or repairs; a slight discoloration to the spruce grain on the top under the pickguard is the result of Celluloid off-gassing. The repro pickguard sits on an older bracket, well-worn and appropriate but not original to this instrument. There is another small stain on the top just below the fingerboard extension from the lacquer reacting to a pad under the DeArmond pickup once fitted. There are two small open screw holes on the side of the fingerboard extension; "Vampire bites" from this pickup installation. These could be filled, or the DeArmond remounted as desired. The bass side of the heel still has the "D'Angelico Strap Button" -- a small eyehook -- mounted in the original spot.
The elaborate multiple binding on this guitar shows no celluloid distress at all, not even any notable shrinkage which is delightful indeed. Except for the pickguard and bracket the hardware is original including the Grover Imperial tuners, engraved stairstepped tailpiece and carved ebony bridge. The guitar has been neatly refretted with fairly slim wire, probably due more to player preference than any fret wear. The bone nut was replaced as well.
This blonde Excel is visually stunning, plays effortlessly and sounds truly spectacular in the purely acoustic mode. All of John D'Angelico's instruments are special; this one is a splendid example of the later models when not only was John at the top of his form but Jimmy D'Aquisto was beginning to contribute more to their creation. This is certainly one of the best preserved of these still on the planet, a superb find in every way still in the original hard case. Overall Excellent - Condition.
