Legendary Guitars Since 1932

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. Available in Dark Iced Tea Burst and Amber.

LEGENDARY DESIGN

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.

CLASSIC 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.

PREMIUM FEEL

A comfortable C-shape neck capped with an ebony fingerboard and Jescar fretwire makes for remarkably premium feel up and down the neck.

HISTORY REPEATS

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.

MODEL Excel EXL-1

Specific Model Excel EXL-1, Dark Iced Tea Burst

SKU DAEEXL1DITBGT

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 Dark Iced Tea Burst

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 Solid Black Scalini (5-ply)

Back Plate N/A

Pickup Selector N/A

Knobs 2 Mini Hexagon

Strap Buttons Gold, Locking

ELECTRONICS

Overview 1 Full Humbucker

Controls 1 volume / 1 tone

Pickup (Neck) USA Seymour Duncan 59 Humbucker (Neck) (Gold Cover)

Pickup (Middle) N/A

Pickup (Bridge) N/A

Additional Pickup Informatio Alnico V

Pots 500k

Output Jack Standard Mono

GENERAL

Case Deluxe Hardshell

Made In Korea