OK...own up, who's got one? If not , why not?
After years of sceptical disregarding, I have to admit, these guitars are astonishing! It doesn't seem to matter if it's an original '59 or a 2009 reissue, they all play EXACTLY the same. Ash has a '96 'U2' which is rubbish, but sounds amamazing, and has just reserved a new '59 reissue, which is also built from crap but sounds and plays like a million bucks!
Somehow Danelectro have got it just right...at least as right as major companies like Fender or Gibson have - -well in the case of..............um actually...both of them, rather better in fact, as for all the years of their production their 'quality' has maintained a certain minimum value. Danelectros have always been built from crap; 'masonite' (hardboard to us) faced bodies, Poplar, aluminium, and untold dubious materials. Add to that; dodgy build quality, uncompensated bridges, loose components, flat aluminium top nuts and a flat glued on fingerboard with no truss rod adjustment and a finish which would have looked crap on a 1950's fridge and you've just about summed it up.
OK, so now you are thinking...why should I even bother to think about one of these guitars? Well, to be absolutely honest, they sound and play like nothing on Earth - Ash is using one next month when he guests with 'Sinner Boy' and I'll guarentee that his 2009 '59' re-issue will sound exactly the same as Rory Gallagher's original Dano......to be honest you couldn't say that about a Fender or Gibson. So maybe...just maybe they should be considered at least an equal to their more illustrious cousins. And let's face it, if you can buy a 'real' guitar for about £200 perhaps some other makers ( and buyers) should take a long hard look at their guitars rather than just the name on the headstock!!!
Cheers,
Russ
Danelectros
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Russ,
I know. I've always been soooooooooo tempted to get one of the Longhorn Basses and when the reissues came out the credit card started to positively itch in anticipation. As of yet I haven't managed to find the justificationn to plop down the cash but it is one of those basses which is just so tempting.
Any you're right, for an avowedly budget built bass they do sound amazing. I remember when Elvis Costello did his big getting back with The Attractions thing a few years ago Bruce Thomas seemed to be playing a Dano in all the live promotional things which they did on telly and it... JUST... LOOKED... SO... COOL! Sounded a million dollars (but then I've got a bit of a bias towards Mr T's wonderfully understated playing.
Saw the amazing Beth Rowley playing in London last year and her band was jam packed with quirkiness (not surprising since she was borrowing a few musos from Duke Special's band). Keys were courtest of an old Fender Rhodes suitcase electric piano. Phil Wilkinson, the drummer had an amazing set up... snare with a cymbal resting on the skin, hi-hat with a tambourine lying on the top cymbal, one small tom and, instead of a floor tom, an old cardboard-fibre suitcase. Bonkers but it sounded brilliant and wonderfully rootsy. His brother Phil had some odd old 60s catalogue guitar with a tiny Gibson amp and some very simple analogue tremelo and delay pedals which again gave a fantastic swampy, rootsy sound. Finally the bass player was playing a Dano and it, again, sounded AMAZING.
Oh dear, I can feel this familiar itch in my credit cardular region starting up again. Must resist going for (retail) therapy!
I know. I've always been soooooooooo tempted to get one of the Longhorn Basses and when the reissues came out the credit card started to positively itch in anticipation. As of yet I haven't managed to find the justificationn to plop down the cash but it is one of those basses which is just so tempting.
Any you're right, for an avowedly budget built bass they do sound amazing. I remember when Elvis Costello did his big getting back with The Attractions thing a few years ago Bruce Thomas seemed to be playing a Dano in all the live promotional things which they did on telly and it... JUST... LOOKED... SO... COOL! Sounded a million dollars (but then I've got a bit of a bias towards Mr T's wonderfully understated playing.
Saw the amazing Beth Rowley playing in London last year and her band was jam packed with quirkiness (not surprising since she was borrowing a few musos from Duke Special's band). Keys were courtest of an old Fender Rhodes suitcase electric piano. Phil Wilkinson, the drummer had an amazing set up... snare with a cymbal resting on the skin, hi-hat with a tambourine lying on the top cymbal, one small tom and, instead of a floor tom, an old cardboard-fibre suitcase. Bonkers but it sounded brilliant and wonderfully rootsy. His brother Phil had some odd old 60s catalogue guitar with a tiny Gibson amp and some very simple analogue tremelo and delay pedals which again gave a fantastic swampy, rootsy sound. Finally the bass player was playing a Dano and it, again, sounded AMAZING.
Oh dear, I can feel this familiar itch in my credit cardular region starting up again. Must resist going for (retail) therapy!
Quite a few years ago I acquired a 60s Dano model named after I believe an American session guy called Vincent Bell. The guitar looked and sounded BEAUTIFUL.It had those great lipstick pickups and a great look about it plus a wonderful playability to it. I even used it on a few gigs. Of course being me I eventually part exed it for something I can't even remember.
Going back a few years now.... I was touring with Midge Ure as his sort of special guest on a song we co-wrote together called Feel so Good. Midge had just returned from a short songwriters tour of the States and had brought back with him a single pickup short scale REALLY budget single pickup model and gave it to me as a gift.Needless to say I was very touched.
When they first came out in the late 50s/early 60s these student models came with a case that had a built in amp.Cool or what! Someone had painted my one purple..yuk!Anyway I had it sprayed black and had a MacKintosh style rose stenciled on to the body.. it looked fab. I later fitted a Sitar bridge...mad or what.
I still have that guitar and will probably convert it back to original one of these days. Again it had that great bell like clear sound to it.
I do love em. Whether I get another is doubtfull but I do have good memories of that first one all those years back.Of course the list of name players that have used them down the years is pretty impressive. One James Page uses one on a regular basis, and I believe that Stevie Ray had those lipstick pickups fitted to one of his Strats, but I think Russ covered that in his letter.
Hey Russ, thanks for reminding us how good these guitars are. I recently saw a band in Cornwall and the bass player had one...once again it sounded GREAT!
Be Well all.
G.
Going back a few years now.... I was touring with Midge Ure as his sort of special guest on a song we co-wrote together called Feel so Good. Midge had just returned from a short songwriters tour of the States and had brought back with him a single pickup short scale REALLY budget single pickup model and gave it to me as a gift.Needless to say I was very touched.
When they first came out in the late 50s/early 60s these student models came with a case that had a built in amp.Cool or what! Someone had painted my one purple..yuk!Anyway I had it sprayed black and had a MacKintosh style rose stenciled on to the body.. it looked fab. I later fitted a Sitar bridge...mad or what.
I still have that guitar and will probably convert it back to original one of these days. Again it had that great bell like clear sound to it.
I do love em. Whether I get another is doubtfull but I do have good memories of that first one all those years back.Of course the list of name players that have used them down the years is pretty impressive. One James Page uses one on a regular basis, and I believe that Stevie Ray had those lipstick pickups fitted to one of his Strats, but I think Russ covered that in his letter.
Hey Russ, thanks for reminding us how good these guitars are. I recently saw a band in Cornwall and the bass player had one...once again it sounded GREAT!
Be Well all.
G.
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