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What I meant was maybe you could find one that had already been altered and as a result had lost a lot of it's value.
Originally Posted by Max405
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08-30-2018 05:37 PM
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This reminds me of Humphrey Bogart's ending line in The Maltese Falcon. What is it ? Bogey answers .... " The thing that dreams are made of "
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And another payment question: does 'cash' - cash make a difference ? I've been to guitar shows and personally watched guys count out 100's up to maybe seven thousand, but never saw an amount above that.
Would it help any, or are these high-end sellers immune to anything like that ?
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I found a demo on this guitar
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Well, Buzzy is not really doing it justice, which is not uncommon when sales folks attempt to demo acoustic archtops on camera for YouTube videos.
The rather hard edged, brassy sound is what I've disliked in the couple of D'Angelicos I've played. They've had a heavy sort of sound. I know that's heresy, but we all have our opinions, and of course I don't claim to be an expert on these.
This guitar sounds like it has very nice sustain but perhaps not much sweetness. Or perhaps it just needs a bit of TLC in terms of setup, a fresh set of lighter, more pliable strings, and more appropriate picking technique. Hard to tell.
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Originally Posted by QAman
Did I miss the setup line ?
that does not sound anything like what I imagined or would hope for at any price
Will
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"The rather hard edged, brassy sound is what I've disliked in the couple of D'Angelicos I've played. They've had a heavy sort of sound"
Interesting take RP,
I've found Gibson's and Epiphone's generally have that brassy quality though I have those in my collection. A big exception for me are the early 16" L-5's, by far my favorite Gibson acoustic archtops, but we've have that in common.
But what sets a great DA or DAQ apart from most production archtops for me is the full round sound that the great ones posess. They're not all great, but in general I prefer them.
Again, ymmv....
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Indeed we do, and I picked mine up after listening to that D'A just to confirm the difference. But it's not really fair. I have my '28 L-5 set up beautifully to my taste and I play it often. It's sweet and dynamic as hell, plus loud if you want it to be, but never at the expense of great tone. Originally Posted by wintermoon
The D'Aquisto and Monteleone sound really appeals to me, but the D'Angelicos not as much. Like I said - first, i've only played a couple, and second, I've never had one in my possession to set it up the way I like. And that is not likely to happen for obvious reasons. So I'm not passing judgment on something that other people revere and cherish. I just haven't had an appropriate personal experience yet to convince me otherwise.
Anyway I'm tempted to go over there to see if these impressions from Buzzy's playing hold true in my own hands. I do think I have a reasonably good ear, but I'm not saying I can tell everything from that video - far from it. It needs a player who knows how to finesse an acoustic archtop to really convey anything useful.
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At 21 seconds, Buzz says to himself, I should play some jazz.. insert Maj7 chord.. Originally Posted by QAman
Put some TI Jazz Swings on that guitar, play it with some feel, it will be a sweetheart.
The pickguard is just wrong though.
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Guys sorry but I had to clean my ears out so I clicked on this video. Fast forward about 5 minutes. That’s what they really sound like..
Everything in the world is OK once again.
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Oh dear God.....!!
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My two cents: D'As are coveted because they sound and play awesomely. Non cuts sound better.
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remember johnny smith being the true guitar genius he was, in every way, dropped out of his deal with guild guitars, because they wouldn't do the cutaway the way johnny saw d'angelico do it!!!..that was the dealbreaker..he walked away from the deal
a cutaway d'angelico style was johnnys grail...
later when johnny went to gibson, d'angelico got pissed off...he thought johnny gave gibson his secrets..didn't like it at all!!!
cheers
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I can dig it, vanilla or chocolate, whatever sound is more pleasing to your ear of course. I've played some 30s-50s acoustic L5's/Super 400's that I liked better than the equivalent DA. But there's a reason a nice NYer cutaway is north of 50K and its not just hype. Yeah, there's gonna be some well heeled collector cat that can pay that or more and not break a sweat, even though ii might be an average sounding guitar, but he heard they're the shizzle. In the end, sound, like most other things are subjective, however, it's all good and makes for great discussion.
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When I stumbled across the video of the DA that I posted - my impression was that it sounded quite bright and harsh as RP pointed out , and did not exude the round sweet tone commonly found on a DA.
Of course there could be many variables associated with this un impressive demo such as ; the string gage may be light ( remember it had a busted headstock) , the pick may be thin , the player , recording device and strumming location - just to name a few. Its quite obvious he is picking closer to the bridge , which produces a much brighter tone as opposed to the end of fingerboard, which gives you the warmth in tone.
Here is an example of exactly what I’m talking about in terms of picking location.
This is what a great DA sounds like
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Here is another video example of right hand picking location on Mel Bays DAquisto. The tone is pure and rich - as compared to picking closer to bridge.
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I would never spend $20k on a guitar. But I would spend $20k worth of guitars on a $20k guitar.
Make sense?
I did that when I bought my old L-5. Didn't dip into savings for a penny of it. However I'm at the point where I no longer have $20k worth of instruments that I'm willing to let go. I have curated a great collection of keepers, and I'm just committed to enjoying them now. The ones that will eventually be sold are worth anywhere from "not much" to a few kilobucks, but not enough in the aggregate to exchange for a D'A.
If your situation is different, then by all means, have at it!
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THis video is proof that the sound is mostly in the hands. Spend all you want there are sure to be subtle differences but at the end of the day you will sound just like you!
Originally Posted by QAman
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Two quick sound samples I hope they can help in hearing. Disregard the playing but one is for rythmn only. For those how want to know the guitar is set with .12-.52 roundwound strinds electric not bronze. Action pretty low by archtop standards 4/64 treble 5/64 bass. Most would call electric setup but guitar still has power and clarity. Done on IPhone so just a word of caution but hope gives an idea of the all acoustic sound.
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No question in my mind that Buzzy's playing and setup may not be showcasing the best that DA has to offer....
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SS, Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Agree %100 on Buzzy playing the guitar. I actually think because of the sound the guitar is now generating that a proper set up and playing and that Excel has excellent sound. Amazing how a good set up with proper strings and action...……..and of course sound is in the hands. Any guitar Kenny Burrell plays, sounds like Kenny Burrell.
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Mark, Originally Posted by deacon Mark
Beautiful DA tone !!! The "lap piano" -" thanks for posting.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk
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For giggles, here's a somewhat...uh...less expensive 17" cutaway archtop from 1950 something.
Compares OK in some aspects, highlights just how special a D'A is in others...
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Originally Posted by QAman
Tone is all in the hands.
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That Excel is too lightly strung, IMO.
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