First Fruits		Click on pictures
	Notes: John D'Angelico opened his own shop at 40 Kenmare Street in New York City in 1932. He was making some archtops on request in the late 1920s but in earnest he began creating archtop guitars in his shop. Prior to that he had already worked with stringed instruments for several years including violins, mandolins (F-5 style) and archtop guitars very similiar to the Lloyd Loar L-5 but without the truss rod, as Gibson had a patent for that. His first instruments had no model name and in 1934 he established designations and some of them have lasted until this day. By 1936 the D'Angelico Ledger Book Nr.1 lists the basic model names: There was the Special model, the tenor guitars and style A, A-1 and style B models and they differed mainly in ornamentation to the more costly Excel model. Generally these models had a 17" body that actually varied from 16 3/8" to 17 5/8" so there was no intention of absolute precision regarding the sizes of the instruments. Additionally there was the New Yorker model, originally an 18-inch instrument and sometimes even larger. Starting in 1943, the New Yorker was also created as a 17" model and in 1946 style A and B were dropped. From the total number of 1164 original D'Angelico guitars the majority were Excel (more than 400) so the Excel became the most desired D'Angelico model of this period. Materials: 17" wide and 3" deep body with Spruce top, flamed Maple back and sides, three-piece Maple neck, straight-end Ebony fretboard, nut width 1 11/16", scale lenghth 25.5", 22 silver-nickel frets, pure Mother-of-Pearl and Abalone inlays, multiple body binding, solid Ebony bridge and base plate with rectangular pearl inlays. Hardware: Gold plated Kent Armstrong humbucker, volume & tone controls pickguard mounted, polished brass hinged D'Angelico stairstep tailpiece, gold-plated Grover Imperial tuners, stairstep truss rod cover. Facts: Highest craftsmanship and technology are being used to make Excels satisfy the demands of contemporary players. Condition: New Playability: The feel of the c-shaped neck is fast and smooth. Tone: Complex and resonant - either at home, in the studio or at a gig. Color options: Available color: Natural (pictured on the right side) Case: Original case included. Setup: This instrument is strung with flat wound strings (.012-.054). To Summarize: John D'Angelico has influenced many archtop luthiers around the world. His fruits are still tasteful and nourishing and this Excel is one of its seed. The EXL-1SH is the answer for the jazz guitarist looking for maximum acoustic tone and amplified performance at an amazingly affordable price. Pick up an Excel and play, it's the only way to experience a D'Angelico.