DAngelico Excel SS Solid Black

DAngelico Excel SS Solid Black: a specification-based review

The DAngelico Excel SS Solid Black is a single-cutaway semi-hollow electric guitar with a center block, two humbucking pickups, and a 635 mm scale. Its listed price is 1599, with no currency specified in the supplied details. The model has been available since September 2022, and the listed item number is 551922. No customer reviews are available, so this assessment is based on the published specifications rather than player reports or hands-on testing.

One detail in the specifications needs clarification: the general color field says Natural, while the model name and detailed finish description identify the guitar as Solid Black. The finish information therefore conflicts within the supplied data. Buyers should confirm the finish with the seller before ordering. The detailed construction description identifies the back and sides as laminated flamed maple and the top as laminated spruce.

Body and neck construction

The semi-hollow body has a center block, which runs through the body beneath the top. That construction is distinct from a fully hollow guitar, and the specifications explicitly classify this model as semi-hollow, not hollow. The top and the back and sides are laminated, rather than described as solid wood. The listed top material is spruce; the back and sides are flamed maple. These details establish the material and construction, but they do not by themselves confirm how the guitar will sound or respond in a particular room or playing setup.

The three-piece neck combines maple, walnut, and maple, with a lacquered finish and a Slim C profile. Its nut width is 43 mm. The scale length is 635 mm, a measurement that sets the distance between the nut and bridge and informs the instrument's overall string layout. The fingerboard is ebony, with 22 frets and split-block mother-of-pearl inlays. Five-ply binding is also specified. The available information does not state the fret size, neck radius, or fingerboard radius, so those details cannot be assessed here.

Pickups and controls

Two Seymour Duncan '59 humbuckers provide the guitar's pickup configuration. The control layout has separate volume and tone controls, with two of each. Both tone controls have push-pull functions, and a three-way switch selects between pickup positions. The specifications do not explain which electrical options the push-pull controls activate. That omission matters for anyone choosing the guitar partly for its switching flexibility, so it is worth asking the seller for a wiring diagram or a clear description of the available settings.

The dual-humbucker layout gives the instrument two pickup positions to select or combine through the three-way switch. Beyond that basic arrangement, the listed components do not establish a specific tonal character. Pickup height, strings, amplifier settings, and setup can all affect the result, and no listening test or player feedback is available for this review.

Bridge, hardware, and included case

At the bridge, the Excel SS uses a Tune-O-Matic bridge paired with a D'Angelico stairstep tailpiece. Grover Super Rotomatic machine heads handle tuning, and the hardware is gold-plated. The pickguard is a five-ply tortoise Scalini design. These are clearly identified components, but the supplied data does not specify adjustment range, setup condition, or the exact hardware finish beyond gold plating.

A case is included; a separate gig bag is not. The details do not identify the case type or its interior dimensions. The sales unit is listed as one piece.

What the specifications establish

On paper, this is a defined semi-hollow configuration: laminated flamed maple back and sides, a laminated spruce top, a maple-walnut-maple neck, an ebony fingerboard, two Seymour Duncan '59 humbuckers, and a Tune-O-Matic bridge. It also has a 635 mm scale, a 43 mm nut, and a 22-fret layout. Those facts make the model's construction and control scheme straightforward to compare with other guitars in its category.

The available information leaves several practical questions unanswered, including the push-pull wiring, fret and fingerboard measurements, and the exact case type. Most importantly, the conflicting color entries should be resolved before purchase. With no customer feedback supplied, claims about comfort, sound, tuning stability, or workmanship would go beyond the evidence. For a buyer considering this model at the listed price of 1599, the specifications provide a useful starting point, but a seller confirmation of the finish and switching functions would complete the picture.