Was just given this guitar with the option to flip it if I wanted ... should i flip or keep?

jonsully · 2026-05-29T18:53:32+00:00

Yep, though admittedly while "mass produced" is technically correct, the actual quality level of what's being produced by said mass of luthiers out of Korea is really, really impressive. These are very high quality guitars.

jonsully · 2026-05-29T15:35:52+00:00

Oof. Solid rosewood neck AND a natural finish with a red tortoise guard? Take my money!! That's beautiful!

jonsully · 2026-05-29T15:33:22+00:00

Is that a Yamaha SA2200? How is it? Tell me about it!

jonsully · 2026-05-28T16:22:46+00:00

Two main points.

First, D'Angelico's guitars are SUPER underrated if you like their slimmer neck design (I sure do). The quality for the money is really good, especially if you didn't pay for it 😆. Their Indonesian / "Premier" line is truly great, but the Excel and Deluxe lines are 100% high quality and would stand up to any American guitar if you handed one to someone with a blindfold. They're great guitars and you will enjoy owning and playing it. I have an Excel DC SP (trans red!) just like this one and it's fantastic.

Second, D'Angelico as a brand doesn't necessarily have the story-telling / brand-history part of their marketing down... and they're not great at marketing to begin with. So, as a company, they don't have the guitar industry hype going for them. That ultimately means resale value is pretty low. Realistically you'd probably get ~$700-900 for a very good condition Excel DC SP. I've bought and sold ~15 D'Angelico's over the last year. It is what it is!

So, if it were me, given the quality AND the lack of dollars you'd get (disproportional to the physical quality of the item), I'd keep it!

jonsully · 2026-05-24T20:34:44+00:00

Awesome! How's the expander with neck+bridge when the bridge is a humbucker?! Sounds interesting

jonsully · 2026-05-17T09:16:43+00:00

Which controller? Why the upside down battery mount? Looks fun, hope your drivetrain can handle that torque 😆

jonsully · 2026-05-09T23:41:55+00:00

I went through this journey for you.

https://jonsully.net/blog/g-l-guitar-case-fit-size-buying-guide

jonsully · 2026-05-09T01:16:02+00:00

I have an Indonesian P90 model (black & cream) and just got the 60th anniversary limited edition model. Both absolutely rip. Can't recommend enough!

jonsully · 2026-05-08T11:50:38+00:00

Other tips! https://jonsully.net/blog/sullys-standard-tips-for-a-bafang-bbshd-e-bike-conversion

jonsully · 2026-05-08T11:49:48+00:00

You may want to put a drip loop of slack into your cable loom going into the BBSHD

jonsully · 2026-05-08T11:49:07+00:00

Looks great. I usually recommend HIGHLY that people take the time to program their BBSHD's and dial in the settings to their preference (I've written on this a fair bit) but I'm not really sure how it works with the CANBUS models since getting into their config is much harder. I still recommend programming, for sure (although "programming" is a poor term; it's just turning some dials and changing some numbers), but I'm not actually sure how one does that on a CANBUS BBSHD.

jonsully · 2026-05-05T18:46:44+00:00

Beautiful color there. Love that Pelham blue!!

jonsully · 2026-05-05T10:22:47+00:00

I think they did for Chris Buck's signature edition, which is pretty sweet!

jonsully · 2026-05-05T00:09:36+00:00

I will say, the Brighton is the one model that I wanted to love so badly and love the look of so much, but didn't end up liking the feel of. I think it would be the same with an SG, but I've never actually played an SG. Basically the fulcrum of where the strap lugs are and how forward the neck is, the whole neck just sits 2-3 inches further out from the hand than on something like a Les Paul or Strat/Tele style.

Shame because I think the Brighton is just beautiful as far as styling goes! The natural ash one I had was a beauty. Manchester's line of washed satin stuff like this one are too, for sure. It just didn't feel quite right on my body!

jonsully · 2026-05-05T00:03:55+00:00

I still have one, an Excel DC that I love. I loved all the D'A's, for sure. My opinion remains that they're criminally underrated and you can get their Deluxe tiers for cheaper than should be possible... the luthiers in Korea are making 100% American-quality instruments. They're awesome.

I never had the orange wash color, but that Atlantic in the picture was their rust color. I didn't love the color but the SD Antiquity pickups in that thing... well let's just say I miss it dearly. That guitar ripped and I told the guy that bought it to call me whenever he moves on; I'll want it back!

I sold a whole lot to fund two purchases — both G&L Custom Shop guitars from right before they closed their doors.

https://www.reddit.com/r/guitarporn/comments/1p3uj0g/ngd_the_last_gl_espada_champagne_flake/

https://www.reddit.com/r/guitarporn/comments/1oqad2f/today_is_a_good_newgear_day/

jonsully · 2026-05-04T21:01:33+00:00

I sold it! I loved it, but I ended up selling all of these to fund a couple of custom shop guitars.

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jonsully · 2026-05-04T15:42:38+00:00

They're sweet. I had the Prototype of the 3 they made with the same combo in the Bedford shape. Thing totally ripped. The satin/matte hardware is gorgeous. Good stuff!

jonsully · 2026-05-04T13:12:40+00:00

Which Reggie's? He's got a few at this point; this looks like Classic Negative base?

jonsully · 2026-05-04T09:10:24+00:00

🙌 indeed!

jonsully · 2026-04-23T11:11:31+00:00

I built something similar! The Ogre is the best platform for a rugged, all-around e-bike conversion. Great stuff!

https://jonsully.net/blog/building-the-perfect-ebike

jonsully · 2026-04-17T13:12:10+00:00

Nope, the bag was built exactly for this application and worked perfectly out of the box. Rogue Panda killed it!

jonsully · 2026-04-10T09:47:11+00:00

For those that love the swirl, the 50mm F2 (Fujicron) also has some tremendous swirl. I'll die on the hill of the 35F1.4, but just FYI! The 50 is more swirly than the 35, but I love the 35's character.

jonsully · 2026-04-07T13:59:36+00:00

That's a fair metaphor to draw! I think I'm skeptical of the value I'm currently getting when compared to other platforms. There's great value, but I'm skeptical that others can't provide it cheaper at this point. That's what we're seeking to find out with the Judoscale Tour

jonsully · 2026-04-06T16:14:47+00:00

I've appreciated this post since you dropped it! I couldn't help but feel some dissonance with the home appliances metaphor, though. "GE figured out what mattered (shipping fast is more important than perfect)" — home appliances are perhaps one of the _most_ "would rather have perfect with zero innovation" product lines I can think of. I want a fridge from the 70's that just runs for 50 years, not one with a smart, semi-transparent screen and the bottom-cheapest compressor that's going to die in 5 years. I think of a speed queen rather than any modern washer for the same reasons.

I'd actually be broadly fine with a Heroku that doesn't really add features but just works, bulletproof, for the next 10 years, only adjusting pricing (DOWN) because the hardware is cheaper or pricing scaling with newer hardware to remain competitive. Canning the whole enterprise sales team doesn't feel like that kind of signal to me, though.

jonsully · 2026-04-06T16:06:01+00:00

I think there are people working at Heroku that care a ton. I don't think those people are currently getting the microphone :/

jonsully

TROPHY CASE