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Vintage Guitars Info's
Other Vintage Guitar Makers:
Kay, D'Angelico, Stromberg, Hofner.

About their serial number system, though, so I wouldn't be able to tell you anything based on S/N. What I do know is there are two versions of the EX-DC. Production ceased for (I think) 2-3 years, and resumed with some minor design changes. The biggest difference is that earlier ones have a. Jan 02, 2020 The serial number is S160063543. No sticker on where it was. New Generation D'Angelico guitar serial number Need Help. Thread Tools., 01:19 PM #1.

D'angelico, Stromberg, Kay, Hofner vintage guitars history and collecting.Private vintage guitar collector. Pictures, history for other makes of vintage guitars.
Contact the Vintage Guitar Info Guy.1958 Kay Barney Kessel Pro

Model Information for:

• Picture Gallery, Other makers

  There are lots of other cool makes of instruments out there. But theseare the 'big' ones that I have some information on. Note the Hofnersection has been greatly updated and moved to its own section, and removed from here.

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Kay.

Kay primarily manufactured 'department store' style, inexpensive guitars from the 1930's to the 1960's. But they also made some hi-end, qualityarchtop guitars. The most collectable Kays are any model with the 'Kelvinator'plastic headstock overlay with art deco patterns. Used from 1957 to 1960, this headstock was named after the brand of refrigerator that looked quite similar.This overlay was injection molded with clear acrylic plastic and thenback-painted either white or black, with gold highlights in the crestand gold dots outside of the crest. Starting in late 1960, Kay switched to a less expensive 'half' Kelvinator that used just the triangle Kay crest from the full Kelvinator, screwed to a simple black plastic headstockveneer. This 'half' Kelvinator dropped the black or white back-painted acyrlic 'lunchcountertop' surround with gold dots. This design only lasted till the end of 1961 when the Kelvinator headstock was completely dropped.

1957-1960 Kay full
'Kelvinator' Headstock

Note that Kay also made guitar with other brand names on theheadstock. These are still Kay's, just they are made for department storetype companies. This includes Spiegel ('Old Kraftsmen'), Montgomery Ward('Sherwood Deluxe'), Sears and Roebuck ('Silvertone'), and Orpheum through the 1950's and 1960's. The most common name (other than 'Kay') isby far 'Old Kraftsmen'.

Kays are notorious for having bad neck sets and broken truss rod systems.Usually, this can be corrected by a good repair person for around$150 to $200.

• Barney Kessel Pro.
  Single cutaway archtop, 13' wide, veneer maple body, spruce top, no F-holes, 1 or 2 singlecoil 'Gold K' pickups, block fingerboard inlays starting at the 3rd fret, 'Kelvinator' peghead, 'Barney Kessel' signature on the silver colored acrylic pickguard, chrome open back Grover tuners, rosewood bridge, sunburst or blond finish. Available 1957 to 1961. In 1960, Barney Kessel's signaturewas removed from the pickguard.

• Barney Kessel Artist.
  Single cutaway archtop, 15 1/2' wide, veneer maple body, spruce top, bound F-holes, 1 or 2 single coil 'Gold K' pickups, block fingerboard inlays starting at the 1st fret, rosewood fingerboard, 'Barney Kessel' signature on the silver colored acrylic pickguard, 'Kelvinator' peghead, chrome Melita bridge, nickel Grover tuners, sunburst or blond finish. Available 1957 to 1961. In 1960, Barney Kessel's signaturewas removed from the pickguard.

• Barney Kessel Jazz Special.
  Completed with the Gibson L-5CES. Single cutaway archtop, 17' wide, veneer maple body, spruce top, bound F-holes, 1 or 2 singlecoil 'Gold K' pickups, split-block fingerboard inlays, ebony fingerboard, 'Barney Kessel' signature on the silver colored acrylic pickguard, 'Kelvinator' peghead, chrome Melita bridge, chrome Grover Imperial tuners, sunburst or blond finish. Available 1957 to 1961. In 1960, Barney Kessel's signaturewas removed from the pickguard.

• The Upbeat.
  Kay's less expensive alternative to the Barney Kessel Jazz Special. Singlecutaway archtop, 17' wide, veneer maple body, rosewood fingerboard with pearloid block inlays starting at the 3rd fret, rosewood bridge, closedback individual Kluson tuners with metal buttons, large scalloped pickguardsometimes with silver sparkle, sunburst, blond or black finish. Available with 1 or 2 'Gold K' single coil pickup from 1957 to 1959.In late 1959, 3 pickup 'ES-5' type model available. Made from 1957 to 1961.Full Kelvinator headstock from 1957 to 1960, half Kelvinator headstock in 1961.

15' wide, single cutaway, flat top semi-hollow maple body, blond top andsunburst back and sides, 1 or 2 blade pickups, block fingerboard inlaysstarting at the 3rd fret, rosewood fingerboard, trapeze tailpiece,rosewood bridge fixed to top. Available 1952 to 1960. Tortoise shell pickguard from 1952 to 1957, black pickguard from 1958 to 1960.

pre-1958 K-161

• Jazz II.
  15 1/4' wide, double cutaway fully hollow 2' thick veneer maple body (likean ES-330), rosewood fingerboard with 'shark fin' inlays starting at the3rd fret, two 'Gold K' single coil pickups, bolt-on maple neck, Bigsbyvibrato and aluminum bridge, silver painted scalloped acrylic pickguard,half Kelvinator headstock, nickel Grover tuners, bound top, back and fingerboard, blond or sunburst finish. Available 1961 to ?.

• K-11 acoustic archtop.
  Completed with the Gibson L-7C, Single custaway acoustic archtop, 17' wide veneer maple body, spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, block or 'shark fin' fingerboard inlays starting at the 3rd fret, large scalloped pickguard, closed back individual Klusontuners with metal buttons, trapeze tailpiece, blond or sunburst finish. Available 1953 to 1959. Starting in 1958 came with a full Kelvinator headstock.

1961 Kay Jazz II with semi-Kelvinator

• K-27 Flattop.
  Same size as a Gibson J-200. 17' wide veneer maple body, spruce top withX-bracing, ebonyfingerboard, pearl block inlays starting at the 1st fret, small screwed-onpickguard, belly bridge. Available 1952 to 1963. Starting in 1958 came with a full Kelvinator headstock. By 1961, a half Kalventor headstock was used.

• K-23 Flattop.
  Same size as a Gibson J-200. 17' wide veneer maple body, spruce top with X-bracing, rosewoodfingerboard, pearloid block inlays starting at the 3rd fret, small screwed-onpickguard, rectangle bridge. Available 1952 to 1963. Starting in 1958 came with a full Kelvinator headstock. By 1961, a half Kalventor headstock was used.

• Kay Professional Cutaway Flattop.
  Same size as a Gibson J-200. 17' wide veneer maple body with cutaway, spruce top with X-bracing, rosewood fingerboard, pearloid block inlays starting at the 3rd fret, small screwed-onpickguard, belly bridge. Available 1955 to 1959.

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Harmony Guitars.

I do *not* collect Harmony guitars, and franklydon't know a lot about them. But I get constant questionson them. This is all I know, so please do not email mewith any Harmony questions.

Harmony was THE department store guitar until theearly 1970s for cheap flat top and arch top guitars. Usually the stores would re-brand theguitar to their store guitar name (like Silvertone or Catalina, etc.)But I am constantly asked when they are made.Inside there are usually some ink-stamped numbers,as seen in the picture below. In this picture, thedark numbers (0129H929) represent the Harmony guitarmodel. In this case model Harmony ('H') H929. The light blue number(f-70) represents Fall 1970, which was when thisguitar was made. Harmony used this type of markingsfrom the 1950s to the 1970s.

Internal Harmony marking for model H929
made in the Fall of 1970 (F-70).

1959 Hofner Committee

Hofner Archtop Guitars.

See the new and updated Hofner section by clickinghere.




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1954 D'Angelico Excel


D'Angelico.

Players and collectors consider D'Angelico Excel and New Yorker models tobe amoung the finest archtop guitars ever made. They are extremelycollectable. Note that John D'Angelico died in 1964, and his apprenticeD'Aquisto finished his last few models that were 'work in progress'.

Serial Numbers 1932 to 1964.

D'Angelico serial numbers are not strictly chronological. Some overlapsin date ranges occur.

• Style B:
  16 5/8' wide, parallel bracing (possibly a few with 'X' bracing afterWWII), unbound F-holes, peghead with broken-scroll pediment framing ornamental cupola (button), pointed angels on scroll. Available 1936 to 1948.

• Excel:
  Available in late 1934, the first Excels were 16 5/8' wide, had'straight' f-holes, and engraved fingerboard inlays. Then in late1937 the body changed to 17' wide and curved single bound f-holes.All models have multiple bound top and back, block inlays, peghead with broken scroll pediment framing ornamental cupola (button), rounded angles on scroll, and in 1943 stairstep tailpiece. It is thought that hestarted using 'X' bracing just after WWII. Available 1934 to 1964.

• New Yorker:
  18' wide, X-braced top, triple bound F-holes, black bindinglines on body sides and side of fingerboard, split-block fingerboard inlays, gold plated parts, skyscraper peghead logo. Some examples withpeghead with broken scroll pediment framing ornamental cupola (button) androunded angles on scroll). Available 1936 to 1964.

• Excel Special:
  17' wide, New Yorker trimmed Excel. Available 1943 to 1964.

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1953 Stromberg Master 400

Stromberg.

Stromberg's workmanship is generally considered amoung the best, thoughnot quite as good as D'Angelico archtops. Stromberg's late model guitarsfrom the 1950's have great sound that makes them quite collectable. The early models with multiple top braces do not sound as good, but are collectable because of the Stromberg's reputation.

• G-1:
  tailpiece with 2 horizontal plates and 4 vertical tubes, triplebound top and back, bound pickguard, notched-diamond or 4-point fingerboardinlays, bound peghead, nickel plated parts.

• G-2 and G-3 Cutaway:
  17 3/8' wide, bound pickguard with straight edges,ebony fingerboard, slashed-block fingerboard inlays, gold plated parts,natural or sunburst finish.

• Deluxe and Deluxe Cutaway:
  17 3/8' wide, tailpiece with 3 cutouts and Y-shaped center section,bound pickguard with stairstep treble side, bound F-holes, bound ebonyfingerboard with pointed end, 'Deluxe' on peghead, natural or sunburstfinish, gold plated parts.

• Master 300:
  19' wide, bound stairstep pickguard, block inlay.

• Master 400:
  19' wide, heavy tailpiece with 5 cutouts, bound pickguard withstairstep treble side, bound F-holes, pointed end ebony fingerboard withslashed-block inlays, celluloid peghead veneer with '400' engraved, goldplated parts, sunburst or natural finish. Cutaway models very rare.

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Born	1905
Died	September 1, 1964 (aged 58–59)
Nationality	United States
Occupation	Luthier
Known for	Founder of D'Angelico Guitars

John D'Angelico (Little Italy, Manhattan, 1905 – Manhattan, September 1, 1964) was a luthier from New York City, noted for his handmade archtopguitars and mandolins. He founded the D'Angelico Guitars company, where other notable luthiers like Jimmy D'Aquisto served as apprentices.

Luthiery[edit]

John D’Angelico was born in 1905 in New York to an Italian-American family, and was apprenticed in 1914 to his great-uncle, Raphael Ciani, who made violins, mandolins, and flat top guitars.^[1][2][3] This apprenticeship would become the basis for construction principles he later incorporated into his archtop guitars.^[4] After Ciani died D'Angelico took over the management of the business, but he didn't like having to supervise the 15 employees. As a result, he left and founded in 1932 D'Angelico Guitars at 40 Kenmare Street in Manhattan's Little Italy.^[5][6] Here he began making guitars initially based on the 16 inch Gibson L-5 and subsequently working on his own designs.

Instrument designs and output[edit]

D Angelico Serial Number Korea

Initially D'Angelico's guitars were based largely on the 1920s version of the Gibson L-5 with a 16 inch lower bout and 'snakehead' headstock design, but by 1937, he had settled on four main f-hole archtop guitar designs, heavily influenced by the GibsonL-5:^[7][8]

• Style A – 17 inch body. Phased out in the 1940s.
• Style B – 17 inch body. Phased out in the 1940s.
• Excel – 17 inch body
• New Yorker – 18 inch body. Approximately 300 made.^[9]

Through at least the late 1930s, D’Angelico's guitar necks had non-adjustable steel reinforcement. Later models had functional truss rods.^[10] By the late 40s, D'Angelico was building only the Excel and the New Yorker. All New Yorker models featured pearl inlays in the headstock and fingerboards, as well as quadruple bindings.^[11]

All of D’Angelico's guitars were hand-built, and many were customized for specific people, so substantial variation is evident in his output. D’Angelico's shop rarely made more than 30 guitars per year.^[12] In all, it is estimated that he built 1,164 guitars.^[13] D’Angelico also built a few round-hole (as opposed to f-hole) archtops, and a few mandolins.

While D'Angelico's craftsmanship was not always exemplary, the performance of his guitars established him as the premier maker of archtop guitars.^[3] During the late 1930s, when production was at its peak, D'Angelico made approximately 35 instruments per year with the help of only two workers, one of whom was Vincent 'Jimmy' DiSerio.^[3][14][4] His recognition as the 'finest builder of archtop guitars' later brought offers from larger companies, but ultimately he decided to keep his operation under his own name.^[4][14]

During the 1950s, some of the instruments leaving D'Angelico's shop had mixed features, such as an Excel-sized guitar with New Yorker features created for Johnny Smith, or D'Angelico necks custom fitted to bodies customers brought in.^[15] Original D'Angelico guitars are identified by a serial number punched inside the bass f-hole—the serial numbers ranging from 1001 to 2164.^[15]

In 1952 Jimmy D'Aquisto joined the company as an apprentice.^[3]

D'Angelico had a heart attack in 1959 and also parted ways with DiSerio, who left to work at the Favilla guitar company. As a result, he closed the business but soon reopened it after D'Aquisto who was unable to find work, convinced him to do so.^[3] After several more heart attacks and having also suffered from pneumonia John D'Angelico died in 1964 at the age of 59. He had built 1,164 numbered guitars with the last ten finished by D'Aquisto.^[3][16] D'Aquisto then bought the business but a poor business decision lost him the right to the D’Angelico name.^[17]

The D'Angelico Guitars brand has continued under other owners.

Employees[edit]

Some of D'Angelico's employees went on to become craftsmen in their own right. Among them were Jimmy Di Serio, who worked for D'Angelico from 1932–1959, and D'Aquisto who would eventually buy the business from the D'Angelico family. D'Angelico and D'Aquisto are generally regarded as the two greatest archtop guitar makers of the 20th century.^[18]

In 2011, works by D'Angelico and D'Aquisto were included in the 'Guitar Heroes' exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.^[19]

Vincent 'Jimmy' DiSerio, was commissioned by Ralph Patt to modify a GibsonES-150 (six-string archtop hollow-body guitar) to have a wider neck, wider pickup, and eight strings circa 1965; seven strings enabled Patt's major-thirds tuning to have the E-E range of standard tuning, while the eighth string enabled the high A♭.^[20]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

• Peterson, Jonathon (2002). 'Tuning in thirds: A new approach to playing leads to a new kind of guitar'. American Lutherie: The Quarterly Journal of the Guild of American Luthiers. 8222 South Park Avenue, Tacoma WA 98408: USA.: The Guild of American Luthiers. Number 72 (Winter): 36–43. ISSN1041-7176. Archived from the original on 21 October 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2012.CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

References[edit]

D'angelico Serial Numbers

Serial Numbers Cracks

1. ^Bonds, Ray (ed.) (2006). 'The illustrated directory of guitars.' Barnes & Noble/Salamander Books, p. 104.
2. ^Wheeler, Tom (1982). American guitars: an illustrated history.' Harper & Row. p. 22.
3. ^ ^abcdefAcoustic Guitars: The Illustrated Encyclopedia. New York: Chartwell Books. 2011. pp. 38–42. ISBN978-0-7858-3571-4.
4. ^ ^abcWilliam), Green, Frank W/m (Frank (2008). D'Angelico : John D'Angelico : master guitar builder : what's in a name?. Centerstream. ISBN9781574242171. OCLC191808803.
5. ^Will Levith (January 23, 2015). 'Joe Bonamassa and the Amazing Technicolor D'Angelico Shop'. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
6. ^Teddy Kim (August 22, 2014). 'Rock On! D'Angelico Guitars Is Back in Business in Chelsea'. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
7. ^Bonds, Ray (ed.) (2006). p. 104.
8. ^Achard, Ken (1999). 'The History and Development of the American Guitar.' The Bold Strummer, p. 16.
9. ^Denyer, Ralph (1998). 'The guitar handbook.' Alfred A. Knopf. p. 47.
10. ^Wheeler, Tom (1982). pp. 22-23.
11. ^Achard, Ken (1999). p. 16.
12. ^Bonds, Ray (ed.) (2006). p. 106.
13. ^Wheeler, Tom (1982). pp. 22.
14. ^ ^ab'About | D'Angelico Guitars'. angelicoguitars.com. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
15. ^ ^abAchard, Ken (1999). p. 43.
16. ^'NAMM 2015: Revived D'Angelico guitar brand shows off new acoustics'. January 23, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
17. ^Stern, Stephen (Fall 1995). 'Jimmy D'Aquisto – Luthier Extraordinaire'(PDF). Frontline magazine. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
18. ^'Images from the Lillibridge Gallery'. D'Angelico/D'Aquisto/Gudelsky Workshop. National Music Museum; The University of South Dakota 414 East Clark Street Vermillion, SD 57069. September 8, 2009. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
19. ^'Guitar heroes: Legendary craftsmen from Italy to New York, February 9-July 4, 2011'. John D'Angelico. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
20. ^Peterson (2002, p. 37)

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John D'Angelico.

Where Are D'angelico Guitars Made