This New Yorker has several notable features characteristic of certain examples that D’Angelico made occasionally during his career and that did not conform with what many consider his standard designs. The headstock has a simpler center dip, “open book” shape instead of the more elaborate broken pediment design and cupola decoration that often was a signature of his fanciest models. The gold-plated tailpiece, featuring “D’Angelico New York” engraved on the upper cross bar, resembles a Gibson Super 400 tailpiece and has a more traditional shape than the stairstep design that D’Angelico was also using at this time.


John D’Angelico completed this guitar on February 16, 1939 for customer Eddie Bathstone of Washington D.C. Actor and guitar collector Vincent Gallo acquired this instrument for Risan during the 1990s. “Gallo played a key role in the development of my collection,” says Risan. “He lived in New York City and helped me search the East Coast for guitars like this one, which usually still belonged to the jazz musicians who originally ordered them from D’Angelico.”


Serial number: 1394
Top: Spruce, natural finish
Back and sides: Maple
Neck: Maple
Fretboard: Ebony, segmented block inlays
Frets: 20
Bridge/tailpiece: Ebony with pearl block inlays, gold-plated D’Angelico trapeze
Tuners: Grover Imperial stairstep