1935 D'Angelico Excel - I love this guitar

[Max405]

A great guitar in golden hands. Love your sound and your playing.
Thanks for sharing and keep on posting !

Fred, thanks buddy. I am a very fortunate man. Sharing is my pleasure. If I didn't have you guys, who else would appreciate this stuff. Thanks for always being a classy man, and having nice things to say to everyone.

Magnificent.
I ran outta gas yesterday, so after a rare good nights sleep I sat in bed with a double espresso and my headphones and enjoyed your clips. You can hear the amazing tone that only superb craftsmanship AND age via playing can produce.
You are Blessed Joe
Big

I so am big man.
I'll be even more blessed if I was having some flank steak grilled up with some baby portobellos after marinating in some Jim Beams for a couple days..
thanks for liking my stuff and always being a beacon of light around here.
Joe D

Possibly, though it's hard to imagine it could ever reach the heights of a D'Angelico. Anyway, I certainly won't be around to find out.
Just a stunning, stunning guitar, Joe. In all respects.

The funny thing is this 81 year old guitar has the truest neck out any guitar I have and, NO TRUSS ROD.. Cris Mirabella told me there is an iron t shaped beam inside the neck. Light and impervious to warping. The original advertisement from 1935 said, steel reinforced neck will never warp. He was right.
Thanks D for all your nice words.

That sounds great, how much better does it sound in person?

Hey, not much. The bluebird picks up everything very accurately. Nothing added and nothing lost. Maybe a little depth. Thanks Nick.

Thanks for sharing! I think you'll find flow works with all your guitars.

thanks for the tip. For me, I am constantly listening to the guitar while I play it. I don't do that with other guitars. Always listening for what makes this guitar special. Now that I've confirmed it with myself, the guitar has nothing prove.
Thanks for your post.

[Marty Grass]

Joe,

My man, that is just gorgeous. I would definitely buy your CD, and I mean it.

I'm surprised by a couple of things here. First, the string volume balance is spot on. That's no easy task. It requires a good relationship between the pickup and the strings. But to keep that balance as you go up and down the neck, it's primarily player's skill. Most of that skill is subconscious learning from compulsive practice.

The second thing I noted was the big sound you got out of those smaller round core strings. Bravo!

Lastly, your attack on each note was pretty mellow. I don't know how the hell you did that with a thin pick. Amazing. I wish I could. I tried long ago, but my teacher told me the Fender Thin is too thin and the Heavy is too heavy.

I learn from you with every recording you post. Don't ever stop. You give me hope.

[medblues]

TI12s don't sound like typical flat wound strings on this guitar, very interesting acoustic quality there.

[Max405]

Joe,

My man, that is just gorgeous. I would definitely buy your CD, and I mean it.

I'm surprised by a couple of things here. First, the string volume balance is spot on. That's no easy task. It requires a good relationship between the pickup and the strings. But to keep that balance as you go up and down the neck, it's primarily player's skill. Most of that skill is subconscious learning from compulsive practice.

The second thing I noted was the big sound you got out of those smaller round core strings. Bravo!

Lastly, your attack on each note was pretty mellow. I don't know how the hell you did that with a thin pick. Amazing. I wish I could. I tried long ago, but my teacher told me the Fender Thin is too thin and the Heavy is too heavy.

I learn from you with every recording you post. Don't ever stop. You give me hope.

MG,
You know, l've been trying to get you to buy one of these for some time now.
The qualities of this guitar are, freakishly great. I can't think of a time when it disappointed. When I sucked, it never did.
You have achieved tremendous success in your life. One of these guitars needs to end up in your hands. As someone who has experienced the best of the best, why not treat yourself. You have told me why and I don't agree. You deserve one of these..
I've been playing a thin pick forever. It's what I am comfortable with. It's like graphite shafted, regular flex golf clubs. Once you get used to the flex, that's all you can play.
It took me little to no time to get to know this guitar. So I really don't think it has any quirks that I overcome with technique. It's perfection, up down in and out.
I realize not everyone can be lucky enough to own one of these storied guitars. Most people will never experience one in there hands. So they don't know what makes them so special. I try and select songs to play on it so that the listener can HEAR with there own ears and formulate there own opinion.
MG, you are one the legendary figures around here. It's a honor to read what you write, each and every time. Thanks from the bottom of my heart. JD

[Max405]

TI12s don't sound like typical flat wound strings on this guitar, very interesting acoustic quality there.

The funny thing about TI12's is when they are somewhat new, they are very crisp and mellow and extraordinarily playable. Once they hit their end of life, it's downhill fast. They become thumpy and dead.
They can make a guitar sound great and then immediately shitty in a short period of time.
I know it sounds ridiculous, and has been deemed an old wives tale by some, but if you use the Vinny method and wait a full day before you trim them, they seem to last longer to me. I'm serious.
By the way, the sound of your Heritage Johnny Smith is very close to this guitar. It is seriously a world class instrument.
Thanks my good man.
Joe D

[medblues]

The funny thing about TI12's is when they are somewhat new, they are very crisp and mellow and extraordinarily playable. Once they hit their end of life, it's downhill fast. They become thumpy and dead.
They can make a guitar sound great and then immediately shitty in a short period of time.
I know it sounds ridiculous, and has been deemed an old wives tale by some, but if you use the Vinny method and wait a full day before you trim them, they seem to last longer to me. I'm serious.
By the way, the sound of your Heritage Johnny Smith is very close to this guitar. It is seriously a world class instrument.
Thanks my good man.
Joe D

I will try that, I will get bored of the Elixirs sooner or later and I have a few TI sets sitting on my shelf. After I bought the guitar, I wrote to you, rpguitar and MG and a couple other people about strings and purchased $250 worth of strings to slowly cycle through on the acoustic archtops.

Thanks.

[mr. beaumont]

Playing that guitar like it was meant to be played!

You gotta try Martin Monel on this. They are my favorite "vintage sounding" string.

[Max405]

Playing that guitar like it was meant to be played!

You gotta try Martin Monel on this. They are my favorite "vintage sounding" string.

thanks Jeff. I will check them out.
Joe D

[Stringswinger]

Joe, I think that you might single handedly cause the price of non-cut DA's to rise with these videos. The secret is out. These are the greatest guitars ever made. Your videos prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.

[Max405]

Bro, I think you beat me to the punch. You've been performing professionally with your pair, making them sound like gods guitars a lot longer than I've had mine.
If I didn't see your videos, I never would have done this. You remember us talking about me selling all my stuff including my watches and one of my kidneys in order to get a cutaway version. Then I saw you play yours and something clicked..
Joe D

[neatomic]

just for info..the martin monels are round wounds not flats...the only monel flat is the rotosound 12-54 set...

monels a nickel derivative..so, close to pure nickel (ala thomastiks) but with a little more midrange honk when new


cheers

[neatomic]

TI12s don't sound like typical flat wound strings on this guitar, very interesting acoustic quality there.

agree

that's the beauty of pure nickel thomastiks..very even toned..& tensioned..they make them with that in mind...warm yet full spectrumed

usa made stainless steel flats start out louder but soon get the thunk...which for the way joe d is playing it, wouldn't sound as nice acoustically

cheers

[lawson-stone]

Fred, thanks buddy. I am a very fortunate man. Sharing is my pleasure. If I didn't have you guys, who else would appreciate this stuff. Thanks for always being a classy man, and having nice things to say to everyone.

...

Joe,
Lots of people would appreciate that "stuff." You sure got me interested in (a) Barry Galbraith's arrangements and (b) trying my hand at playing one of the Joe Pass transcriptions out there. I can already imagine the way that will elevate my playing, and you doing such a lovely job with them encouraged me.

Who knows, maybe I'll have a Gibson to learn on...

[Mark M.]

That is it! I have not ever heard a better guitar sound than that, Joe. Really beautiful. And, you certainly do it justice. It's nice to see such a master instrument end up in such deserving hands.

[Max405]

Joe,
Lots of people would appreciate that "stuff." You sure got me interested in (a) Barry Galbraith's arrangements and (b) trying my hand at playing one of the Joe Pass transcriptions out there. I can already imagine the way that will elevate my playing, and you doing such a lovely job with them encouraged me.

Who knows, maybe I'll have a Gibson to learn on...

Thanks Lawson, For me, these great transcriptions are an accomplishment of a lifetime. I tried learning them 25 years ago. Forget about it, wasn't happening. I found, All you need is patience. It can take months. The repitition is the best practice and playing Joe Pass transcriptions will make you better. Thank you for being encouraged by my playing.
Yeah, I see a Gibson in your future. Very near future, in fact.
Thanks buddy.
Joe D

[lawson-stone]

Thanks Lawson, For me, these great transcriptions are an accomplishment of a lifetime. I tried learning them 25 years ago. Forget about it, wasn't happening. I found, All you need is patience. It can take months. The repitition is the best practice and playing Joe Pass transcriptions will make you better. Thank you for being encouraged by my playing.
Yeah, I see a Gibson in your future. Very near future, in fact.
Thanks buddy.
Joe D

Funny, I bought all those Joe Pass transcription books. Set them on my music stand. Years passed, and I still couldn't play like Joe Pass.

Now you tell me, oh, you have to PLAY those books.

I knew I was missing something. kind of like the weight-loss book that said eating almonds could suppress one's appetite. They did NOT say... NOT the chocolate-covered honey-roasted almonds...

Fine print. Gotta read it. I gotta play the books. ;-)

[Max405]

That is it! I have not ever heard a better guitar sound than that, Joe. Really beautiful. And, you certainly do it justice. It's nice to see such a master instrument end up in such deserving hands.

Mark, that was really nice of you to say. Thanks buddy.
When I was a kid, my father told me to just forget about D'Angelicos. He said they don't come to people like us. That rang in my head for over 40 years. I thought the day would never come. It would have sucked if I got one and it turned out to be a pig.. Luckily for me it didn't.
i still don't feel I have scratched the surface of what this guitar is capable of. I have a lot of work to do. I am looking forward to getting better.
Thanks again Mark.

[Burts]

Great sound and great playing!
Thanks for sharing.

Best regards,
Burts.

[Max405]

Great sound and great playing!
Thanks for sharing.
Best regards,
Burts.

Burts, thanks a lot. It was just guitar and microphone. A pile of nice wood shaped and glued together by the Babe Ruth of guitar makers 81 years ago that still has another 81 years of music left in it.
Thanks, Joe D

[Greentone]

Joe,

I am resurrecting this thread because I thought you'd like to see this clip of Keith Murch playing his D'Angelico Style B through a Polytone MiniBrute IV, using a DeArmond 1100 on an old TV clip. I think Keith has the tone slide switch clicked back to "dark." I would put it, at least, in the middle position, and maybe on bright with that guitar/pickup, but Keith is accompanying a soprano sax--so he probably wanted to stay in the background. Keith, of course, is a prodigiously talented guitarist--like you.

I thought you'd appreciate another guy who uses a D'A.

GT

[neatomic]

& a great thread to resurrect..i remember being on pins and needles waiting for it to arrive to joe D...talk about virtual reality! haha


how about another sampling joe D?



cheers

[Max405]

Thanks brothers. Right now I am almost done with Wait Till You See Her. I need higher fret access. In fact, I wish had a midtown Kalamazoo so I could take advantage of high fret access and the 23-1/2" scale.
I will put something together on my D'A Excel soon, I promise. I am honored that you guys wanna hear me. I promise I won't disappoint.
Keith is such a pro. Stringswinger is too. He has the same guitar. It is such an honor to be able to play one of these great guitars.
Stay tuned brothers.
Joe D

[neatomic]

joe D, sounds like you need one of mighty hank garlands original byrd"land" proto-types...23.5 scale

(my fave)



cheers

[rio]

Whoa. I missed this thread so I am glad it got resurrected. That guitar sounds killer! And of course tone is in the fingers and you make it sound good. What a beautiful sound.

[kris]

very,very nice!