In this video Deryck can be seen playing a dangelico excel acoustic

Having played some classic D'Angellicos, (all handbuilt and worth a small fortune), I was pleased to see the company relaunch and amazed at the quality of these replications. Thanks to the folks at D'Angelico's NYC HQ for letting me pick one for my collection (she's a beauty).

According to Premier Guitar, Chet Atkins ordered the very first electric D'Angelico guitar. He soon modified the custom Excel model he had purchased, adding a P-90 pickup. Chet used this guitar performing with the world-famous Carter sisters.

Lari Basilio is associated with the D'Angelico Excel guitar, as detailed on her official website. This guitar features a semi-hollow body with a center block, Kent Armstrong humbuckers, and a single-cutaway shape. Notable specifications include a 25" scale, 7-ply binding, and a tortoise Scalini pickguard. It is equipped with a gold Tune-O-Matic bridge, gold hardware, and Grover Super Rotomatic tuners. The neck is a C-shape, made from a 3-piece maple/walnut/maple construction, with a rosewood fretboard and 22 frets.

• look at the :30 he is playing the excel gramercy custom without a pickguard

In 1950, he began a legendary relationship with John D’Angelico, who at the time produced the New Yorker and Excel. Smith’s first D’Angelico was an Excel-sized instrument with the more-ornate features of the New Yorker, and a floating DeArmond pickup. Unfortunately, it was lost in a house fire the following year, after which he used a ’30s D’Angelico lent to him by John Collins. The guitar had a notably wider fingerboard, which Smith initially found unwieldy but then came to appreciate.

In 1955, Smith took delivery of his third D’Angelico, commissioned to unique specs including a 20-fret fingerboard on a shorter 25″ scale neck that continued under the length of the fingerboard into the cross bracing. The shorter scale length facilitated his trademark stretch chords without loss of tone, while the extended neck and cross-bracing resulted in a better balance of tone and volume. Many of New York’s jazz guitarists were so enamored of this guitar that they placed orders for identical instruments.

A 1935 "Exel" headstock guitar owned by Mottola, outfitted with a pickup, was listed on Reverb.com in 2020 by Rudy's Music, having previously been purchased at auction. It resurfaced online in 2024 in this March 12, 2024 video by Mike's Arch Angels (Instagram mirror), this April 10, 2024 video by Old-Fashioned Music, and this June 16, 2024 video by Mike's Arch Angels.

D'Angelico 1935 Exel made for Tony Mottola SN# 1123 with Hardshell Case

“This guitar was made for Tony Mottola, one of the greatest studio musicians in America at the time, who was also known for playing for Frank Sinatra for many years. I bought this guitar at an auction after Tony passed. It has a very rare, off-white finish. Hard to say what the wood types are since the finish masks the wood grains, but it is most likely a spruce top with maple back and sides, and maple neck. Ebony fingerboard. The guitar has a truly amazing playability and sounds fantastic.”

~ Rudy Pensa

If you are interested in this instrument, please contact the Scarsdale store at 914-725-0120 /

A 1948 Excel was used on Rachael & Vilray, as stated by Vilray himself in this November 22, 2019 video demoing the guitar for RetroFret Guitars. The video accompanies the listing of the guitar on RetroFret's website.

Hi, this is Vilray and this is a 1948 D'Angelico Excel made here in New York City. I had the pleasure of playing it on my upcoming record Rachael & Vilray from Nonesuch Records and I'll play a song off that record now.