Leaderboard

I don’t recall anybody ever posting a comparison of their two or more guitars of the same type. So I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea. Besides, I’m enjoying my retirement and more spare time. As I had indicated in my Epiphone Broadway post I wanted D’Angelico Excel EXL-1 for a long time. It wasn’t easy to get my hands on it, but I finally did it. To digress for a moment, I already have an Excel EX-DC (semi-hollow) which I got back in 2014, shortly after the brand had re-entered the market. Back then I figured they needed to put out good products to succeed. I wasn’t wrong. Frankly, it rivals my Gibson ES-335 and although I called my Gibby the real deal I actually bought a not-so-cheap piece of nostalgia. Don’t get me wrong. I dig my Gibby and it’s a great guitar, but I’m more and more convinced that I got myself an image. There are guitars just as good if not better out there. Back to the main theme. It’s been over a decade since D’Angelico hit the market and I hoped they didn’t begin to slack. Again, I wasn’t wrong. I can’t speak for every single one, but my Excel EXL-1 is literally flawless in terms of craftsmanship with great setup and crazy low action. I love it. What struck me the most was the acoustic quality of the instrument. It sounds strikingly similar to D’Angelico Originals. Maybe it’s got something to do with D’Angelico Electrozinc round wound strings which apparently are the re-creation of the original invention by renowned luthier John D’Angelico and master string maker John D’Addario. Regardless, the arch-top is a keeper for sure. And so is the customized Broadway. I put a fret wrap behind the nut and rubber grommets behind the bridge to eliminate micro-overtones. The Broadway sounds cleaner this way. With Gibson ‘57 Classic humbucker in the neck position the Broadway sounds like the real L-5. Of course, the Henriksen amp handles the arch-tops or any other guitar superbly, giving you that classic jazz tone. Picture included. So how do they compare? Let’s consider some differences: Excel EXL-1 vs Customized Broadway Strings: D’Angelico Electrozinc Jazz 12-52 D’Addario Chromes 12-52 flat wound Fingerboard: Ebony Pau Ferro Body Depth: 3” 3 1/8” Bridge: Ebony Pau Ferro Tailpiece: D’Angelico Stairstep Frequensator Neck Pickup: Saymour Duncan 59 humbucker Gibson 57 Classic humbucker Made in: Korea China Obviously, they sound similar, but not the same. Each one has its own character or voice. Both have a broad dynamic range and sound good acoustically. The D’Angelico with a single humbucker and controls mounted on the pick-guard has more going for it in that respect. Plugged in they both can sound very similar depending on the EQ. On the scale from one to ten I’ll give D’Angelico 10 out of 10 and Epiphone 9 out of 10.

Here's a bit of "I Shall Be Released," with Alan on lead and featuring Sprinkles and the Cupcakes: I Shall Be Released.mov

If this be trouble, send me more. The run-up to the show saw a week of unseasonably chilly, wet weather, so we postponed to our rain date of the following Sunday. That gave us a chance for one more rehearsal that Friday night, as we hunkered down in Joe’s basement during torrential rain. It paid off. We were ready. Sunday afternoon arrived with brilliant blue skies and a light breeze, perfect for music al fresco. As Joe set up his PA and ran the mic cables, residents trickled in and found their chairs. Jim, who arranged this for his community, consulted with the social committee as tables appeared, then food and drinks. Alan, Amy, Jeff and I busied ourselves with stands, instruments, and tuning. We had multiple acoustics, Amy’s bass, a resonator, 12 string, banjo, mandolin, cajon, and my Strat. I discovered to my dismay that my wireless produced an annoying pulsing sound over the PA, so I had to yank it and replace it with a cable. Pedalboard, A/B box, good to go. I glanced up to see that the trickle had grown to a crowd of more than 40. The tables had sprouted beer and wine, pizza, salads, and cupcakes. I felt a buzz in the air. I fixed my face and walked around to greet some of the residents. To my astonishment, one had worked at DuPont when I did, over 40 years ago, in the building next to mine. We had co-workers in common. A wave of memories returned. The reminiscing had to wait: it’s four o’clock, show time. Jeff and Joe gave me high fives. I surveyed the smiling, expectant faces before me, and we were off. A solid start. On the fourth song, California Dreamin’, I had Denny Doherty’s lead vocal. I counted us in, Jeff and I hit the intro, and I heard my mates come in with the background vocals. I became weightless. Everything, save song and sky, dropped away; I was back in 1965. At the first break, I again took the chance to mingle. I merely said, “Hello,” and their eyes lit up. We poured ourselves out: Amy on “Amie” (of course), Alan on “I Shall Be Released,” Joe on “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” Jeff’s mandolin solos, Jim’s slide licks on his resonator. We didn’t have monitors, so I couldn’t hear the full mix, but Joe reassured me it was all coming out the PA. There were trivial hiccups, but we laughed them off. Did you run that stop sign again? I thought there was another chorus! That’s okay, you do you. During an extended discussion to my left about which key, I explained to the audience (stealing from Neil Young): “There’s an awful lot of math going on up here.” And during yet another, interminable discussion to my left about who has which part, I continued: “This is what happens when you have too many Ph.D.s in the band.” All too soon, Jeff was on the final riff to “Wonderful Tonight”. The G chord faded away. Applause. Joe shut off the board. Handshakes, hugs, smiles. Time for cold beer, cold pizza, and — Hey! Where did those cupcakes go?! Our guests collected their folding chairs and started their short walk back home. As the shadows grew, we coiled up the cables, packed the instruments, and loaded our cars. We raised our glasses in a toast to the music. Amen, brothers and sisters, play it the way you feel it. Left to right: Jim, Jeff, Me, Joe, Amy, and Alan: Brown Eyed Girl.mov Margaritaville.mov Origin of Band Name.mov Wonderful Tonight.mov

That was very cool! Loved it!

I've spent a little over 3 weeks on this session. I can play the scale shapes fairly well in any key and I can solo over the backing tracks provided somewhat competently, I can connect the scale shapes as well, and also do the set exercises in the book. The only thing I haven't really done is actually memorize the pentatonic notes for all the keys and start memorizing the fretboard through the scale. I think I'll be moving on at this point to the next session, even though I'm sure I can learn more if I spend more time here. I might return here in order to memorize the notes using the scales at some point by redoing the worksheets. I'll keep on playing the scales as part of daily practice so hopefully that will help me keep the notes in mind as well

Bravo👍.

Love it. Sounds great. I always love these type of events. Great job Amy and Diane! -Steve

WOW and what @Gary Nelson said. I bet they can HEAR Ya Now. Love that Henriksen Amp. Congratulations on the upcoming retirement too. Gene C

Very nice! I’m a bit jealous of that amp!

I’m now seeing the picture whole yesterday I was only able to see the tip of the headstock in both places

Awesome! Looking forward to your first song on Spotify!