D'Angelico Excel SS

[Joeontheguitar]

My local dealer had a bunch of D'Angelico guitars with good prices. He had a couple of Excel SS models, a few Deluxe SS models, some big jazz boxes and a few DC models. There were so many it was hard to choose, but this Excel SS with trapeze played the best and sounded really nice, so I brought it home. I'm not really into the look of the guitar. I don't like the gold hardware, but maybe it will grow on me. I bought for the sound.

I thought my SB59 (Eastman LP model) had lots of sustain, but this one has even more it seems. But it also has this airy semi-hollow tone that my SB59 doesn't have. There has been some discussions about the whole centreblock vs partial block and if you look from the upper F hole into the body, it looks like a massive centreblock. However, if you check out the lower F hole, you can see that it's not massive: the block itself is hollow too (actually, it's not a block, its just two big extra braces).

So very interesting sound and lots of colors, also with the split coil option.

The standard strings are pretty much 'dead' already. Does anybody have a good suggestion for a set of strings on a guitar like this? I like sustain (I'm a noob to jazz, so I let my notes ring out longer than most of you). On the other hand: round wounds make more noise when changing positions. I also like low string tension. I play a lot and I already have sore finger joints every now and then.

[Jimmy Mack]

Congratulations on your find.

Did they inform you of what kind of pickups are in this guitar?

[Spook410]

Congratulations on your find.

Did they inform you of what kind of pickups are in this guitar?

Older ones have Kent Armstong pikcups. Newer ones use Seymour Duncan.


OP: Great looking guitar. I got mine to support some specialty pickups (SD P-Rails) but I ended up playing it all the time. Very flexible guitar with a great jazz tone.

[citizenk74]

That's a real beauty! Congratulations, and play it in good health!

I recommend GHS Brite Flats for low noise and good sustain. They are burnished to a very smooth, low friction finish and hold their tone for a good long time and don't cost an arm and a leg.

[Joeontheguitar]

Congratulations on your find.

Did they inform you of what kind of pickups are in this guitar?

I think this guitar is from 2018, because the serial starts with an '18' and before 2019 the ex ss was a 25" scale (it's 24.75 now) and my guitar feels like a 25. So I guess these are KA pickups. I really like the tone, so I'm going to keep it like this for now.

[Joeontheguitar]

That's a real beauty! Congratulations, and play it in good health!

I recommend GHS Brite Flats for low noise and good sustain. They are burnished to a very smooth, low friction finish and hold their tone for a good long time and don'y cost an arm and a leg.

Thanks, I'll give these a try. I might also check out the TI Bebops.
I'm also experimenting with different picks. Coming from a rock/pop background where I always used the same type of pick, it is really unbelievable to notice how much difference a pick makes in tone.

[GNAPPI]

How is the balance?

There were complaints of the first two "generations" of the them being neck heavy. I think the MIJ models have a full length block and I've never heard complaints of a balance issue, so maybe D'A decided to correct the issue by moving some of the weight back towards the bridge?

I have one each MIK Gen1 (ebony board) and Gen2 (Rosewood fb) and while they are neck heavy they are lighter (~6lb. 10 oz.) than the MIJ or later SS models which are around 8 lbs from what I read.

[Spook410]

How is the balance?

There were complaints of the first two "generations" of the them being neck heavy. I think the MIJ models have a full length block and I've never heard complaints of a balance issue, so maybe D'A decided to correct the issue by moving some of the weight back towards the bridge?

I have one each MIK Gen1 (ebony board) and Gen2 (Rosewood fb) and while they are neck heavy they are lighter (~6lb. 10 oz.) than the MIJ or later SS models which are around 8 lbs from what I read.

Mine is the small/partial block. I used to think the neck heavy thing was only in some folk's imagination. However, I changed from a grippy strap to a slippery one, and you know.. it's a bit neck heavy. Not enough to be a bother really. But enough to use a strap that doesn't slip around much. Still liking mine after having it for awhile.

[Joeontheguitar]

So my block is full length, but it's not a real block. The block itself is hollow. My guitar is a little neck heavy too, but it's not really bad. A non-slippery strap works though. The tuners are buttery smooth, but really big and taking the guitar in and out of the case easily messes the tuning up, but I'm tuning anyway before playing in a group.

[EllenGtrGrl]

So my block is full length, but it's not a real block. The block itself is hollow. My guitar is a little neck heavy too, but it's not really bad. A non-slippery strap works though. The tuners are buttery smooth, but really big and taking the guitar in and out of the case easily messes the tuning up, but I'm tuning anyway before playing in a group.

Ahhh, trestle bracing! Some of the Gretsches I used to own (including my last Country Club - a '59 Reissue) had trestle bracing like your Excel has. A Godin Montreal Premiere I tried out a few years ago, also had trestle bracing. The whole idea behind trestle bracing, is to link the top & bottom like a Gibson-syle semi-hollowbody to fight feedback, while keeping the body a bit more hollow, preserving more of that hollowbody tone.

One of Gretsch's Styles of Trestle Bracing


Another Form of Trestle Bracing on a non-Gretsch Guitar

[GNAPPI]

So my block is full length, but it's not a real block. The block itself is hollow. My guitar is a little neck heavy too, but it's not really bad. A non-slippery strap works though. The tuners are buttery smooth, but really big and taking the guitar in and out of the case easily messes the tuning up, but I'm tuning anyway before playing in a group.

That's surprising that it's still a bit neck heavy.

[Joeontheguitar]

I switched to TI bebop yesterday and it sounds amazing!

[GtrTom423]

https://www.daddario.com/products/gu...und-3rd-10-46/

This works for me. Of course, it depends on the music you’re playing, but these hold their tone well.

[coltranetime]

Considering one of these.

Can anyone describe the pro's and con's between the stop bar tailpiece and the stair step version?

Thanks.

[Woody Sound]

Considering one of these.

Can anyone describe the pro's and con's between the stop bar tailpiece and the stair step version?

Thanks.

Uh-oh, here we go again. More tension? Less tension? More sustain? Less sustain? My own experience is that with the stop bar it takes less distance to bend a note to the desired pitch. (If you're bending at all, that is.) I had a 70's 335 with the trapeze. I had a stop bar installed, and there was a definite difference.

[wmachine]

Uh-oh, here we go again. More tension? Less tension? More sustain? Less sustain? My own experience is that with the stop bar it takes less distance to bend a note to the desired pitch. (If you're bending at all, that is.) I had a 70's 335 with the trapeze. I had a stop bar installed, and there was a definite difference.

I'm surmising here because I don't know this for sure, but it seems to me that due to the way the trap is *secured*, has more float to it, minimal as it may be. That would explain your bends experience. Seems the more rigidly the tail is held to the body (nod to the stop bar) the more vibrations are transferred to the body. The resulting sound difference being better or worse could be quite subjective. I think it is safe to say that most of that transference comes from the bridge, so the tail is of considerably less impact.

[maateen]

Can anyone decode this for me and let me know the signatures/authenticity if they know please? Potential value?





Thank you

[Cunamara]

Those are names associated with Heritage Guitars in Kalamazoo MI, in the old Gibson factory. Heritage made hand-carved D'Angelico guitars for the owners of the brand at that time. Others here will have more details. These were top-drawer, fine instruments. Other than the brand name, your guitar has little in common with the current D'Angelico line which is mostly mass produced in Asia.

[Stringswinger]

Those are names associated with Heritage Guitars in Kalamazoo MI, in the old Gibson factory. Heritage made hand-carved D'Angelico guitars for the owners of the brand at that time. Others here will have more details. These were top-drawer, fine instruments. Other than the brand name, your guitar has little in common with the current D'Angelico line which is mostly mass produced in Asia.

Mostly, but not quite correct.

Some of the former archtop luthiers who worked for Gibson in Kalamazoo were hired to build D'Angelico replicas in the 1990's by a guitar dealer named Marty Turman for a venture called D'Angelico II.

Two of those former luthiers were owners of Heritage guitars at that time and all four of the owners of Heritage guitars signed the labels of these guitars. JP Moats, Marv Lamb and Aaron Cowles worked on these guitars and some work was also done by Ron DeMarino, a New York luthier who was a personal friend of a John D'Angelico. A royalty was paid to the then owners of the brand ( GHS Strings ). About 40 guitars were made before the project was abandoned (Jim Trigg built the first three).

I have no idea what the current value of these guitars is.

[Stringswinger]

@joeontheguitar

I had a couple of the Korean made DA's. They both sounded pretty good with TI Swing series strings.

[citizenk74]

Can anyone decode this for me and let me know the signatures/authenticity if they know please? Potential value?





Thank you

[m_d]

Mostly, but not quite correct.

Some of the former archtop luthiers who worked for Gibson in Kalamazoo were hired to build D'Angelico replicas in the 1990's by a guitar dealer named Marty Turman for a venture called D'Angelico II.

Two of those former luthiers were owners of Heritage guitars at that time and all four of the owners of Heritage guitars signed the labels of these guitars. JP Moats, Marv Lamb and Aaron Cowles worked on these guitars and some work was also done by Ron DeMarino, a New York luthier who was a personal friend of a John D'Angelico. A royalty was paid to the then owners of the brand ( GHS Strings ). About 40 guitars were made before the project was abandoned (Jim Trigg built the first three).

I have no idea what the current value of these guitars is.

That's interesting. When I bought my Guild Artist Award at Rudy's (or was it Sam Ash?) around 2000 - I no longer have it, stupid story - they also showed me a very beautiful staircase tailpiece archtop. It was more expensive than the Guild. Later on when I learned D'Angelicoes had not been made already at that time for many years I wondered what that guitar could have been. It definitely had the tailpiece and the art deco headstock. Either a D'Aquisto, or one from that short-lived D'Angelico revival?

[SOLR]

I'm looking at a used EX SS from 2016 serial# S160063441

I think it pre -dates the push pull ones , It's not my fav colour but if it plays well and sounds good I'd give it a shot..

Kent Armstrong p-ups .......like new what price is fair?

Thx

S

[ARGewirtz]

That's interesting. When I bought my Guild Artist Award at Rudy's (or was it Sam Ash?) around 2000 - I no longer have it, stupid story - they also showed me a very beautiful staircase tailpiece archtop. It was more expensive than the Guild. Later on when I learned D'Angelicoes had not been made already at that time for many years I wondered what that guitar could have been. It definitely had the tailpiece and the art deco headstock. Either a D'Aquisto, or one from that short-lived D'Angelico revival?

If it was Rudy's then the archtop that they showed you with the very beautiful staircase tailpiece may have been the guitar I recently posted for sale, a DJArgus Excel AEX, which was exclusive to Rudy's. Here's the link to my post with pics of the guitar so you can see if it looks familiar.

198? DJArgus Excel

[m_d]

If it was Rudy's then the archtop that they showed you with the very beautiful staircase tailpiece may have been the guitar I recently posted for sale, a DJArgus Excel AEX, which was exclusive to Rudy's. Here's the link to my post with pics of the guitar so you can see if it looks familiar.

198? DJArgus Excel

Very nice guitar. As I remember though, that mystery guitar looked as new - but it may simply have been in very good condition. I also remember it being more expensive than the Guild, and I was mesmerized as I love the art deco style, but the price held me back. And wouldn't it have been unusual for a Japanese guitar to be more expensive than an Artist Award?