D'Angelico - Excel EXL-1 Amber HB

The D'Angelico Excel EXL-1 is based on a rare design principle: a floating ebony bridge and a Seymour Duncan Johnny Smith pickup suspended above the top, with no rigid contact with the body. This design allows the hollow body to vibrate unimpeded, beneath an Amber-coloured body and a gloss finish that reflect the archtop tradition.

The laminated spruce top lends the attack a clear tone, whilst the flamed maple on the sides and back provides a distinctive visual texture. The three-piece C-shaped neck is joined to the body via a set-neck construction, which stabilises the joint. Twenty-two Jescar 47/104 nickel-silver frets run along an ebony fingerboard marked with mother-of-pearl split-block inlays and side markers, framed by three-ply binding. The Graph Tech NuBone XL nut frames the tuning, which is adjusted by a double-action truss rod and secured by Grover 150 Imperial tuning machines, finished in gold like the rest of the hardware. A D’Angelico Stairstep tailpiece, a five-ply Scalini tortoiseshell pickguard and seven-ply body binding complete the silhouette, with no backplate or pickup selector switch — a single pickup, a streamlined design.

The standard headstock features mother-of-pearl D’Angelico New York and Excel Shield logos, with the model name and serial number on the back, beneath three-ply binding and a Skyscraper aluminium truss rod cover. Volume and tone controls regulate the Alnico II pickup via 500 kΩ potentiometers, ideal for jazz, bebop and rhythm playing where nuance takes precedence over distortion. D’Angelico Electrozinc Jazz strings, Mini Hexagon tuning pegs and gold-plated locking strap pins complete the package, which comes in a Deluxe hard case.