The name D’Angelico has always been synonymous with quality guitars. As a student one of my guitar instructors owned an original D’Angelico New Yorker and I have been lusting for one ever since. When the D’Angelico line was reintroduced a couple of years ago I was a little skeptical that the quality would not be up to par but the art deco look and the D’Angelico name proved too much to resist. First the basics: The guitar I received features a solid Sitka Spruce top with scalloped X bracing, the back and sides are solid Sapele, the neck is Mahogany with a low profile C shape, the bridge and fretboard are Rosewood, and both the body and neck have a high gloss finish. The guitar dimensions are 16” lower bout, 11” upper bout, the guitar depth increases from a 3.5” at top to 4” at the bottom, the scale length of the instrument is 25” and the nut with is 1.11/16”. The on board electronics feature a Fishman preamp with a low profile, 4 band EQ and a tuner. The tuning machines are Grover Super Rotomatic in a gold finish and the bridge pins are brass. The guitar came in a beautiful hard shell case with a spare saddle and truss rod wrench. Another note, on the guitar I received the origin of manufacture label stated it was made in Korea and not Indonesia. (I checked with D’Angelico in New York and they confirmed that some of the Mercer models are stilled made in Korea.) Down to business: The guitar is an aesthetically a beautiful instrument with all the… read more classic appointments you would expect from a D”Angelico. The attention to detail was impeccable and the instruments construction was top quality with a solid and tight feel. My overall impression of the instrument is that it feels and plays like a cross between a folk acoustic and a jazz box, and offers a perfect blend of both styles of instrument. The gloss sunburst finish was beautiful and gave the instrument a rich classic look. The frets were perfectly seated and polished with no sharp edges. The fingerboard was made of a high quality Rosewood that featured a very tight grain. The guitar played beautifully down the length of fretboard with no string buzzing or dead spots anywhere. The Grover Rotomatic tuning keys are top notch and offered accurate and smooth tuning with no string slippage. Acoustically the guitar has a beautiful balanced sound with a nice chime like ring. (Maybe do to the brass bridge pins.) Plugged into my Fishman amp the on board preamp allow plenty versatility and a natural amplified sound. The guitar set up out of the box was perfect for most players. I say this because action hight is a personal preference based on the style of music and the touch of the individual musician. In my case I have a very light touch so I did make a slight adjustment of the truss rod and sanded down the saddle to bring the action down to my liking. None of these adjustments affected the clarity or tone of the guitar. (The true sign of a quality instrument.) After these minor adjustments I can honestly say my D’Angelico plays like a dream. The only minor detractors were a slight imperfection on the lip of the sound hole where the lacker was applied and the binding at the top of the headstock had two minor blemishes. These imperfections were so small that it took me days of inspection to notice them and in no way detracted from the overall quality of the instrument. (I have found large imperfections on my top of the line Gibson and Martin guitars.)Also the allen wrench that came with the instrument did not fit the truss nut properly I used my 3/16 to adjust it. The final verdict: I have owned and played many high end instruments both electric and acoustic over the past 50 years and the D’Angelico Mercer is definitely one of the best. If your are looking for a high quality acoustic electric guitar that is both solid and versatile I highly recommend it.

Musical Background:
Over 50 years; guitar, base, Uke, keyboard, Professional musician semi retired.

Musical Style:
Folk, Rock, Jazz, Country, Blues read less