Sound Pure's Take
Condition: Used, Excellent
SP Luthier Notes: A majority of frets showed evidence of play wear. As such, the frets were leveled, recrowned, and polished back to a near mint state. The guitar required a full adjustment to the truss rod, nut, and bridge to be brought to a perfect level of playability. No further work was required.
From D'Angelico Guitars
The flagship archtop in the D'Angelico line has returned—now in two colorways with two different pickup configurations. Inspired by John D'Angelico's single-cutaway "Excel" model that was first introduced in 1947, the Excel EXL-1 offers woody, articulate tone, ideal for both rhythm and lead playing. Featuring a redesigned neck shape, the EXL-1 promises the perfect balance of comfort and heft, still prioritizing remarkable mobility but also offering improved handfit. On the Dark Iced Tea Burst finish, a full-sized Seymour Duncan 59 humbucker yields broad tone with singing sustain, while a Johnny Smith Floating Mini-bucker on the new Amber finish offers woody, focused tone that prioritizes body top resonance. Features include Grover hardware, an ebony fingerboard, and Jescar fretwire.
CONSTUCTION
Headstock Shape: Standard
Logo Inlay: Mother of Pearl D'Angelico New York Logo
Series Inlay (Front): Mother of Pearl Excel Shield Logo
Serial Number (Back): Model Name, Serial Number
Binding: 3-ply
Finish: Gloss
Headpin: Cupola
Tuners: Grover 150 Imperial
Strings: D'Angelico Electrozinc Jazz 12's (12-52)
Truss Rod Cover: Aluminum Skyscraper
Nut Width: 1 11/16” (43mm)
Nut Material: Graphtech NuBone XL
Fingerboard Material: Ebony
Binding: 3-ply
Fretwire: Jescar 47/104 Nickel Silver
Scale Length: 25.5"
Radius: 12"
Top Inlay: Mother of Pearl Split Block
Side Marker: Yes
Fret Number: 22
Neck Material: 3 piece
Finish: Gloss
Profile: C-Shape
Joint Type: Set Neck
Thickness: 1F: 21mm, 12F: 23mm
Truss Rod: Dual Action
Body Shape: Single Cutaway
Body Style: Hollowbody
Body Depth: 3"
Body Width: 17"
Color: Amber
Finish: Gloss
Top Material: Laminated Spruce
Back Material: Laminated Flame Maple
Side Material: Laminated Flame Maple
Binding: 7-ply
Bridge: Floating Ebony Wood
Tailpiece: D’Angelico Stairstep
Pickguard: Tortoise Scalini (5-ply)
Back Plate: N/A
Pickup Selector: N/A
Knobs: 2 Mini Hexagon
Strap Buttons: Gold, Locking
ELECTRONICS
Overview: 1 Pickguard Mounted Floating Mini Humbucker
Controls: 1 volume / 1 tone
Pickup (Neck): USA Seymour Duncan Johnny Smith Floating Mini Humbucker
Pickup (Middle)
Pots: 500k
Output Jack: Standard Mono
Warranty
This item is sold without the Sound Pure 3-year warranty (used / B-stock / dealer-exempt). Coverage terms for items in this category live in Terms & Conditions, Section 27.
Returns
Try Before You Buy: 48-hour audition. Program details →
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Sound Pure Studios · Durham, NC
Come hear it in our control rooms.
Sound Pure is a working studio in Durham, NC — a 1,000 sq ft live room and two pro control rooms. Book a session to audition gear in a world-class acoustic space before you buy.