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D'Angelico Excel EXL-1 Throwback - Viola

Hollowbody Electric Guitar with Maple Body, Spruce Top, Maple/Walnut Neck, Ebony Fingerboard, and 1 Mini Humbucking Pickup - Viola
Item ID: EXL1EXTV

Sorry, the D'Angelico Excel EXL-1 Throwback - Viola is no longer available. We've left this page up for reference only.
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D'Angelico Excel EXL-1 Throwback - Viola
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Looks Back to John D'Angelico's 1930s Archtop Design

The Excel EXL-1 Throwback brings even more of John D'Angelico's beloved 1930s archtop design straight to your door. This highly decorated crooner features a top-of-the-line Duncan mini humbucker to serve up old-school jazzbox tones to modern rockabilly spank, along with a host of visual enhancements to revive that classic D'Angelico heart and soul. These include John's original Scroll headstock carve, a rich ebony fingerboard with full-fret MOP Block inlays, bound body and F-holes, and a deluxe Flag-clad Macassar ebony pickguard to hold those mini-hex knobs securely in place. Visuals aside, the Throwback supplies the same great performance as D'Angelico's best-selling Excel EXL-1. Its laminated flame maple body gets an extra dose of acoustic character from its laminated spruce top. And we're pleased to report that the Excel EXL-1 Throwback's durable 3-piece maple/walnut set "C" neck plays fast and easy up and down its gorgeous 22-fret/16"-radius bound fingerboard. A floating ebony wood bridge and bone nut at each string end deliver a mature chordal bloom and clean note definition. All while, Grover Super Rotomatic tuners and a fleet of premium D'Angelico Art Deco appointments round out this stunning old-school jazzbox.

Quality craftsmanship and appointments

The Excel EXL-1 Throwback reflects D'Angelico's commitment to quality craftsmanship. From its gold Stairstep tailpiece to its gold Grover tuners, this jazzbox comes well appointed and set up for today's demanding players. Its spruce-on-maple hollowbody construction gives you great acoustic response and sustain, even unplugged, and its stable "C" neck with 16"-radius bound ebony fingerboard accommodate a range of technical playing styles. A floating ebony bridge and genuine bone nut maximize tone and sustain for chords to solos. Visual embellishments we at Sweetwater particularly enjoy in Excel EXL-1 Throwback are the Scroll headstock, ebony wood pickguard, and Full Block MOP inlays, which really communicate, on a tangible level, the quality with which these guitars are built on.

Floating Duncan mini humbucker

Golden Age jazz great Johnny Smith is the namesake and inspiration behind the Excel EXL-1 Throwback's floating mini humbucker. Johnny wanted an archtop with a pickup that could take advantage of the day's powerful guitar amplifiers, but he didn't want to lose his guitar's resonant acoustic qualities. Pickup guru Seth Lover mounted an Epiphone mini humbucker to the end of Smith's fingerboard and wired the controls directly to his pickguard. The result was a smooth, mellow amplified tone that only marginally (if at all) impacted the acoustic tone of the instrument. The custom-wound Seymour Duncan Johnny Smith Mini-Humbucker pays homage to Smith and Lover's original design, incorporating a floating pickguard-mount design for no loss of acoustic sound. Its dulcet voice speaks with authentic old-school jazz authority, delivering a mellow comp for chord work and a spanky attack for pick users and lead players. A low 6.3k DC resistance gives this pickup, and your Excel EXL-1 Throwback, a mature tone of voice and great dynamic sensitivity into your amp of choice.

D'Angelico: Excellence Embodied

The Excel Excel EXL-1 Throwback honors the late John D'Angelico's legendary handcrafted instruments, bringing classic appointments and forward-looking designs to the company's New York roots. Today, D'Angelico uses state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and the best materials available to create playable works of art. From a one-off shop in Little Italy to the world stage, D'Angelico's dedication to quality craftsmanship ensures that this brand won't be going dormant any time soon. Discover a love for these archtops that's been shared by the likes of Les Paul and Bucky Pizzarelli — order your D'Angelico Excel EXL-1 Throwback through Sweetwater today.

D'Angelico Excel EXL-1 Throwback Hollowbody Electric Guitar Features:

  • Honors John D'Angelico's 1930s archtop design
  • Classic Scroll headstock
  • Full-fret MOP fingerboard inlays
  • Ebony pickguard with "EXL-1" Flag
  • Bound body, fingerboard, and F-holes
  • Laminated spruce on flame maple yields excellent acoustic response
  • 22-fret, 16"-radius ebony fingerboard accommodates technical techniques
  • Stable 3-piece maple/walnut/maple neck with comfortable "C" profile
  • Floating Seymour Duncan Johnny Smith Mini-Humbucker speaks with old-school jazz authority
  • Grover Super Rotomatic Stairstep machine heads ensure solid tuning stability

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

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Tech Specs

  • Manufacturer Part Number: DAEXL1TBVIOGT

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