Read the full D’Angelico Excel EXL-1 review But for the business of playing jazz and jazz alone, for reproducing traditional styles and putting a modern twist on them, it doesn’t get any better than the Excel EXL-1. The aforementioned EX-SS is a little more modernistic and arguably more versatile. It’s like the dimmer switch on the light has been turned down a tad, and when you take off some of the treble, a bell-like voice gives chords and note-heavy passages a remarkable level of musical detail. When you put the guitar through an amp, that directness mellows out a little, the tone more magisterial. Played acoustically, the Excel EXL-1 gives you a taste of things to come with a forthright character that might lack volume but not attack. If you’ve played the EX-SS, a superb semi in its own right, you’ll know what we’re talking about. Ostensibly it’s a C-profile, but there’s an asymmetric feel to it – just like the originals, made when hand-carving would naturally lend itself to such player-friendly ergonomics. The Excel EXL-1 is made in South Korea and is generously proportioned, with a neck that’s of a more refined era.

John D’Angelico was there at the start, building archtops that soundtracked the jazz age. It’s great value, too.Ī D'Angelico guitar carries with it the weight of history. There’s an acoustic openness to it, an evocative tone grounded in a bygone era. But the D’Angelico Excel EXL-1, a largely faithful contemporary take on John D’Angelico’s original flagship jazz box, gets our vote. You could throw a dart at the D’Angelico hollowbody catalogue and come up trumps with a top-quality archtop for jazz.

The best blues guitars for budding Bonamassas.Sound like EVH and Angus Young with the best rock guitars.If you would like a little more guidance, hit the buying advice button above. If you want to get straight to our top choices, keep on scrolling. In this guide we feature the best guitars for jazz, covering all budgets and styles, from the traditional to the contemporary.

Maybe that’s the key to a great jazz guitar – finding that balance between the acoustic qualities of a semi-hollow or hollowbody build, and the clarity of an electric guitar between warmth and precision. There is an almost piano-esque attack, with a little trebly sharpness to articulate often complex phrases. We think of an organic, acoustic earthiness that comes alive when played through a guitar amp. When we think about the jazz guitar, we think of a hollowbody or semi-hollow design.

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