-
Joe, that A-1 has been refinished, hence the price. For a player like yourself, that might be the one........
-
08-19-2015 02:14 PM
-
Here is another clip of my 48 DA in action:
The tune is a beautiful composition by the great Dutch jazz guitarist Stochelo Rosenberg.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
Marc
-
fws6,
I guess when I think about it, the guitars with thinner tops that have a 'faster', 'thinner' sound (with I believe less sustain) than those DAs did. Much like the Bourgeois A-500 I played a few months ago. Whereas the DAs shown here are very sweet, with more sustain.
-
Marc,
Both the guitar and the band sound really nice. Your guitar looks just like the one that my old guitar teacher had when I first took up the instrument. His guitar was a real beauty--and it sounded magnificent (like yours).
Never sell! Those D'Angelicos are the supreme examples of the luthier's art...top of the pyramid.
Also, if I may, you have the best pickup of all time on your guitar--the DeArmond 1100 Rhythm Chief.
-
Thanks Greentone! This guitar will not be for sale as long as I am drawing breath. And indeed, the Dearmond 1100 is the best of the best. The right pickup for a DA....
Cheers,
Marc
-
Here's Eddie Diehl talking about how he acquired his 1934 Style A.
Eddie worked on several arch tops for me, including some D'Angelicos. He is a gifted player and repair guy. His archtop work is absolutely superb and he is particularly expert at fret work. There are videos of him playing on You Tube which are worth spending some time with.
NotDave
-
Eddie did the following work on my 37 Style A D'Angelico:
Finish touch up
Fret job
New Bridge saddle
New Nut (I have the original)
Replaced tuners (I have the original)
Installed DeArmond 1100 pickup and endpin jack
The guitar looks great and plays like a dream. Eddie is a great luthier and a super nice guy.
-
Questions for those who know (paging fsw6, Stringswinger):
What would be fair market value for one of the early D'A 16-1/2" guitars?
Were the guitars with a lower bout in the 16-and-something-inches all Style A?
Thanks!Last edited by Eddie Lang; 08-20-2015 at 02:05 AM.
-
The 16 inch DA's are prototype Excels. They are essentially copies of the 16 inch Gibson L-5. Due to the shape of the headstock, they are known as "Snakehead" D'Angelicos. When John D'Angelico went to a 17 inch bout, he had three different levels of trim: Style A, Style B and Excel. Later he came out with his 18 inch model, the New Yorker. He also made a style A with a non sunburst back that he called the Style A-1.
Being a custom maker, there are many guitars that do not fit his usual model numbers that he simply called "Specials"
The 16 inch early DA's seem to sell for 10-12K or thereabouts.
-
As string swinger sais, Dangelico introduced his own designs (A, B, Exel, NYer) in 1935. Between opening his shop in 1932 and 1934 he only built Gibson L5 copies. Those are fine guitars and I got two of em ....
-
Fws6! You've got great guitars, but I am crazy about this guitar,. I immediately fell in love with it, for the guitar itself and its beauty, but also for the assossiation with Harry Volpe. I think that this is way cool! Unordinary in so many good ways!
-
Not only was John D (Jimmy too) the best archtop maker ever but as far as I can see no other archtop comes even close to the style of a real New Yorker. John D was a true artist also ! From that gorgeous headstock to the beautiful stepped tailpiece there isn't a archtop that will ever beat the styling of a New Yorker. Not even a Super 400 in all it's glory comes even close IMO. Sadly both John & Jimmy never made any serious money and just kind of got by through life. They did live their passions though kind of like Stringswinger who gave up the big bucks as a lawyer to follow his passion as a jazz guitarist. They did what they loved which IMO is much more important than a new Caddy in the driveway. I wish I could had met John D. Jimmy always told me he was a gruff old guy with a heart of gold. Though Jimmy's New Yorkers probably were more functional as a archtop they didn't hold a candle to the style of a John D New Yorker. His archtops were the benchmark. Their is a reason everyone copies them. Their is no way to outclass a real D'Angelico New Yorker and no new archtop will ever be able to. The best you could do is copy it. John D will always be "THE MAN".
-
John D was indeed the man, but he took a lot from Gibson and added his own touches.
aside from the obvious things like the shape of his f-holes and center dip peghead [which he changed later w/the broken scroll and pediment] he copied the Super 400 slashed block fingerboard inlays.
he took the idea of the Super 400 tailpiece and added the stairstep feature on top as well as other refinements.
quite a bit goes back to Gibson if you think about it.
-
Yes I guess you are right wintermoon. But hey we all steal ideas. John D took the ball and ran with it.
-
I guess we can say that everyone has stolen from LL / Gibson.
-
I think we ought not call it "stealing" but rather "developing".
Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
-
LL and Gibson set the bar. John D'Angelico set the bar a notch higher. Nobody has exceeded that bar for pure esthetic beauty, and most likely never will.
John D'Angelico was truly the Capo de tutti Capis of the guitar builders, past, present and future.
-
The original L-5 is a plain looking guitar, all things considered. But man is it perfect under the hood. Just like a Hauser, Fleta, or Conde. They don't need bling to sing!
I agree that the D'A New Yorker is a pinnacle of aesthetic archtop beauty among the work of the original makers.
-
NYer is definitely up there.
I like D'Aquisto's modern designs - Solo, Advance
Ken Parker's archtops are works of art. Mokume-gane hardware. He even built one with wood from The Tree. Arguably the most beautiful wood figure comes from The Tree.
Sakashta made some good looking, unique archtops as well.
-
can't help think that with time, jimmy d'aquisto will be seen as being the most important archtop guitar maker..he moved archtop design ahead eons in a very short period of time...he took tradition and ran with it..very innovative
aside from the historical copyists, i think jimmys work has far greater influence...any archtop made today with anything but traditional f holes (of which there are many) show his influence
regardless, two greats & with direct lineage...can't be bettered...
cheersLast edited by neatomic; 01-15-2016 at 05:52 PM. Reason: sp
-
John D'Angelico, Vincent Jimmy DiSerio and Jimmy D'Aquisto were indeed master luthiers certainly made some fabulous instruments in their careers. The nexus of the location of their workshop, popular musicians, popular music of the time period and recording industry (New York City) all aligned. The guitars were placed into the hands of top talent and were recorded for posterity. They also made a tremendous number of guitars (John more than Jimmy) so many still exist today.
That being said, did the craft of luthiery end in 1964 when John passed or 1995 when Jimmy did? I think not. I choose to believe that in lutherie, there is a continued evolution of thinking, techniques and mastery of the craft. It continues to this day, and today's masters build on the great luthiers of the past. I believe that it will continue on into the future. The masters of today happen to not be located in a time period where jazz is the popular music, nor are they physically located near the center of the recording world which is now dispersed.
It is natural to emotionally idealize the "greats of the past" (luthiers and musicians) and things in finite supply (e.g. The work of a diseased master). Very much like Stradivari and Guarneri learning from Amati being thought of as the "best ever". The story of Uncle Raphael Ciani training young John and John in turn training a young Jimmy is also a charming and nostalgic story. I have played a number of guitars by both John and Jimmy. Some were "good", some were "very good" and others were simply "sublime". Like all luthiers, some guitars that they produced were better than others. They made many and were human; not super human.
I believe that there are a number of luthiers practicing today who also have reached their own respective zeniths of mastery. The music is no longer widely popular and musicians find the cost of their work difficult to reach as a result. I think admiring the achievement of John, the innovation and bravery of Jimmy is a healthy thing. To say that no one today can produce a guitar that equals or surpasses their work is both a cynical but romantic dream.
My $.02
-
Yes I think of a Benedetto. Fantastic archtops yes but plain Jane. If he was building guitars across the street from John D in the 1950's and selling his guitars for the same price as John's who do you think would get more business ? And yes every single guitar maker build some good and some bad. I think of Gibson and I am a Gibson fanboy but have had just as many bad ones as good. I would never pay $20K for a new Benedetto but if John was alive today and making New Yorkers I would. I played a DAQ New Yorker for 30 years and know their magic. When I bought my New Yorker it was almost twice the price of a L5 and worth every penny. I really can't say that about a Benedetto but hey just my opinion.
I have only played 1 Benedetto in my life and it was just OK in my book. I like bling on my guitars like nice binding and tailpieces and some like their guitars plain vanilla. I am not talking about sound on this post. I am talking looks and nobody can beat the looks of a DA New Yorker period but yes their are many fine archtop builders making fantastic guitars today for sure and yes with better fit and finish than John or Jimmy produced.
-
Plain jane? Maybe the newer Benedetto's. The old ones were quite fetching. I wouldn't pay the asking price though. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
Last edited by HeyNow; 01-15-2016 at 08:10 PM.
-
was almost ready to dismiss that benedetto for all the "garish" inlay work..reminds me of cali alembic...but then i fixed on straight grain spruce top..fab..i think modern makers are much more concerned with the "ingredients"ie. woods, glues,hardware, etc...older luthiers winged it..is there a right or wrong?..not that i can figure..but i know what i do, and therefore what i like...wiiiiiinnnng it
cheers
-
The New Yorker is and always will be my dream guitar. It is to guitars what the Bugatti Veyron is to cars. I will never be able to afford either.
When I bought my Heritage D'Angelico, I was satisfied that it was going to be closest I'd ever come to it. When I bought my 1935 Excel, I realized the only similarity is in the looks. Nothing comes close to the real thing. The sound, the feel, the aura is unmatched.
The D'Angelico New Yorker. To me, It's just the best.
JD
Reply With Quote
(N-ishGD) - Schorr The Owl The Owl 7-string
Today, 08:10 AM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos