Guitar
Maker
John D'Angelico
Date1947
Place MadeNew York, New York, United States, North America
ModelNew Yorker / arch top
Serial No.1744
SignedInlaid in mother-of-pearl on headstock: D’Angelico / NEW YORK [incised on tail of “o” and filled with black ink]Incised and filled with black ink on white celluloid geometric inlay on peghead: NEW / YORKER
MarkingsBranded on inside of back: D’Angelico [in cursive lettering] / NEW YORK [on tail of “o”] / 1744 / D’Angelico [in cursive lettering] / NEW YORK [on tail of “o”]
Engraved on tailpiece: D’Angelico [in cursive lettering] / NEW YORK [on tail of “o”]
Stamped (vertically) on tuner gear covers: GROVER
DescriptionJohn D’Angelico’s New Yorker model is famous for its sumptuous Art Moderne styling. It features gold-plated Grover Imperial tuners with chevron-shaped heads and D’Angelico’s signature "stairstep" tailpiece. This guitar, number 1744, has a natural finish that highlights the beautifully quilted maple back. In 1947, a young man, Mario Bagnoni (1922-2005), commissioned this custom-made guitar from D’Angelico. Bagnoni traveled on the road performing in hotels (see photo below), though after he joined the Erie Police Department in 1949, his career as a professional musician began to take a back seat to public life. Bagnoni went on to become an Erie City Councilman, serving for thirty-two consecutive years, until his retirement in early 2004. In an interview with Michael Feldman on public radio in 2001, Bagnoni called his years as a professional musician "a great joy in my life."
Stringing: six steel strings
Soundboard: arched, two-piece, quarter-cut spruce: wide grain
Back: two-piece, slab-cut maple with quilted figure and pith flecks; wooden pin through back into neck block on treble side of center joint; wooden pin through back into end block on bass side of center joint
Ribs: two-piece, slab-cut maple with irregular, narrow curl
Head: four-piece maple with black-stained maple veneer; white celluloid binding with eight-ply (black-white-black-white-black-white-black-white) celluloid purfling trim; two pieces of geometric white celluloid inlay; mother-of-pearl “D’Angelico / NEW YORK” inlay
Neck: maple with medium curl; integral with head; brown-stained maple strip of inlay along center line
Heel cap: two layers of white celluloid separated with thin black-white-black-white celluloid layers
Binding: white celluloid; trim comprised of eight-ply (black-white-black-white-black-white-black-white) celluloid purfling strips on top and back and two-ply (black-white) celluloid purfling strips on ribs
Fingerboard: ebony bound in ivoroid with single black and white celluloid purfling strips on each side; end terminating in a point, with rounded edges on the sides; 20 nickel-silver frets; mother-of-pearl block behind 17th fret; split mother-of-pearl blocks behind 1st, 5th, 9th, and 15th frets; double-split mother-of-pearl blocks behind 3rd, 7th, and 12th frets; imitation tortoise-shell celluloid side dots behind 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 17th frets
Nut: bone
Bridge: two-piece ebony (compensated) with brass screws for height adjustment; rectangular mother-of-pearl inlays on each bridge foot
Tailpiece: gold-plated brass with “stairstep” upper edge, geometric cut-outs, engraved line decoration, contrasting polished and matte texture, and hinged lower end, secured to lower rib with three gold-plated steel domed, slotted screws
Pegs: six Grover Imperial gold-over-nickel-plate worm-gear machine tuners with chevron-shaped heads
Endpin: white celluloid
Soundholes: f-holes bound in white celluloid with single black and white celluloid purfling strip trim
Pick guard: translucent dark red-brown celluloid with alternating lighter and darker bands, bound in white ivoroid with eight-ply (black-white-black-white-black-white-black-white) celluloid purfling strip trim, mounted on guitar with gold-plated brass bracket and three gold-plated steel screws
Lacquer: golden
Linings: kerfed maple
Neck block: mahogany; chamfered corners
End block: mahogany; chamfered corners
Top bracing: spruce X-brace
Grafts: spruce block grafts with beveled edges on inside of back near neck and end blocks; spruce block graft with beveled edges on inside of top near end block
DimensionsTotal guitar length: 1094 mm (43-1/16″)
Back length: 542 mm (21-11/32″)
Upper bout width: 358 mm (14-3/32″)
Waist width: 303 mm (11-15/16″)
Lower bout width: 467 mm (18-3/8″)
Rib height (including edging) at heel: 86 mm (3-3/8″)
Rib height, at waist: 85 mm (3-11/32″)
Rib height, at end block: 83 mm (3-1/4″)
Head length: 203 mm (8″)
Head width, top: 107 mm (4-7/32″)
Head width, bottom: 84 mm (3-5/16″)
Neck length (nut to ribs): 356 mm (14″)
Neck width, nut: 42 mm (1-21/32″)
Neck width, heel: 54 mm (2-1/8″)
Soundhole length: 173 mm (6-13/16″)
Vibrating string length (nut to bridge edge): high E: 644 mm (25-11/32″); low E: 646 mm (25-7/16″)
ProvenanceMario Bagnoni (born April 1, 1922, died August 5, 2005), Erie, Pennsylvania. Bagnoni ordered the instrument new in 1946 from D’Angelico after hearing a fellow musician play one in a Buffalo hotel. He was a member of the four-piece Will Sundy Band. After he no longer played, Bagnoni gave the instrument to his daughter, Linda McIntyre. Purchased from Gruhn Guitars, Nashville, Tennessee, 2005.
Published ReferencesPaul Schmidt and Arian Sheets. The Masters' Bench (Vermillion, South Dakota: National Music Museum, 2016)
Mario Bagnoni, "Erie, Pennsylvania," Interview by Michael Feldman. Whad’Ya Know, National Public Radio (February 17, 2001).
John Guerriero, "Politics, Music Mix at National Museum," Erie Times-News (June 9, 2005), pp. 1 and 4A.
Larson, André P., "Great American Guitars . . . Lillibridge Gallery to Feature D'Angelico/D'Aquisto Workshop," National Music Museum Newsletter 32, No. 3 (August 2005), pp. 1-2.
“Museum’s Guitars Featured on Show,” Yankton Press and Dakotan (June 1, 2006).
David Lias, “Garrison Keillor Revisits Vermillion,” Yankton Press and Dakotan (June 1, 2006).
Alan Greenwood, Gil Hembree, The Official Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide 2010, (Bismark, ND: Vintage Guitar Books, 2009) p.34
Lammers, Dirk. “Filled with Rare Instruments, SD’s National Music Museum Looks to Raise $15M for Revamp.” Associated Press, Published: 17 February 2013. As seen on Washington Post website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/filled-with-rare-instruments-sds-national-music-museum-looks-to-raise-15m-to-revamp/2013/02/17/8c29ca62-7929-11e2-9c27-fdd594ea6286_story.html as seen on 18 February 2013.
James Westbrook and Ted Fuller, The Complete Illustrated Book of the Acoustic Guitar (Wigston, UK: Lorenz Books, 2012), p. 232.
Credit LineTony and Bonnie Vinatieri Family Trust, 2005
Object number10827
On View
On view
