D'Aquisto

James L. D'Aquisto (November 9, 1935 – April 17, 1995) was an Italian American guitar maker. 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. and is considered to be the finest independent guitar maker in the history of the instrument. 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 1980 he made his final move to Greenport, Long Island. His guitars are considered without peer. Jimmy D’Aquisto always felt that he might die at the same age as his mentor, at age 59. In fact, he died Tuesday, April 17, 1995 at the age of 59. D'Aquisto's name is attached to many guitar models from brands like the Fender "D'Aquisto Elite" "D'Aquisto Ultra" and the Hagström Jimmy, and his blue "Centura Deluxe" was the inspiration for the book Blue Guitar. 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 Today, his guitars sell for tens of thousands of dollars to over $500,000. And the first to be worth a million dollars.

In 2006, James L. D'Aquisto was a 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.

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