D'Angelico A1 Archtop 1942

We have some passionate lovers of beautiful vintage Archtops here at The Fellowship of Acoustics, and this stunning and very rare D'Angelico has certainly been causing quite a stir!

​D’Angelico’s first shop was located at 40 Kenmare Street in New York City’s Little Italy. It was small, but perfect for a modest business: D’Angelico instruments were made strictly by hand and in very limited quantities. In the late 1930s, when production was at its peak, founder John D’Angelico was making about 35 instruments a year with the help of just two other employees. Vincent DiSerio was one of them, and Jimmy D’Aquisto joined the company in 1952. The novelty of a D’Angelico became part of the mystique, but it was just how the master luthier liked to work.

The guitar is constructed with a flamed maple back and sides, with a spruce top in a sunburst finish. The A1 Archtop is a large guitar with a 17-inch body, but the combination of its size, parallel bracing, and short scale length makes it a guitar that sounds and feels fantastic. The attack is lively and full, with a powerful bass when played a bit heavier. The balance of the guitar is impressive in every register, the playability of the maple neck is more than fine due to the comfortable profile. The A-style guitar was also provided with a binding around the body and neck, which also had a mother of pearl block inlay.

This D'Angelico was built in 1942, and was one of approximately 60 guitars built that year by John D'Angelico and his team. The guitar has received a new tailpiece and replacement tuners over the years, and the pickguard has unfortunately been lost. There are two cracks on the top that are currently stable, and there are also playwear and craquelé that do not hide the age of the guitar, but also radiate the charm and beauty that make vintage guitars so popular.

This D'Angelico is a beautiful piece of music history, and without a doubt a guitar that you will not come across again soon!

Consignment.