D Angelico Guitars of America New Yorker NYL-2

Jazz guitar with one floating pick up. That's all you need on a jazz guitar...

Acoustic sound very bright, not as loud as yoou could have expected. Very anonumous sound when plugged in. I used it mainly with a Fender Super Twin.

Neck felt nice, nothing special though. Buzzing in the high register, dissapered after filing the frets.

I guess they're quite reliable.

Don't know.

It's an ok guitar that looks really nice. But they're really OVERPRICED. You could buy a real nice car for the price of a D'Angelico. Or maybye 3 or 4 other guitars from a different brand that's just as good (Eastman maybye?!). Or one hell-of-a-carved-top-of-the-line-guitar...
I had mine for about a year (mostly in the closet) and traded it in as soon as I got a fair deal.

2001 made in Japan by Vestax. 17" Archtop with 3" depth, 25.5" scale, pressed solid Spruce top, laminated maple back and sides, ebony fingerboard and bridge, gold plated brass tailpeice, floating Johnny Smith humbucker attached to pickguard,

Tone! Tone! Tone! This guitar has a stunning appearance, but its sound makes an audience look up, and even fellow musicians remark on the beauty of your tone. Absolutely fantastic for chord melody. Surprisingly resistant to feedback when playing with loud bands. I've played this with a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue, a Polytone, and a new Jazzkat. The amps change, but the gorgious tone stays.

I bought this used off of Ebay and got lucky. The set up was fine except for the action which was a bit high for my taste. But this is really easy to fix on an archtop with a floating bridge.

I got this used after 5 years and it was in perfect condition. I've played live with it repeatedly already and have no problems. As others have said, this is the guitar to take to the gig.

No idea, never contacted them.

I bought this to replace an Epiphone Emperor Regent. The Epiphone was fine, but this guitar is just at another level. With its solid top it blows away contemporary Gibson ES-175s of comparable price. I can't compare it with a Johnny Smith or an L-5 having played neither, but those guitars are at least twice as much. Besides, the L5, with its mounted HB, is really a different animal altogether. This guitar is a perfect balance. It's a classic design with a lovely vintage tone but is inexpensive enough that you can actually use it live without hiring a bodyguard. It's a shame they don't make these anymore, if you have the chance to grab one I'd definitely take it.

This is a 2002 Vestex constructed D'Angelico NYL-2. The finish is the aged vintage. The rest of the guitar is pretty much the way it came from the factory. Kent Armstrong pick-up, OHSC.

I have been primarily a rock and blues guitarist. This guitar (and it's sound) represented a departure from what I have played in the past 35 years. Just play a few 9ths and b5ths and you can tell that this guitar has a soul for sophistication. I found that there was a real 'jazzy' timbre to the tones coming out of this instrument. Unplugged, it is respectably loud but clear with warm harmonic vibrations that you could feel as well are hear. Noticeably louder and, more importantly, clearer and more articulate that the Eastmans I had played. And, predictably, it does have a slightly noticable warmth of tone and playability advantage over the Excel model. Any harshness of the mid to upper range can be controlled with the volume and tone pots. Great sustain for a true hollow body.

This guitar came to me essentially in new condition--the neck and fret set-up was already dialed in. I only adjusted slightly to set the string height to medium to low and to get both clear voicing and a fast fretboard. No dead spots or hot spots. There are no detectable flaws in the finish. The quilted side and back are gorgeous and the bookmatching on the back is impressive. No complaints whatsoever this this guitar fit and finish.

I have gigged with this guitar a few times over the past 6 months and it certaily seems roadworthy enough. I am probably a bit rough on guitars and will 'hammer away as necessary' to get the sound and the show.

N/A

This is an impressive instrument--no question about it. It brings a whole different dimension to the material that I would have otherwise played on the ES335 or the Gretsch 6120 (but watch that volume!). The Django stuff starts to sound believable. If I had it to do over again, I would--and just hope that I would be fortunate enough to get a hold of another D'Angelico NYL-2 of this quality. I am not real crazy about the gold stair-stepped tailpiece (me thinks that an ebony one would be a bit more attractive). If price is of a big concern, check out the Excel model. The D'Angelico name and product are again real performers; you will not be disappointed.

Pressed top, ebony board, 17" lower bour, 25.25" scale. 2003. It has the features necessary for playing jazz - good tone and playability. No whammy bar.

Excellent tone. It's a jazz box and fulfillis that function handily. Airier, more open, than a Gibson 175. And a better guitar, too. I rate it as a 9 because I've since bought a Sadowsky. But if the D'A is a nine, then a Gibson 175 is an 8.

Out of the box I lowered the action at the bridge, and it's great. Low and fast with no buzzes or dead spots. Never adjusted the truss rod, and I am very picky about my setups. Very pretty guitar.

Seems solid.

No call for support. If I had problems I'd go to the dealer.

Used to play for a living, now just noodle. I'm comparing the D'A to a Gibson ES-175 and a Sadowsky JB. This will never get sold.

I have played them all. For the money, the D'angelico NYL-2 is the best jazz guitar out there.

Finish is beautiful. The curly maple back and sides are beautifully book-matched.

Play this guitar every weekend for the last two years and it just keeps on ticking.

Never had a problem, however, I did email them with a quick response.

All that you need in a perfect jazz box.

This is just a follow up to one of my earlier reviews. As many of the reviews have mentioned here, the floating mini-humbucking pickup that comes with the Japanese D'Angelicos leaves something to be desired in the tone department. Now in all honesty, all floating mini-humbuckers sound pretty lifeless to me. I've never found one I really like including the original Gibson Johnny Smith.

I began to look for a good single coil replacement that I could mount without modifying the guitar or the pickguard since the Japanese made D'Angelicos are no longer available. All D'Angelicos are now Excel models made in Korea. I don't know if this is a permanent situation or not, but I didn't want to take the chance of chopping up a guitar that may become more valuable over time.

Anyway, there are few single coil floating pickups available. Kent Armstrong makes one but it is an ugly black, asphalt looking thing and sounds very tinny to my ear. I wanted something that sounded more like the old DeArmond Rhythm Chief of the 40s and 50s. That is the sound you hear on many old recordings.

I talked to various pickup builders and found a couple who were willing to give a try to making one but I didn't sense any real desire in them until I ran into Tom Short at www.tomshortshandmadepickups.com. Tom was excited at the challenge and after reading reviews of his other pickups here at Harmony-Central I decided to let him try.

After about twenty prototypes, Tom came up with the best sounding single coil pickup I have ever heard. The best way to describe the tone is to take a Charlie Christian, a DeArmond Rhythm Chief, an early P90 and a 50's Telecaster neck pickup, combine all the best qualities of those pickups all rolled into a single unit and you have the "Steve Bistrow Western Swing/Jazz Floater."

Yes, Tom honored me by naming the pickup after me and it is now available on his website. The sonics of this pickup are extraordinary. The highs are crisp and clear but never brittle. The lows are deep and resonant, yet never boomy. The mids are creamy smooth and the articulation and note separation are spectacular. There is no better single coil pickup on the planet, PERIOD!!!

This is a direct replacement fit with absolutely no mods necessary so you can go back to your mini-humbucker at any time (why you would want to is beyond me, but you can).

The botom line here is if you want your D'Angelco to sound like the ones that John built, try this pickup on your guitar. By the way, the grins are free with purchase!

I've owned the guitar since early 2000 and it is still perfect. None of the gold has tarnished and acoustically it has really opened up over time.

Top-Notch

They're a little slow to respond, but they are a very small company. All in all, I've been satisf

I love this guitar! It makes me feel good and play better every time I pick it up. If you can find one now that they're no longer available, grab it. You won't be sorry.

By the way, for those of you that are interested, I play my NYL-2 through a blackface Fender Deluxe-Reverb and the pedals I use are a Visual Sound H2O delay/chorus, a Visual Sound Route 66 compressor/overdrive, an MXR Phase 90 phase shifter, an Electro-Harmonix (US) Small Stone Phase Shifter, and a Danelectro Leslie simulator. I use the pedals sparingly except for a mild echo effect and compression that I use most of the time.

Do not know the year of this instrument. New 2000 nish. Twenty two frets if I recall correctly. Very beautiful instrument with mother of pearl inlays on headstock,fingerboard,and bridge area. Volume and tone located on the pickguard. Very elegant looking goldplated tailpiece. One mini floating pickup in neck position. Very large D'Angelico headstock with gold color Grover tuners. Wooden bridge and looks like a bone nut.

This guitar suits my style with perfection. I play various styles but always fall back to fingerstyle jazz playing. This guitar is very full sounding, very balanced tone acoustically and electrically. Lots of punch in the mid range area and can be tapered very well with the tone control. I have no dislikes about this guitar. Sounds like an original to me.

No flaws that I can detect. I do not own one of these yet but the setup in the store was very well with flatwound strings and fairly low action. Very comfortable to play for such a large instrument.

Reliablity looks well. It's Japanese made, for the price it should stand to test of time. Hopefully the gold wont ware off easily. Everything on the guitar that I tried looks sturdy and well built. No loose fitting pieces here. Other than possible string breakage I would use with no backup.

I've been playing for 38 years and this is absolutely the best jazz guitar I've ever played. I am a Gibson person and the only other guitar that was love at first sight was a tobacco sunburst Gibson Byrdland. This D'Angelico is breath takenly gorgeous. I cannot think of anything better to say. It's something about that floating pickup that makes a great difference in the sound. I've played several Gibson ES175's, Epiphone Emperors, and Regents and this guitar out shines them all in looks and sound. One of the best out there for the money. If you can afford it buy nothing else for your jazz playing.

Overseas copy of an American Icon. 22 fret, spruce top, figured maple sides jazzbox. One floating pickup in the neck position. Volume and tone controls on the pickguard. Perfect features if you want a solid Jazz guitar.

I play straight-ahead jazz and be-bop on this guitar and it fits the bill perfectly. Sound of the guitar unplugged is a little brittle, but plugged in, the darker sound of the pick-up really lets this guitar breathe.

Beautiful finish on this guitar. The flame in the maple is outstanding. Better quality woods than most anything in the US. I had one problem with a loose output jack. Since tightining it up I have had no problems. Neck is somewhat on the small size for my taste but it is about perfect for anyone else on the planet. I like the old Gibson baseball bat necks from the 50's. Very comfortable overall.

Have used this guitar on countless gigs with no problem. I always carry a back-up just in case Murphy strikes, but that won't happen until I forget my other axe.

I always do my own work, so I've never used it. Have heard good and bad things about D'angelico customer support. Must depend on who answers the phone.

I happen to have a great job playing guitar full time with benefits and perks. I have played original D'angelicos, vintage Gibsons and the occassional Bennedetto. This reissue New Yorker can't top some of these guitars, but it definately competes with them all. Whem I'm going on a late night gig and have to walk the back alleys to the after hours club, I would rather take this guitar than my $45,000 Bennedetto any day. For the price and sound of this guitar I give it an overall rating of ten. It gives a high-end sound within reach of a modest income. Jazz players tend to shell out more money on a single guitar than most other players and I would recommend you try out one of the new D'angelicos before making any other purchase. I would also check out one of the Eastman guitars if you want a solid top for a better unplugged sound.

Bought this mail order though EBAY. I have been playing for 42 years.
When I opened the case I was breathless. Gorgeous instrument. Considering I paid $2600.00 including shipping and their beautiful case it was a steal. I have read a lot of negatives here. I don't have any. I always play a new guitar for 4-6 weeks before I start adjusting it to my tastes. This one is very close out of the box. I have played a Gibson Byrdland recently ($6000.00) and a D'Aquisto ($5000.00) and they sounded like crap compared to this guitar. One note: I played it through a small Peavy tube amp and was very dismayed. I then pulled out my solid state Roland 405 twin cabinet amp and the damn thing opened up! This guitar is definitely amp picky.
I could be really anal and complain about limited pickup adjustability but this is a jazz box. I is NOT meant to be a general purpose guitar. If you buy this and want to play it hard or try dirty blues you will hate life. If you want the Johnny Smith, Wes Montgomery style, this is your baby.

I am still futzing with the sound and I want to get a reverb unit. The guitar is alive and full... just deeelicious.

Action almost perfect. Fit and finish so good I want to wear a body condom so I don't sweat on it.....

Ok, I am a player and I HATE gold plating. I sweat the crap right off.
This guitar was meant to me a dead-nuts tribute to Jimmy D'Angelico so it has the gold plated Grover Imperials. I am taking off the keys and replacing with ebony. Thats $40.00 and 45 min work. No problemo. I would not take this out gigging. Too nice. Or I'd buy an NYL-6 for club use and keep this one home.

Web site is awful. You can't register the guitar. I have not tried calling yet. But I did e-mail with no answer. When you try to register on the site you reach a catch 22 log-in loop. Very unprofessional.

I have a lot of guitars and have owned even more. All I can say is this guitar absolutely shames everything I have seen from Gibson's custom shop and for under $3000.00 it's a steal. Other than buying a Gagnon or other custom handmade archtop for huge money I cannot imagine a better value anywhere.

22frets,long scale, pickups have a darkish tone that colors your sound without allowing a pure clear tone. Tuners easily loosened up after changing strings

Good acoustic sound and good jazz sound.
Sound is not flexible due to the pickups which have their own tone. Pickups have too much bass-notan even sound even with lowering of the P/U screws. Sloppily mounted P/U.

Guitar had buzzes with low action.
Nice Finish

Bridge and nut not aligned evenly

Good for Big Band, Hard too play with either medium/low frets. Hand often felt cramped. Not good for quick Benson like playing.

Horrible. After repeated calls and E-mails no response. It seems Mr.Alexander/Pete have made it hard to get satisfaction.I got rid of this guitar-will never buy another one,have seen many showing up used in stores. Even the dealer is fedup with their company

25 years of playing
Wish I had not bought this guitar. I think the company won't last long due to their quality control and customer relations. In fact,I'll be the first one to laugh when it happens.

2003 model, purchased new. Pressed solid spruce top, laminated maple sides and back. All the specs have been listed by previous reviewers. Natural finish. One floating pickup w/adjustable pole pieces, but not adjustable pickup height (no height control is definitely a defecit). Very stunningly beautiful guitar that always gets positive comments from musicians and non-musicians alike.

I play swing and fingerstyle jazz/pop from the 30's and 40's. This guitar has THE sound! Single notes are big and fat and chords are full with good definition of each note. I have it strung with Thomastik Swing Flatwounds .12 - .50 and they sound and play fantastic. I am running it thru a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue and it sounds very nice. Acoustically it sounds as good and loud as another solid wood archtop I own.

I was not happy with the factory setup. The high E and B strings buzzed at the 10th, 11th and 12th frets. I took the guitar to a local nationally acclaimed "boutique" music store and they spent an hour setting it up, tweeking the truss rod and filing the frets. Now it plays and sounds like a dream. Also, the pickup bounced up and down while I played (fingerstyle, my thumb kept hitting it), this bounce was easily remedied with a small piece of felt between the top of the guitar and the bottom of the pickup. I noticed a few places in the binding where corners did not match up 100%, more like 99.99%. You'd have to look hard for this "flaw". Wood quality is top notch with a very tightly grained spruce top and highly flamed sides and back.

The guitar is built rock solid and should last a lifetime. Unfortunately it has the typical Japanese polyurethene finish that's impossible to repair. I am a bit worried about the gold finish on the pickup. My thumb touches it frequently when I play fingerstyle and I know eventially I'll wear away the finish.

Sent a few inquiring emails pre and post sale to D'Angelico in New Jersey and they were answered quickly, politely and accurately.

As I previously stated I was disappointed with the factory setup and had to pay $75 additional dollars locally to have the guitar setup correctly. I did however purchase this guitar mail-order and I would imagine if I bought it locally this setup would of been done for free. Unfortunately these guitars are not available as widespread as say a Martin, Taylor or Fender guitar.

I've been playing for 36 years and have owned many guitars. This is one of the best I've owned. I'd buy another if this were lost or stolen.

I was offered an endorsement for D'Angelico guitars.I picked the NYL-1,which is completely hand carved,by who?I don't know.I tried reaching them by phone to change to an NYL=2 CUSTOM.After over a dozen calls,and almost more e mails,someone returned my call.Most of their guitars are pressed tops,not carved.Even the NYL-2 CUSTOM has a carved top,but pressed back.Pressed means that the top is shaped softned in water or a similar solution,then pressed into shape.Carving a guitar from scratch takes time,pressed tops are cheaper to do,and the sound of the guitar is not as warm,or professional.With an acoustic guitar the top of the guitar vibrates or rings.When the top is pressed,yes there is less feedback,but the sound is cheap,and not really pro.Beware pressed top guitars are cheap copies of a great late luthier John D'Angelico.If D'Angelico were not already passed on,these guitars would certaily kill him.The overall sound ,unplugged is thin,yet plugged in it sounds good,not great.I gave up my endorsement for the lack of quality of the guitars,and no customer support.Russel Malone is a Buscarino guitar endorsee,although he claims to have used his D'Angelico on his new recording.I have yet to hear from these professional guitar luthiers.

A cheap replica of a great guitar.

Heritage,Gerard Melancon,Terry McInturff,Roger Sadowsky,guitar endorsee/

This is a follow up to a review I posted three years ago on this guitar. As a matter of fact, I posted the first review and if you scroll all the way to the bottom you can read it.

I won't go into the features as you can read them in all of the reviews previous to this one.

As I said, I have now owned this guitar for three years and it has just gotten better with time. The acoustic tone has opened up tremendously. There are just not words to describe how warm and smooth this superb instrument sounds acoustically.

Electrically, the mini-humbucker suspeneded from the pickguard has a nice, full, round tone with well defined bass and bright but not brittle highs. The pick up does have a very pronounced mid-range that is ideal for jazz, which this guitar is designed for. The tone and volume controls, also pickguard mounted are very linear and minute adjustments of them vary the tone substantially. There is virtually no jazz tone that this pickup cannot reproduce admirably.

The only word that can describe the fit and finish on this guitar is FLAWLESS! The gold hardware still looks like new with no wear or tarnishing and the vintage sunburst finish is stunning. The quality of woods used is of the finest quality. The flame in the maple sides and back look three dimensional.

I have no doubt that this guitar will be around and enjoyed by my great-great-great grand children. Guitars of this quality haven't been built since the 30's and 40's. I have owned some of the finest vintage archtops ever made and this D'Angelico is right up there among the best.

They are extremely helpful and friendly and are very passionate about their product. They have answered every question I've ever had and went out of their way to solve a minor issue I had. This is the way customer support is supoosed to be.

Absolutely the best that money can buy. Play one and see for yourself.

-year 2002
-solid pressed top
-

-great for jazz
- nice mellow tone with clarity of notes
-frets too tall and round.
-neck has slight built in relief,I prefer a straight neck like a Gibson L-5

String spacing at the Bridge sloppily done.
pickup and pickguard too low,can't be adjusted easily.

Should last a lifetime with maintenance.

Company doesn't like to return phone calls and promptly honor requests

I would look at other guitars if stolen such as a Victor Baker.More guitar for less money.I find it strange that the Japanese manufacturer can't be easily contacted for complaints.

Straight ahead Jazz Box with one pick up.

Perfect jazz box sound. I've had Gibsons etc. and this one's sounds as good or better than any L-5 I've ever played.

Fit and finish is awesome. Better than any of the new Gibson's and on a par with guitars costing twice as much. (or more)

Built like a tank. Only time will tell. Always take a back up.

They were great as far as letting me know where to buy and back log.

Been playing for 25 years and have owned other similar guitars. Would buy another one in a second if it was stolen. Love everything about the guitar but if I had to pick the number one thing... it inspires me. Looked at new Gibson L-5s and Guilds etc.... and by FAR for the money and quality this guitar is head and shoulders above the rest.

All the standard appointments you would expect from a Jazz box. This solid pressed spruce top is the way to go. Love the floating pickup it sounds great. Neck is awesome size. I usually find them to chunky or too thin on archtops but this is the perfect in between for my taste. The case is a beautiful finishing touch for this awesome sounding, classy looking archtop.

I love archtops and have had many and this is my favorite sounding one. The tone is amazing accoustically or plugged in. You may consider leaving your collectible vintage stuff at home in the closet. The only problem is these are even more beautiful and your concious may bother you if you ding it up.

Just totally fabulous! Love the neck, finish and how great it felt right out of the box.

Built rock solid.

Love the support from the guys they are super cool and helpfull. Would personally give them a 10+ if that was possible. Makes me appreciate the guitar even more.

Amazing value for your buck if you are looking for a great sounding, looking and playing archtop.

17" Single Cutaway Jazz Archtop, 25.5 inch scale, 22 fretes, Mother of Pearl inlay (split blocks) on fretboard and at headstock, multi ply (blk/wht) binding, Grover Imperial Tuners, Ebony Saddle/Bridge and fretboard, Solid pressed (not carved, but solid wood shaped by a press) German Spruce Top with binding at F holes, Floating Humbucker (single PU at the neck position) with 1 vol and 1 tone on pickguard. Sides and back are moderately flamed laminate maple. Neck is mildly thin and slim.

Came with standard jazz flatwound strings, very mellow and bassy tone that yields about as much acoustic tone as you could ask for in an archtop. Extremely full and velvety. Played it through a California Blonde, Fender Deluxe, Pod w/headphones, Polytone 80w. Typical of a guitar of this type it will distort easily without the right amp settings, etc. Good guitar for Jazz, Easy Listening, and some general acoustical work. Compared it to a Gibson ES 175 and L4, Ibanez George Benson, Gretsch Syncromatic (junk). The Ibanez came closest but could not rival the acoustic qualities of this guitar. When I played it in the store the mere sound of the guitar made people come to hear what it was and when they saw it they were overcome by it's beauty.

Factory Setup was good. Only flaws I noted was the custom layered plastic truss rod cover was delaminating at one of the screw holes and the marker dots on the side of the neck seems to be hand painted and not well aligned (but does not look bad) I contacted DAngelico and have not heard back yet if they will send a new truss rod cover.

This Guitar is a copy of the famous DAngelico New Yorker guitars made 1930 - 1964. Vestax is a Japanese company that has been buiding guitars for long time with a wide range of quality sort of like Ibanez. Vestax did an excellent job on this guitar and it is built solid and well. However it is extremely beautiful and I am not sure that it is a gigging instrument except for special occaisions. It has just a 1 yr. Warranty but I am not worried.

Don't know yet. Email me for an update.

You will not find a better value for sound. The original guitars sell for $25k - $60k. Not much out there that can compare with the tone of this guitar. NOTHING out there can compare with the beauty of this guitar. Guitar lists for $4500. Here is the website for DAngelico/Vestax: http://www.dangelicoguitars.com/

Tone and Beauty are the favorite features. If it were stolen, I would need counseling.

Volume and Tone. What more could you want.

This is a jazz box and it sounds like every other D'Angelico I've heard. It has a warmth to its tone that makes you wish you were a better player.(it entices me to practice...Ha)

Setup was perfect. I've always liked seting my electrics up alittle slinky for bends. This guitar is setup to be a jazz box of your dreams.

If they would have had these on the Titanic, they could have rowed to shore. Very well built.

I have been wanting a electric arch for along time, but never really wanted to peel out the big bucks for one. I've past a couple of super 400's up over the years that I wished I would've bought.(they sounded wonderful)For 6 or 7 thousand dollars I wanted to make I would use it. I have a nice selection of gear T.Anderson, PRS, Fender,Martin,Collings,Dobro,and Derby pedal steel, and my Earl Scruggs Gibson mastertone. I guess I'm like you I like high quality crafted instruments. The D'Angelico NYL-2 is in a league of its own.

Please see my earlier review. Jazz boxes don't come with a lot of features, just the important ones.

Absolutely incomparable. As sweet as it gets!

Still perfect!

Still built like a tank. An incredibly solid instrument.

This is an update to my earlier review. I developed a buzz on the first and second string at the tenth fret. I contacted D'Angelico and asked them where I should take my guitar to have it looked at since I did not want to ship it from my home in California to their facility in New York. They allowed me to take my guitar to own luthier and have the repair made. It turned out to be nothing more than a couple of high frets and they paid to have all of the frets leveled and polished. This is the kind of customer service one should get from all manufacturers, especially high end guitar makers. I thank the fine people at D'Angelico Guitars of America for their superb handling of this issue.

The Best guitar I have ever played, and I've played them all over the last 40+ years. I love it more today than the day I bought it.

1999 recreation of the legendary luthier D'Angelico's most famous design, the "New Yorker". 17" archtop with pressed German spruce top. 22 fret bound ebony fretboard with slotted block pearl inlays. Mini double coil floating pickup mounted to pickguard. Back and sides of flamed maple. Maple neck. Came with alligator (?) skin hardcase.

Smooth sound amplified. Great jazz tone. Punchy tone unamplified. Since I usually play acousicly, I took off the pickup and pickguard (I'm a big fan of the early jazz players like Eddie Lang). The back of the pickup is covered with felt, which sits on the soundboard at the bottom the neck. Removing it (as well as the large pickguard) increased the acoustic volume substantially. Spruce top instruments take awhile for the sound to open up, but it's not bad so far for a pressed top instrument. It may not have the resonance of a carved top, but as the sound opensthe tone should get sweeter. Time will tell.
The ornamentation of the instrument is one of the coolest things about it, recreating more or less the wonderful art deco appointments that make helped to make D'Angelico's instruments unique in the archtop world. These guitars have simply the coolest headstock and tailpiece shapes to ever grace a guitar. The shape of the bound f holes are really beautiful too

The action came perfect from the factory. Finish is perfect. I raised the action because I think guitars sound and play better when you have to dig into them. With the action so low it developed a buzz early on at the 10th fret. Great toned sunburst finish. Neck is a little thin for my tastes. Beefier the better as far as I'm concerned, but certainly not intolerable.

This instrument will outlast me for sure. I would feel secure of using it on a gig without a backup

haven't dealt with them as of yet

I have been playing for over 20 years in many styles. Archtop jazz axes are ridiculously expensive nowadays, even ones with pressed tops. This is actually one of the less expensive instruments I've seen that is also a fully functional acoustic archtop (that is, if you want something better than the Korean made Epiphone Emperor Regent).
This Instrument does an impressive job of recreating the sound and feel of these legendary instruments, whithout the legendary price tag

A very decent looking and feeling copy of the D'Angeliico with all of the acoutrements. Looks real good, feels real good.

Sound was very sweet. Pick-up was ok, nothing really special, in my opinion. Played through an amp it has that nice cool, laid back jazz tone ala Russel Malone. This was not an acoustic guitar, in the sense that played sans the amp you would get a loud sweet tone. The top is pressed and lacked the warmth and resonance of a hand carved box. This is clearly a jazz guitar and would not, in my opinion be well suited for a very diverse musical experience as might be needed by the "outside" musician. While the pressed top is not as aesthetically "hip" there is something to be said for it musically as these type of instruments tend to have less problems with feedback...a real plus for the gigging musician.

The guitar was well made. The e and b string needed to be set up better as there tended to be buzzes. But, in general construction seemed good. The pick-up seemed to be mounted a bit sloppily. But those things really seem to me to be of minor importance. The thing feels very solid and well constructed. Almost too perfect.

I can't say. I only tried it out in a store. But I would be very surprised if the instrument didn't last 5 lifetimes without a hitch.

Don't know.

Its hard to say. To be fair, I am sort of intrigued with the guitar. It looks great, I like its sound...buttttt, it is clearly not the real deal. I think that truth be told I would be looking for an older gibson maybe an es 175 for greater versatility, or an older l-5 or l-4. But for the bucks its not a bad deal. I have to say, that I have a Yamaha piano (c-7) and its really good, but its not s Steinway or even a Baldwin. Also, there are some inependent luthiers that are making "real" guitars with solid hand carved tops for a little bit more. Still, all in all, it is really a preyty nice guitar that I still think about...who knows, maybe I'll go back and buy it!!! Personally, I've been playing for 37 years and I hope to be playing for another 37. I have been playing straight ahead in a low volume setting and I have to say I love to play Jazz more than anything in the whole world. I also love Russel Malone's sound and I believe that he actually plays this guitar.

I recently purchased the new D'Angelico New Yorker re-issue made by Vestax in Japan. It is a 17" single cutaway archtop with a solid German spruce top and heavily flamed maple sides, neck, and back.

It is an exact duplicate of THE MASTER'S work made under license from his family. One dealer told me that the luthiers at Vestax actually disassembled an $85,000 New Yorker to make sure that their re-issues were authentic in every detail. And, in looking at this guitar, and playing it, that is an easy statement to believe.

The neck is a three-piece maple with a walnut accent stripe. It has that nice chunky feel of a guitar built in the 40's. The 22 jumbo fret fingerboard and bridge are made of ebony. The fingerboard is inlaid with split-blocks in mother of pearl. The bridge saddle is also inlaid with solid mother of pearl blocks. The headstock is a masterpiece with heavy mother of pearl inlay with a mother of pearl Empire State truss rod cover. Even the back of the headstock is inlaid with a large mother of pearl diamond set into the ebony veneer. At the very top of the headstock is the signature D'Angelico gold plated finial.

The floating pickup is a mini-humbucker mounted Johnny Smith style to the heavy tortoise shell, multi-bound, stairstep pickguard right below the neck. Also mounted to the pickguard are a volume and a tone control. This is a very sweet sounding pickup with excellent depth and just the right amount of shimmer to make it ideal for virtually any type of jazz.

The tuners are gold plated Grover Imperials with stairstep buttons and like all Grovers; they work perfectly keeping the guitar in tune without effort. The tailpiece is made of gold plated solid brass and is the traditional New Yorker stairstep style, and extremely elegant.

I ordered mine with an antique sunburst finish. It is flawless and absolutely gorgeous, and makes the flame on the back look three-dimensional. It is absolutely breath taking! There is multiple cream/black/cream binding everywhere, on the top, the back, the neck and headstock, the pickguard and even the f-holes.

D'Angelico includes a beautiful alligator grained hard-shell case with the guitar. The color of the case is a reddish brown or cordovan, with six heavy-duty, polished brass, luggage style latches. There is a small, white pearl, cloisonne emblem on the case midway between the handle and the top of the case with "D'Angelico New York" in gold script, very classy. The inside of the case is done in a light cream colored velvet like material. The case fits the guitar like a glove.

This is without a doubt the finest looking, sounding, and playing guitar I've ever had my hands on. I absolutely love it!

I play mostly jazz standards of the 30s, 40s, and 50's and it fits my style like nothing else could. I play a solo gig at a very nice supper club in the San Francisco Bay area and the rich, full sound of this guitar makes most people melt. I have had people who know nothing about guitars come up to me and comment on this one, and not just because of its stunning appearance. You have to hear it to believe it.

The mini-humbucker is totally silent. I play my New Yorker through a mid-sixties black face Fender Deluxe Reverb amp, and it is a match made in heaven.

I ordered the guitar out of a dealer in New York (seems appropriate doesn?t it?) called "THE MUSIC ZOO." I dealt with Chris Dee and he was a pleasure to deal with. The guitar lists for $3900.00 and Chris made me an offer I couldn't refuse. And, when a little shipping SNAFU occurred, he jumped in and covered every dime of the freight costs. I highly recommend Chris and "THE MUSIC ZOO." They are dealers of impeccable honesty and integrity.

The guitar came perfectly packaged and IN TUNE. I couldn't believe it! The action and intonation were perfect right out of the box. I had to do nothing other than plug it in and make sweet music.

Everything about this guitar is wonderful. I have yet to find a flaw or anything else wrong with this guitar. Unbelievable craftsmanship!

I use this guitar exclusively without a backup and I am sure it will still be around and playing perfectly for my great, great, great grandchild. I have owned many fine guitars in the past 45 years including Gibsons, Epiphones, Guilds, Gretschs, you name it, but I have never owned or played a guitar as fine as this one. It is the Stradivarius of jazz guitars without a doubt.

I've not had to deal with the folks at D'Angelico yet, other than to ask them a few questions via email, and I doubt I will ever have to. I believe the warranty for the New Yorker is one-year, but I'm not really sure. It didn't seem to matter much. You have to see and play one of these to believe it. I can't fairly give any rating on this because it seems rather a moot point. I have no doubt that if a problem presented itself; D'Angelico would be there to help in a heartbeat. It's obvious how much they care, by the quality of the instruments they produce and how prompt they are to respond to their emails.

I have been playing for 45 years and as I said before, this is the finest instrument I've ever had in my hands.

I looked at every good jazz box on the market including the Gibson L-5 and Le Grande, Fender D'Aquisto Ultra, Guild Artist Award, Heritage Johnny Smith, etc. before buying my D'Angelico. There is truly nothing out there that compares to it, and at only $3900. M.S.R.P., it is an absolute steal.

If it were lost or stolen, after I quit sobbing, I would hunt down the thief and . . . well use your imagination. I would then get on the phone to Chris and order another one just like it.

I don't think there is a better guitar built anywhere in the galaxy.