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Genuine vintage D'Angelicos are mostly in museums or the homes of collectors. Master jazz guitarist Eddie Diehl gigs with his DA (assuming he is still playing out). Here is a video about his DA:
I own three vintage DA's and sometimes gig with them. Here is a picture from a wedding date a couple of years ago of me playing my 1937 Style A:
I recently met a San Francisco based jazz guitarist, Gary Zellerbach, who owns two vintage DA's and uses them on gigs. Gary Zellerbach
On Tuesday April 18th, I will be joining Gary at his gig at Terroir Wine Bar in San Francisco 6-8 PM for a trio gig. We will both be playing vintage D'Angelicos on the gig. Terroir Natural Wine Merchant - 95 Photos & 340 Reviews - Wine Bars - 1116 Folsom St, SoMa, San Francisco, CA - Phone Number - Yelp
If any of you are in the San Francisco Bay Area and have always wondered about these rare guitars, come on by! Better yet, bring a video recorder and share it.
How often does one get to see and hear two D'Angelicos (real, vintage examples) in the wild these days?
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04-16-2017 09:54 PM
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IMO musicians like you, who play rare and valuable instruments such as D'As on select gigs, are rendering a needed public service. You give music fans the rare opportunity to see and hear these irreplaceable treasures at close range, unmediated by recording technology.
Kudos, Sir, Kudos!
In my gigging years, I played my best guitars 97% of the time. There were gigs where I resorted to lesser (read: worst case expendable) but those were the places I never re-booked, if they were mine, or accepted again, if someone else did the booking.
There was this one time....
But that's a long story for another time....
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Wish I could be there for the gig Mark. I'm sure the D'Angelicos will sound great. BTW, what's the pickup you're using? Looks kinda like a DeArmond RC-1100 but can't tell exactly from the picture. Also, you're looking very Djangoesque in the photo. Very debonair.
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Ed, that guitar has a vintage rc1100 on board as does my Style B. For My Excel, I use a vintage rc1000 with the monkey on a stick setup.
Originally Posted by archtopeddy
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I still have nightmares about playing gigs with my Snakehead D'A with an RC1000. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
1) There's no fix for the fact that its pickup field is not large enough to pickup all six strings.
2) That damned little input caused the 1/8" cable end to always come loose when I moved at all.
3) It always had some type of electronic noise (buzzing, hum, whatever) when I used any treble on my amp.
4) The rhythm guitar switch would cut the power in half when turned on, and produce a bad sound anyway.
5) The monkey bar attachment would always come loose, and cause the pickup and the volume control to move.
However, the DeArmond pickups have almost twice the output that the Guild reproductions have, and I got an unbelievably strong sound with my D'A through a PV Vintage amp with two 12" SRO EV speakers.
It was never the same when the PV died, and I replaced it with a 1970 SF Twin with the original Jensens.
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I am also a firm believer in playing out with extra special instruments. My Benedetto Cremona gets 99% of the work, my backup is a 05 Eastman John Pisano 880. If the gig looks sketchy for weather, ambiance or I just don't feel comfortable using the Benedetto the JP gets the nod. Also, there are certain situations where the Pisano just works better-the BC is no "Swiss Army Knife"
I totally applaud you Marc for keeping these vintage D'A's out there making music. You are a gifted player and to me, the point of owning something special is to able to use it for what it was created for. We are merely custodians of these fine instruments-hopefully my BC will be out there doing it's job long after I'm pushing up daisies!
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S/T, Originally Posted by SierraTango
I applaud you for sharing that Cremona with the world. I would bet that Bob Benedetto would approve. And you are quite right. We are only custodians of these great instruments. And very fortunate ones at that!
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I'm in contact with Mr. Bob and he's very pleased to hear one of his "babies" is out there working. As a side note, he has been doing gigs himself around the FL area where he lives and really enjoying himself.
Have a great gig!
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I would not normally gig with mine under the usual circumstances but I don't gig as such these days. The last gig I played with it, if that counts, I played at Mass a few years ago. Functioning as the Deacon for Mass leaves no time to play with the choir. Got me thinking I could dream up a way to bring it into the homily........use it for a prop......
ok you guys start brainstorming.
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Tonight is the night for the "dueling D'Angelicos". Gary will be playing his 1943 Excel and I will be playing the 1935 Excel that I bought from fellow forum member Max405 (Joe D.)
Come on by Terroir Wine bar in San Francisco 6-8 PM and see and hear these rare guitars in action!
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If it werent 5000 miles Id be there... Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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I too would like to go but a bit of a journey at 2000 miles.
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We should all pool our pennies together to get Joe D. on a flight from Newark Airport to witness his former baby in competitive combat! Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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Have a good gig! Expecting the videos now
!!
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i'd think an original d'angelico might qualify as a saintly relic!! haha Originally Posted by deacon Mark
cheers
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make sure you guys have a toast after to the old man on Kenmare St.
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>> How often does one get to see and hear two D'Angelicos (real, vintage examples) in the wild these days? <<
Sigh. Almost 6,000 miles from here. I wish you success!
Admittedly, two D'Angelicos are hard to hear on one stage at the same time. Though in my local area it would be possible - if not the one guitarist would be a diehard seven-string guitar player, reluctant to modify his D'A. Among other projects the two protagonists gig as a relaxed duo/trio/... since many years on a regular basis. The remaining one D'A can still be heard in the wild:
It seems every country has its own auratic objects. It's ok, IMO, if people are proud of their national devotional objects, as long as they do not lose the respect for the past or present "achievements" of others. The USA had North American P-51's and Lockheed P-38's, Germany had Focke-Wulf Fw 190's and Messerschmidt Me 262's. The US have/had Kodak and Cadillacs, Germany Leica and Mercedes, and so on.
As for guitars, in Germany it's harder to spot a Venetian-cut Lang live on stage than a D'Angelico - or some other almost unknown brands like, for example, a Pilar.
What did all these great craftsmen have in common, John D'Angelico, Artur Lang and Anton Pilar Jr.?
Right, they were trained as violin makers!
Apropos the Pilars, they do still exist in Berlin, unfortunately no longer making guitars: Anton Pilar - Werkstatt fur Geigenbau in Berlin Schoneberg .
Here a glimpse of a 17" Pilar made in 1948 during the Berlin Blockade (!). Can some imagine how Berlin looked like, back then?
Some think the Pilar sounds and feels every bit as fine as a comparable 1948 D'Angelico. The Naked Lady on the headstock can be "swung" to get access to the truss rod cover screw...
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Argh! I'm reading this about 12 hours too late. I would have forced my son who lives a few blocks away to go down there with his iphone. Any pictures or recordings? Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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Mark Originally Posted by deacon Mark
You are more than good enough to play for the choir I'd bet !
My suggestion:
Next time a priest is present - preferably of Italian descent, I would absolutely positively bring your D'A. with you, and ask him to bless it. If he doesn't know the story of the builders, for sure tell him.
Then politely ask the Man upstairs to help make the music you play on it always 'from the angels'.
Dennis
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Being a deacon I could bless it myself but the Italian wrinkle adds a bit more.
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