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D'Angelico Excel 59 Hollowbody Electric Guitar - Vintage Natural with Stairstep Tailpiece

Hollowbody Electric Guitar with Laminated Maple Body, Laminated Spruce Top, Maple/Walnut Neck, Ebony Fingerboard, and 2 P-90 Pickups Vintage Natural with Stairstep Tailpiece
$1,999.99

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D'Angelico Excel 59 Hollowbody Electric Guitar - Vintage Natural with Stairstep Tailpiece
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A Modern Take on the Old-school Hollowbody

Based on John D’Angelico’s original 1959 design, today’s D’Angelico Excel 59 is a modern take on the classic old-school archtop hollowbody electric guitar. As your hand effortlessly navigates around the Excel 59’s just-right C-profile neck and your fingers savor the silky feel of its ebony fingerboard, your ears will revel in the voluptuous woody tone produced by its 1.75-inch-deep, 16-inch-wide, fully hollow body. Plug in, and a dynamic duo of Seymour Duncan Great Dane P-90 pickups spring to life, spanking your amp with bratty attitude as only P-90s can. The Excel 59 boasts high-end aesthetic touches such as mother-of-pearl and abalone Split Block fingerboard inlays, multi-ply binding and Scalini pickguard, and elegant gold hardware. If you’re on the hunt for something different to grace your guitar collection — an instrument that will broaden the scope of your music — the D’Angelico Excel 59 deserves your serious consideration.

The P-90: dare to sound different

The D’Angelico Excel 59 is fitted with a pair of Seymour Duncan’s outstanding Great Dane P-90 pickups. We have many fiercely loyal P-90 fans here at Sweetwater. These guitarists know that the P-90 offers a unique tonal palette that is distinct from — and complements — humbuckers and traditional single-coils. One of the first successful single-coil pickups, the P-90 can be heard on countless iconic recordings. With its biting treble and high output, the P-90 cleans up nicely when you roll back your guitar’s volume pot. It’s an amazingly versatile pickup with its own brand of grit — a bit brighter, leaner, and less refined than a humbucker, and almost as hot. Hit your amp hard, and the P-90 really wails. Plugged into a proper high-gain tube amp, you can elicit grind, sizzle, bark, and bite that would be impossible with humbuckers — or with other single-coils, for that matter.

The D’Angelico legacy

After mastering his craft during an 18-year apprenticeship, luthier John D’Angelico opened his own shop in Manhattan’s Little Italy in 1932. Catering to New York’s many jazz musicians over the ensuing three decades, D’Angelico and a single apprentice became New York’s foremost stringed instrument builders, creating over one thousand treasured archtop guitars until John’s death in 1964. Following his passing, the D’Angelico’s legacy lived on only through his rare, legendary instruments. After decades, the D’Angelico brand has resurfaced, bringing back the playability and attention to detail of the company’s New York roots. Today, Sweetwater is delighted to offer this fine line of distinguished instruments. D’Angelico uses state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and the finest available materials to create playable works of art for today’s guitarist. From a modest shop in Little Italy to the world stage, D’Angelico’s dedication to quality craftsmanship ensures that this brand won’t be going dormant again anytime soon.

D’Angelico Excel 59 Hollowbody Electric Guitar Features:

  • 1.75-inch-deep, 16-inch-wide, fully hollow body
  • Laminated flame maple back and sides
  • Arched, laminated spruce top with 2 F-holes
  • 3-piece maple/walnut set neck, “C” profile
  • Ebony fingerboard, 16-inch radius, MOP/abalone Split Block inlays
  • 2 Seymour Duncan D’Angelico Great Dane P-90 pickups
  • Master Volume and Tone controls with cupcake knobs
  • 3-way chicken-head pickup selector switch
  • Tune-o-matic bridge; stairstep tailpiece
  • 5-ply body binding; 5-ply Scalini pickguard
  • Grover Imperial tuning machines
  • Elegant gold hardware

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

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Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Hollowbody
  • Body Shape Excel 59
  • Body Material Laminated Flamed Maple
  • Top Material Laminated Spruce
  • Body Finish Gloss
  • Color Vintage Natural
  • Neck
  • Neck Material 3-Piece Maple/Walnut
  • Neck Shape C
  • Neck Joint Neck-through
  • Radius 16"
  • Fingerboard Material Ebony
  • Fingerboard Inlay Mother-of-Pearl/Abalone Split Blocks
  • Number of Frets 22
  • Scale Length 25"
  • Nut Width 1.6875"
  • Nut Material Tusq
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece Adjustable Bridge with Stairstep Tailpiece
  • Tuners Grover Imperial
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup Seymour Duncan D'Angelico Great Dane P-90 Single-coil
  • Bridge Pickup Seymour Duncan D'Angelico Great Dane P-90 Single-coil
  • Controls 1 x master volume, 1 x master tone
  • Switching 3-way toggle pickup switch
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings D'Angelico Electrozinc, .010-.046
  • Case/Gig Bag Hardshell Case
  • Manufacturer Part Number: DAE59VNATGT

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

Excel59

I just purchased an Excel59. I cant believe how flawlessly this guitar plays..The fit and finish are superb. I have played for over 60 years, and the Excel59 is the best playing guitar I own. 2nd is anothe D'Angelico I purchased a while back. If youre into P-90s, this is the guitar for you
Rated 5/5

An Instrument that Make You Want to Play

I played one of these D'Angelico Excel 59 guitars during a session at a local studio and fell in love with it. I was so impressed that I had to have one, and luckily Sweetwater had the color I wanted. The guitar arrived with an absolutely great playing setup, and I couldn't put it down. Even acoustically this guitar brings something to the game that's 'satisfying', and I found it to be quite versatile for recording. The P-90 style pickups are a great match on this body style, and if you've ever wanted a guitar with that ES-125/ES-225 vibe, this could be it.

The fit and finish is impeccable, and the price is a fraction of what you'd pay for a comparable quality American made guitar. The figured maple on this guitar is gorgeous, and I get a lot of satisfaction just staring at it when I walk by. :-) It really makes me just want to grab it and play, and it's been a long time since I've had any guitar that did that. Highly recommended...
Music background: Studio Owner/Pedal Steel Guitar/Guitar
Rated 5/5

Beautiful Guitar Phenomenal Tone

I recently received this incredible guitar from Sweetwater. When I mentioned my interest in it, my killer sales engineer Jonathan Appleton quickly acquired one, had it set up, and shipped it out. I had my eye on D'Angelico's for a while and wanted a hollowbody jazz style guitar that had P90's and this seemed perfect. The packaging was well done and the case that it comes with is very nice, top notch. The guitar itself is gorgeous in the vintage natural with every detail fitting in just right. This guitar is a bit thinner (1.75 wide and 16 body) than the EXL-1 and for me it is easy and very natural to hold. The C profile neck has also been a good fit for my fingers.

I purchased this guitar more for Jazz style music, I have played it both acoustically and amped looking for crisp yet plush tones. Acoustically, the resonance and sustain has great carry and a nice thickness. Maybe it's just new and I'm excited, but I am finding I want to grab this guitar all the time. Plugged in, the P-90's are crazy good. Finding a tone with this guitar is easy because there really isn't a bad one. Play simply on a clean channel and you will be blown away. Add some gain, find a bit more drive, dig in and the bark is great. This guitar can do it all and looks great doing it. Obviously it is a winner with me. Thanks again Jonathan, you don't let me down.
Music background: Guitar, piano, sax, longtime music lover
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