Jimmy D'Aquisto
James L. D'Aquisto (November 9, 1935 - April 18, 1995) was an American guitar maker best known as the premier maker of custom guitars.[1] He served as an apprentice to John D'Angelico from 1952 and was considered his successor after the latter's death in 1964. From his shop in Huntington, New York then in Farmingdale, New york and later during his "golden period" in Greenport Long Island, New York, D'Aquisto became known as the world's greatest guitar maker from the late 1960s until his death in 1995. James D’Aquisto, born November 9, 1935 was trained by, and is the successor to, John D’Angelico. Both men are considered to be the finest independent builders of archtop guitars in the history of the instrument. James apprenticed to John, starting in the 1950s, possibly as early as 1954. Jimmy said “I was making $35 a week. I was like the runner: I’d go to the stores, pick up the tuners, go get the tailpieces from downtown, take the necks to the engraver, all that. I cleaned the windows, swept the floors, everything – we all did that. On Friday we put away the tools and cleaned the shop so when Monday came the place would be spotless.” Later, James learned the “rough work” of the D’Angelico building style. By around 1960, John’s health was failing and Jimmy was asked to do more and more of the finishing work, and, finally, the hand-crafting of components. John died on September 1, 1964 at age 59. Jimmy continued the business of building guitars, under his own name. In 1966 he moved to Huntington, Long Island and in 1973 moved to Farmingdale. In 1977 he made his final move to Greenport, Long Island. His guitars are considered without peer. Jimmy D’Aquisto was always afraid that he might die at the same age as his mentor, at age 59. In fact, he died Tuesday, April 18, 1995 at the age of 59. [2] D'Aquisto's name is attached to many guitar models from brands like the Fender "D'Aquisto Elite" "D'Aquisto Ultra"[3] and the Hagström Jimmy, and his blue "Centura Deluxe" was the inspiration for the book Blue Guitar.[4] There is another book titled "Acquired of the Angels:The Lives and Works of Master Guitar Makers John D'Angelico and James L. D'Aquisto[5] Today, his guitars sell for tens of thousands of dollars to over $400,000. And the first to be worth a million dollars.[4][6]
D'Aquisto was a 2006 inductee to the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. His tools and work bench — passed down to him from D'Angelico — are on display at the National Music Museum. 'The D'Aquisto Foundation' - Help to complete the D'Aquisto Exhibit by donating to the National Music Museum .
- ^ "A Room Full of Blues". 2006. http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Features_Basic_Template/0,2344,599,00.html. Retrieved September 29, 2006.[dead link]
- ^ Barth, Joe (2007). Voices in Jazz Guitar. Mel Bay Publications. p. 241. ISBN 0786676795. http://books.google.com/books?id=eMifMzrwYt0C&pg=PA241&dq#v=onepage&q=&f=false.
- ^ "1984 Fender D'Aquisto Elite". http://www.archtop.com/ac_84fendasb.html. Retrieved September 29, 2006.
- ^ a b Vose, Ken (1998). Blue Guitar. Chronicle Books. ISBN 0-8118-1912-4.
- ^ Schmidt, Paul (1998). Acquired of the Angels:The Lives and Works of Master Guitar Makers John D'Angelico and James L. D'Aquisto. The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 13 978-1578860029.
- ^ Nager, Larry (October 11, 2001). "To Guitarists he's a Guru". The Cincinnati Enquirer.
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