Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Just curious how many Rick owners have got a Danelectro or two in their menagerie. I just got my second one, a '59 DC in copper, and it's a peach. If you think about it, Danos are like the antithesis of Ricks - cheap materials and very simply designed and put together. But I give them a lot of respect - and playing time. I never bought one back in the day, even though they were pretty popular. The 60s ones that I played were just a bit too grotty about fit and finish, and were of that really nasty masonite - shredded wheat practically, with like house paint finish. But I'm liking the re-issues in terms of quality. Really, though, none of those issues would mean anything if they didn't have that distinctive tone. My DC has a sweet jangle for days, and that's what it's all about finally. My other Dano is a Baritone, single cutaway in Commie Red. Ennio Moricone would be proud to own one.

Anybody else around here got the Danelectro bug?

I've owned a Hodad bass for quite a while now,it sounds really great,and has a nice feeling neck.
It's the only dano bass I've liked,as it's full scale and has better tuners and bridge than most of their offerings. It gets used in the rotation pretty often,it's amazing to me that it sounds as good as it does,compared to my other basses.

I have a '59 Convertible; bought it on a guitar shopping trip with several forumites back in November of '07. $95! It is fun as hell and sounds so cool. If I've gone this long without selling it, I reckon it's staying put.

That was a fun trip! Yeah, you bet not sell it!

I bought a new yellow and brown U2 (?) back in the mid to late 90's when they started making those reissuey things. I liked it, but the frets were sharp or something, because they put notches in my strings and wore them out quickly, so I kicked it out of bed (read: sold it without batting an eye).

My Longhorn Basses.
Jerry Jones - Jerry Jones Bass VI
Danelectro (2)

I'll be the curmudgeon/wet blanket here. I never cared for Danelectros for all the reasons Kira mentions. And the horns on those basses Ronn shows look like they'd snap off any second if you looked at them crosswise.
JimK

jimk wrote:And the horns on those basses Ronn shows look like they'd snap off any second if you looked at them crosswise.
JimK

Dear Wet Blanket,
It is my considered opinion that, in this matter, you are sadly mistaken.

Ronn

Yeah Jim, I don't know how hard you drop your instruments, but I don't drop mine THAT hard!

Jim, the re-issues are actually pretty decent in terms of quality. But as I mentioned, nobody buys them for their fine craft. It's the sound of those lipstick pickups that sells them, IMO. That and the cool retro designs.

My only Dano is a late '90s Korean reissue, deluxe Longhorn 3-pickup model.

Build quality on this model is incredible--it's hardwood all the way through with a flawless finish. Great variety of sounds, and details to delight the eye (transparent plexi pickguard, for one). Not a copy of anything but the shape in terms of body and neck--no Masonite and no vinyl wrap.

No 31-fret neck, either, though. Combine a standard neck length with a full-sized Longhorn body, and you get a weird proportion--for a Dano, at least. For anything else, it would be normal.

Paul W, nice finish on that one !

Is that neck really wide on your DanElectro, or is just an optical illusion caused by the long horns on either side, drawing one's eye into a more expanisve view of the guitar, combined with the substantial size heel ?

I've got one of the Silvertone "Amp in Case" models when Silvertone was made by Danelectro. It's a great little guitar and the amp (tube amp by the way - built into the case ) sounds great!

8mileshigher wrote:Paul W, nice finish on that one !

Is that neck really wide on your DanElectro, or is just an optical illusion caused by the long horns on either side, drawing one's eye into a more expanisve view of the guitar, combined with the substantial size heel ?

Rich, it's like I said, the proportions are weird. That's how it looks in photos, for the same reason that the camera adds ten pounds to humans in photos...

Danotron wrote:I've got one of the Silvertone "Amp in Case" models when Silvertone was made by Danelectro. It's a great little guitar and the amp (tube amp by the way - built into the case ) sounds great!

I had one of these in the mid 80s, great guitar and the amp was cool too!