Made in 1950 by John D'Angelico, the first true master of archtop luthiery, this guitar is the top of the line New Yorker with its remarkably fine woods and multi-ply binding. It features a large body with 18 1/4" lower bout width and 3 11/16" depth, as well as an X-braced top, giving both big headroom and a remarkably balanced tone throughout the entire register. The neck features a single piece, barber-pole flamed maple neck which is topped with an ebony fingerboard. The inlays are of the style typically seen on the Excel model and are present on at least a few New Yorker models, note the solid blocks on the fingerboard and the shape of the inlay on the center of the headstock. Although I can't say for sure, these features were likely custom ordered. When received, the guitar had crumbling binding that is seen on many D'Angelico guitars of this era and no longer had a pickguard. This is why we sent the guitar straight to master archtop builder and restorer Cris Mirabella at Mirabella Guitars and Restoration. Cris has probably restored more D'Angelico and D'Aquisto guitars than anyone around and knows them inside-out. He took this guitar through a painstaking process of removing the old binding and extracting any harmful chemicals that remained. The back was completely reglued and the top was partially reglued as needed. The guitar was then rebound to match the original style and a new pickguard and mounting bracket were made for the guitar. The new binding was finished with lacquer to match the appearance of the original finish seen on the body. The finish is completely original to the guitar without overspray, other than that added to the binding and lacquer added to the original of the tailpiece. That original finish on the body and neck are in remarkably beautiful condition for a 76-year-old guitar. There are a few small chips on the top, as well as a few scattered, very small dents in the body. Scratches are very light and there is essentially no checking of the finish. The original tuners, frets, bridge, and tailpiece are all in beautiful condition. The guitar is more than ready for its next 76 years of life.
In the hand the neck has a deep C, almost U-shaped feel. While slightly more narrow than the most common 1 11/16" nut width, the guitar plays very comfortably. The x-braced top contributes greatly to an absolutely great depth of rich tone. There is plenty of headroom allowing a player to coax soft tones out of it if desired, booming rhythm punch, or anything in between. See short video on our YouTube channel here.
Weight - 6.4 pounds
Nut width - 1.63 inches (1 5/8)
1st fret neck depth - 0.86 inches
9th fret neck depth - 0.98 inches
Scale length - 25.375 inches
The guitar comes with the original Lifton made case which is in very good condition, showing little signs of wear, a color photocopy of the original ledger entry, and the Mirabella Guitars invoice showing details of the restoration work.
Ships free in the United States with in hand delivery an available option.
