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.

Features

• True to John D’Angelico’s legendary design, the Excel EXL-1 is a 17-inch-wide, 3-inch-deep single-cutaway offering rich response and classic mid-century jazz tone.
• Strapped with either a floating Seymour Duncan Johnny Smith mini-humbucker or a full-sized 59, both options yield classic archtop tone, with warm, woody low end and articulate mids.
• A comfortable C-shape neck capped with an ebony fingerboard and Jescar fretwire makes for remarkably premium feel up and down the neck.
• Modeled after John D’Angelico’s preeminent single-cutaway design, the EXL-1 is our flagship archtop for good reason—it has stood the test of time.

Specifications

HARDWARE
HARDWARE COLOR	Gold
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"
COLOR	Amber
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	Tortoise Scalini (5-ply)
BACK PLATE	N/A
PICKUP SELECTOR	N/A
KNOBS	2 Mini Hexagon
STRAP BUTTONS	Gold, Locking
ELECTRONICS
OVERVIEW	1 Pickguard Mounted Floating Mini Humbucker
CONTROLS	1 volume / 1 tone
PICKUP (NECK)	USA Seymour Duncan Johnny Smith Floating Mini Humbucker
PICKUP (MIDDLE)	N/A
PICKUP (BRIDGE)	N/A
ADDITIONAL PICKUP INFORMATION	Alnico II
POTS	500k
OUTPUT JACK	Standard Mono
GENERAL
CASE	Deluxe Hardshell
MADE IN	Korea