D'Angelico Oval Hole at Carter's

[Don Grieser]

This is about the most amazing oval hole I've seen pics of and heard. What tone!

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https://cartervintage.com/products/dangelico-excel-1940s?variant=27154087811

[Nat]

I believe that mandolin was last sold by Mandolin Brothers and is pictured at the far right of the postcard MB used to sell featuring three or so D'Angelico mandolins and one D'Aquisto. Hard to tell from the postcard, but it looks to be the one.

[fernmando]

Ashby can pull tone from a plunger. That said, this mandolin struck me as exceptional also.

[Billy Packard]

Definitely the fanciest D'Angelico mandolin I've seen and the price to go with it, $18,500.

I've seen & played two others which were similar but way less ornate. This one has the bling for sure!


Billy

billypackardmandolin.com

[Jim Garber]

If it was one that Mandolin Brothers had a number of years ago, I recall them asking even more, like over $20K.

[Ivan Kelsall]

That mandolin did sound excellent,but i wish they'd calmed the room acoustics down a bit - too much reverb to get the real tone (IMHO). Ashby Frank's one of my favorite mandolin players & they couldn't have got a finer player to demo. it - brilliant !!,
Ivan;)

[Jim Garber]

I had seen two similar D'Angelico mandolins like that one at the Mandolin Brothers table probably two decades ago at the Long Island Guitar Show. I recall that they were asking over $20K each for them. I played both and neither blew me away at that time and certainly not at that price. I also played a few of the D'Angelico mandolins at Mandolin Brothers a year or so ago and IIRC one of the A models sounded and played nice. I played that 12 string one that Andy Statman demoed in a video but that one was ridiculous IMHO.

[PJ Doland]

I can't imagine I'd be able to resist the urge to play the Godfather theme on that thing.

[CES]

Love the look, and Andy makes it sound great! Probably the best arch top acoustic I've played was a D'Angelico at Gruhn's a couple of years ago. IIRC, they were asking 38,500 for it. Man, it was amazing, even with older strings...

[F-2 Dave]

Great sounding mandolin, even through my tiny ipad speaker.

[Bernie Daniel]

What a beautiful instrument with tone to match. I especially like the asymmetry of the points -- but in truth he kind of borrowed that idea from the Gibson F-style....

[Ryk Loske]

I know that Pete Langdell made a mandolin along the lines of the D'Angelico. Anybody here have or seen it?

Ryk

[j. condino]

... in truth he kind of borrowed that idea from the Gibson F-style....

Why does everything have to revolve around the @!$%&*# Gibson F5?????????

D'angelico's work had zero to do with the F5 design and was almost 100% copied from Lyon & Healy to the point that many of his mandolins even copied the funky Lyon & Healy carved violin scroll style headstocks. Both he and D'Aquisto regularly stated that that they had no interest in the F5 design or the bluegrass music they associated with it. To two old Italian guys, the only music you played on a mandolin were the traditional European styles associated with the immigrant communities where they grew up and lived in New York.

[Charles E.]

You beat me to it James, L&H all the way.

[Bernie Daniel]

Well OK then maybe Lyon-Healy took a clue from Gibson and then D'Angelico got an inspiration from L & H? And yes not to been cantankerous I do think most flat back American mandolins do give a nod to Gibson. That does not seem too heretical to me?

[Jim Garber]

I knew a person in the NY Mandolin Orchestra who inherited her mom's D'A L&H copy that she ordered directly from John D'A. A beautiful understated one.

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[brunello97]

Anyone know what the scale length on these JD'A mandolins is?

Mick

[peter.coombe]

Well OK then maybe Lyon-Healy took a clue from Gibson and then D'Angelico got an inspiration from L & H? And yes not to been cantankerous I do think most flat back American mandolins do give a nod to Gibson. That does not seem too heretical to me?

About the only thing the Lyon and Healy mandolins and the Gibson oval hole mandolins have in common is the top and back are carved and they both have a varnished finish. I make both styles, so have a pretty good handle on the differences. The body sizes are different, the body shape is different, the arching is very different, the graduations are also very different, the neck angle is different, the bridge is different, the bridge height is different, the tailpiece is different, headstock is different, and so it goes on and on. All these differences make a different sound. The world of vintage mandolins does not revolve around the Gibson F5. You just need to read Graham McDonald's book to realise that.

[Jim Garber]

Anyone know what the scale length on these JD'A mandolins is?

Mick

The only reference I see in my files is one early A model (not listed in his ledgers) described as having a shorter scale since he was selling these to classical players. I would take that to mean that he copied that scale from the L&H. OTOH one made in 1952 and sold by Mandolin Brothers is described as having a scale length of 13-7/8"

[brunello97]

The only reference I see in my files is one early A model (not listed in his ledgers) described as having a shorter scale since he was selling these to classical players. I would take that to mean that he copied that scale from the L&H. OTOH one made in 1952 and sold by Mandolin Brothers is described as having a scale length of 13-7/8"

Thanks, Jim. Was it the early L+H model had a longer scale and they switched to a shorter one?

Mick

[Jim Garber]

Thanks, Jim. Was it the early L+H model had a longer scale and they switched to a shorter one?

Mick

Yes, but these early D'A mandolins were made in the 1930s. I would guess that John would make you whatever you liked.

[brunello97]

Yes, but these early D'A mandolins were made in the 1930s. I would guess that John would make you whatever you liked.

Check. JD'A was twelve when the first of these L+H models rolled out the door.

Mick