The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Careful now!
    \
    One is '57 D'A New Yorker, other is 2002 NYL-3 Vestax
    Attached Images Attached Images Which is it?-img_0789-jpg 

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  3. #2

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    Well, I'll go out on a limb with a completely uninformed opinion. The one on the left, with the dark spot near the waist on the treble side and the apparently non-bookmatched back, looks more handmade to me. Therefore I'll hazard a guess that the one on the left is the d'A New Yorker.

    Feel free to belittle me in public, impugn my ancestry, and call the legitimacy of my children into question if I'm incorrect.

  4. #3

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    I too am going with the one on the left as the Genuine article.

  5. #4

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    here’s the back on mine....

    Which is it?-48b0b93b-9dea-4588-aff0-65c860a3c674-jpg

  6. #5

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    I could be wrong, but the one on the right, at least in this photo, looks slightly wider and the back shape looks like it has more recurve, making me think it’s the original. Although a bit of an angle, the cutaway shape is making me think the same.

    As a side note, what are the specs of an NYL-3? That’s not a model number that shows up in my early 2000s Vestax NAMM promotional materials.

  7. #6

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    I'll go with the one on the left being older. Could be the lighting, but the binding looks more yellow...like it's aged.

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan
    . . . the one on the right, at least in this photo . . . the back shape looks like it has more recurve, making me think it’s the original.
    Interesting. I was going to say that the one on the left has more recurve. The treble-side waist of the right-hand one looks flat, not recurved.

    @MauiBob, nicely done!

  9. #8

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    Left one is the D'Angelico

  10. #9

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    Well to me it is pretty easy it the one on the left is the D'angelico the neck and body joined is pretty easy to tell John's work. I have seen many and played many D'angelico's and some things just standout. I also can tell because my 1949 cutaway New Yorker has heel cap and shaping that is same pattern. The dark spots that show on the left in the maple are consistent with domestic maple and it will have marks like this, I actually find that cool looking. The other tell tale sign is the darkening of the edges around the binding in the wood. This is completely normal I think due to the binding and nitro finish reacting over time. I have a 1953 Blond New Yorker and it had the same exact thing going on. It gets dark right up to the edge of the binding.

    Funny once you see enough D'a the real deals and work on them things stand out that are original. D'angelico bridges are easy to spot that have particular way they all are similar. I cannot even explain it in words and can be two completely different D'angelico models but the carving of the ebony bridge will have a particular pattern. It is just like knowing someone's handwriting after reading for years. The other thing is the joining of the 2 sides of the back. D'angelico did not exactly bookmatch the backs, there is a definite line that separates the two sides and no mirrored images that you might see on some other guitars. It can be cool to bookmatch everything but has nothing to do with sound or stability of the guitar. In fact sometimes not bookmatching gives great depth to the back.

    In the end though nothing cooler than taking an inspection mirror and seeing all the details. Be careful because sometime you get a surprise and see things you did not expect.

  11. #10

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    I don't think I've ever seen wood w/mild figuring like the one on the right on a real DA NYer.
    but aside from that the one piece neck is a dead giveaway.

  12. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by wintermoon
    I don't think I've ever seen wood w/mild figuring like the one on the right on a real DA NYer.
    but aside from that the one piece neck is a dead giveaway.
    I almost posted that, but I’ve seen both mild figuring on real D’As and both real and Vestax with one piece necks.

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan
    I almost posted that, but I’ve seen both mild figuring on real D’As and both real and Vestax with one piece necks.
    My friend's blonde cutaway NYer is the mildest flamed NYer I've seen but way more than that Vestax.
    More common to see mild figuring on lower model DA's and some of the less expensive "specials" he made.
    In the early 60s you'll see the occasional 3 piece neck.