John D'Angelico, 1905-1964, was a luthier from New York City, noted for his handmade archtop guitars and mandolins. He is regarded as one of the finest archtop guitar builders ever. His NYC workshop became a popular desgination for music professionals for their demains of special size and structural variations, in the body depth or scale of the neck, etc.
In 1952, Jimmy D'Aquisto was hired as an apprentice, who would eventually buy the business from the D'Angelico family. D'Angelico and D'Aquisto are generally regarded as the two greatest archtop guitar makers of the 20th century.
Over a period of 32 years, the D’Angelico Workshop built 1,164 guitars. Although, at the time, these instruments were sold at the same price as mass manufactured instruments, today, they are worth thousands.
