Jump to content

D'Angelico Guitars

From Alfawiki
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article D'Angelico Guitars, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 25 July 2025
D'Angelico Guitars
Company typePrivate
IndustryMusical instruments
Founded1932
FounderJohn D'Angelico
Headquarters
Manhattan, New York City
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
John Ferolito Jr., Chairman; Brenden Cohen, President and CEO
ProductsElectric, acoustic, classical guitars, basses, ukuleles
Websitedangelicoguitars.com

D'Angelico Guitars of America is a U.S.-based manufacturer of musical instruments located in Manhattan, specializing in guitars and ukuleles. Established in 1932 by master luthier John D'Angelico in Manhattan’s Little Italy, the brand was revitalized in 1999 when Steve Pisani, John Ferolito Jr., and Brenden Cohen acquired the trademark. Currently, Cohen holds the position of president and CEO, overseeing the company's global business operations and strategic direction.

The company offers a range of instruments including solid-body, hollow-body, and acoustic guitars alongside ukuleles, catering to musicians around the globe. By capitalizing on its legacy and artisanal quality, D'Angelico has secured a strong position within the upscale guitar market. Original instruments crafted by D'Angelico have become prized collectibles and were favored by legendary musicians such as Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, and Chet Atkins, which has bolstered the brand’s prominence.

The D'Angelico Mel Bay New Yorker model earned distinction through its prolonged inclusion in Mel Bay Publications’ instructional guitar books. In 2011, D'Angelico guitars were featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 'Guitar Heroes' exhibition, highlighting the brand’s cultural impact and industry esteem.

Founding

Born in New York in 1905, John D'Angelico began his apprenticeship at nine years old under his great uncle Raphael Ciani, who specialized in crafting violins and mandolins. This formative experience shaped the design techniques he later applied to his archtop guitars. After Ciani passed away, D'Angelico took over the workshop but eventually left due to dissatisfaction with managing a team of fifteen workers. In 1932, he launched D'Angelico Guitars at 40 Kenmare Street within Manhattan’s Little Italy.

Although the quality of his work varied over time, D'Angelico earned a reputation as an elite maker of archtop guitars. Despite receiving offers from larger manufacturers, he chose to remain independent. At its height during the late 1930s, the company operated with only two assistants. Even though each guitar was handcrafted, their prices remained competitive compared to mass-produced models from companies like Epiphone and Gibson.

Among his notable collaborators were Vincent 'Jimmy' DiSerio (1932–1959) and apprentice Jimmy D'Aquisto who joined in 1952. Following a heart attack suffered by D'Angelico in 1959 and DiSerio’s departure to Favilla Guitars, the company temporarily ceased operations but was reopened due to encouragement from D'Aquisto. After enduring multiple heart attacks, D'Angelico passed away in 1964 at age 59. Subsequently, D'Aquisto acquired the business but lost rights to use the D'Angelico name owing to an unfavorable business decision.

Relaunch

In 1999, the D'Angelico Guitars trademark was purchased from John Ferolito Sr., cofounder of Arizona Beverages, by Brenden Cohen, John Ferolito Jr., and Steve Pisani. Cohen and Pisani initiated the creation of a new showroom in 2010, leading to the official reintroduction of the brand in 2011. That same year, original D'Angelico guitars were displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of the exhibition titled "Guitar Heroes: Legendary Craftsmen from Italy to New York."

The company broadened its offerings by initially reissuing original John D'Angelico designs and subsequently launching new semihollow and acoustic guitar models. By 2014, D'Angelico had forged partnerships with 125 dealers across the United States and expanded its reach to over 200 international distributors, signaling substantial growth.

In 2014, D'Angelico became a sponsor of Mountain Jam, a major summer music festival held in New York. The following year at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, the brand debuted its inaugural acoustic guitar collection, comprising 150 different models. In 2016, it received the Best in Show award for Companies to Watch at NAMM, highlighting its increasing prominence in the market.

Continuing its strategic growth through acquisitions, D'Angelico Guitars purchased Supro USA and Pigtronix in 2020, thereby broadening its range of products and services within the musical instrument sector.

Early

John D'Angelico’s initial guitar designs were influenced by his background as a violin maker, featuring bracing structures without pickups. These early instruments were crafted for robustness and volume suitable for jazz big bands but lacked thorough documentation until the introduction of the "Excel" model—a more compact and refined version.

By 1937, D'Angelico offered four primary f-hole archtop guitar styles inspired by the Gibson L-5:

  • Style A – Featuring a 17-inch body; discontinued during the 1940s.
  • Style B – Also with a 17-inch body but with more elaborate detailing; phased out by the 1940s.
  • Excel – A 17-inch archtop equipped with a Venetian cutaway; constructed with European maple back and sides, spruce top, and ebony fingerboard. It incorporated "X" bracing and a truss rod; later versions included D'Armond floating pickups allowing for lighter build. This model was favored by jazz artists such as Chet Atkins prior to his association with Gretsch.
  • New Yorker – Boasting an 18-inch body made from European maple back and sides with a spruce top and ebony fingerboard; introduced in 1936. Distinguished by pearl inlays and quadruple bindings; roughly 300 units were produced.

Early necks featured steel reinforcements that could not be adjusted; subsequent models introduced functional truss rods. By the late 1940s, production centered on just two models: the "Excel" and "New Yorker."

D'Angelico also manufactured a limited number of round-hole archtops and mandolins. Each instrument was meticulously handcrafted and frequently customized for individual musicians, resulting in considerable variation between pieces. Annual output seldom surpassed 30 guitars. By the time of John D'Angelico’s passing, the company had completed 1,164 numbered guitars, with the final ten finished by Jimmy D'Aquisto.

Contemporary Era

Following its revival, D'Angelico has introduced several models including the DC, a semihollow guitar with a double cutaway; the SS, a single-cutaway semihollow; and the archtop EXL-1, which draws inspiration from John D'Angelico's original Excel design. The SS model is favored by musicians such as Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead and jazz guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, both of whom have signature editions. The DH and 175 archtop guitars are equipped with dual humbucker pickups, whereas the 59 model features P-90 pickups. The Premier Series delivers finely crafted instruments at competitive price points, while the Deluxe Series presents enhanced versions of classic Excel guitars, distinguished by exclusive matte finishes and six-position toggle switches that enable coil-tapping on double-humbucker variants.

In 2016, marking a milestone since its reestablishment, D'Angelico collaborated with D'Addario to release its inaugural line of electric guitar strings. These Electrozinc strings, constructed from zinc-coated steel for increased volume and durability, pay tribute to the original craftsmanship of founders John D'Angelico and John D'Addario.

Production

D'Angelico guitars are produced across facilities in South Korea, Indonesia, China, and New York City. To ensure faithful reproduction of vintage models, original guitars underwent MRI and x-ray scanning. The creation of a master-builder instrument from raw timber requires between eighteen months and two years, with skilled luthiers crafting approximately four to five such guitars each month.

Notable Players

A diverse array of prominent artists have performed with D'Angelico guitars, including:

See also

External links

Related profiles

GGretschCC. F. Martin & CompanyGGibson (guitar company)SSanta Cruz Guitar Company
Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=D%27Angelico_Guitars&oldid=8417"