D'Angelico SS: yay or nay...?

[wmachine]

Since his thread was resurrected a year ago, I thought I'd pick it up another year later. I see some threads/posts about the EX SS, but little to nothing about the Deluxe SS. A couple years ago I bought one new, ridiculously cheap in closeout. Various colors with either stopbar or stair-step tails. Close examination of specs showed that while most colors had rosewood boards, a few had ebony. I saw the Electric Yellow had ebony with the stopbar and I could get
that one, so I did. With their Deluxe being the topline, I expected it to be good, and I'm not at all disappointed. Not a weakness I could find. Fit and finish is stellar. Plays smooth, has a great feel with the satin finish. It sings unplugged and plugged in. I'm not really surprised for a higher end Korean. I only wish the finish had some
transparency to let the wood grain peek through. Unfortunately it is opaque. But that is just a preference. It is still
a beauty.
Anyway, I can't make any comparison to the EX to contribute here.

[rsclosson]

I had one of the early ones. (Kent Armstrong pickups, no coil split and just the wood under the bridge instead of full semi-hollow like the later ones). I really liked it and the only reason it is gone is because I found my Ibanez and was blown away by it. To keep the happy equipment/happy marriage balance, the D'Angelico had to go. Had I not found the Ibanez, I would still have it.