My D'Angelico guard

**fws6** · 07-03-2012, 06:08 PM

Still struggling to get it right but here is my first attempt at doing a D'angelico guard (1930s Excel)

**Spook410** · 07-03-2012, 06:41 PM

Looks really nice actually..

**Patrick2** · 07-03-2012, 07:03 PM

Based upon what I'm seeing on #1241 in the "D'Angelico, What's in a Name" book, the 3 inlay lines should be going upward from the outer edge instead of downward, as you have yours. Also, you two outer inlays are at staggered lengths. #1241 has them at equal lengths. But, I'm sure that John made several different designs . . . just as he did with his head stocks. You are probably copying from one that's just like you have done this one.

But, in any event, it looks great.

edit . . . picture added

**hot ford coupe** · 07-03-2012, 08:55 PM

Hey Frank, it looks just like you channeled John D'Angelico himself. It's beautiful. A very masterful job.

I tried to make one a few years ago and it also looked like John had done it also. The problem was it looked like he was still dead when it was made. My first attempt was also my last and it wasn't a good one. You do great work, my friend.

**edh** · 07-03-2012, 09:49 PM

Really nice work.

Where do you guys get the material to do this? Is it already laminated or do you do the lamination yourself?

**fws6** · 07-04-2012, 02:15 AM

Originally Posted by Patrick2

Based upon what I'm seeing on #1241 in the "D'Angelico, What's in a Name" book, the 3 inlay lines should be going upward from the outer edge instead of downward, as you have yours. Also, you two outer inlays are at staggered lengths. #1241 has them at equal lengths. But, I'm sure that John made several different designs . . .

Hey Patrick you have a very keen eye ! Yes the guy who did the engraving took my drawing but then put the longer and shorter line on reversed. He did a great job engraving but oviously had no idea as to what it was or what it should look like. Still if I look at the guitars that Larry Wexer has on his website right now, he has three early 1930s excels for sale. And all three of those are different also. One has the engraving all the way across. Another has 4 lines in stead of three. So indeed I think the original DAs are a bit different all the time too.

**fws6** · 07-04-2012, 02:20 AM

Originally Posted by hot ford coupe

The problem was it looked like he was still dead when it was made.

Ha ! Seen the artwork I have seen from your hand (and even own; the picture on my L5 case !) I am sure you did a pretty good job Jeff. Still, these stay te hardest to do. I now can do Gibson Guards and Epiphone guards rather easily. But the DA design with the curve and stairstep are so elaborate I always goof up somewhere. This one came out pretty nice but still on closeup there definately remain some mistakes. I have been doing this for just half a year now so need plenty of practice to improve my handywork skills further.

**fws6** · 07-04-2012, 02:25 AM

Originally Posted by edh

Really nice work.

Where do you guys get the material to do this? Is it already laminated or do you do the lamination yourself?

I sell this material myself in a dozen different tortoise designs. If you are interested send me a PM. It is 1/8 thick fully tranparent old fashioned cellulose acetate. It is one ply, so not laminated ! It is not the Fender type laminated material. Also have a couple of modern day acrylic materials.

**hot ford coupe** · 07-04-2012, 05:04 AM

Originally Posted by fws6

Ha ! Seen the artwork I have seen from your hand (and even own; the picture on my L5 case !) I am sure you did a pretty good job Jeff. Still, these stay te hardest to do. I now can do Gibson Guards and Epiphone guards rather easily. But the DA design with the curve and stairstep are so elaborate I always goof up somewhere. This one came out pretty nice but still on closeup there definately remain some mistakes. I have been doing this for just half a year now so need plenty of practice to improve my handywork skills further.

If you do an upclose look at a lot of the bindings John D. did, you'll see his work wasn't exactly perfect either. It says somewhere in Aquired of the Angels that John's work tended to be a little sloppy at times. I heard from another source a number of years ago that when he joined the wood for the top, the edges weren't planed exactly and on a few examples, he forced the wood together. Years later, the seam opened up but it was fixable. The work on your pickguard is no where near the term sloppy. If you aged it, I would have assumed it was an original. It's definitely as good as the repro guards on quite a few D'As. When I did mine, (I tried to reproduce the pick guard on a 1930s non cut New Yorker but the guy that gave me the materials gave me the cheapest crap he could find. I didn't have the right glue either.

**Patrick2** · 07-04-2012, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by fws6

Hey Patrick you have a very keen eye ! Yes the guy who did the engraving took my drawing but then put the longer and shorter line on reversed. He did a great job engraving but oviously had no idea as to what it was or what it should look like. Still if I look at the guitars that Larry Wexer has on his website right now, he has three early 1930s excels for sale. And all three of those are different also. One has the engraving all the way across. Another has 4 lines in stead of three. So indeed I think the original DAs are a bit different all the time too.

John was very inconsistent in his aesthetics. I believe that was intentional. I remember Jimmy D'Aquisto once saying (in an interview) John really disliked the concept of having every guitar identical.

Regarding your pick guard, I actually thing the reversed lines work better that the ones with those three lines going upward. It would follow the natural aesthetic flow of the guitar far better. Maybe one of the computer genious members could photo shop or super impose your pick guard on the picture I posted.

**DaveS** · 07-04-2012, 10:18 AM

Originally Posted by Patrick2

Based upon what I'm seeing on #1241 in the "D'Angelico, What's in a Name" book, the 3 inlay lines should be going upward from the outer edge instead of downward, as you have yours. . . .

It sure looks like part of D'Angelicos original thinking was to camouflage or mask the rather large screwheads from the attach block and side bracket ... not sure if the downward facing lines would do that. But great job on the reproduction!

**hot ford coupe** · 07-04-2012, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by Patrick2

Regarding your pick guard, I actually thing the reversed lines work better that the ones with those three lines going upward. It would follow the natural aesthetic flow of the guitar far better. Maybe one of the computer genious members could photo shop or super impose your pick guard on the picture I posted.

Let me take a whack at that. I use Photoshop. I don;t know how long it will take me since I'm no genius at the computer.

**hot ford coupe** · 07-04-2012, 02:47 PM

Howziz?

Looks pretty good to me, a lot better than the other way.

**fws6** · 07-04-2012, 03:25 PM

Patrick - now I see what is my confusion . I thought you were referring to the angle that the top of the lines make. That is a bit skewed on mine and i was discussiong that with the engraver so I was a bit pre occupied. Thats why I said you had a keen eye.

But you did not mean that at all. You mean the overall angle of the line pattern as a whole. I think the angle I did the 'normal' way . The one you show from the book actually is a (very) odd one out. Perhaps because that is a tenor ? There are endless variations in number of lines, and length, but that pattern is totally awkward mine is the common way seen on nearly all the guitars

Heres some others to show

Inded