Product Description
This 1954 D’Angelico Excel was made to the exact specs of the Chuck Wayne 1949 D’Angelico Blonde Excel Cutaway! We have the original order form specifying exact same specs as Chuck Wayne’s 16″ DA Excel made for Chuck A, byone of Chuck Waynes’s lifetime students. This is a one owner D’Angelico that has been meticulously treasured and cared for by its owner.
Zero fret 1.64″ at the Cast aluminum nut and 2.044″ at the 12th fret. The entire guitar is lined wth green felt exactly as Chuck Waynes 1949 Excel. Green felt f hole removable covers to match the interior felt. This D’Angelico had a P90 pickup is installed as per the original order signed by John D’Angelico which involved making a rectangular cutout in the top between the bracing for the P90. WE have been told that John made seven, just seven, carved top (NOT Codes or United bodies) Excels with cutouts, parallel braced, for a pickup making this a very rare original John D’Angelico Excel. It may be one of the rarest D’Angelico and first Excel that John built with a set pickup. Other laminated D’Angelicos sold in the mid $25,000 range making this a great value at this price.
This is a description CHUCK WAYNES 1949 D’ANGELICO EXCEL which sold at Christies for approximately $35,000
1949 JOHN D’ANGELICO EXCEL ARCHTOP ACOUSTIC GUITAR SERIAL NO. 1861 IN A SUNBURST FINISH.
Single cutaway maple body with multiple bindings, carved spruce top with bound f holes, maple neck, twenty fret bound ebony fingerboard with block inlays and zero fret, headstock inlaid with D’Angelico New York and Excel motif, Grover tuners, ebony bridge, tailpiece and pickguard. With black hardshell case.
This guitar has been owned by Chuck Wayne throughout his playing career. It has the original receipt from D’Angelico made out to Charles Wayne, 589 Walton Ave, Bronx 51, New York, dated November 10th 1949, specifying one D’Angelico Excel Cutaway, serial no. 1861, $650. It is featured on the cover of Chuck Wayne’s album String Fever and has been used on recordings with Tony Bennet, Dizzy Gillespie, Zoot Simms, Tommy Flanagan and many other artists. The D’Angelico full size hollow bodies were originated by the great and only John D’Angelico. Their design is unique and timeless. Instantly you know it is a D’Angelico. It cannot be mistaken for any other guitar with its stair step tailpiece, and unique headstock design including the center finial.
This 1954 D’Angelico Blonde Excel Cutaway has the serial # 1954 embossed on the neck block- THIS IS THE REAL DEAL! If you have the touch, this is the guitar! A Magnificent sounding D’Angelico Cutaway made in 1954.Very fast comfotable neck 1.64″ at nut and 2.04 at 12th fret. This archtop is all original including the finish. Other than a center seam line that appears to be very stable with no separation, this guitar is in amazing condition with no cracks or repairs. Great profile and medium fullness and fast as glass. Chrome D’Angelico stairstep tailpiece. Binding in good shape except a small piece missing at the end of the neck, small replaced piece on first fret, and minor separation in the waist as shown on the photos. The last photo is of the guitar being played in the 60’s and shows the original volume and tone knobs installed when the guitar was order along with a hole one the side for the input jack. We have installed a Kent Armstrong custom made PAF humbucker to fit exactly into the original pickup cavity and the volume and tone controls to their original position. 1954 “Chuck Wayne” D’Angelico as it was delivered These guitars were selling as high as $60,000 in their heyday. This may be the rarest D’Angelico every made by John and it has the serial number to match the year it was made – 1954 impressed onto the neck block which is clearly visible from the f holes. This was obviously done because the interior of this guitar is lined in green felt to decrease feed back. The acoustic tone is amazing, all the notes are clear with great bass and mellow highs with great clarity.
Make an appointment to visit our new Showroom in Summit, NJ. We are only 30 minutes from Manhattan by car; 2 blocks from the Summit train station – 35 minutes from NYC on the midtown direct!
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