John D'Angelico

John D'Angelico was born in 1905 in New York to an Italian-American family, and was apprenticed in 1914 to his great-uncle, Raphael Ciani, who made violins, mandolins, and flat top guitars.

[11] All of D'Angelico's guitars were hand-built, and many were customized for specific people, so substantial variation is evident in his output.

[3] During the late 1930s, when production was at its peak, D'Angelico made approximately 35 instruments per year with the help of only two workers, one of whom was Vincent "Jimmy" DiSerio.

[3][14][4] His recognition as the "finest builder of archtop guitars" later brought offers from larger companies, but ultimately he decided to keep his operation under his own name.

[3] D'Angelico had a heart attack in 1959 and also parted ways with DiSerio, who left to work at the Favilla guitar company.

[18] In 2011, works by D'Angelico and D'Aquisto were included in the 'Guitar Heroes' exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.