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John D'Angelico

January 01, 1970

John D'Angelico (1905 in Little Italy, Manhattan – September 1, 1964 in Manhattan) was a luthier from New York City, noted for his handmade archtop guitars and mandolins. He founded the D'Angelico Guitars company, where other notable luthiers like Jimmy D'Aquisto served as apprentices.

John D'Angelico
Born1905
Little Italy, Manhattan
DiedSeptember 1, 1964(1964-09-01) (aged 58–59)
Manhattan
NationalityAmerican
OccupationLuthier
Known forFounder of D'Angelico Guitars

Luthiery edit

John D'Angelico was born in 1905 in New York to an Italian-American family, and was apprenticed in 1914 to his great-uncle, Raphael Ciani, who made violins, mandolins, and flat top guitars.[1][2][3] This apprenticeship would become the basis for construction principles he later incorporated into his archtop guitars.[4] After Ciani died D'Angelico took over the management of the business, but he didn't like having to supervise the 15 employees. As a result, he left and founded in 1932 D'Angelico Guitars at 40 Kenmare Street in Manhattan's Little Italy.[5][6] Here he began making guitars initially based on the 16 inch Gibson L-5 and subsequently working on his own designs.

Instrument designs and output edit

Initially D'Angelico's guitars were based largely on the 1920s version of the Gibson L-5 with a 16 inch lower bout and "snakehead" headstock design, but by 1937, he had settled on four main f-hole archtop guitar designs, heavily influenced by the Gibson L-5:[7][8]

 
1933 D'Angelico archtop guitar #1034
 
D'Angelico Excel (1950) previously owned by Chet Atkins, in the Country Music Hall of Fame
  • Style A – 17 inch body. Phased out in the 1940s.
  • Style B – 17 inch body. Phased out in the 1940s.
  • Excel – 17 inch body
  • New Yorker – 18 inch body. Approximately 300 made.[9]

Through at least the late 1930s, D'Angelico's guitar necks had non-adjustable steel reinforcement. Later models had functional truss rods.[10] By the late 40s, D'Angelico was building only the Excel and the New Yorker. All New Yorker models featured pearl inlays in the headstock and fingerboards, as well as quadruple bindings.[11]

All of D'Angelico's guitars were hand-built, and many were customized for specific people, so substantial variation is evident in his output. D'Angelico's shop rarely made more than 30 guitars per year.[12] In all, it is estimated that he built 1,164 guitars.[13] D'Angelico also built a few round-hole (as opposed to f-hole) archtops, and a few mandolins.

While D'Angelico's craftsmanship was not always exemplary, the performance of his guitars established him as the premier maker of archtop guitars.[3] During the late 1930s, when production was at its peak, D'Angelico made approximately 35 instruments per year with the help of only two workers, one of whom was Vincent "Jimmy" DiSerio.[3][14][4] His recognition as the "finest builder of archtop guitars" later brought offers from larger companies, but ultimately he decided to keep his operation under his own name.[4][14]

During the 1950s, some of the instruments leaving D'Angelico's shop had mixed features, such as an Excel-sized guitar with New Yorker features created for Johnny Smith, or D'Angelico necks custom fitted to bodies customers brought in.[15] Original D'Angelico guitars are identified by a serial number punched inside the bass f-hole—the serial numbers ranging from 1001 to 2164.[15]

In 1952 Jimmy D'Aquisto joined the company as an apprentice.[3]

D'Angelico had a heart attack in 1959 and also parted ways with DiSerio, who left to work at the Favilla guitar company. As a result, he closed the business but soon reopened it after D'Aquisto who was unable to find work, convinced him to do so.[3] After several more heart attacks and having also suffered from pneumonia John D'Angelico died in 1964 at the age of 59. He had built 1,164 numbered guitars with the last ten finished by D'Aquisto.[3][16] D'Aquisto then bought the business but a poor business decision lost him the right to the D'Angelico name.[17]

The D'Angelico Guitars brand has continued under other owners.

Employees edit

Some of D'Angelico's employees went on to become craftsmen in their own right. Among them were Jimmy Di Serio, who worked for D'Angelico from 1932 to 1959, and D'Aquisto who would eventually buy the business from the D'Angelico family. D'Angelico and D'Aquisto are generally regarded as the two greatest archtop guitar makers of the 20th century.[18]

In 2011, works by D'Angelico and D'Aquisto were included in the 'Guitar Heroes' exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.[19]

Vincent "Jimmy" DiSerio, was commissioned by Ralph Patt to modify a Gibson ES-150 (six-string archtop hollow-body guitar) to have a wider neck, wider pickup, and eight strings circa 1965; seven strings enabled Patt's major-thirds tuning to have the E-E range of Standard tuning, while the eighth string enabled the high A♭.[20]

See also edit

Notes edit

  • Peterson, Jonathon (2002). . American Lutherie: The Quarterly Journal of the Guild of American Luthiers. Number 72 (Winter). Tacoma WA: The Guild of American Luthiers: 36–43. ISSN 1041-7176. Archived from the original on 21 October 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2012.

References edit

  1. ^ Bonds, Ray (ed.) (2006). "The illustrated directory of guitars." Barnes & Noble/Salamander Books, p. 104.
  2. ^ Wheeler, Tom (1982). American guitars: an illustrated history." Harper & Row. p. 22.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Acoustic Guitars: The Illustrated Encyclopedia. New York: Chartwell Books. 2011. pp. 38–42. ISBN 978-0-7858-3571-4.
  4. ^ a b c William), Green, Frank W/m (Frank (2008). D'Angelico : John D'Angelico : master guitar builder : what's in a name?. Centerstream. ISBN 9781574242171. OCLC 191808803.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Will Levith (January 23, 2015). . Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  6. ^ Teddy Kim (August 22, 2014). "Rock On! D'Angelico Guitars Is Back in Business in Chelsea". Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  7. ^ Bonds, Ray (ed.) (2006). p. 104.
  8. ^ Achard, Ken (1999). "The History and Development of the American Guitar." The Bold Strummer, p. 16.
  9. ^ Denyer, Ralph (1998). "The guitar handbook." Alfred A. Knopf. p. 47.
  10. ^ Wheeler, Tom (1982). pp. 22-23.
  11. ^ Achard, Ken (1999). p. 16.
  12. ^ Bonds, Ray (ed.) (2006). p. 106.
  13. ^ Wheeler, Tom (1982). pp. 22.
  14. ^ a b "About | D'Angelico Guitars". angelicoguitars.com. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
  15. ^ a b Achard, Ken (1999). p. 43.
  16. ^ "NAMM 2015: Revived D'Angelico guitar brand shows off new acoustics". January 23, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  17. ^ Stern, Stephen (Fall 1995). "Jimmy D'Aquisto – Luthier Extraordinaire" (PDF). Frontline magazine. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  18. ^ "Images from the Lillibridge Gallery". D'Angelico/D'Aquisto/Gudelsky Workshop. National Music Museum; The University of South Dakota 414 East Clark Street Vermillion, SD 57069. September 8, 2009. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
  19. ^ "Guitar heroes: Legendary craftsmen from Italy to New York, February 9-July 4, 2011". John D'Angelico. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
  20. ^ Peterson (2002, p. 37)

External links edit

  • Official website
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to John D'Angelico.

January 01, 1970
john, angelico, 1905, little, italy, manhattan, september, 1964, manhattan, luthier, from, york, city, noted, handmade, archtop, guitars, mandolins, founded, angelico, guitars, company, where, other, notable, luthiers, like, jimmy, aquisto, served, apprentices. John D Angelico 1905 in Little Italy Manhattan September 1 1964 in Manhattan was a luthier from New York City noted for his handmade archtop guitars and mandolins He founded the D Angelico Guitars company where other notable luthiers like Jimmy D Aquisto served as apprentices John D AngelicoBorn1905Little Italy ManhattanDiedSeptember 1 1964 1964 09 01 aged 58 59 ManhattanNationalityAmericanOccupationLuthierKnown forFounder of D Angelico Guitars Contents 1 Luthiery 2 Instrument designs and output 3 Employees 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksLuthiery editJohn D Angelico was born in 1905 in New York to an Italian American family and was apprenticed in 1914 to his great uncle Raphael Ciani who made violins mandolins and flat top guitars 1 2 3 This apprenticeship would become the basis for construction principles he later incorporated into his archtop guitars 4 After Ciani died D Angelico took over the management of the business but he didn t like having to supervise the 15 employees As a result he left and founded in 1932 D Angelico Guitars at 40 Kenmare Street in Manhattan s Little Italy 5 6 Here he began making guitars initially based on the 16 inch Gibson L 5 and subsequently working on his own designs Instrument designs and output editInitially D Angelico s guitars were based largely on the 1920s version of the Gibson L 5 with a 16 inch lower bout and snakehead headstock design but by 1937 he had settled on four main f hole archtop guitar designs heavily influenced by the Gibson L 5 7 8 nbsp 1933 D Angelico archtop guitar 1034 nbsp D Angelico Excel 1950 previously owned by Chet Atkins in the Country Music Hall of Fame Style A 17 inch body Phased out in the 1940s Style B 17 inch body Phased out in the 1940s Excel 17 inch body New Yorker 18 inch body Approximately 300 made 9 Through at least the late 1930s D Angelico s guitar necks had non adjustable steel reinforcement Later models had functional truss rods 10 By the late 40s D Angelico was building only the Excel and the New Yorker All New Yorker models featured pearl inlays in the headstock and fingerboards as well as quadruple bindings 11 All of D Angelico s guitars were hand built and many were customized for specific people so substantial variation is evident in his output D Angelico s shop rarely made more than 30 guitars per year 12 In all it is estimated that he built 1 164 guitars 13 D Angelico also built a few round hole as opposed to f hole archtops and a few mandolins While D Angelico s craftsmanship was not always exemplary the performance of his guitars established him as the premier maker of archtop guitars 3 During the late 1930s when production was at its peak D Angelico made approximately 35 instruments per year with the help of only two workers one of whom was Vincent Jimmy DiSerio 3 14 4 His recognition as the finest builder of archtop guitars later brought offers from larger companies but ultimately he decided to keep his operation under his own name 4 14 During the 1950s some of the instruments leaving D Angelico s shop had mixed features such as an Excel sized guitar with New Yorker features created for Johnny Smith or D Angelico necks custom fitted to bodies customers brought in 15 Original D Angelico guitars are identified by a serial number punched inside the bass f hole the serial numbers ranging from 1001 to 2164 15 In 1952 Jimmy D Aquisto joined the company as an apprentice 3 D Angelico had a heart attack in 1959 and also parted ways with DiSerio who left to work at the Favilla guitar company As a result he closed the business but soon reopened it after D Aquisto who was unable to find work convinced him to do so 3 After several more heart attacks and having also suffered from pneumonia John D Angelico died in 1964 at the age of 59 He had built 1 164 numbered guitars with the last ten finished by D Aquisto 3 16 D Aquisto then bought the business but a poor business decision lost him the right to the D Angelico name 17 The D Angelico Guitars brand has continued under other owners Employees editSome of D Angelico s employees went on to become craftsmen in their own right Among them were Jimmy Di Serio who worked for D Angelico from 1932 to 1959 and D Aquisto who would eventually buy the business from the D Angelico family D Angelico and D Aquisto are generally regarded as the two greatest archtop guitar makers of the 20th century 18 In 2011 works by D Angelico and D Aquisto were included in the Guitar Heroes exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City 19 Vincent Jimmy DiSerio was commissioned by Ralph Patt to modify a Gibson ES 150 six string archtop hollow body guitar to have a wider neck wider pickup and eight strings circa 1965 seven strings enabled Patt s major thirds tuning to have the E E range of Standard tuning while the eighth string enabled the high A 20 See also editD Angelico Guitars Jimmy D AquistoNotes editPeterson Jonathon 2002 Tuning in thirds A new approach to playing leads to a new kind of guitar American Lutherie The Quarterly Journal of the Guild of American Luthiers Number 72 Winter Tacoma WA The Guild of American Luthiers 36 43 ISSN 1041 7176 Archived from the original on 21 October 2011 Retrieved 9 October 2012 References edit Bonds Ray ed 2006 The illustrated directory of guitars Barnes amp Noble Salamander Books p 104 Wheeler Tom 1982 American guitars an illustrated history Harper amp Row p 22 a b c d e f Acoustic Guitars The Illustrated Encyclopedia New York Chartwell Books 2011 pp 38 42 ISBN 978 0 7858 3571 4 a b c William Green Frank W m Frank 2008 D Angelico John D Angelico master guitar builder what s in a name Centerstream ISBN 9781574242171 OCLC 191808803 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Will Levith January 23 2015 Joe Bonamassa and the Amazing Technicolor D Angelico Shop Archived from the original on April 4 2015 Retrieved April 1 2015 Teddy Kim August 22 2014 Rock On D Angelico Guitars Is Back in Business in Chelsea Retrieved April 1 2015 Bonds Ray ed 2006 p 104 Achard Ken 1999 The History and Development of the American Guitar The Bold Strummer p 16 Denyer Ralph 1998 The guitar handbook Alfred A Knopf p 47 Wheeler Tom 1982 pp 22 23 Achard Ken 1999 p 16 Bonds Ray ed 2006 p 106 Wheeler Tom 1982 pp 22 a b About D Angelico Guitars angelicoguitars com Retrieved 2017 06 09 a b Achard Ken 1999 p 43 NAMM 2015 Revived D Angelico guitar brand shows off new acoustics January 23 2015 Retrieved April 1 2015 Stern Stephen Fall 1995 Jimmy D Aquisto Luthier Extraordinaire PDF Frontline magazine Retrieved March 3 2019 Images from the Lillibridge Gallery D Angelico D Aquisto Gudelsky Workshop National Music Museum The University of South Dakota 414 East Clark Street Vermillion SD 57069 September 8 2009 Retrieved December 4 2012 Guitar heroes Legendary craftsmen from Italy to New York February 9 July 4 2011 John D Angelico The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York Retrieved December 4 2012 Peterson 2002 p 37 External links editOfficial website nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to John D Angelico Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title John D 27Angelico amp oldid 1183762234, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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