2018 D'Angelico Deluxe Brighton

The Deluxe Brighton

The Deluxe Brighton, a sleek double-cutaway and the newest addition to the D’Angelico solid-body lineup. Featuring deep cutaways that provide easy access to the highest frets and a lightweight body design, the Brighton prioritizes performance in every sense. Seymour Duncan 59 humbuckers paired with a swamp ash body offer sweet vintage tone and endless sustain, while a satin-finished slim-C neck shape makes playability a dream.

History of D’Angelico

At 9 years old, John D’Angelico became an apprentice to his grand uncle Signor Ciani, expert violin maker, at their shop in Little Italy in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The year was 1905, a few years before the guitar boom began. He would later take the principles of violin building and apply them to archtop guitars.

His first shop of his own was in Little Italy. It was a small, modest shop where D’Angelico could hand-make his guitars in very limited quantities. At his peak, (which was in the 1930’s), D’Angelico and his two helpers only made about 35 instruments per year. Therefore, having one was rare which is part of what made them desirable (and the excellent craftsmanship, of course).

In the 1940s and 50s, many larger manufacturers tried to buy or partner with D’Angelico for the purpose of making larger quantities of his guitars, but he turned them all down. He preferred to make each guitar himself. Eventually, he brought on an apprentice named James D’Aquisto who could make the guitars alongside him.

In 1964, at the early age of 59, D’Angelico died of heart failure. D’Aquisto bought the shop and kept making guitars, eventually in his own name, and now D’Angelico and D’Aquisto are widely regarded as two of the master luthiers of the 20th century.

Just recently in 2011, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art featured John D’Angelico and sparked a huge interest in the brand and the story. The D’Angelico brand had just recently been purchased. The new management team was busy designing replicas and new iterations that come come to the market a “new brand” in the industry.

D’Angelico guitars now include the first solid-body collection in the brand’s 85-year history. Bob Weir, Susan Tedeschi, Kurt Rosenwinkel are some of the artists known for playing them.

Specs:

Specific Model: Deluxe Brighton BlackHARDWARE
Hardware Color: GoldHEAD
Logo (Front): Mother of Pearl Deluxe Shield Logo
Logo (Back): W180001-Gold Screen
Machine Heads: Grover Super Rotomatic Locking
Strings: D’Addario Electrozinc 10’s (10-46)
Truss Rod Cover: Aluminum Skyscraper, Gold
Nut Width: 1 11/16″
Nut Material: TusqFINGERBOARD
Material: Pau Ferro
Binding: 4 Ply
Fretwire: Medium
Scale : 24.75″
Radius: 14″
Position Inlay Top: Mother of Pearl/Abalone Split Block
Position Inlay Side Marker: Yes
Fret Number: 22
Frets Clear: 20NECK
Material: Maple/Walnut/Maple,Natural Satin Finish
Shape of Back: C-Shape
Joint Type: Set-Thru
Thickness 1F: 20mm
Thickness at 12th Fret: 22mm
Truss Rod: Dual ActionBODY
Body Style: Solid-body
Body Depth: 1.625″
Body Width: 13.25″
Color: Black
Shape: Double Cutway
Top Material: Swamp Ash
Back Material: Swamp Ash
Sides Material: Swamp Ash
Binding Top: 7 Ply
Bridge: Gold Tune-O-Matic
Tail & Tailpiece: Stop-Bar
Pickguard: F-Hole Style(5Ply)
Strap Button: Two GoldELECTRONICS
Electronics: 2 Humbuckers/2 Volume/ 2 tone/ 3-way toggle switch
Overview: (Push/Pull) /3-way toggle switch
Pickup(Neck): USA Seymour Duncan DA-59 Humbucker
Pickup(Bridge): USA Seymour Duncan DA-59 Humbucker
Knobs: 4 Ebony(Push/Pull)
Jack: EG2P mono
Pots: 500kCASE
Case: Deluxe hardshell case