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D'Angelico Excel SS XT
D'Angelico Premier Brighton
VS
Playability
72
Sound
75
Build
72
Value
68
Score
73
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Playability
72
Sound
65
Build
62
Value
71
Score
66
FIND IT ON:
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D'Angelico Excel SS XT vs Premier Brighton

Reasons to Get
D'Angelico Excel SS XT over Premier Brighton

Decorative Top
Laminated Quilted Maple vs None
Finished with beautiful natural wood patterns
Release Year
2022 vs 2021
From a more recent year
Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Pickups Brand
Seymour Duncan vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Nut Material
Ivory Tusq vs Plastic
Resistant, good tuning stability and rich tone
Body Type
Semi-Hollow vs Solid Body
Lighter and allows more gain than a hollowbody
Strap Lock
Yes vs None
Protects your guitar from dropping by locking the strap
Bridge
Fixed vs Tremolo
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Scale Length
25'' (635mm) vs 24.75'' (628.7mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Fretboard Radius
16'' (406.4mm) vs 14'' (355.6mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend

Reasons to Get
D'Angelico Premier Brighton over Excel SS XT

Body Type
Solid Body vs Semi-Hollow
Feedback free
Bridge
Tremolo vs Fixed
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance
Scale Length
24.75'' (628.7mm) vs 25'' (635mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Fretboard Radius
14'' (355.6mm) vs 16'' (406.4mm)
More curved fretboard helpful to play chords without muting strings
Avg. Weight
7.45lbs (3.4kgs) vs 7.825lbs (3.5kgs)
Tends to be lighter
Value Score
71 vs 68
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
D'Angelico Excel SS XT vs Premier Brighton

Bridge Pickup
USA Seymour Duncan 59 Humbucker vs Seymour Duncan Designed HB-101B Humbucker
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
USA Seymour Duncan 59 Humbucker vs Seymour Duncan Designed HB-102N Humbucker
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Maple vs Basswood
Different Body Wood
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood vs Ovangkol
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Ivory Tusq vs Plastic
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
D'Angelico Excel SS XT vs Premier Brighton

Neck Wood
Maple
Same Neck Wood
Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Switch Positions
3
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
2
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
2
Same tone control
Pickups
HH
High output without hum
Number of Frets
22
Same maximum octave
Nut Width
1.688'' (42.9mm)
Same string separation at the nut
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Neck Joint
Set
Neck is glued to the body
Type of Frets
Medium Jumbo vs Medium
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • Locking Tuners
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the D'Angelico Excel SS XT is probably the better product overall with its final score of 73 compared to the D'Angelico Premier Brighton's 66 score, although not by a lot.

The D'Angelico Excel SS XT wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the D'Angelico Premier Brighton has the upper hand when it comes to value for the money.

If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

Both meet 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.

New Player Friendliness

D'Angelico Excel SS XT
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

D'Angelico Premier Brighton
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

D'Angelico Excel SS XT Overview

  • From D'Angelico's 2022 Excel series
  • Made in South Korea
  • 6 strings
  • 25"'' scale
  • 16" Fretboard Radius
  • Laminated Quilted Maple top
  • Laminated Maple body
  • Maple neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: USA Seymour Duncan 59 Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: USA Seymour Duncan 59 Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 2 volume and 2 tone Speed knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Gold Tune-O-Matic bridge
  • C-Shape Set neck
  • 22 Medium Jumbo frets
  • Grover 150 Imperial tuners
  • Weight between 7.6lbs (3.4kgs) and 8.05lbs (3.7kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

D'Angelico Premier Brighton Overview

  • From D'Angelico's 2021 Premier series
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 6 strings
  • 24.75"'' scale
  • 14" Fretboard Radius
  • Basswood body
  • Maple Scarf neck
  • Ovangkol fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan Designed HB-101B Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan Designed HB-102N Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 2 volume and 2 tone Speed knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Chrome Tune-O-Matic bridge
  • C-Shape Set neck
  • 22 Medium frets
  • Grover 109 Super Rotomatic tuners
  • Weight around 7.45lbs (3.4kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.

Woods Used in Both

Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple

Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.

Woods Used in the D'Angelico Excel SS XT

Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Woods Used in the D'Angelico Premier Brighton

Ovangkol wood pattern used for guitar building
Ovangkol
Basswood wood pattern used for guitar building
Basswood

Ovangkol is a beautiful wood that's popular for acoustic guitars. Its tone sits somewhere between rosewood and mahogany, meaning it has a punchy low-end and nice mid-range. Find out more about Ovangkol.

Basswood is a lightweight type of wood that isn't as expensive as other popular choices for guitar building. It gives more power to the mid-range frequencies. Its color can vary from pale white to light brown. Find out more about Basswood.

Winner: D'Angelico Excel SS XT.

Pickup Configuration

Both pickup configurations are HH. Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.

Pickups Quality

The D'Angelico Excel SS XT has pickups from a more specialized brand than the D'Angelico Premier Brighton. Its pickups should simply give you a better, fuller sound, although it all depends on what type of music you're going to play. We recommend these pickups for Hard Rock and similar genres.

Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.

Winner: D'Angelico Excel SS XT.

Versatility Comparison

Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.

Switch Options

Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.

Both offer you the same type of pickup mod: Coil Split.

Coil Split lets you disconnect one of the pickup coils. When used with humbuckers, it turns them into single-coil with lower output and cleaner tone.

They both share the following switching options:

D'Angelico Excel SS XT and D'Angelico Premier Brighton pickups switch and push knobs diagram
D'Angelico Excel SS XT and D'Angelico Premier Brighton's switch options

When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

Winner: D'Angelico Premier Brighton.

Final Sound Quality Scores

D'Angelico Excel SS XT
Pickups 90
Sustain 75
Versatility 63
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 75
D'Angelico Premier Brighton
Pickups 60
Sustain 65
Versatility 73
Tuning Stability 60
Sound 65

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the D'Angelico Excel SS XT compares to the D'Angelico Premier Brighton.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The D'Angelico Excel SS XT is built in South Korea while the D'Angelico Premier Brighton is made in Indonesia.

South Korea was for many years the number one choice for mass-producing semi-premium guitars. They can build excellent guitars for a cheap price. Now, it's less common to find Korean guitars because Indonesia has proved capable of building guitars just as well, but likely for cheaper.

Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.

Winner: Tie

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

The D'Angelico Excel SS XT has a Ivory Tusq nut. Ivory used to be considered the best material for guitar nuts due to its beauty, durability, and the rich harmonics and sustain you could get from a guitar with it. However, the way to obtain it is simply unethical. Enter TUSQ ivory nuts, which are made synthetically to imitate ivory. Technically, it's better than ivory because it is consistent piece-to-piece, while natural materials can vary a lot, even if they're made from the same.

On the other hand, the D'Angelico Premier Brighton comes with a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.

Winner: D'Angelico Excel SS XT.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

Bridge

The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.

The D'Angelico Excel SS XT's brige is a Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.

On the other hand, the D'Angelico Premier Brighton's is a Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.

Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The D'Angelico Excel SS XT's are Grover 150 Imperial while the D'Angelico Premier Brighton's are Grover 109 Super Rotomatic

Winner: Tie.

Neck Joint

Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.

Both have a Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
D'Angelico Excel SS XT
  • Expensive Wood
  • Ivory Tusq Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Coil Split Pickups
  • Strap Lock
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in South Korea
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
Strengths & Weaknesses
D'Angelico Premier Brighton
  • Coil Split Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

D'Angelico Excel SS XT
Quality of materials 70
Features 65
Quality Control 80
Build Quality 72
D'Angelico Premier Brighton
Quality of materials 56
Features 60
Quality Control 70
Build Quality 62

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

D
Both Guitars Have The Same Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 42.9mm (1.688'').

This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

Scale Length

D'Angelico Excel SS XT's Scale Length
D'Angelico Excel SS XT's Scale Length
D'Angelico Premier Brighton's Scale Length
D'Angelico Premier Brighton's Scale Length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

The D'Angelico Excel SS XT has the longest scale: 25". The D'Angelico Premier Brighton is only 24.75" long. This is a 0.25'' (6.4mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

D'Angelico Excel SS XT Neck Profile
Both guitars have the same neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

Both the D'Angelico Excel SS XT and the D'Angelico Premier Brighton have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

Fretboard Radius

D'Angelico Excel SS XT Fingerboard Radius
D'Angelico Excel SS XT's Fingerboard radius
D'Angelico Premier Brighton Fingerboard Radius
D'Angelico Premier Brighton's Fingerboard radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

In this case, the D'Angelico Premier Brighton's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the D'Angelico Excel SS XT's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the D'Angelico Excel SS XT.

Still, both tend to favor soloing over chords, so if you're looking for a guitar for playing rhythm, you might want something else with a radius closer to a Stratocaster's 9.5''.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .

D'Angelico Excel SS XT:
Big Hands
Small Hands
D'Angelico Premier Brighton:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

D'Angelico Excel SS XT Frets Size
D'Angelico Excel SS XT's Frets Size
D'Angelico Premier Brighton Frets Size
D'Angelico Premier Brighton's Frets Size

The D'Angelico Excel SS XT has Medium Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the D'Angelico Premier Brighton's Medium frets.

Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.

Final Playability Scores

D'Angelico Excel SS XT
Bending & Vibrato Ease 80
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 70
Playability 72
D'Angelico Premier Brighton
Bending & Vibrato Ease 80
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 70
Playability 72

Specs Side-by-Side

D'Angelico Excel SS XT vs Premier Brighton
General D'Angelico Excel SS XT Premier Brighton
Brand: D'Angelico D'Angelico
Year: 2022 2021
Configuration: HH HH
Strings: 6 6
Made in: South Korea Indonesia
Series: Excel Premier
Colors: Yellow Burst Black
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Semi-Hollow Solid Body
Body Material: Laminated Maple Basswood
Bridge: Gold Tune-O-Matic Chrome Tune-O-Matic
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Grover 150 Imperial Grover 109 Super Rotomatic
Fretboard: Rosewood Ovangkol
Neck Material: Maple Maple Scarf
Decoration: Mother of Pearl/Abalone Split Block White Pearloid Block
Scale Size: 25" 24.75"
Shape: C-Shape C-Shape
Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver 22 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 16" 14"
Nut: Ivory Tusq Plastic
Nut Width: 42.9mm (1.688'') 42.9mm (1.688'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: USA Seymour Duncan 59 Humbucker (Humbucker / Passive) Seymour Duncan Designed HB-101B Humbucker (Humbucker / Passive)
Middle Pickup:
Neck Pickup: USA Seymour Duncan 59 Humbucker (Humbucker / Passive) Seymour Duncan Designed HB-102N Humbucker (Humbucker / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Speed Speed
Pickup Mods: Coil Split Coil Split
Volume Controls: 2 2
Tone Controls: 2 2