Best Moment: 1953 John D'Angelico Excel Archtop Guitar | ANTIQUES ROADSHOW | PBS

Official Website: to.pbs.org/3f5... | #AntiquesRoadshow
In anticipation of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW’s Season 27 premiere on Mon, Jan 2, 2023 at 8/7C PM, we’re counting down some of the Best Moments from this year!
#3. An "angelic" appraisal for a D'Angelico guitar.
Watch as musical instrument expert Larry Cavalieri appraises a vintage John D'Angelico Excel Archtop guitar then is serenaded by the guest.
See more Best Moments and stream full episodes now: bit.ly/S26BestMoments.
Watch more full-length episodes of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW at to.pbs.org/3f5... or on the PBS Video App: to.pbs.org/2Qb....
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#vintageguitars #vintageguitar #guitar #musicalinstruments

[@jlarrybrewer1149]

Buying your kid a D’Angelico to learn guitar on? Best Dad ever!!!!!!

[@booitsnick]

I agree

[@monsieurcommissaire1628]

Absolutely.

[@hxhdfjifzirstc894]

That guitar was as big as he was.

[@normanmacfarlane6724]

Still a great tone after all these years . A beautiful guitar .

[@henrydiaz720]

Play with care, and it'll continue to get better and better. That's the thing with such an incredible guitar makers' works. Born great, they get better and better.

[@krisfinley6706]

The guitar is wonderful of course, but I really love the photos and stories that go along, brings the items to life! ❤

[@mrmusic248]

Marvelous tone after all these years.

[@chadschoen5055]

Nothing beats a great guitar with a great story.

[@duanetrivett750]

That is my dream Guitar, " no pick up " just.acoustic .

[@enduringhope6859]

Enjoyed him playing...beautiful sound.

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

The memories in that guitar. One cannot put a price on them.

[@jackknopf5974]

So awesome that he played it for the audience! Wow!!!

[@jstar1000]

That's a dream guitar for me for sure, always loved those archtops. Man what a story and to still have it all these years later with receipt and all. GOLD! #Holey Grail

[@hxhdfjifzirstc894]

Don't worry about which guitar you have... worry about writing good music, and playing well. Have you ever heard of the guy in this video, that owns your dream guitar? Me neither. The guitar accomplishes nothing.

[@jstar1000]

@hxhdfj ifzir st c I play pretty well, been playing close to 50 years, don't write songs. Owning and playing high-quality instriments interests me. Writing songs doesn't.

[@KevinHowell501]

That is a beautiful guitar..a real piece of history..he was one of the best guitar makers in history...what a treasure

[@Everythingwentblack69]

Still has the touch after all those years

[@luisvillarreal5262]

I love the D’Angelico arch tops as well as the D’Aquisto New Yorkers. I always wanted one of them. They are a work of art and sound fantastic. 🎸👍

[@ThrifterPickerShipper]

Oh my word! the sound of that guitar and his splendid playing are just exquisite!

[@erivers71]

Wow, a real d Angelico. Tones are deep are full.😮

[@iansingsiansings2101]

In 1981 i had a D' Angelico Excel given to me by a friend and then in 1983 I gave the guitar to another friend on the other side of Australia. I haven't been back to the East Kimberleys since but every now and then I wonder about that guitar and if Jimmy still owns it and even if he is still alive. Fond memories of days long gone.

[@13FallenAngela]

Such a great clip.

[@stevehughes1510]

So good to see these people and guitars, the stories and history is just great.

[@TimothyBarrymusic]

Old guitar players never die…they just fade away…❤🙏🏼😎

[@katfishkobain8809]

True genius of this guitar is hidden on the underside of that incredible piece of spruce. Poor baby needs a “ sprucing up!

[@papasmamas1]

The playing part was the best, Im so inlove with the sound of arcthop guitars, specially a DAng

[@billace90]

Just remarkable. What a treat!

[@paulcook7888]

Awesome guitar I love stories like this one

[@iaintshtnya]

Omg he looks identical, playing the guitar now as he did 70 years ago

[@scottjohnson921]

I love that old B&W photo

[@RobertD-y42]

Wonderful guitar and a wonderful owner!

[@stevevice9863]

He still plays well! He must play on a regular basis to stay that flexible. At 63 yrs of age I can already tell that certain chord shapes are more difficult than they were a few years ago.

[@MrTomengle]

I hear this Steve! At 70 I just bought a bass to see if I can keep my fingers moving....

[@mathieuschuler366]

As a 21 year old this makes me want to keep playing to keep the strength up now!

[@telecasterbear]

@@MrTomengle I have played guitar since 1975, but I have been playing bass for about two years now.

[@petergriffen6443]

@@MrTomengle This just made me smile, thank you

[@tvviewer4500]

Blame the vaccine scar tissue before you blame aging.

[@arievanderreijden714]

Funny to hear the pronunciation of the master's family name: Dee Angelico. In Italy it's plain Dangelico (and it's Daddario, Daquisto, Dannunzio etc.).

[@sarahramey6659]

Here in the deep south of Arkansas it's "y'all" 😆 lol

[@a.m.mitchell2067]

It really is grating on the ears to hear Americans mispronounce it.

[@bobs3354]

@@a.m.mitchell2067 How is it if Canadians or Swedes or Columbians mispronounce it?

[@a.m.mitchell2067]

@@bobs3354 I've never heard Canadians or Swedes or Colombians mispronounce it. Non-English speakers can - of course - be forgiven. Those speaking romance languages, (like Colombians), are likely to get it correct. Americans, however, have so butchered their version of the English language that it is to be expected, especially where there is something as subtle as an apostrophe involved. Perhaps the worst aspect of all this is that, even after their error is pointed out to them, they will persist in it.

[@bobs3354]

@@a.m.mitchell2067 So, Americans are just bad people?

[@fastnbulbouss]

325 dollars was a lot of money in 1953.

[@MyName-nx1jj]

$3,600 today.

[@HashiAkitaPuppy]

@@MyName-nx1jj which would be extremely reasonable, if not impossible for a custom handbuilt guitar in 2023.

[@juniorjohnson5961]

I was born 1953 $5 was a lot of money a loaf of bread was a nickel

[@juniorjohnson5961]

@Not Expat Joe of course I don't remember what prices were in 1953 but remember family mentioning that price 5cents for a loaf of bread .

[@rjr1227]

Wow....what a great investment

[@jaypooler9765]

Nice and I have a SS 175 Delux lmt ed...17 inch hollow body ..its lite blue with gold trim..made in Korea..it was 2000.00 in 2019 ..the hand built guitars made in NYC are well over 10 grand Thanks for posting this

[@TheA1carpetman]

Nice Guitar and nice Man to

[@muinarc0]

I'm kind of shocked the new price was only $325. A 1954 Gretsch 6120 (the Chet Atkins guitar) was $385 and a Les Paul Custom was $325.

[@J.C...]

Gibson 335's back in the day were $335, 345s were $345 and 355s were $355 👍

[@vayabroder729]

Beautiful to see this; still with the original owner. He should send it out to a good luthier to get a nice replacement pickguard and get it cleaned up and freshened up. Sweet.

[@davepuxley7387]

Is that a few bars of Misty at the end there? One of my faves

[@mrmusic248]

I know about keeping a guitar a long time. I bought an EKO Ranger XII in July of 1969, that is still playable to this day. I just had it worked on a couple of months ago, and it amazes me at how easy it is, still, to play. It's not totally original, I did change the tuners, and had some repair done to the tailpiece. Now the guitar is old enough to qualify for a membership in AARP.

[@joevecchio4687]

When I was 11 my parents bought me a 2 tone green Gretch single anniversary 65.00 with chipboard case Used We were pretty poor This was 1965 Unlike a lot of people today I never had a bad thought about either of my parents Wish they were still here With that guitar!😂

[@robertjohnson6285]

I have a ‘53 New Yorker w/ receipt…$353 when bought!

[@a.m.mitchell2067]

My jealousy knows no bounds!

[@jimsquick]

Terrific.

[@annedarlington5837]

My dad had a guitar similar to this, I would love to get my hands on it!

[@alexgramm5170]

Us players know what this is all about.... WOW!! The appraiser must be from Eastern Mass.. 😊

[@Cornmolio]

I’m curious as to why the pick guard disintegrated. I was hoping they’d elaborate on that. Was it made out of some kind of cellulose? Because Bakelite would’ve likely survived.

[@roughcutguitars]

Exactly that. Those archthops had cellulose guards - usually for the tortoiseshell pattern that's part of the aesthetic. They inevitably breakdown over a long period of time due to the chemical decomposition.

[@roughcutguitars]

@Not Expat Joe Yep! Without writing a thesis in a YT comment, a while bunch of variable environmental factors go into that chemical reaction.

[@slicksnewonenow]

Those pickguards end up curling, the contrasting binding ends up falling off... And apparently his had a floating pickup on it... The nickel or gold plating on it might have caused further chemical reaction... Lots of variables. Although I have seen plenty of old archtops with their original pickguards intact. As stated in other comments here, the environment in which they're kept has a lot to do with the longevity of the plastic.

[@normanspurgeon5324]

I have a Guild Artist Award, on which the pick guard disintegrated. It will be quite a job to replace it.

[@nenadgovedarovic9983]

Amasing

[@RandomActsOfBlindness]

I just bought my first D’angelico last week. Mine is 14/50 of its kind, and it still feels custom tailored to my hands, and still feels like a piece of history. This video warmed my heart. He kept it all of these years, and he plays it like a madman!

[@csnide6702]

Wow - receipt is in John D'Angelico's handwriting !

[@jamesmoore3694]

a lovely bit of wood and steel

[@YippeeSkippie426]

In today's dollars, that 1953 guitar and case were $3,842. But, it's worth many times more than that. Still, who could sell and old friend they've had since they were 10? And the guitar still sounds great.

[@buddystewart2020]

Yeah brother, play that thing.

[@shaalis]

I dunno if D'Angelico was the best. I've seen lots of these inside their cavities and TBH, a lot of them were sloppy and didn't sound amazing. BUT they're gorgeous and beautiful. Even D'Angelico himself claimed that 1 in 5 were good when they left his shop. It wasn't that he couldn't build well, not at all the man was a genius. It was a matter of one man pumping out SO many of these per year.....He never even took a day off.

[@aggabus]

11:13 pick up or pick guard ?

[@jarnosaarinen4583]

He knew!

[@user-fx8yh3gr9p]

Anyone know what 1980s Washburn HM-5V electric guitar white with blood splash red paint in perfect mint condition with original tags, trem bar, and original case also in mint condition is worth? I am the original owner of one and it was basically never used.

[@cuda426hemi]

$422 is about $4500 in today's jack. I'd say 9x-ing that is a pretty good investment. But if you put that same $400 into the S&P 500 in 1953 - you would have $461,000 in the account today. That D'Angelico still sounds sweet today - but not $30k sweet - especially if it's just a trailer queen now. 🎸

[@hxhdfjifzirstc894]

But who knows how much money he earned, by playing that guitar... can't play a goddam S&P fund.

[@jerrywestermann4435]

I wouldn't have one,no access to the upper frets.However,a nice tone,a fine gentleman,& he still has the chops.God bless you,sir.

[@5barkerstreet]

killer

[@Lanearndt]

Shocking it would only be worth 5 figures!!

[@davidtucker3008]

$35 grand and the man barely reacts. He obviously already knew what it was worth. Wish i had that guitar!

[@r.pollardgonzalez1021]

That guitar new in 1953 was worth $4,848 in 2024 dollars. That was a small fortune! To put that into perspective $4,848 in 1953 is almost $60,000 in 2024 dollars.

[@spb7883]

Born and raised in Bethlehem PA. Can I get a 10% hometown discount on that?

[@pbasswil]

I'm surprised an 'expert' mispronounces D'Angelico, the same way most musicians do (at least, they do on this side of the pond). The 'D isn't an initial, it's a contraction - same as the 't in Can't and Don't, only at the beginning. Like the D'Addario string-making family, you don't _say_ the letter D in front, you just pronounce it as if the apostrophe wasn't there: DanGelico, DadDarrio

[@pbasswil]

​@Not Expat Joe Yeah, I read similar somewhere. It's like the business has simply gone with prevailing American pronunciation - at some point (probably long ago, when the family was no longer involved) they stopped fighting it. I don't get it, though: an apostrophe clearly indicates a contraction; why would folks read the D' like it's an initial? Anyway, I know that the D'Addario company & family say their name like the contraction that it is - though most musicians don't.

[@SquidzitAce]

100% agree with that. Can't imagine pronouncing D'Addario as D - Addario! 😲

[@pbasswil]

@Not Expat Joe This is baffling to me. Aside from the fact that the family run D'Addario company themselves pronounce their name Dad Ario, what would be the point of replacing a final vowel preceding another word with an initial vowel, with an apostrophe? Unless there was some kind of special relationship between the two words so-joined? If there is no contraction, what is the point of hiding one of those vowels from sight?? I would like to hear it directly from someone who speaks Italian natively.

[@pbasswil]

@Not Expat Joe Yes, casually pose this to random folks in the street. :^> lol

[@SquidzitAce]

@@notexpatjoe5687 Color me confused.

[@SquidzitAce]

I'd like to know what happened to his dad's guitar.

[@literallyshaking8019]

That guitar costing $325 in 1953 is the equivalent of $3625 in 2023 money. Hardly a cheap guitar, and crazy expensive for a beginner’s first guitar. This guys parents were definitely well off.

[@mauriceholder1386]

I was going to say 325 dollars was a lot of money in 53.

[@larryg.9187]

..... Great provenance, sweet guy... And, hey, he plays great too ! ... Would like to see a follow up clip, with a slightly longer time of this gentleman playing ... ........................ 🎼 🎶 🎵 🎶 ......................................

[@patricklemire9278]

Is it my imagination or did D'Angelicos used to fetch 3x that?

[@orionwarren4244]

Crazy. It appreciated over 100 times it's original value. Beat to sh!t, to boot! lol

[@a.m.mitchell2067]

More like ten times. $325 in 1953 was the equivalent of about $3500 in 2022 dollars.

[@hxhdfjifzirstc894]

You forgot to account for inflation. A dollar ain't worth what it used to be.

[@umoramayori]

This guitar was really expensive back in the day. Back then, the dollar was backed by gold. $35.5 per ozt. So this guitar cost 9.1549 ozt of gold. Todays spot price is ~$2050 per ozt: so ~$18,747 in gold value. However this does not account for inflation, so the comparative value is rather high. People had a (relative) dramatically better standard of living back then, by a long shot.

[@sahgentpeppah]

$325.00...Amazing!!

[@aggabus]

1:16 guard

[@tvviewer4500]

Joe Bonnamassa will buy this guitar for 30 million dollars.

[@mpinto79]

325$ in 1954 means his father was a millionaire to spend that kind of money on a guitar, for that money you could have got 2-3 Rolex watches

[@baxrok2.]

So glad he played a bit. Here is the Clapton collection of D'Angelico's. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2OndWZ9hJdqiJI

[@artandcrafttherapy]

👀

[@Slowhand871]

That’s 2 months pay

[@thelastjohnwayne]

The Pawn Stars guy would give you $325 for it and sa he is taking all of the risks

[@ROOKTABULA]

$422 in the early 50s for a guitar, case and amp for a kid. Someone didn't' grow up on the poor side of the tracks!

[@hxhdfjifzirstc894]

Yep, a lot of people owned cars worth about that much, back then.

[@gregoryh9442]

What if he busted out with Smoke On The Water?

[@randybock82]

😅

[@tomglase5333]

wow. I imagine you wouldn't sell this if you didn't have to. Sorry.

[@herbie0408]

All I see is Larry David tell Jerry Springer he has a nice guitar

[@HashiAkitaPuppy]

Needs a setup and needs to be routed out for a set of EMGs.

[@Guitaural.]

And a Floyd Rose tremelo...LOL

[@tomcarl8021]

And put CC DeVille in charge of a new paint job.

[@Big_Bag_of_Pus]

Routed out for EMGs? Bad things must happen to you, and soon!

[@henrydiaz720]

Don't forget John's protege, Jimmy D'Aquisto! Same(ish) great guitars, no ugly headstock! 😆

[@pappyoh1]

❤👍🏻

[@markmarsh27]

A 10,000% return on a 1953 investment. NOT BAD!

[@michaelc7110]

Wasn't remotely in tune when he played it.