D’Angelico has launched a collection of Grateful Dead-inspired electric and acoustic guitars to celebrate the band’s 60th anniversary.
The band – whose legacy lives on today in the hands of D’Angelico signature artist Bob Weir, John Mayer, and Dead & Company – has been working closely with the New York firm since 2015, a relationship that kickstarted when the band donated hand-painted guitars for a charity drive.
Notably, those guitars featured a Lightning Bolt finish that paid homage to the Grateful Dead's trademark iconography, which has been used sparingly across the years for a handful of special-edition launches.
Now, that none-more-Grateful Dead finish is back, but this time it's branched out into three distinct models.
The collection takes in two semi-hollow electrics and one acoustic, each of which are emblazoned with the band’s unmistakable Red, White, and Blue colorway, and iced with D’Angelico’s signature, art deco-esque headstock design.
Headlined by a fresh take on D’Angelico’s flagship double-cutaway, the Premier Grateful Dead DC ($999.99) doffs its cap to the first collaborative build launched in 2017. It offers a laminated maple body, “a highly playable slim C-shape neck,” rosewood fingerboard, and medium jumbo frets.
Tonally, D'Angelico boasts distinction through “balanced harmonics” and own-brand humbuckers. It's rounded out by a Gold Tune-O-Matic bridge, Stairstep tuners, and a custom Steal Your Face headstock inlay.
Elsewhere, the Premier Grateful Dead SS ($999.99) is a single-cutaway with “Jazz Age-inspired looks, exceptional tonal warmth, and crystal clear sustain,” thanks to a pair of nickel-covered humbuckers.
Tonewoods include a laminated flame maple body with five-ply binding, a set maple C-shape neck, and rosewood fingerboard with White Pearloid block inlays and 22 medium jumbo frets.
Gold hardware is again the aesthetic of choice, with another TOM bridge and sidestep tuners completing the look alongside that all-important Steal Your Face headstock inlay.
The Premier Grateful Dead Tammany ($549.99), meanwhile, is “an easy-playing orchestra model, boasting a solid spruce top with layered sapele back and sides.” Its neck is crafted from mahogany scarf and capped with a rosewood fingerboard with 20 frets and Small Acrylic Diamond inlays.
D'Angelico's take on the OM shape is built with a shallower body depth than usual, aiding playability. It also comes equipped with an onboard Fishman Presys VT preamp system.
One of each of the three models made will be hand-painted, featuring commemorative artwork to celebrate Dead & Company’s upcoming shows at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
They’ll be exhibited at the shows before heading to auction, with funds raised going towards D’Angelico’s charity partner, HeadCount, which works to promote participation in democracy in the United States.
Head to D’Angelico for more.
In related news, John Mayer hasn't ruled out Dead & Company recording new material, and has championed his telepathic tandem with Wier.
