D'Angelico NY-2 (Vestax) Wanted

[teleman3726]

Hi
If anyone has a D'A NYL-2 (Vestax) for sale please send me a private message. My strong preference is for one in blonde, complete with the OHSC.
I'm in the US, so anything outside of there (perhaps with the exception of Canada) would make the overall cost prohibitive.
Thanks to all who read and replied.

[JohnW400]

Is this what you're looking for?

D'Angelico (Vestax) New Yorker NYL-2 Blonde > Guitars : Archtop Electric & Acoustic - Golden Age Fretted Instruments | Gbase.com

[spiral]

I prefer blonde guitars as well, but have you seen this prettiness?

http://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/guita...yl-2-sale.html

[teleman3726]

Yeah, I saw the blue one - very nice. But I prefer blondes.
I also saw the one at Golden Age and they are in contact with me. It has a few dings, etc., so I'm not sure.
If anyone knows others that have what I'm looking for, please suggest it. I'll keep looking, too.
Thanks.

[spiral]

Just saw this. Seems pricey.
2001 D'Angelico Vestax New Yorker NYL-2 Natural > Guitars : Archtop Electric & Acoustic - Underground-Vintage | Gbase.com

[Dennis D]

Originally Posted by JohnW400

Is this what you're looking for?

D'Angelico (Vestax) New Yorker NYL-2 Blonde > Guitars : Archtop Electric & Acoustic - Golden Age Fretted Instruments | Gbase.com

Wow - with a look like this and a price like this FWIW it'd have to have be really beat up not to be worth what he's asking. Is this a solid top or laminated ? Did they reference that in the serial number somehow ? Good luck !! Dennis

[teleman3726]

Originally Posted by spiral

Just saw this. Seems pricey.
2001 D'Angelico Vestax New Yorker NYL-2 Natural > Guitars : Archtop Electric & Acoustic - Underground-Vintage | Gbase.com

Yes, it's a very nice looking guitar but that price is quite high.

[hot ford coupe]

Originally Posted by Dennis D

Wow - with a look like this and a price like this FWIW it'd have to have be really beat up not to be worth what he's asking. Is this a solid top or laminated ? Did they reference that in the serial number somehow ? Good luck !! Dennis

If it's the Vestax NYL-2, it has a solid top but the top is pressed, not carved. They did make one early on with a solid carved top but I'm sure this one is not one of those. Those are rare as hen's teeth. Unless that guitar is dead mint, never played with tags, etc. intact i.e. new old stock, the price is way too much especially if the dealer won't haggle. If he will haggle, you may be able to get the price down as I've been able to do with a number of dealers but as the buyer, I'd still beware. I didn't look but does that dealer have a decent approval period with a good return policy? That way, you can try the thing, see it up close and personal, and critique it with some assurance you won't get burned. Otherwise, I'd stay the hell away from that thing.

[teleman3726]

Originally Posted by hot ford coupe

If it's the Vestax NYL-2, it has a solid top but the top is pressed, not carved. They did make one early on with a solid carved top but I'm sure this one is not one of those. Those are rare as hen's teeth. Unless that guitar is dead mint, never played with tags, etc. intact i.e. new old stock, the price is way too much especially if the dealer won't haggle. If he will haggle, you may be able to get the price down as I've been able to do with a number of dealers but as the buyer, I'd still beware. I didn't look but does that dealer have a decent approval period with a good return policy? That way, you can try the thing, see it up close and personal, and critique it with some assurance you won't get burned. Otherwise, I'd stay the hell away from that thing.

You're right, HFC: far too much, and I suspect it's not one of the hen's teeth you refer to. I decided against this type of D'A and bought a Campellone Deluxe. It's a good guitar, and I'm happy with it.
FWIW, good comments about the reputation of the retailer and his return policy. I was about the purchase a Campellone Special that was being sold by a private individual (actually through someone else). And that someone else at least had the good conscience to show me one of the pics that was not included in the original selection.
He called it checking. It didn't look like checking to me, so I sent the pic to Mark, and he wasn't sure but thought it strange that it was so localized.
Long story short, it looked like the guitar was dropped or something wacked it pretty good. I also got suspicious when he said the guitar wasn't really one you wanted to play acoustically. Ha!

[Jabberwocky]

Ha, I nearly bought that Campy Special! The seller wouldn't budge on the price and it probably saved my butt.

[teleman3726]

Yeah, probably. I didn't play the guitar and maybe I was being overly cautious. But when there's no return policy, the seller wants funds wired to an account, you're theoretically SOL if there's a surprise. When I saw those marks and that there are some nice Campellone's on the market every once in a while it really wasn't worth going that route.
Did you find one eventually? Or are you still looking?

[teleman3726]

Originally Posted by Dennis D

Wow - with a look like this and a price like this FWIW it'd have to have be really beat up not to be worth what he's asking. Is this a solid top or laminated ? Did they reference that in the serial number somehow ? Good luck !! Dennis

Yes, that one looks quite good and John - the owner of Golden Age - is a well-known and reputable dealer in the NYC-NJ area. He has a 72-hour return policy.

[Patrick2]

Originally Posted by teleman3726

Yes, that one looks quite good and John - the owner of Golden Age - is a well-known and reputable dealer in the NYC-NJ area. He has a 72-hour return policy.

John Reynolds is indeed a top shelf guy. If you do visit his store . . . don't be so sure you're gonna leave with what you intended to buy. He has quite a few (many) great arch tops there. Your decision just might be swayed!!

[JohnW400]

+1 for Golden Age. I was there about 6-7 years ago. Nice Little shop. I'll bet it's packed with stuff now.

He has some Campellones as well as Mandolin Brothers. They have a few Standards.

I have 4 archtops. The only one I would NEVER sell is my Campellone.

Honestly I was gasin for the Collings CL and/or the Comins Portmaster but before I would buy either I would call Mark to see If he could make one for me.

[Jabberwocky]

Originally Posted by teleman3726

...
Did you find one eventually? Or are you still looking?

I am saving up for an Andersen; it is more my kind of archtop. And I really like dealing with Steve directly. Different strokes for different folks and all that.

[Patrick2]

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky

I am saving up for an Andersen; it is more my kind of archtop. And I really like dealing with Steve directly. Different strokes for different folks and all that.

"you have chosen . . . . . . wisely"

[teleman3726]

Originally Posted by JohnW400

+1 for Golden Age. I was there about 6-7 years ago. Nice Little shop. I'll bet it's packed with stuff now.

He has some Campellones as well as Mandolin Brothers. They have a few Standards.

I have 4 archtops. The only one I would NEVER sell is my Campellone.

Honestly I was gasin for the Collings CL and/or the Comins Portmaster but before I would buy either I would call Mark to see If he could make one for me.

I ended up buying a Campellone Deluxe from John. Played its first gig Thurs night. Couldn't be happier.

[Dennis D]

Originally Posted by teleman3726

I ended up buying a Campellone Deluxe from John. Played its first gig Thurs night. Couldn't be happier.

Congratulations! Every Campellone I have seen makes me want to play one. Eventually I hope I can. I have a budget question, please -- with that particular D'A at approx. $2500., wasn't that Campellone around twice as much money? No matter what, enjoy it !! Dennis

[teleman3726]

Originally Posted by Dennis D

Congratulations! Every Campellone I have seen makes me want to play one. Eventually I hope I can. I have a budget question, please -- with that particular D'A at approx. $2500., wasn't that Campellone around twice as much money? No matter what, enjoy it !! Dennis

Thanks, Dennis. The Campy is amazing. It was a little less than 2x the price of the Vestax but thankfully I have a cool wife who thinks its funny that I have GAS. She says she'd rather I blow $ on guitars than booze and drugs or casinos. Ha! (And, no: she doesn't have a sister, sorry.)

[JohnW400]

If you're still looking I spotted this today


2001 D'Angelico Vestax New Yorker NYL-2 Natural > Guitars : Archtop Electric & Acoustic - Underground-Vintage | Gbase.com

[hot ford coupe]

Originally Posted by JohnW400

If you're still looking I spotted this today


2001 D'Angelico Vestax New Yorker NYL-2 Natural > Guitars : Archtop Electric & Acoustic - Underground-Vintage | Gbase.com

That's the same axe but with a much better price. BTW, I have a sunburst Vestax D'A but it played like a dog. Last month I did a complete setup and really spent some time with the guitar. Now the thing plays like a complete dream and sounds incredible. The Vestax guitars are pretty good instruments but they just need a good setup which they don't seem to do at the factory.

[spiral]

Also in case... I played this one last week:
D'Angelico NYL-2 New Yorker Sunburst Circa 2000 - Chicago Music Exchange

It was pretty nice but i could think of a few other things i would like for that cash. To be fair, CME would probably flex on the price.

[hot ford coupe]

Originally Posted by spiral

Also in case... I played this one last week:
D'Angelico NYL-2 New Yorker Sunburst Circa 2000 - Chicago Music Exchange

It was pretty nice but i could think of a few other things i would like for that cash. To be fair, CME would probably flex on the price.

You're right. The price is still a bit on the high side but relatively fair. If I were to buy that, I would definitely ask them to flex on the price. They're still pretty good guitars even for the high price. It depends on how much a buyer likes that D'A vibe. I'd save some of my cash and apply it toward a custom Heritage Golden Eagle.

[teleman3726]

Originally Posted by hot ford coupe

You're right. The price is still a bit on the high side but relatively fair. If I were to buy that, I would definitely ask them to flex on the price. They're still pretty good guitars even for the high price. It depends on how much a buyer likes that D'A vibe. I'd save some of my cash and apply it toward a custom Heritage Golden Eagle.

I've never played a Golden Eagle. I've seen clips on Youtube and it really looks and sounds like a nice archy.
FWIW, the blonde Vestax that was originally being sold for just under $4K (can't recall the dealer but you can find it easily on Gbase) has now put the price to the low $2K range. He even emailed me recently, indicating the adjustment.
Given the shitty state of this economy, I beginning to wonder more and more how much of a buyer's market it really is in archtops of a certain kind. I've seen many simply hanging around for almost a year before being sold.

[hot ford coupe]

Originally Posted by teleman3726

I've never played a Golden Eagle. I've seen clips on Youtube and it really looks and sounds like a nice archy.
FWIW, the blonde Vestax that was originally being sold for just under $4K (can't recall the dealer but you can find it easily on Gbase) has now put the price to the low $2K range. He even emailed me recently, indicating the adjustment.
Given the shitty state of this economy, I beginning to wonder more and more how much of a buyer's market it really is in archtops of a certain kind. I've seen many simply hanging around for almost a year before being sold.

You're definitely right about things sitting around. About 7-10 years ago, I could take an instrument to Gruhns and within 3-4 months, it was gone and I had cash in hand. If you wanted a cool archtop you saw, you had to jump right on it or else someone bought it out from under you. Now, you put an archtop up for sale at a reasonable price and the thing sits like a dust bunny under a 2 ton couch. Gruhn himself said the archtop market has cooled off drastically. To me, the whole musical instrument market has fallen apart. You still won't get D'Angelicos at pre 1985 prices but you can find a lot of good stuff at much better prices. I wonder how far you can push the dealer to get to a bottom line.

I almost forgot. If you tried a Golden Eagle, I'm sure you'll really like it. It's like playing a good Gibson if it's set up well. If you want something acoustically good, you'd get the instrument with the tap tuned top and back with the floater. It's much more expensive than the D'A but better.

[teleman3726]

Originally Posted by hot ford coupe

You're definitely right about things sitting around. About 7-10 years ago, I could take an instrument to Gruhns and within 3-4 months, it was gone and I had cash in hand. If you wanted a cool archtop you saw, you had to jump right on it or else someone bought it out from under you. Now, you put an archtop up for sale at a reasonable price and the thing sits like a dust bunny under a 2 ton couch. Gruhn himself said the archtop market has cooled off drastically. To me, the whole musical instrument market has fallen apart. You still won't get D'Angelicos at pre 1985 prices but you can find a lot of good stuff at much better prices. I wonder how far you can push the dealer to get to a bottom line.

I almost forgot. If you tried a Golden Eagle, I'm sure you'll really like it. It's like playing a good Gibson if it's set up well. If you want something acoustically good, you'd get the instrument with the tap tuned top and back with the floater. It's much more expensive than the D'A but better.

Agree on all accounts.
Several months ago there was a post about which archtops would appreciate the most over the next 10 years or so, and there were all kinds of responses (mostly from dudes promoting their own, LOL).
But one of the responders put the issue in the context of a generational thing (boomers have money, etc.), as well as a function of also easy monetary policy, which is designed to lift prices for almost all items (inflation).
He said that there could be a day when the appetite for these sorts of guitars would simply drop off, and wondered whether the name Gibson, or a guitar was made in the USA, would really carry that much weight for, as an example, an Asian buyer.
Who knows? But it made me wonder if we are at the beginning of such a point in time? Economies change, buying habits do, too.
I agree about vintage D'A's never really losing their buying audience - there's just simply not enough of them around. And those that are in quality condition will continue to fetch a good price.
The only problem with really trying to force down a retailer is that his inventory costs are usually quite low. Guitars can be stored elsewhere. They don't spoil like a vegetable. Oftentimes they are being sold on consignment, so the retailer doesn't really have to move the guitar quickly to cover his payables.
I'll try a Golden Eagle soon. Thanks for the tip.

[Patrick2]

Originally Posted by teleman3726

Agree on all accounts.
Several months ago there was a post about which archtops would appreciate the most over the next 10 years or so, and there were all kinds of responses (mostly from dudes promoting their own, LOL).
But one of the responders put the issue in the context of a generational thing (boomers have money, etc.), as well as a function of also easy monetary policy, which is designed to lift prices for almost all items (inflation).
He said that there could be a day when the appetite for these sorts of guitars would simply drop off, and wondered whether the name Gibson, or a guitar was made in the USA, would really carry that much weight for, as an example, an Asian buyer.
Who knows? But it made me wonder if we are at the beginning of such a point in time? Economies change, buying habits do, too.
I agree about vintage D'A's never really losing their buying audience - there's just simply not enough of them around. And those that are in quality condition will continue to fetch a good price.
The only problem with really trying to force down a retailer is that his inventory costs are usually quite low. Guitars can be stored elsewhere. They don't spoil like a vegetable. Oftentimes they are being sold on consignment, so the retailer doesn't really have to move the guitar quickly to cover his payables.
I'll try a Golden Eagle soon. Thanks for the tip.

teleman3726 . . . I noticed that you're from New York. I'm the Heritage rep in the New York area. If you're serious about trying a Golden Eagle, PM me and I'll hook you up. By the way . . this thread started about D'Angelico guitars made by other builders. The guitar in my avatar is a Heritage made D'Angelico New Yorker. I have an Excel also.

[Patrick2]

Based upon the PM I received from teleman3726, it appears that the wording of my post above might have led him to believe that either or both of my beloved D'Angelico guitars, which were ghost built by Heritage, might be up for sale. Apologies!! That was not my intent. Neither is for sale . . at this time . . . with this disclaimer;; We all know that as a collector . . . everything is for sale always. However, I am not yet done enjoying these 2 marvelous pieces. Of course I would sell either, or even both. But, the FIRM asking price price would be a deterent to anyone who doesn't want these guitars as much as I currently do. So, I'm not currently offering them for sale. Apologies if my post was misleading. These guitars are not in the same league . . . or even on the same planet as those from Japan or Korea. They are more in line with the ones that were ghost built by Arturo Valdez, Jim Triggs and lastly Micheal Lewis. Heritage built only about a dozen or so of these guitars. The list price on the Heritage D'As was $11,000 . . . that was back in the early to mid 1990s. The last known price for a Michael Lewis ghost built D'A was over the $20,000 mark. There is currently a Michael Lewis D'A on ebay, used, for $21,500.

[hot ford coupe]

Those prices are way out of my budget. Enjoy those D'As Patrick. I'd love to hear what they sound like sometime.

[teleman3726]

Originally Posted by Patrick2

Based upon the PM I received from teleman3726, it appears that the wording of my post above might have led him to believe that either or both of my beloved D'Angelico guitars, which were ghost built by Heritage, might be up for sale. Apologies!! That was not my intent. Neither is for sale . . at this time . . . with this disclaimer;; We all know that as a collector . . . everything is for sale always. However, I am not yet done enjoying these 2 marvelous pieces. Of course I would sell either, or even both. But, the FIRM asking price price would be a deterent to anyone who doesn't want these guitars as much as I currently do. So, I'm not currently offering them for sale. Apologies if my post was misleading. These guitars are not in the same league . . . or even on the same planet as those from Japan or Korea. They are more in line with the ones that were ghost built by Arturo Valdez, Jim Triggs and lastly Micheal Lewis. Heritage built only about a dozen or so of these guitars. The list price on the Heritage D'As was $11,000 . . . that was back in the early to mid 1990s. The last known price for a Michael Lewis ghost built D'A was over the $20,000 mark. There is currently a Michael Lewis D'A on ebay, used, for $21,500.

Sorry for the misuderstanding on my part. I tend to read too quickly and often assume that everything is for sale. Nice pics of the D'A, btw.
Chris