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10 years ago, I purchased my 1948 D'Angelico Style B. It had a Gibson style pickguard (I assume the original had deteriorated) and that pickguard was beginning to deteriorate itself. I contacted Chris Mirabella about making me a new one and the price was $300 plus shipping. I put that on hold and bought an allparts Gibson style guard for $50 and called it a day (It worked and that is a priority for me). I figured that eventually I would spring for a D'Angelico style guard. I put the vintage Gibson guard in a plastic bag, figuring to store it for posterity sake (why, I am not sure, it clearly was not original and was no longer of any practical use). Eventually the gassing was so bad that the plastic bag was melted in spots. I took the old guard outside and pulverized it into dust fearing a potential fire hazard. I safely disposed of the dust.
A couple of months ago, I saw some ads on this forum for some repro DA guards being sold by esteemed forum member Deacon Mark (who I have know for a long time through the Internet jazz guitar forums, a very knowledgeable guy, to say the least). I contacted Deacon Mark about making a new guard for the Style B and today I installed the new guard. It is bound with 5 plys of binding, is made of Tortoise type material, was slotted for a Dearmond and was done at a very fair price. Deacon Mark used another forum member's pickguard from a non-cut Excel as a template.
If you need a custom guard at a fair price, Deacon Mark is the man!
Here is the 48 Style B with the new guard, a close up and an older picture with the Allparts Gibson guard:
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03-05-2019 09:31 PM
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always nice to hear of/see good dealings amongst the fellows...beautiful guitar and pickguard
enjoy..that much more!!
cheers
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Beautiful pickguard. Deacon Mark is the man. I hate to tell you Marco what Frank Ford would have charged you.
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Kudos. I have made a fair number of DA pickguards and they are super tricky to get the stairsteps and the bend curve just right. Can no longer make guards though unfortunately
That being said, shouldnt the Style B have a Gibson type guard (not the stairstep) originally also ?
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Nice work Deacon Mark! It's nice to read happy stories about archtops and good people! Gary Hines from our forum made an ebony pick guard for me a few years ago that is awesome.
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I am glad it worked out. Those zigzags can be a challenge. Like the original Dangelico guitars these pickguards are not cnc or all the same. Each one will be a bit different in some respect. SS is a top notch player and archtop aficionado, along with being an internet friend. That is the important thing jazz guitar is a tool of great expression and artistry.
While I am at it I just got two new supplies of material for pickguards from a place I had not
used before. In particular this is the best I have seen. The sheets are acrylic so no gassing and thicker at 3/16 and another at 1/8 th. These for especially acoustic archtops are the best. Much more solid and you can add a pup or Dearmond and they are much more stable. The normal thickness can be a bit flimsy. The old Dangelico s were thicker and you got some meat. i even have a nice light tan tortoise that looks cool.
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A “REAL” D’Angelico is by far the best looking archtop ever made from the 1st Loar to present day. Nothing can touch the beauty of a DA. What a legacy John D left. I remember when Jimmy was making my NYer I asked him if he could make it look like a D’Angelico. Boy did he get mad at me. That was a eggshell moment. I was young and dumb. Looking back it was a big insult for me to ask that.
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Looking very good. Always glad to see guys here doing deals that help each other.
Big
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I looked all over my books and the web and my research informed me that the post 1940 Style B's had Excel style guards.
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Real DA's have a "vibe". Their tone is warm and balanced. The necks are comfortable. And their look is unmatched. I feel fortunate to be the caretaker of three of these iconic guitars. I am sure that they will be in other hands after I leave this earthly plain. I hope the future owners look after them well. John D'Angelico gave us a gift in the form of these superb instruments. Hopefully future generations will continue to venerate them.
Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
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awrighty ! You learn something everyday ;-) Originally Posted by Stringswinger
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SS: Originally Posted by Stringswinger
I had a 1939 Style B for several years and I also spent a great deal of time trying to determine the correct shape for a guard. You don’t see many Style B’s and the specs varied so much, so I was never sure. I have also seen Excel-style guards on later ones and they look great, so you made a good decision. When I bought mine, it had a replacement guard (made by Ron DeMarino) and it was similar to yours but it didn’t have a stair step. I was never sure but it may have been correct for my guitar, which was several years earlier than yours. Picture below.
Keith
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Mark does a really great job on pick guards. I've got one of his on my Heritage built Gretsch Eldorado. If you look them up, the original pick guards on those things looked really squirrelly, almost like they were melting. The D'A pick guard looks a heck of a lot better and a lot classier.
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Agreed fellas, it's hard to know when tthe shape of those Style B guards changed from Gibson shaped to stairstep.
I'm fairly certain all Style A's had Gibson shaped guards, my Style A did, and it was the next to last one John D made. I think Marc said his is one of the very last B's made so it likely had a stairstep guard if I had to guess.
I'm all for period correct when possible but this looks great on there so....
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SS and Floating PU - man those are some solid looking guitars. I mean it. Sometimes you can tell just by looking that them. Shaping and then gluing wood together and expecting it to last 70, 80, 90 years with somebody moving it from venue to venue and playing the heck out it is a bit much to ask. Yet the Masters' guitars stand the test of time.
Absolutely beautiful job Deacon, you stud you.. And oh by the way, SS has a Ron DeMarino made pickguard too..
Joe D
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Fer sure. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
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Where is that Da photo from any information?
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I think Rudy's in NY
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Correct! I really prefer that headstock over the big fancy carved one with the finial. Originally Posted by wintermoon
Vintage D'angelico 1941 New Yorker SB 1513 — Rudy's Music
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Interestingly, the finial was not part of the NYer headstock until the last few years (1959-1964) that D'Angelico made them (Style B's and Excels had the finial going back to the 1930's). Originally Posted by Woody Sound
I have played a few vintage New Yorkers and the older ones had very thick necks. The Mel Bay model was a New Yorker with the slimmer Style A/Style B/Excel neck. The later New Yorkers with the finial headstock had the slimmer neck as well (and also had a cutaway).
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My Style B was the last one made. In fact, 1946 was the last year that D'Angelico made Style A and Style B guitars as part of his regular offering. My guitar was made 2 years later for a friend of the D'Angelico family. The woods are second to none and it has Excel binding. I think it is a good bet that it had an Excel guard from the gate. We will never know for sure, but it has one now. Originally Posted by wintermoon
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JD, the Ron DeMarino guard on my Heritage built New Yorker replica (that used to belong to you, Patrick2 and Jay Wolfe) is an amazing guard. As you have said, it could be used as a surfboard! Originally Posted by Max405
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Mine was like that too. It was engraved on the underside with Mr. DeMarino’s name along with the guitar model and s/n. Very cool. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Keith
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Now you're really starting to make me drool. You can't beat that Art Deco styling. Originally Posted by Woody Sound
Fer sure.
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I actually really like the finial, but that’s a matter of personal taste. My brother owned a 1953 NY’r with a headstock that was different again. It had pointed corners like an Excel headstock but it didn’t have a finial. It was very attractive. Here is a picture of it (my late father playing it). Originally Posted by Stringswinger
Keith
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