[QUOTE]Originally posted by captain Russ:
[B]Bruno, what WONDERFUL instruments. I had a D' Angelico, and recently bought a D'Angelico import,

Russ, I have my eye on the D'Angelico import, I love the Arch Top Acoustic with a single pick-up preferably a floating pick-up like DeAmond. What are your thoughts on your guitar?

Thanks, John C.

John, I have the $1595.00 Excel single floater-probably the one you're looking at, and it's now one of my "go to" guitars. It's out of the Samick factory. Early ones had quality control problems, but looks like that's solved. A complaint from lot's of "purists" is the thickness of the poly coating. Doesn't bother me. I've been playing it through a JazzKat Phat Cat, which has an optional tube pre-amp. It's a keeper! I have a "beater":,a DeArmond X-155, which is a Samick produced from Guild molds. I also have the original Guild X-155, and, while I understand the people who like wood that "breathes", for the price, both the DeArmond and the D'Angelico are real keepers.

Another "bargain" jazz guitar (I play outside on patios a lot and have had lots of damage done by drunks) I have is the Godin Manhattan....two P-90's, a cutaway, small body (smaller than a Gibson 175); Canadian cherry, with a stained finish (net price-$995.00). I have the $699.00 Manhattan non-cutaway, single P-90 that was introduced first, but that's a little limiting, in some cases. Nice retro look! Neither quite measures up to the D'Angelico. The "floater" really makes a difference.

I would choose the import D'Angelico over all the other instruments I mentioned, and would be really pissed if it got damaged.


You can't go wrong with one.

Good to visit...

Russ

[This message has been edited by captain Russ (edited 04-13-2010).]