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City Slicker: D'Angelico NYSD-9

From Guitar Player, November 2002
 by Barry Cleveland

Among jazz guitarists, the name D’Angelico is often uttered in hushed tones. It evokes images of divine hollow bodies handcrafted in small shops by Old World luthiers of a bygone era. Between 1932 and 1964, D’Angelico produced just 1,164 guitars – each one a unique work of art. Given that original D’Angelicos typically command tens of thousands of dollars in today’s market, most guitarists can only dream of owning one.

Since the company’s return in 1988, however, D’Angelico guitars have been under license from Vestax and the “Old World” craftsmen are now modern Japanese luthiers. Over the years, the company has expanded its original line of four hollow bodies, and the NYSD-9 represents D’Angelico’s first foray into solid body territory. Retaining many of D’Angelico’s traditional aesthetic amenities – such as stunning inlay work, Art Deco design flourishes, gold hardware, and an oversized headstock crowned with an ornamental cupola – the NYSD-9 is an attempt to create a solid body version of D’Angelico’s classic archtops, much like when Gibson introduced the L-5S (essentially a solid bodied L-5). More versatile than the jazz guitars from which it evolved, the NYSD-9 is clearly intended to play to a wider audience than its fat-backed forebears.

Class Ax

NYSD-9Everything about the NYSD-9 conveys understated elegance – starting with its custom brown leather hard shell case. The guitar’s sleek single-cutaway 14” body is constructed of mahogany, with an impressively matched two-piece flamed maple top, and both the back and top are gently arched. The 22-fret mahogany neck is set into the body at the 16th fret, and the disproportionately large headstock is fitted with fancy Grover Imperial tuners and a pearloid truss rod cover. The NYSD-9 is available in natural, amber, red, walnut, and translucent Black burst or Blue burst – all sporting a glossy polyurethane finish – and the top, neck, and headstock are meticulously bound.

The NYSD-9 sports numerous cool cosmetic accoutrements, the most prominent being several large mother of pearl inlays. There’s even a diamond-shaped inlay on the rear of the headstock. Other nice touches include Tele-style gold knobs with marbled caps, mahogany cover plates, a rosewood overlay on the rear of the headstock, and a shaped (not cast) aluminum stop-bar tailpiece.

The workmanship is generally superb – the binding and inlay work are particularly impressive – though there are what appear to be slight filing irregularities on the neck binding and one side of the pick guard.

Though similar to a Les Paul in many respects, the NYSD-9’s thinner body is lighter than a Paul’s, making it a good choice for someone who wants a similar look and feel without the shoulder strain. Despite its honkin’ headstock, the guitar is very well-balanced and quite comfortable on the strap, though personally I would prefer to have the strap button located on the upper bout rather than the back of the guitar (a carry-over from traditional archtop design).

The NYSD-9’s electronics are all top-notch, and the wiring is near and tidy. Both of the custom-wound humbuckers produce tons of clean level, and provide more than enough output to overdrive and amp. They’re also hot enough to get the best performance out of a string of stomp-boxes. The volume and tone pots are sturdily mounted and work smoothly over their entire ranges.

Solid Sounds

I auditioned the NYSD-9 through a variety of amplifiers, and the guitar performed well through every rig, consistently delivering a focused bottom balanced with clear highs. Individual notes within tightly-voiced chords rang forth with exceptional clarity, even when the amps were set to “11.”

Through a ’68 Twin loaded with JBL’s, using the rear pickup with the tone control rolled back halfway, the NYSD-9 produced fat, round jazz tones reminiscent of semi-hollow and even hollow body Gibsons. A Vox AC30 and Matchless Chieftain brought out the guitar’s brighter side, and though still a far cry from Stratsville, there were healthy amounts of chime and jangle. And, considering how unrelated the D’Angelico is to, say, a Gretsch 6120 or a Tele, I was even able to get some surprisingly twangy rockabilly and country tones using the Twin’s brighter settings.

On the dirtier side of the tracks, the NYSD-9 sounded full and throaty playing the blues. With the Twin and the Chieftain cranked up, nailing stinging ES-335-like tones was a breeze, and through a wide open Marshall driving a 4x12, the NYSD-9 sang with smooth Bluesbreaker-approved sustain. Venturing even further from traditional D’Angelico territory, the NYSD-9 rocked hard when played through a Bad Cat Hot Cat combo with lots of overdrive dialed in, and it sizzled with rich overtones and tight low-end when wailing through the high-gain channel of an Engl Powerball half-stack. This is definitely not your daddy’s D’Angelico!

Angel Fight

The NYSD-9 falls somewhere between jazz and rock style sensibilities and while there are certainly costlier 6-strings, the NYSD-9’s investment-grade price tag may be prohibitive for some. That said, it is a truly remarkable instrument, and any serious player on the lookout for an original guitar that is overflowing with personality and class should put the NYSD-9 through its paces.

Snapshot

The D’Angelico NYSD-9 is an elegant and exquisitely-crafted instrument that handles like a dream and is versatile enough to satisfy everyone from jazz cats to rock hounds.

D'Angelico NYS-2:
Original D’Angelico Archtops are among the most sought-after guitars in the world, changing hands for huge sums – but now you can get that New Yorker experience without flogging your house.

From Guitar Magazine (England), February 2002
 by Marcus Leadley

When one thinks of D'Angelicos, elegant jazz archtops from the 1930s, '40s, and '50s spring to mind.

John D’Angelico began making archtop guitars in 1932. The son of Italian immigrants to the US who had settled in New York, D’Angelico completed an apprenticeship with his great uncle and then chose to set up his own workshop on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. After some initial experiments with a guitar modeled on the classic Gibson L5, he moved on to create some highly original instruments.

In total, D’Angelico made 1,146 archtops in the next 30 years – including the full bodied 18” wide New Yorker, introduced in 1936. With a look strongly influenced by both the New York style and the era. It’s fair to say – with no understatement whatsoever – that this instrument represented one of the finest and most complete examples of Art Deco design as applied to the six-string.

Here we have every detail of the original New Yorker reproduced with impressive care and attention. There’s one exception, mind: this NYS-2 has a smaller body. The manufacturer, Vestax, produces the full-size instrument as well, but this is a compact and practical version for lovers of small-bodied jazz guitars.

Still, why quibble when something looks this good? The back and sides are made from maple laminate (a traditional material, in this case, which has a long association with archtop construction) with a finely flamed surface veneer finishing things off beautifully. The instrument’s top is impressively even-grained solid German spruce with a simple yet classic arch echoing the violin maker’s art. The multi-layered cream/black binding around both top and bottom edge of the body is a stylish touch, and further binding for the small f-holes and the raised imitation tortoise shell pick guard help to frame a most distinctive look.

When it comes to Art Deco styling, most of the elements are focused via hardware motifs: the form of the compensated ‘stairstep’ tailpiece, the mother of pearl inlays for the floating, adjustable ebony bridge, the ‘slashed rectangle’ pearl position markers, the stepped design of the truss rod cover and a set of gold-plated Grover Imperial reissue machine heads with their unusual ‘key’ button design.

While losing the hardware might remove much of the 30’s influence, you’d have to cut off the headstock to lose it altogether. It’s big, it’s paddle-shaped and there’s an ornamental feature at the top where a gold-plated finial nestles in an elaborate carve. Even the back has a rosewood veneer finished with a diamond-shaped pearl inlay. Add the curvy pearl D’Angelico logo and the ‘New Yorker’ inlay and you have a form elaborated almost to the point of fetish. Over the top? Maybe… but on the practical side a large headstock can help with balance and some makers believe it even encourages the neck to resonate, adding to the guitar’s overall tonality.

Next we consider the New Yorker’s neck; two pieces of maple separated by a sliver of ebony and topped with a find ebony fingerboard with further multi-layered edge bindings. The craftsmanship of fretting and binding is faultless and with a full 25 ˝” scale, 22 frets and the guitar correctly decked out with shiny, super-slippery medium-gauge flat wound strings, we’re all set for serious jazz action.

Finally, a word about electrification. In keeping with the spirit of times in which this instrument was designed we have what’s effectively an add-on: a gold-plated vintage-voiced hum bucker looking rather like a Gibson BJB, side-mounted on to the pick guard so that it’s fully floating, so avoiding any danger of damping the vibrations of the top. (hum buckers weren’t around in the 30’s, but we guess the promise of modern noiseless operation was too hard to resist, which is fair enough. If this is all a little old-fi for you then Vestax does make a full-sized New Yorker, the NYL-2, with a hum bucker and controls set into the top.

Sounds

Well, what can we say? You put the New Yorker on your knee and strum a few minor 9ths – and then perhaps a cycle of 5th… and then all of a sudden you look up and it’s two hours later. What a completely charming and engrossing tone this guitar has.

Despite the relatively small body size, there’s plenty of acoustic volume and any initial hint of brittleness passes as soon as the strings are played in. The New Yorker’s bass response is particularly appealing and the combination of flat wound strings and sensitive construction create a unique, fuzzy warmth that blends smoothly into the mellowest of midranges. It’s a super-even response with plenty of top end clarity.

Moving on to the New Yorker’s electric tone, the good news is how well this pickup captures the guitar’s natural voice. With the tone and volume controls left fully open you have a silky-voiced charmer for solo or group playing. Perhaps the sound doesn’t have quite all the depth and rounded nature you’d expect from a larger-bodied archtop, but the NYS-2’s tighter sound has a degree of focus that should ensure clarity and projection in any band situation – and winding the amp well into the range of performance volume didn’t bring on unpleasant feedback.

Getting serious with the tone and volume controls proves that the New Yorker has a good degree of flexibility around what is pretty obviously a jazz core – let’s face it, the instrument has limited applications. Switching to round wound strings would easily move the instrument’s charity more towards a country vibe, and a lighter gauge could conjure a Gretsch-like response – but why bother? This is a great jazzer' and that’s how I’d keep it.

You can also back off the tone a touch and add a hint of amp distortion for a totally believable Hot Club De France sound, or keep the amp cool and back the tone off a little more for a broad-brush sound that eats standards alive. You might find that this authentic kind of vintage tone also adds credibility to the most modern of compositions.

Verdict

Quite simply, here’s a brilliant guitar that, if I had that much spare cash, I’d add to my collection in a flash. If you have to cover a lot of styles, this certainly won’t be the only instrument you’ll need, but by the same token the New Yorker delivers a tone and feel any other electric or acoustic design could only hope to approximate. For a dedicated jazz player, the New Yorker really is a good deal in a world where classic archtop tone usually means a far greater financial investment.

In terms of build quality, It’s hard to really fault this guitar. Every aspect of this instrument will only improve with age and the strength of archtop design many years and years of service.

D'Angelico NYSD-9

Quality Construction Yields A Quality Instrument
 by Trent Salter

 

I must admit that when the fine folks at D'Angelico asked me to review their NYSD-9 single cut solid body guitar, my mind was locked into stereotypical thinking. Although I knew this would be a solid bodied guitar, I had visions of the jazz type arch tops that were synonymous with the D'Angelico name. That older jazz style players have loved since the 30's and 40's. I'm not a jazz arch type kind of player and my cord portfolio doesn't include many diminished 7th and 9th chords. My ambivalence about this review was certainly overshadowed by pure excitement when I peeled this pup....

OUT OF THE BOX

Cool, classy and unique tortoise shell brown leather case. Elegant looking even from the case standpoint. Six polished gold locking hinges, genuine brown leather handle topped with a classy D'Angelico faceplate, not only looks cool but latches tight and secure to ensure quality protection for its contents.

FIRST LOOK

The first look is a good one, of course the first thing that captures my attention is the overall look of sheer elegance of this instrument. Highlighted undoubtedly by the AAA grade flame maple carved top in gorgeous amber flame. Killer polyurethane finish allows this guitar to literally glow like an expectant mother! All the goodies cosmetically that you would expect from an instrument of this caliber, all gold hardware including tele style volume and tone controls with a classy brown tortoise marbling to the tops of the knobs. A small thing yes, but nice. Meticulous binding, black pickup rings and custom pickguard, gold tune-o-matic bridge with gold plated stop bar tail which is shaped aluminum, not cast. Bound mahogany neck with ebony board and headstock, classic D'Angelico mother of pearl diamond inlays, back of neck is a rosewood overlay, gold Grover Imperial tuners, three way toggle, gold input jack and jack plate. Rear cavity covers are in matching mahogany covers (which is very cool) round out the beauty cosmetically. From an appearance stand point, top notch meticulous detail! They say that beauty is only skin deep, or should I say wood deep, so lets get it on and we will....

PLUG IT IN

Down to my studio (the vault) I venture. If you don't know the drill by now, this of course is where it gets serious. My arsenal of amps await my arrival and as always with six pack in hand, I'm anxious to get the show on the road, so shall we? In waiting for my selection of amps to properly warm, I sit quietly and strum acoustically the D'Angelico. Designed with Les Paulish type of solid body design, this guitar is solid, very well balanced and really has a chimey snappy acoustical ring to it. I am fond of mahogany bodies because generally the tone is very warm and so far things are looking good and it's time to get electrified.

My selection of amps include a little of the same and a little of not the same. The standards consisting of a Marshall JCM 800 Silver Anniversary half stack, a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, a Peavey 5150, but also I have chosen a Line 6 Spider 1x12 combo as well. With first plugging into the Dual Rectifiers clean channel with the bridge pickup selected, this bad boy chimes like a bell, clean with a sparkly top end. Kick it into overdrive and the D'Angelico is capable of full tilt crunch, not overboard on the saturation which is nice, but definitely enough meat to produce heavy crunch tones. The low end is tight and defined mids are sweet and warm and the top end sparkles in this mode as well. I am really pleasantly surprised.

The neck pickup is sweet and bluesy. My sources tell me that these pickups are custom made by Vestax in Japan. I can tell you that they're not under wound but certainly not over wound either. Utilizing the Line 6 Spider and dialing up clean Fender type settings with a slight chorus produces tones that are traditional D'Angelico. Notes separate well and are not congested even in those funky minor diminished 7th Chords. If you're a Paul player you will definitely appreciate the 305 fingerboard width, 22 fret ebony board and medium jumbo frets. The neck also sports a polyurethane finish and the neck joins at the 16th fret.

The D'Angelico performed consistently through all the above amps tested. I must admit that my stereotypical view of these guitars has definitely changed forever!

FINAL MOJO

The D'Angelico NYSD-9 was a pleasurable experience for me. This guitar is for players and collectors who understand the seriousness of an investment grade guitar. Meticulous craftsmanship and a no compromise, attention to detail is certainly what D'Angelico guitars represent, and the solid body NYSD-9 is not the exception to the rule. Capable of a variety of sweet tones, playability and beauty all ring true with this guitar. At a $3,700 list price this guitar is certainly not inexpensive, however for those who understand and take their guitar investments seriously, the D'Angelico NYSD-9 must be understood for exactly that purpose.

SPECIFICATIONS

D'Angelico NYSD-9, Single Cutaway Solid body Electric Guitar

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