D'ANGELICO

Excel 59

- DAVE HUNTER

HAVING PUT ITS elaborate headstock on a range of creative solid-body offerings in recent years, as well as a large selection of semi- and fully hollow body electrics, the revived D’Angelico brand has reimagined a classic from the glory days of its namesake, John D’Angelico, in the new Excel 59. The flat front view might imply a period-correct take on the legendary New York archtop maker’s cornerstone Excel model of the late ’50s — something already available in the existing Excel EXL-1 model — but a thin line (though still fully hollow) body and other contemporary features help to make it a more timeless creation, and likely broaden its appeal for the contemporary player.

Although the Excel 59 looks and feels pretty big, its 16-inch-wide body is a couple inches smaller than the biggest jazz boxes of the golden age, and it’s on par with the ES-335, though a little deeper — 1 7/8 inches — at the rims. It’s made from laminated flamed-maple back and sides, with a laminated spruce top, and has a block beneath the Tune-o-matic bridge to support the screwed-in posts. Classic D’Angelico cosmetics include multi-ply binding top and back, bound f-holes and a multi-ply bound tortoiseshell pickguard with stair-step profile. The trapeze tailpiece is also the classic stair-step design — gold plated, as is all the hardware — and it’s complemented with tasty reproductions of old Bakelite “cupcake” radio knobs, plus a pointer knob on the three-way pickup selector, all of which looks great against a deep-red finish that the maker calls Viola. (Though a fun aesthetic choice, the rotary selector might prove more difficult for some players to flick for quick pickup changes than a standard three-way toggle.)