Type Private Founder John D'Angelico | Industry Musical instruments Headquarters Manhattan, New York | |
Founded 1932 (relaunched in 2011) Key people Brenden Cohen, President and CEO, Steve Pisani, President of Sales | ||
D’Angelico Guitars is a guitar brand based in Manhattan, New York. The brand was initially founded by master-luthier John D'Angelico in 1932. In 1999, Steve Pisani, John Ferolito Jr. and Brenden Cohen purchased the D’Angelico Guitars trademark. Cohen serves as the brand’s President and CEO. Original D’Angelico guitars are collector’s items and have been used by musicians including Pete Townshend, Chuck Wayne and Eric Clapton. Additionally, the Archtop Guitar, Mel Bay New Yorker model was featured on the cover of the Mel Bay Publications' guitar method books for decades.
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History
In 1932, John D’Angelico founded D’Angelico Guitars and opened his first shop on Kenmare Street in Manhattan’s Little Italy. He built 1,164 instruments before he died in 1964. Following his death in 1964, D’Angelico’s former apprentice, James D’Aquisto, became his successor. After several years, D’Aquisto left to begin producing guitars under his own name.
In 1999, Brenden Cohen, John Ferolito Jr. and Steve Pisani purchased the D’Angelico Guitars trademark from John Ferolito Sr., co-founder of Arizona Beverages. In 2010, Cohen and Pisani began constructing a new showroom for the brand. D’Angelico Guitars was officially launched in 2011. That year, original D’Angelico guitars were honored at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of an exhibition titled Guitar Heroes: Legendary Craftsmen from Italy to New York.
In 2014, Eric Clapton requested a customized model of the classic D'Angelico Style B for touring. That year, D'Angelico Guitars sponsored Mountain Jam, a summer music festival in eastern New York. The brand launched its first line of acoustic guitars in January 2015. The line was unveiled at the National Association of Music Merchants' annual trade show in Anaheim, California.
Operations
The brand’s instruments are manufactured in South Korea, Indonesia, California and Michigan. Before beginning manufacturing, original guitar models were put through an MRI machine and an x-ray to replicate the instruments accurately. It takes approximately 18 months to two years to create one of their master-builder guitars from raw wood. D'Angelico Guitars' luthiers produce four to five master-builder guitars a month. In 2014, the brand had 125 partnerships in the United States and an additional 200 international dealers. By January 2015, D’Angelico Guitars had 150 guitars on display. The company is best known for its Art Deco-inspired archtop guitars. Musicians including John Mayer, Nile Rodgers, Robert Randolph, Susan Tedeschi, John Sebastian and Eric Clapton have used D’Angelico guitars. Additionally, the brand has sponsored musicians including Susan Tedeschi, Brad Whitford, Robert Randolph and Cody Simpson.