D'Angelico Premier Atlantic Review & Prices

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D'Angelico Premier Atlantic Review
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  • 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 between 7.9lbs (3.6kgs) and 8.9lbs (4kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Our Scores and Tone Evaluation

Playability 72
Sound 65
Build quality 62
Value for money 71
Overall Score 66
Tone Evaluation
  • Heavy Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Funk
  • Country
Strengths & Weaknesses
D'Angelico Premier Atlantic
  • 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

Price Overview

Its average competitor's price is $750, which means that the D'Angelico Premier Atlantic costs around 13% more than the competition. It might be due to it having additional features, but know that you can find cheaper similar alternatives. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 6 strings and Tremolo bridge that are made in Indonesia.

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Your feedback

Not all instruments are created equally. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our users who have played this instrument say. If you've played it before, help others by voting below!

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Is it Easy to Play?

The D'Angelico Premier Atlantic meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's not bad for beginners, but it could be better. 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 to get used to.

New Player Friendliness

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

Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the D'Angelico Premier Atlantic's construction favors people with relatively small hands.

Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this guitar—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.

Big Hands
Small Hands

How Lightweight is it?

We found that the D'Angelico Premier Atlantic weighs between 7.9lbs (3.6kgs) and 8.9lbs (4kgs). This was recorded from some online retailers that publish the weight of the instruments they sell.

Scale Length

Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.

Here's the D'Angelico Premier Atlantic's 24.75" scale length compared to other common sizes:

D'Angelico Premier Atlantic Scale Length Comparison
D'Angelico Premier Atlantic's scale length (at the top) compared to other popular sizes

This is the scale length used in most Gibson guitars. If you like the playability of a Gibson, this guitar will feel pretty similar. It's a lot shorter than the typical Stratocaster (25.5'')

As you can see from the picture above, a shorter scale length also means shorter separation between frets. If you got really small hands, you probably will feel more comfortable playing this guitar than a Fender Stratocaster.

This scale length also allows for easier bends and vibratos because the strings will have lower tension due to the shorter scale.

Finally, another thing affected by scale length is tone. A shorter scale will give less room for the harmonics, thus resulting in a warmer, more 'bassy' tone.

Still, remember that you string gauge plays an important part in all of this. A lighter gauge will make it easier to perform bends, vibratos and will also give you a brighter tone.

More with the same scale length:

Neck Profile

D'Angelico Premier Atlantic Neck Profile
D'Angelico Premier Atlantic's neck profile

The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.

It has a C type neck. C-shaped necks like this have been the most popular for the last years. The reason is that they feel good in most hands. It's generally a thin neck that doesn't get in your way when playing fast, but that also has enough mass to give your hands a comfortable grip for chords if they aren't too big.

Thin necks like this make it easier to move your hand across the neck and it helps when playing fast solos, especially if you like to leave your thumb free while playing high on the fretboard. However, thinner necks are also weaker and will need adjustment more often than a thicker neck.

More for different hand sizes

Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.

The D'Angelico Premier Atlantic has a 14" fingerboard radius.

Here's an image comparing this fretboard radius to other popular choices:

D'Angelico Premier Atlantic Fretboard Radius Comparison with Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul
D'Angelico Premier Atlantic's fretboard radius compared to others

This makes it more similar to Gibson guitars (12'') than Fender (9.5''). It's slightly flatter than most modern Gibson fretboards though, which makes it more comfortable for single notes, bendings and vibratos, but less comfortable for chords. If you like the playability of a Gibson, which can be described as ''balanced for chords and solos'', and don't care about having slightly less curve for more comfortable solos, you'll like this radius.

Compound radius fingerboards give the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, the D'Angelico Premier Atlantic has the same radius across the board.

More with the same fretboard radius:

Playability compared to main competitors

24.75'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.688'' Nut Width
14'' Fretboard Radius
24.75'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.693'' Nut Width
13.78'' Fretboard Radius
24.75'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.693'' Nut Width
13.78'' Fretboard Radius
24.75'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.693'' Nut Width
13.78'' Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
U Neck Profile
1.693'' Nut Width
13.78'' Fretboard Radius

Nut Width

D'Angelico Premier Atlantic Nut Width
D'Angelico Premier Atlantic Nut Width

The D'Angelico Premier Atlantic has 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.

Frets

The D'Angelico Premier Atlantic has 22 frets. Even though 24 frets has become really popular, there's still a good reason to get fewer frets; the pickup at the neck position will be further away from the bridge. This makes the neck pickup achieve a warmer tone. You might want this if you're playing Jazz or similar genres.

However, if you don't care about the warmer neck pickup, more frets will always be better. It's always nice to have the option to play higher notes if you want to.

It comes with nickel silver frets, so they won't last as long as stainless steel frets. If you use your instrument a lot, you might need to replace the frets after a few years. But this is unlikely as most people change instruments before this happens.

More with the same amount of frets:

Fret Size

D'Angelico Premier Atlantic Fret Size Comparison
D'Angelico Premier Atlantic's fret size (in orange) compared to other popular sizes

Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.

The D'Angelico Premier Atlantic's frets are Medium size. With medium frets, you can feel the fretboard more than with jumbo frets, but it's still easier to press the strings cleanly than with small frets; notes might change their pitch just slightly if you press hard on the fret. Also, if you need to do some fret leveling after years of playing, you'll have some room to sand them down without having to replace them.

More with the same type of frets:

Playability Score

Bending & Vibrato Ease 80
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 70
Playability 72

Tone Analysis

Wood will have little influence in the final tone of an electric guitar or bass. Instead, the hardware, especially the pickups, will be the most important thing to look at. Bur first, let's see the quality of the wood.

Wood

Basswood wood pattern used for guitar building
Basswood Body
Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple Neck
Ovangkol wood pattern used for guitar building
Ovangkol Fretboard

Basswood Body: This is a soft type of wood that is very light and easy to work with. It's cheaper than many other kinds of wood used for guitar building, but it doesn't mean it's low quality. In terms of sound, it accentuates the mid-range, which matches the frequencies that a Humbucker produces.

Maple Neck: This is one of the most popular types of wood used in all kinds of guitars. It's heavy, strong and compact, which makes it great for necks. However, it's also used for fretboards, bodies and tops due to its light color, resistance and beautiful patterns. When it comes to tone, it highlights the mid and high frequencies.

Ovangkol Fretboard: It's 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.

More made with the same wood:

Pickups

Unfortunately, it doesn't come with pickups from one of the top brands. This doesn't mean you will get bad pickups, but you might want to consider a pickup upgrade after some time.

These are passive pickups, so you can expect a rounder sound and a moderade level of output.

The D'Angelico Premier Atlantic's configuration is HH. With this pickup combination, you'll get warmer tones and more output than using single coils. Humbucker pickups cancel the noise that single-coil suffer from, which also results in a warmer tone. This pickup combination isn't only for high-gain music like Hard Rock or Heavy Metal. Their warmness is also popular for Jazz, Indie, R&B, Blues and more.

More with the same pickups

22 Frets
Tremolo Bridge
Seymour Duncan Designed HB-101B Humbucker Bridge Pickup
Seymour Duncan Designed HB-102N Humbucker Neck Pickup
22 Frets
Tremolo Bridge
Seymour Duncan Designed HB-101B Humbucker Bridge Pickup
Seymour Duncan Designed HB-102N Humbucker Neck Pickup
22 Frets
Tremolo Bridge
Seymour Duncan Designed HB-101B Humbucker Bridge Pickup
Seymour Duncan Designed HB-102N Humbucker Neck Pickup
22 Frets
Tremolo Bridge
Seymour Duncan Designed HB-101B Humbucker Bridge Pickup
Seymour Duncan Designed HB-102N Humbucker Neck Pickup
22 Frets
Tremolo Bridge
Seymour Duncan Designed HB-101B Humbucker Bridge Pickup
Seymour Duncan Designed HB-102N Humbucker Neck Pickup

Versatility

It comes with the popular 3-way switch that is present in most guitars. For more versatility, players tend to prefer a 5-way switch, although it all depends on what you want to use your guitar for.

It has a Coil Split option. It allows you to 'split' or turn off pickup coils to get even more tones in combination with the pickup selector. When used with humbucker pickups, it'll reduce the output and increase their clarity, turning them essentially into single-coil pickups.

Diagram

D'Angelico Premier Atlantic pickups switch and push knobs diagram
D'Angelico Premier Atlantic's switch options

What music genre is it good for?

As a 6 strings, Solid Body guitar with HH configuration and Passive pickups, we'd recommend it for genres like Hard Rock or similar. However, you can use almost any guitar for any genre. This is just the typical type of music for this particular one.

Sound Score

Pickups 60
Sustain 65
Versatility 73
Tuning Stability 60
Sound 65

Build Quality Analysis

Country of Origin

Knowing where the instrument is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive instruments are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.

The D'Angelico Premier Atlantic is made in Indonesia. Many people prefer the quality of an Indonesian guitar over a Chinese. Respectable brands like Epiphone, Ibanez and Schecter are building in this country because of the great quality and lower price. Some people like to compare them to the ones built in Japan during the 80s, when Japanese guitar makers made a name for themselves.

Bridge

Chrome Tune-O-Matic: This type of bridge allows you to change the pitch of the notes by pulling the bridge with the attached bar, which gives you better versatility. Also, since the bridge is not fixed to the guitar body, the bridge will move as you bend the strings. So you'll have to increase the distance of your bends to reach the same tension (note) compared to a fixed bridge. This allows you to perform smoother bends but will also make you slower. Finally, remember that this type of bridge requires a bit more maintenance than fixed ones, especially when changing strings.

More with the same type of bridge:

Nut Material

Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your guitar. A well-cut nut will make sure it stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.

In this case, the D'Angelico Premier Atlantic has 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.

Neck Joint

The neck joint is the part where the neck of the guitar meets the body. There are three main techniques to attach both parts together: Set-In, Bolt-On and Neck-Through. The latter two provide different advantages, although neck-throughs are the most expensive.

This guitar has a Set neck joint. This type of neck joint consists of using different pieces of wood for the neck and the body of the guitar. Both pieces are then glued together. This is more expensive to make than a bolt-on neck, but it's cheaper than a neck-through guitar. Some people believe that this gives more sustain than a bolt-on neck due to both pieces having a 'better connection' than with bolts. Still, it's something difficult to prove.

However, this type of neck joint does have the disadvantage of not allowing you to easily swap the neck for another. This makes this type of neck joint less mod-friendly.

More with the same build:

Build Quality Score

Quality of materials 56
Features 60
Quality Control 70
Build Quality 62

All Specs

D'Angelico Premier Atlantic
General
Brand: D'Angelico
Year: 2021
Configuration: HH
Strings: 6
Made in: Indonesia
Series: Premier
Colors: Red
Left-Handed Version: No
Body
Type: Solid Body
Body Material: Basswood
Bridge: Chrome Tune-O-Matic
Neck
Neck Joint: Set
Tuners: Grover 109 Super Rotomatic
Fretboard: Ovangkol
Neck Material: Maple Scarf
Decoration: White Pearloid Block
Scale Size: 24.75"
Shape: C-Shape
Frets: 22 Medium
Fretboard Radius: 14"
Nut: Plastic
Nut Width: 42.9mm (1.688'')
Electronics
Switch: 3 Way
Knobs: Speed
Pickup Mods: Coil Split
Volume Controls: 2
Tone Controls: 2
Bridge Pickup: Seymour Duncan Designed HB-101B Humbucker (Humbucker / Passive)
Neck Pickup: Seymour Duncan Designed HB-102N Humbucker (Humbucker / Passive)

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User Reviews

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Your Rating:

1 user reviews:

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Guitarist
20/04/23 19:04:19

A really mixed bag . It can get " in your face loud " in a heartbeat , but lacks some snap/authority in the lower treble .
Not soft or mellow , just doesn't have the snap & punch the low E & A possess.
A pickup change may rectify this.
Playability is very consistent across the fingerboard with nice low action.
It seems to be ideal for hard rock , maybe even metal or grundge ; would probably be well suited for a LP player , but not a 335 , 175 , L5 ,etc player.
.....which is somewhat what I wanted.
YES , I know it's a solid body :>) , but the feel of the neck and action felt VERY similar to their semi-hollowbody ,..so I thought ...;>) maybe ???