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. Available in Dark Iced Tea Burst and Amber.
HEADSTOCK
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
BODY SHAPE Single Cutaway
BODY STYLE Hollowbody
BODY DEPTH 3"
BODY WIDTH 17"
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 Solid Black Scalini (5-ply)
BACK PLATE N/A
PICKUP SELECTOR N/A
KNOBS 2 Mini Hexagon
STRAP BUTTONS Gold, Locking
ELECTRONICS
OVERVIEW 1 Full Humbucker
CONTROLS 1 volume / 1 tone
PICKUP (NECK) USA Seymour Duncan 59 Humbucker (Neck) (Gold Cover)