D'Angelico Excel Mini DC Semi-hollowbody - Black Dog with Stopbar Tailpiece Review

Nearly Flawless Execution meets Superior Tonality

Expectations were high when I cancelled an order for a Gibson SG Modern in lieu of ordering a never-before-played De'Angelico Excel Mini DC. I needed a light-in-weight, mix cutting guitar, something I'd heard semi-hollow-body guitars were known for due to the nature of semi-hollow construction.Absolutely no disappointments here! The finish -- except for minor fitting at the nut/neck… read more intersection (a trait I've seen on many a higher-priced guitar), and a tiny bit of un-smoothed binding on the bottom of one 'f-hole' -- is FLAWLESS!I bought this guitar on 'perceived' sound, that is, what I could hear from demos and reviews on YouTube, etc. I needed something versatile, and bright when mix-cutting was necessary. The De'Angelico delivered. Tones are clear, separate, and full-spectrum in the neck and middle positions. And, though the overall Seymour Duncan 59' tone paired with this guitar leans toward the bright side of things, there is nothing missing in bass and lower mid-range tonality.Topping the sonic prowess of this guitar is a stunning finish which includes -- as far as I can tell -- real mother-of-pearl/abalone inlays, a gorgeous ebony fretboard, beautiful fret work, great art-deco touches, and an headstock that speaks firmly of empire (pun intended) building!So glad that when my sonic needs changed mid-order, Sweetwater and Cliff Hackleman were happy to 'downgrade' my order from the Gibson SG to this stunner!

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Excellent tone and playability

This guitar fits me well. When playing seated, it's comfortable in my lap and stays put without the neck rising or falling. The neck radius fits my hand well, and I like the feel of the ebony fretboard, which is smooth and fast, but I do not care for the gloss finish on the back of the neck. The Seymour Duncan 59 humbuckers are great and I don't have any problems at all getting… read more the tones I want with both a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe tube amp and a Boss Katana MkII 100 Artist modeling amp. In fact, it sounds amazing with my preferred setup. Fit and finish are very good, but it's a bit towards the gaudy side for my liking, especially the truss rod cover and I'm still deciding if I like the larger fretboard inlays. The switch, volume and tone controls have a good feel to them. My only real complaint is with the tuners. They look pretty, but there is free play when reversing direction and the ratio is just off. I will eventually change them out. I am a bit disappointed in that the body is laminated mahogany rather than solid pieces of mahogany, which you might expect at this price point. Overall, I'm happy with the guitar.

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