D'Angelico

[codfish]

Are the D'Angelico Premier models build for them by Heritage? 

[FredZepp]

The first way to tell is they will be priced like a Heritage or more..   doesn't look like Premier models are that expensive. 

I couldn't tell you  if any  of the current D'Angelicos are ghost built by Heritage like they did way back when.   I know they made a few of them for the private collection of  the owners of D'Angelico a few years ago. 

Their website says their "Master Builder" series is made in NY.. so probably none from Kalamazoo at this point.... 

 

[Polo]

I personally like the D'Angelico Le Mustachio Grande Model.

[Stringman]

Don't know about their guitars, but I did try a set of D'Angelico strings and didn't like them. Dull sounding and didn't last very long. 

[barrymclark]

To my knowledge, the only Heritage-built D'A guitars were made quite some time ago. I do believe that, as of late, Victor Baker's shop in NY was building their high end models. Side note: Baker is moving his shop to San Diego.

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[FredZepp]

5 hours ago, barrymclark said:

To my knowledge, the only Heritage-built D'A guitars were made quite some time ago. I do believe that, as of late, Victor Baker's shop in NY was building their high end models. Side note: Baker is moving his shop to San Diego.

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Here are some that we found in final assembly or ready to ship out in 2015.   I really can't remember what Jim said about them.. But I think in the end they ended up as some rare  and  special instruments that made their way the collections of the owners of D'Angelico.   I think we also saw one in finishing a year or two before that , it seems like he said that one was some type of prototype. 

 

 

[High Flying Bird]

[LittleLeroy]

37 minutes ago, High Flying Bird said:

this is fairly definitive, i would say...

Thanks for the pic!

[barrymclark]

this is fairly definitive, i would say...
Thanks for the pic!

That one is actually a leftover from the first run. It's been there for a very long time.

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[barrymclark]

Here are some that we found in final assembly or ready to ship out in 2015.   I really can't remember what Jim said about them.. But I think in the end they ended up as some rare  and  special instruments that made their way the collections of the owners of D'Angelico.   I think we also saw one in finishing a year or two before that , it seems like he said that one was some type of prototype. 
 
 

Ah ok. That's right. I forgot D'A had put out the feelers. In the end, though, it did go to Victor Baker to produce the guitars.

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[Genericmusic]

I saw those at the shop too. Just prior or right around the time of FredZepp's photos I saw at least a half dozen boxed guitars for shipment to  D'Angelico. There were also a rack (at least a dozen) of unfinished solid bodies that surprisingly looked like PRS. When I asked I was told they were for a customer. That was the end of that discussion. There has been a lot of rumors about ghost builds by the former owners.

[barrymclark]

9 minutes ago, Genericmusic said:

I saw those at the shop too. Just prior or right around the time of FredZepp's photos I saw at least a half dozen boxed guitars for shipment to  D'Angelico. There were also a rack (at least a dozen) of unfinished solid bodies that surprisingly looked like PRS. When I asked I was told they were for a customer. That was the end of that discussion. There has been a lot of rumors about ghost builds by the former owners.

Ah ok. Next time I talk to "the family" I will see if they know about Marv or any of the original owners doing side builds. I haven't been up to Michigan in a couple of years now. Probably due.

[Polo]

There's no doubt about it. Heritage definitely built a small batch of "ghost builds" for someone or someone(s) over at D'Angelico in 2014. I believe they were all basically built on the H-535 platform. 

[Genericmusic]

3 hours ago, barrymclark said:

Ah ok. Next time I talk to "the family" I will see if they know about Marv or any of the original owners doing side builds. I haven't been up to Michigan in a couple of years now. Probably due.

I'm not saying they were PRS. I just don't know. They were unfinished and had no logos on them. However they did look very similar. I couldn't get an answer from anybody as to who they were built for. It was implied to mind my own business. So I did, until now anyway, 

 

[Polo]

37 minutes ago, Genericmusic said:

I'm not saying they were PRS. I just don't know. They were unfinished and had no logos on them. However they did look very similar. I couldn't get an answer from anybody as to who they were built for. It was implied to mind my own business. So I did, until now anyway, 

 

Do you recall if the unfinished builds looked anything like the oddball build pictured below?

[Kuz]

Yes, I remember those.  I think Marv said they were a "side project" of a cheaper line for outside the US.

FWIW, I thought they were pretty fugly myself.   And they looked nothing like a PRS. 

Just my .02

[Genericmusic]

4 hours ago, Polo said:

Do you recall if the unfinished builds looked anything like the oddball build pictured below?

Could be. I don't recall. I thought what I saw had a different style body and the angle at the top of the headstock was reversed. It's been a while and I don't remember much except the was a whole rack of them unfinished and they said they were for a customer. Who knows? 

[High Flying Bird]

On 11/30/2017 at 3:50 AM, LittleLeroy said:

this is fairly definitive, i would say...

Thanks for the pic!

You need to realize, it is all about the time and the place.  At one time Heritage made these guitars.  They may not have made them for 20 years.  ;^)

[LittleLeroy]

3 hours ago, High Flying Bird said:

You need to realize, it is all about the time and the place.  At one time Heritage made these guitars.  They may not have made them for 20 years.  ;^)

I think it was a smart thing to do, and would still be, if the compensation was appropriate and Heritage wasn't busy producing their own guitars at maximum capacity.  Certainly a win-win-win for Heritage, the employees and D'Angelico.  Oh, and D'Angelico's clients.

[TalismanRich]

D'Angelico has two distinct lines of guitars.   The Masterbuilt guitars are USA hand built under direction of Gene Baker and Art Esparza.  They are small runs of maybe 3 or 4/month.  They typically will run from $8 to $20 thousand! 

The standard ones are built overseas in Korea, China and Indonesia.   At the prices they sell for ($1000 to $2000)   Heritage would not be able to compete unless the company wanted to put in a mid range which would probably cause the some market confusion.

 

[soybean]

I remember when Heritage was building some D'Angelico guitars. This was in the 1990s as I recall. It was at the NAMM show and there were quite a few guitars… maybe 20 or so. They were hand carved and very expensive. It wasn't official that Heritage was the builder, but I heard it from more than one person. I may have the catalog somewhere buried around here.

[holyroller]

Love seeing them next to the buffing dept. love to have a job doing that .


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[FredZepp]

 Here is a label from a 1995 D'Angelico  with signatures from the Heritage owners. 

[FredZepp]

 

A price list from the early 90's .. the Heritage made D'Angelico's were referred to as D'Angelico II  models. 

15 carved D'Angelico II's were made, 3 by Jim Triggs  and 12 by Heritage.  Also, 25 ( not sure of number accuracy)   Gretsch 18" archtops were made by Heritage.   

 

 

[Gitfiddler]

There's a 1992 Heritage D'Angelico on Fee Bay.  Priced to move at only $15,900.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DANGELICO-ARCHTOP-HANDMADE-GUITAR-MODEL-NEW-YORKER-II-W-CASE-/112476948091?hash=item1a3026067b:g:w4YAAOSwfJJZY9YH