Born in New York City in 1905, John D’Angelico began working at for his grand uncle, Raphael Ciani, at the age of nine. Located in New York at 57 Kenmare Street, Ciani’s shop built and repaired all manner of stringed instruments including violins, mandolins and flattop guitars.
- D’ANGELICO SERIAL NUMBERS Master Luthier John D’Angelico (1 905-1964) opened his own shop at age 27, and every guitar was hand built - many to the specifications or nuances of the customer commissionin g the instrument.
- John D'Angelico (Little Italy, Manhattan, 1905 – Manhattan, September 1, 1964) 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.
In 1932, John opened his own shop at 40 Kenmare Street and it was here that he began building archtop guitars in earnest. The earliest recorded date for a D’Angelico guitar is 11/28/32 (serial number 1002). Reports suggest that he may have built a small number of archtops in the late 1920s.
The first letter indicates the location where the instrument was made, and subsequent digits indicate the year the instrument was made. Example: A serial number starting with W17 indicates the guitar was built in Korea, in 2017. See below for location initials. S, US, W = Korea; SI, US (on Premier Series guitars) = Indonesia; C.
The earliest D’Angelico guitars were clearly based on the 16-inch Gibson L-5, with similar body dimensions, a hand-carved spruce top, maple back and sides, a maple neck that joined the body at the 14th fret, a floating bridge and tailpiece and violin style f-holes.
By the mid 1930s D’Angelico was offering three models: Style A, Style B and Excel. Priced at $150, $200 and $275 respectively, these were approximately equivalent to the Gibson L10, L-12 and L-5.
Where Are D'angelico Guitars Made
In his book Acquired of the Angels, Paul William Schmidt lists the earliest examples of the Style A, Style B and Excel models as dating from 03/10/36, 09/02/33 and 03/16/36 respectively. However, vintage guitar dealer Laurence Wexer (wexerguitars.com) says that there are no model listings for the serial numbers indicated above in the actual ledgers, the earliest entries for the Style A, Style B and Excel models being 1936.
D'angelico Serial Number Us
The New Yorker (earliest ledger date 09/26/36) represented D’Angelico’s response to the 18-inch Gibson Super-400.
Priced to compete with the L-7, the 17-inch A-1 (earliest ledger date 05/02/36) was added to the line by 1938 as D’Angelico’s most affordable model.
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D'angelico Guitars Website
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D'angelico Serial Numbers
3-Day / 15-day Return Policy If you are not completely satisfied with any product, return it for a full refund of the product purchase price, full credit, or exchange of your choice. We give you 3 days from the shipping date on Vintage instruments, and 15 days on New instruments. Credit card returns are issued a credit for purchase price. Refunds are made for product value only, excluding shipping and handling charges. New, Unopened items: You may return most NEW, untouched, unopened items within 15 days of delivery for a full refund. if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.) we'll also pay the return shipping costs. AmEx credit cards: Note that if your order was paid using an AmEx card we may pass on a 3.5% fee of the purchase price to process your refund. Vintage, Used items: We have to evaluate vintage and used guitars, amps, and other items on a case by case basis. We spend a lot of time with you and the item before your purchase to try to avoid any surprises after your purchase. AmEx credit cards: Note that if your order was paid using an AmEx card we may pass on a 3.5% fee of the purchase price to process your refund. You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, we strive to issue your refund sooner. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days). Send your return to: Chicago Music Exchange 3316 N Lincoln Ave Chicago, IL 60657 The following items are returnable only if defective OR unopened or unused: strings, harmonicas, microphones, cleaners, polishes, and polishing cloths. Software/soundware, cassettes, CDs, DVDs, and videos may be returned for credit only if they are in their original, sealed packaging. If defective, these items will only be exchanged for the same product. For complete details on our guarantees, shipping, and return policies, please contact our Customer Service Department at 773-525-7773; fax us at 773-525-2775; visit our website at www.chicagomusicexchange.com, or write us at Chicago Music Exchange, 3316 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60657.