Danelectro - any thoughts?

terada

Hi everyone. 

Seen a few danelectro guitars recently while on Denmark street and they look pretty bizarre in a fun kind of way. Played one while testing out a fuzzolo and it was fun to play too. Very light. 

Any thoughts on these?

stimpsonslostson

Always loved the look of them, especially the  63 but never brave enough to pull the trigger & actually buy one! 

I think my reluctance is a subconscious admission that I'm not cool enough to play one! 

usedtobe

I had one, dc59? The jimmy page one, anyway. Loved the neck. It was nice and light, and kinda fun for a little while. Sounded nasty, though I thought. Didn’t have it long.

Funkfingers

usedtobe said:

nice and light and kinda fun for a little while. Sounded nasty

Full stop.

OilCityPickups

I liked the concept ... so that's why I built my Dan-Tele ... standard tele neck and hardware, masonite topped, pine frame body. Light as a feather, plays like a Tele, sounds like a Danelectro/Tele  hybrid.

ICBM

Great guitars. If you think an electric guitar can only sound like a Strat, Tele, Les Paul etc then you're going to be disappointed, but that's not what they're for at all.

p90fool

I love 'em, I really should have picked up another as a backup, rather than buying a Firebird. 

brooom

 I like both the old ones, the 90s reissues and some of the more recent reissues as well. But they're all quite different. They all usually sound and play surprisingly good with great acoustic qualities to the sound.

DrJazzTap

The 90s ones used to be really cheap. About £80 iirc. I know adjusted for inflation etc but still £350 for a new one puts me off a bit.

richardhomer

In the 90s you could buy the single cut one for £99. I still wish I had - would make a great slide guitar....

terada

Thanks for all the input everyone. 

I'm definitely in the camp of not just enjoying the 'standard' types of instruments. I quite like the stuff that is a bit more unusual - all maybe not to @HarrySeven levels  

To be honest it was the colour and the design that drew me to one, then after playing it I quite liked the neck.

I also however remember them being much cheaper, and it kind of feels weird to pay £350 for one.

VJIves

I've talked myself out of buying a Dano Pro on at least five separate occasions, but I won't be able to hold out forever.

timhulio

I'm on my second Danelectro DC-3 (mistakenly sold my first, had to grab another). This is from the late 90s Korean production. These are lighter than the subsequent 2005+ models, and feel and sound more like original 60s Danelecto guitars. The pickups are lower output and have more of that characteristic chimey sound. I've owned a 2006-ish DC, which was quite hefty and sounded more conventional. 

The quality or otherwise of Danelectro products is a moot point though, because I'd never touch anything new from them due to the politics of Stephen Ridinger who runs the Evets Corporation and owns the brand.

AlexC

http://i66.tinypic.com/svg9zr.jpg

This is my Dano Pro. Great guitar. Nothing else sounds like those lipstick pick ups. It’s a unique sound.

Placidcasual79

I had a DC59 - its a fun guitar - as you say, very light and also great for slide guitar. The volume/tone pots took a bit of getting used to, especially on stage - but its all part of its unique charm. 

I liked mine - it sounded bright and warm, with a cutting edge. The neck is really slim which I enjoy personally. 

For a 'cheap' guitar I think they're great and a bit different.

Eartrumpet

Kevn Kinney used a Danelectro 64 when  Drivin and Cryin toured the UK a couple of years ago. It sounded fantastic, although i think he had changed the pick ups.

I fancied trying one, but at £1099 RRP i thought better of it, seem to go for about £850 now (still to much i reckon)

Shame as they look cool, especially in red

Bridgehouse

I really fancy a danelectro bass - not sure I could cope with the shape of a longhorn, but would be worth a go tho

gringopig

..

Winny_Pooh

I like them and used to have a beautiful blue Korean re-issue (with the modern bridge). I just never found a place for the sound in what I do. Although if I had to buy another 12 string I'd probably pick one up.


Mark E from the Eels plays them alot of the time, only when I saw him live did I click "Aha Danos"



Tom Waits has a played a vintage convertible that sounds perfect for he does. (along with Supros/Harmonys & other ratty vintage stuff )

prowla

I quite like them; I'll probably get one at some point.

AlexC

Some great Danelectros on display here. The only thing I would say about them is - I wouldn’t want one as my only guitar. It does what it does and it does it well, but there’s not a vast range of tonal capabilities there. Obviously I can only really comment on my Dano Pro; other models may be more versatile.
Also, and again this may just be my bad luck, I’ve had to change the selector switch and replace the bridge (the original didn’t sit flush to the body) and put new machine heads on it.... And re-solder the volume pot. Twice.
But I still love it!