A special piece, this one. We’ve got a 1982 Gibson/D’Angelico, #2166S. This archtop was commissioned by Gordon Poland, and built by Gibson’s master luthier Aaron Cowles out of his own home, one of only two D’Angelico replicas Cowles built. Here, the guitar was built from various specifications and dimensions of Johnny Smith’s original 1955 D’Angelico Excel 1000—and Cowles had direct access to this very instrument for this purpose.
Cowles acquired a tailpiece in the D’Angelico style from the original company John used, you’ll find a D’Angelico stamp on the inside of the instrument and “IHJD” inlaid on the back of the headstock, “In Honor of John D’Angelico.”
Other keywords: lutherie, luthier, guitarbuilding, jazz guitar, dangelico, d’angelico guitar, d’angelica, johny smith, new york
This is a unique and interesting guitar built at the Gibson factory by one of their top luthiers, Aaron Cowles, built for a collector who asked for it to be an homage to D'Angelico. Aaron had the opportunity to actually spend time with Johnny Smith's personal guitar and get measurements from it before building this beautiful instrument to honor the maker. Simply incredible craftsmanship, you can tell everyone involved was passionate about capturing the essence of the man John D'Angelico in this lifetime and dedication to the archtop guitar. 
| Scale Length | 24.875 in |
|---|---|
| Nut Width | 1.75 in |
| String Spacing | 2.0625 in |
| Woods | Spruce, Maple |
A special piece, this one. We’ve got a 1982 Gibson/D’Angelico, #2166S
This is a unique and interesting guitar built at the Gibson factory by one of their top luthiers, Aaron Cowles, built for a collector who asked for it to be an homage to D'Angelico. Aaron had the opportunity to actually spend time with Johnny Smith's personal guitar and get measurements from it before building this beautiful instrument to honor the maker 