Excel mandolin brand?

[Felyx]

Hi all,

Newbie here looking for info about a weird little mystery (to me, at least!) I recently came across a listing for a "D'Angelico" Excel mandolin on a Goodwill auction. I don't think that this is actually a D'Angelico, based on the label, I think whoever created the listing just Googled "Excel mandolin" and the Vintage Guitar article about D'Angelico came up. But I'm curious if this is a brand anybody's ever heard of, since the same name is on the headstock and on the case- wondering if this is something from the eighties, maybe?

I didn't see anything in the rules that said I can't post links, so the listing is here: https://shopgoodwill.com/item/141228056

(However, please let me know if links are considered bad etiquette for this forum, and I'll edit accordingly!)

Thanks for any light you all can shed!

[Richard500]

Saw this one as well. So far the bidding does not reflect the $20,000 or so a D’Angelico “vintage” one might bring, and there are several possibilities, all of which can be found on this site directly or indirectly with a Google search. Basically, the name Excel is one the eponymous builder used for many years, and his name has been owned by other companies, also for years. Few mandolins by any of the above. Plus, this thing with a less than graceful scroll could also be by a counterfeiter, and lacking a photo of a label, not even anyone pretending the D’A name at all.
The recent D’A products, guitars, seem to focus above economy level, so there’s a chance that if this is theirs, it might be a solid build. A handful seem to have been made, but abandoned, and going for small money. And these look different too.
Like almost everything on SGW, not enough information on condition, and no returns. Also, some people see a famous name and go nuts bidding above market. Follow the early Gibson currently on: looks nice, but already pushing retail, and could be a real dog.
It’s called gambling.

[MikeEdgerton]

It's a very inexpensive imported mandolin that was brought in under many brand names. There is zero connection to D'Angelico.

[jaycat]

"Excel"

They misspelled "hot mess."

[Felyx]

Thank you all very much! I didn't think there was a connection to D'Angelico, but that's interesting to know about mandolins in general. It sounds like something similar to "stencils" for woodwinds and whatnot, with a company mass-producing an instrument that various manufacturers would put their stamp on. Good to know!

[MikeEdgerton]

Thank you all very much! I didn't think there was a connection to D'Angelico, but that's interesting to know about mandolins in general. It sounds like something similar to "stencils" for woodwinds and whatnot, with a company mass-producing an instrument that various manufacturers would put their stamp on. Good to know!

The musical instrument business has been this way for well over 100 years. The only thing that has changed is the country of origin. In the early 1900's there were major builders in the Chicago as well as a few other places that built instruments "for the trade" with any label you wanted. Many were built with no label so that a retailer, distributor, school or teacher could put their own labels on them. Over the years that moved to instruments built in Japan, Korea, China, and Malaysia as well as places I may not even be aware of.

[allenhopkins]

Well, apparently three guys bought the D'Angelico brand in 1999 and are importing a fairly wide range of "Pacific Rim" guitars etc. with the Excel label. One of their mid-range ($800) Grammercy flat-top guitars, solid top, laminated back & sides, got a decent guitar.com review. Haven't seen any reviews of the new import mandolins.

If you'd like to read Gruhn's review of an original D'Angelico Excel mandolin, it's here in Vintage Guitar.