The reason the resistance in the middle position is higher is because Danelectros are wired in series instead of parallel. So when you activate both pickups, it is combining their resistance and inductance just like the two coils of a Gibson humbucker. That's why Jimmy Page used the middle position for Kashmir - more output and midrange than the individual pickup positions. This is one of the most unique features of Danelectros and is often overlooked when people install lipstick pickups in Fenders. You really want to combine pickups in series with those. Bonus fact: Brian May's Red Special also combines its low output Burns pickups in series.
Plywood, tape, hollow, junk tuners, unconventional bridge, this thing is going to sound tinny or so I thought. Very unique sound, smooth and pleasing. The under wound under magnetized pickups work very well. Another great show, thank you 😊
This brand of guitar with their cheap lipstick pick ups that actually do have value and have since they were first introduced on stage and in studio for sure. almost e very serious musician and especially studio players have to have one of these, That's the only way to replicate them.
Plywood & hollow is really anything acoustic-like though. These are like anything chambered too. That would be anything Gibson ES-335 to 339, Gretsch semi & hollow for the traditional big brands. Valco made one from fiberglass, Airline's Res-o-glass body, the guitar that Jack White uses for 7 Nation Army.
Back in the '00s (I think) Danelectro put a lot models of this guitar priced at sub £200. They got a lot of attention as I recall but my local geetar shop in Glasgow got a lot of them in but couldn't shift them. One Saturday when I went in for a set of strings they had a knock down price to shift them and I picked one up for £40, bargain! I lent it to my nephew for a bit and when I got it back he'd wrecked the electrics somehow and I just put it aside. You've shown me how to take it apart and (literarly) stick it back together so I think I'll dig it out and have a go at fixing it. Cheers!
bargain! I paid £200 for mine. the bridges are rubbish , if they sag in the middle (mine did, both of them) - try replacing with a strat hard tail. much easier to intonate, too.
200 is all they were and are worth! They do sound good but the base price now (when not on sale) is ridiculous. $559 on Reverb is too expensive after tax & shipping.
Hi Colin great video I had a danelectro about ten years ago got it from a discount warehouse I think I paid 100ish for it it wasn’t the same quality as yours and was a bit tinny when plugged in to a amp but I thought it was different there mostly Chinese made wish I kept it now all the best.
You're absolutely right Colin, lipstick pickups are just wire wrapped round a bar magnet and inserted into a lipstick container they bought from a factory down the road. There a bit of a winders nightmare because they're so easy to break as you put the coil in the tube.
When I was at school, some kids spent a whole year in woodwork making electric guitars. Little did they know that a couple of periods & a wet lunchtime later in art, they could have achieved their goal.
They worked ok for what they were. Everybody in our area started on them 'cause they were local (factory was behind my girlfriend's house. We all dumped them as soon as we could until Page started playing them. Those "short horns" had stacked knobs in the early 60's. I got my first electric in'64- a "convertible" and a 5 watt amp for $60 US. Good vid, thanks!
I have 5 different Danos ,Love em. If you change out the tuners have a look at Mosrite Klusons they have the ' Safe Ti Posts' like the vintage style Fenders.
I have a DC3 from Danelectro, same body but 3 pickups and a 6 way switch and an overdrive that turns on all three pickups at once. Got it in the 90s. It can do everything a strat can do plus bridge and tail or all three pickups on, very nice guitar.
I got a bronze 59 u-1 at an auction that hasn't been played in who knows when. 500. I like it. It was mostly just dirty and I had the switch replaced and changed the rusty strings. Nice guitar thanks.
I have a soft spot in my heart for Danelectro. My first guitar that I had my first three years of lessons n was a Danelectro "Convertible" (thin body acoustic with a pickup) with the same short horn body style. Cheap as chips that thing. God awful to play - action was 5" off the fretboard (ok - I exaggerate) but the fact that I stuck with my lessons on that slab of particle board convince my Dad to get me a proper guitar years later because I stuck with it. Now, 60 years later, I still can't get separated from my guitars. I ran across a used one in a store recently - same model I had - still crap to play....LOL. That model seems to be much better! Cheers Colin!
Dear Guitaristas, Cheers from the US! I owned a Danelectro years ago. I suppose since Pagey used one for slide, I did the same. I found the neck to be the brilliant part of the guitar. The cardboard body could be damaged pretty easily. Mine came with a "sunk in" spot near the pickguard but it played very well.
Thanks for showing us this Colin! I'm a huge fan of Link Wray,and he played a Danelectro because it was light in weight,and he had a bad shoulder. I think I NEED one!
I had a ‘57 Dano Shorthorn bass for the longest time and it was a great bass. Put flats on it and it’s instant Jamerson/Motown. The top and back were Masonite, tiny little tuners, single lipstick pickup…this was before they used serial numbers but the electrics dated to late ‘56/early ‘57. Good value, Col! I’ve promised myself to one day getting a Dano 12-string. Cheers, mate!
I always wondered about a Danelctro. When I was a kid in the 70’s my grandfather had a Silvertone looked an awful lot like that and now I know why. Thanks for the breakdown of the guitar. Wonderful playing as always have a great day.
Dan electro did make the sears roebuck Silvertones . . My uncle had given me my first electric guitar in 1976 it was a Silvertone (Dan electro) . . He noticed my interest in Guitar and pulled it out of his closet (he bought in the mid 60's) The amp was built into the guitar case . . . i should have kept that . . . Damn
Mine is pretty old I guess. it has two volume controls with tone controls in the middle of them. I have flat wound strings and the action is amazingly low. I use Danelectro effects too. I love it.
Love this review! What an odd little bird of a guitar! It's a great guitar. It was fun to see what it was made of. Please keep reviewing odd ball guitars along with the Gibson's/Fender's etc. It's really informative to learn about the history of some of these companies that have been around awhile. The TV Channel is awesome. 🎸🎸👍✌
Trebly and distinctive, but also accurate and smooth - full of surprises. Like you, I always fancied the idea of a Danelectro '59, but haven't yet committed to a purchase - yet! This typically eccentric review may have persuaded me to go ahead. Great video, as always. Mind you, I think I've heard some of your best one-liners today. "The IKEA of guitars.....ooops, me knob's just fell off...". Ha! Always happens to me when I work with screwdrivers...
For me the engineering of the bridge is awesome of simplicity ! In fact the complte guitar is like this As usual a complete and really interresting review! Lot of surprise to dismount that baby😂 I was always dreaming to get one, now it's sure I'll go to it
My favorites are the mid 60s versions branded a Silvertone.The case had a built in amplifier!! Lipstick pickups has it's own sound. Cheap Magic at it's best! Howdy from Texas!!🤘🤠🤘
Great review! I remember trying to take the pick guard off of my Danelectro Vintage 59 12 String. I thought it would be a breeze because there were only three screws holding it down. Then, I discovered the double sided tape. Mine is finished on the sides by the way. Fun guitars!
Oh man I love these things! I've got one in orange sparkle with the leo quan style wraparound bridge(with the adjustable saddles). They're fantastisc (but they are quite difficult to play higher up the fretboard since the strapbutton is placed so awkwardly). Man I'm sure going to enjoy this video here, Colin. Have a nice weekend oh great wise man
Reminds me of a look under the hood, of my 1966 Hagstrom electric, all plywood! Underneath that industrial grade plastic and vinyl. Don’t know what the neck is made of, but it’s super fast action, and straight as a straight edge, even after half a century. Sounds great, plays great.
A classic case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. I bought about seven or eight of the single cutaway version(U2?)from that store in Germany (you can guess which one) about 15-20 years ago for £106 each and sold them all for a modest profit except one which I kept until a couple of years ago. I love 'em. Totally unique.
Well i like em. There are a some in my Dad's collection. A Longhorn Bass, 12 string and a DC 59. Really glad you got round to Danelectro. It was a matter of time. Thanks for the exellent content Colin.
I just got an early 60’s 1413 silvertone…it was a super budget guitar but the build quality on this thing is excellent…pickup sounds great action and intonation are fantastic…fun fun fun
Jimmy page played this guitar live they haven’t changed a bit sense they started making these inexpensive guitars. I like them for slide. They are amazing. Dan Electro was Jerry Reeds favorite guitars cause they were good and cheap!
I have the 59x12, Korean model. P90 neck with twin lipsticks splitable bridge pickups. I would not trade it for anything. I have many other guitars, but this Danelectro is my go-to chill vibe guitar. It takes pedals well and sounds divine through both tube and ss amps.
In 2000 ,my pops got me a convertible model (acoustic/electric) to learn on with the "dirty thirty " amp. 23 years later, I've had genders, gibsons, rickenbacker... and that Danelectro is still one of the best guitars I own. Great neck and has a completely unique sound.
Cheers, Col. Hope all is well. I bought a Danelectro Danoblaster Innuendo Cherry Burst 12 String for less than $200 U.S. back in 2003. Sounded great and had one of the sweetest necks I've ever played. Lookswise, it seemed based off the Hodad, with bigger horns and an offset kind of body shape. Had built in effects for distortion, chorus, trem and echo, 3 single coils, 5-way selector. It was very solid construction and was in great shape when I gave to a kid who needed something to play. Lot of guitar for very little money. Not everything's a PRS with me :-))). Cheers, Vern.
Great video! Let's see more stuff from Danelectro. I love my wierd 3 pickup longhorn. It's a guitar scale longhorn and not a baritone. Fits well for surf guitar and Link Wray music. Excited to see your Hodad as well. I appreciate your videos so much! Cheers.
The pups come right out the top when you loosen the adjustment screws. I've been into danos for many years. One mod I do is install a fret in the rosewood bridge saddle, gives it a bit more jangely ring.😊
I just ordered the 59M NOS+ before I watched your video. This guitar has been lingering in the background of purchases for several years. No more. One thing your video convinced me to avoid is taking the pickguard off. 😅 If I feel the need to change out tuners, I believe that I can handle that. Thanks for another informative video.
What a strange guitar, I've heard of them and seen pictures but I've never seen one in person. Great job on the Zoso you definitely channeled Jimmy. Great video yet again. See you next Friday, cheers
Regarding the tolex binding lifting. Heat gently with a hairdryer and then tape down or tie down with a scarf between cutaway and down to bottom of guitar. Add some contact adhesive via cocktail stick or similar if needed.
I ordered a 12 string. It was beautiful. There was a chunk missing out of the headstock on the left front corner right where you look at it playing. Returned it. Paid more for a Reverend 12 string that is better in every way except looks. The bridge on the 12 is different, and both of these guitars use the same style. Gotoh I believe.
The resistance thing with the both pickups is just the pickups being wired in series or in parallel. Basic electronics, really. If you wire two resistors in series, the total resistance is the sum of their individual resistances (meaning the total value is higher than the individual values). Wired in parallel, you add the reciprocal values of the resistances to get the reciprocal value of the overall resistance (meaning the total value is lower than the individual values). So it means this guitar has the pickups wired in series in middle position, essentially making them into a humbucker (which would even suppress the hum like a humbucker if the pickups are wound in opposite directions).
Way cool Colin ! For the price this is a no-brainer... Really interesting dissection of an oddball [i.e. non-traditional construction] guitar and a great sound on your outro... 😊
The reason why the DC resistance of the pickups double in the middle position of the switch is because, unlike with Gibson standards, the pickups are then wired in series and thus summing and humbucking. By the way, the switch is special: ON-OFF-ON and the wiring schematic is very peculiar.
I love those. I hope to find one thats a good deal like you did, I like you always wanted to get one yet never found one used but have played them. I really like them. Thanks for the fun video.
30 years ago, knowing nothing about electric guitars, I bought this. I knew Jimmy Page had one and I didn’t want to just buy the same Fender or Gibson as everyone else. Took me a while to figure out that the lipstick pickups were never going to sound like Jimi (or Jimmy for the most part!)
Colin, Silvertone is offering a reissue of the 1303 U2 BUT with what they call updates, a solid mahogany body, modified bridge and some others. Price has dropped dramatically but a comparison of your Danelectro Shorthorn and the “updated” 1303 U2 might be interesting and certainly a first. Love the channel ❤ from ol’ New York, USA.
Another fab vid Colin! Never thought I was a fan of lipstick pups but they sound pretty good. TBH mate you will make the crappiest guitar sound good though! Love your playing, your reviews really show what these guitars can sound like in real honest detail. This guitar looks great too, and for the money, if it sounds right and plays right it doesnt matter whats under the paint finish. A great review mate thank you.
I did something crazy recently. I traded my 2020 Gibson Les Paul Standard 50's straight across for a 1967 Blackface Fender Super Reverb which I promptly took to the shop to get sorted out. Out another $469 for repairs and I have exactly what I wanted, a supreme tone machine of an amp that doesn't require pedals at all, even though you certainly can add some to taste. Was it worth it? Heck yes it was, they're not making any more original Super Reverb amps and this one has all the magic within it.
Remember my local guitar shop having these back in 2000-2002ish? Either way 15/16yr ode me didn't appreciate them as much as i should've. They are cool vintage style geetars :)
I read some magazine article like 20 years ago that was talking these up as the cheap fun tgat they are and it mentioned that zz top bought like 100 of these and gave them out to friends at christmas like a stocking stuffer. I don’t know if that was true but it was a great story so Inprefer to think it was! Wanted one ever since cuz of their looks. Finally picked up a 12 and it is great!
Excellent video Col👍 I remember seeing somebody make a right pigs ear of taking one apart a few years ago So well done 👍Like Danelectro guitars . I bought one of these from hot rocks a while back Danelectro DC59M Spruce Electric Guitar, Chianti Red with F hole new for £395 and it’s one of my favourite guitars.It’s still on there site but hasn’t been in stock since I bought mine. There 12 strings are superb👍
Weicome my friend to the world of Danelectros. I have three at the moment a lomhorn bass, 56 h/s pickup and a 59 one of a kind prototype. Both pickups together is the secret sound mate!
Late to the party today, very sorry Colin. Sounds really sweet and loved the Ramble On and Kashmir, I’d take a black model personally as I’m a sucker for black anything. Great video and enjoy your weekend! ✌️💜
I have one with the p90 and split lipsticks and it sounds like a chainsaw through my marshall and also has amazing cleans. So much fun to play and a unique vibe ❤
Mines old black and white and has rosewood neck with badass bridge like Jimmy had later on. I leveled the frets and it’s great. Paid 400 for it with hard case
Great stuff ...is it a keepeer ?...ooops just listened to 40.11 ....enjoy...some intresting comment on other non 'key brands' is that you bring your vibe to the guitar !...wonderful play out 2U !
I’m like you. I’ve always thought these little Danelectros are cool, but I’ve never had one. Along with their coolness, they’ve got a kind of “cuteness” to them like a toy. As you said, it would be perfect to have just laying around the house.
You and I have similar reads on a guitar's value. I love, love, love a "player" guitar. Sure, a PRS is beautiful and plays & sounds great, and it has tremendous resale value, but for all that, it doesn't have more value for me on gig night than a fun, even a tad trashy, rock 'n' roll toy like this little sweetie. Great find. Great review. Cheers, Colin!
I don't have a Dano yet, but I did install a Strat-sized 8K lipstick tube pickup (from Guitar Fetish) into my '07 Gibson reissue '59 Melody Maker 😀 Guitar, pickup and harness for about 345 GP total.
So funnny I was just in my LGS the other day and a guy was playing a similar Dano! (But in white) had an odd sound but it must've been the amp and settings it was at. I love the American ingenuity behind the design,,simple, no frills and inexpensive. Cool review though Colin! Mine would have to be blue or aqua though. Neat review!
Great work Colin!! I've never owned a Dano either, but played a mates yrs back, badass bridge replacement... the lipsticks are just brilliant...take effects well esp fuzz..not bad for Masonite & plywood!!👍
Aloha Colin! Pickups are wired in series rather than parallel. These Danelectro are one of the best starter guitar of the days. A keeper like the LP Jr
Penny for penny one of the coolest guitarists you can buy.It's not a cliche. It's versatile. It's tough(er than it looks). The engineering is unique. It looks sweet. I mean, what's not to love about these things?!
Hi Col, Love the channel and I watch every video. I’m getting back into guitars and you deep dive’s into gear is invaluable. Any chance you could review the Stevie Ray Vaughan FSR Strat that Andertons have reduced to £339. Keep the faith!
The tape lifting off of the body sides is practically inevitable. I assume they're rather thoughtlessly stretching it in place. It'll likely be fine at the factory but destined to pull up during shipping. My solution was to take a hair dryer to it and spread/stretch the tape down with my thumb. It's barely a minute of effort and to date (roughly 4 years) it's never peeled back up. Also, more trivia on the series middle position. In one of the many attempts to keep the price down, a generic on-off-on SPDT switch was used instead of a selector switch. Each 'on' position would short-out its respectively opposing coil with the middle 'off' position acting as a freely open path for both. **Another mandatory song: Rebel Rouser on the neck pickup.
Yes I agree this looks interesting and I have seen SYD playing one on some old clip and I always wanted one and this is my price range, so kettle is on and biscuits at the ready.
Great review! I've no experience with one of those..neveer played one but like my Casino it's got a nice hollow tone. It looks like a guitar a kid would put together in woodshop at school. I think Roger Daltrey did that ..made his guitar at school...I like the red and white on that one..I've seen a lot of Longhorn basses in that beige burst that I'm not a fan of but this one looks good.
You know, it is what it is. I know a guy who has one that plays and sounds really good, and I'd like a used one but I've never seen one in my local emporiums or pawn brokers. Probably pretty easy to find online at usual sources, new or used. I guess new ones are over $600 now? Somebody's laughing at me, I bet $800 is actually more like it. A bit pricey for what it's made of and how it's made but it's not outrageously high. Still definitely a cool and fun guitar. This body is basically a table top with a fancy furniture leg attached, so your Ikea joke was appropriate. Literally almost any commercial cabinet shop with standard basic tools could build these in numbers. The poor edge tape adhesion near the cutaways is not really excusable but it happens. They may use a little heat to form it into the tight concave curves and this can stretch it a little there while it's hot. Or it's precoated with heat-activated cement and some places don't hold well or at all. It can seem to be stuck down well but when it cools it can contract enough to pull away and leave a space. Doesn't happen often though, except occasionally with a bad batch of tape or glue, or a worker just having to rush and a bad one got through. This may have even been ok when it was inspected and packed. It probably would've been exchanged for another acceptable one if you wanted. Anyway fun video, Dannies are cool in their way. Cheers from Dallas!
Must be tone plywood. Interesting film. Seen them around but never had one in my hands. Now we know how to take of the pickguard off. Learned something here.
The reason the resistance in the middle position is higher is because Danelectros are wired in series instead of parallel. So when you activate both pickups, it is combining their resistance and inductance just like the two coils of a Gibson humbucker. That's why Jimmy Page used the middle position for Kashmir - more output and midrange than the individual pickup positions. This is one of the most unique features of Danelectros and is often overlooked when people install lipstick pickups in Fenders. You really want to combine pickups in series with those. Bonus fact: Brian May's Red Special also combines its low output Burns pickups in series.
Spot on Sir, you know your resist9r theory 👍
Yep, indeed.
I love those tri-sonics in series.
Plywood, tape, hollow, junk tuners, unconventional bridge, this thing is going to sound tinny or so I thought. Very unique sound, smooth and pleasing. The under wound under magnetized pickups work very well. Another great show, thank you 😊
This brand of guitar with their cheap lipstick pick ups that actually do have value and have since they were first introduced on stage and in studio for sure. almost e very serious musician and especially studio players have to have one of these, That's the only way to replicate them.
Plywood & hollow is really anything acoustic-like though. These are like anything chambered too. That would be anything Gibson ES-335 to 339, Gretsch semi & hollow for the traditional big brands. Valco made one from fiberglass, Airline's Res-o-glass body, the guitar that Jack White uses for 7 Nation Army.
Back in the '00s (I think) Danelectro put a lot models of this guitar priced at sub £200. They got a lot of attention as I recall but my local geetar shop in Glasgow got a lot of them in but couldn't shift them. One Saturday when I went in for a set of strings they had a knock down price to shift them and I picked one up for £40, bargain! I lent it to my nephew for a bit and when I got it back he'd wrecked the electrics somehow and I just put it aside. You've shown me how to take it apart and (literarly) stick it back together so I think I'll dig it out and have a go at fixing it. Cheers!
yay glasgow here too 👍
bargain! I paid £200 for mine. the bridges are rubbish , if they sag in the middle (mine did, both of them) - try replacing with a strat hard tail. much easier to intonate, too.
200 is all they were and are worth! They do sound good but the base price now (when not on sale) is ridiculous. $559 on Reverb is too expensive after tax & shipping.
@@pitchforkcustomGlasgow here 3 😂😊🎸
Hi Colin great video I had a danelectro about ten years ago got it from a discount warehouse I think I paid 100ish for it it wasn’t the same quality as yours and was a bit tinny when plugged in to a amp but I thought it was different there mostly Chinese made wish I kept it now all the best.
The middle position puts the pickups in series, so it’s a built in boost. Cool feature
I think the reason that the pickups are louder when they're both on is because it puts them in series instead of parallel but I could be wrong
+1
That's why the resistance went up too. They became almost a humbucker
Sounds perfect for early-mid 60s sounds. Always been attracted to the slight 'Rickenbackery' tone that they provide for the price.
You're absolutely right Colin, lipstick pickups are just wire wrapped round a bar magnet and inserted into a lipstick container they bought from a factory down the road. There a bit of a winders nightmare because they're so easy to break as you put the coil in the tube.
Saturday morning, heating on, fresh coffee, watching another episode of Guitaristas. Life is good for old rockers like me 🤘😎🤘
Wow! I've always loved this guitar's sound! I didn't know it was affordable.... I'm 66. Payday is next Friday. No one's around to stop me. Thanks!
😆👍
When they reissued the U2 in the 90s. It cost me £90 new. I love having it around to pick up and doodle AND it sounds great.
When I was at school, some kids spent a whole year in woodwork making electric guitars. Little did they know that a couple of periods & a wet lunchtime later in art, they could have achieved their goal.
😆👍
They worked ok for what they were. Everybody in our area started on them 'cause they were local (factory was behind my girlfriend's house. We all dumped them as soon as we could until Page started playing them. Those "short horns" had stacked knobs in the early 60's. I got my first electric in'64- a "convertible" and a 5 watt amp for $60 US. Good vid, thanks!
One of my friends is obsessed with 60's gear and he wants a danelectro. Definitely in that retro indie/surf/garage rock realm.
I've got one of these just a week ago, but with another tailpiece, probably 15 years old. I am happy, you present this guitar today, Colin 🙏😁
We both have good taste in guitars! 😆👍
I have 5 different Danos ,Love em. If you change out the tuners have a look at Mosrite Klusons they have the ' Safe Ti Posts' like the vintage style Fenders.
Very cool inexpensive guitar. The fact that that brand and model has a distinctive history is a bonus. Thanks for the video.
I have a DC3 from Danelectro, same body but 3 pickups and a 6 way switch and an overdrive that turns on all three pickups at once. Got it in the 90s. It can do everything a strat can do plus bridge and tail or all three pickups on, very nice guitar.
I got a bronze 59 u-1 at an auction that hasn't been played in who knows when. 500. I like it. It was mostly just dirty and I had the switch replaced and changed the rusty strings. Nice guitar thanks.
Thanks Colin. Good call on the geetar's color for the show.
Amazing clean tones. I’ve got one of the first reissues in aqua burst and it’s still like brand new after years of use.
I have a soft spot in my heart for Danelectro. My first guitar that I had my first three years of lessons n was a Danelectro "Convertible" (thin body acoustic with a pickup) with the same short horn body style. Cheap as chips that thing. God awful to play - action was 5" off the fretboard (ok - I exaggerate) but the fact that I stuck with my lessons on that slab of particle board convince my Dad to get me a proper guitar years later because I stuck with it. Now, 60 years later, I still can't get separated from my guitars. I ran across a used one in a store recently - same model I had - still crap to play....LOL. That model seems to be much better! Cheers Colin!
Dear Guitaristas,
Cheers from the US! I owned a Danelectro years ago. I suppose since Pagey used one for slide, I did the same. I found the neck to be the brilliant part of the guitar. The cardboard body could be damaged pretty easily. Mine came with a "sunk in" spot near the pickguard but it played very well.
Thanks for showing us this Colin! I'm a huge fan of Link Wray,and he played a Danelectro because it was light in weight,and he had a bad shoulder. I think I NEED one!
I personally own 3 danelectro... I love them and I wouldn't change them with any other guitar
Colin does it again ! Informative and entertaining. The only guitar review channel I still watch. Cheers!
I had a ‘57 Dano Shorthorn bass for the longest time and it was a great bass. Put flats on it and it’s instant Jamerson/Motown. The top and back were Masonite, tiny little tuners, single lipstick pickup…this was before they used serial numbers but the electrics dated to late ‘56/early ‘57.
Good value, Col! I’ve promised myself to one day getting a Dano 12-string. Cheers, mate!
I always wondered about a Danelctro. When I was a kid in the 70’s my grandfather had a Silvertone looked an awful lot like that and now I know why. Thanks for the breakdown of the guitar. Wonderful playing as always have a great day.
Dan electro did make the sears roebuck Silvertones . . My uncle had given me my first electric guitar in 1976 it was a Silvertone (Dan electro) . . He noticed my interest in Guitar and pulled it out of his closet (he bought in the mid 60's) The amp was built into the guitar case . . . i should have kept that . . . Damn
Mine is pretty old I guess. it has two volume controls with tone controls in the middle of them. I have flat wound strings and the action is amazingly low. I use Danelectro effects too. I love it.
Love this review! What an odd little bird of a guitar! It's a great guitar. It was fun to see what it was made of. Please keep reviewing odd ball guitars along with the Gibson's/Fender's etc. It's really informative to learn about the history of some of these companies that have been around awhile. The TV Channel is awesome. 🎸🎸👍✌
Cheers mate!
Trebly and distinctive, but also accurate and smooth - full of surprises. Like you, I always fancied the idea of a Danelectro '59, but haven't yet committed to a purchase - yet! This typically eccentric review may have persuaded me to go ahead. Great video, as always.
Mind you, I think I've heard some of your best one-liners today. "The IKEA of guitars.....ooops, me knob's just fell off...". Ha! Always happens to me when I work with screwdrivers...
For me the engineering of the bridge is awesome of simplicity ! In fact the complte guitar is like this
As usual a complete and really interresting review!
Lot of surprise to dismount that baby😂
I was always dreaming to get one, now it's sure I'll go to it
My favorites are the mid 60s versions branded a Silvertone.The case had a built in amplifier!! Lipstick pickups has it's own sound. Cheap Magic at it's best! Howdy from Texas!!🤘🤠🤘
It was a tube amp built into the case wasn't it...?😉👍
The headstock looked like a sail...?😎👍👍
😎✌👍❤🖖
Great review! I remember trying to take the pick guard off of my Danelectro Vintage 59 12 String. I thought it would be a breeze because there were only three screws holding it down. Then, I discovered the double sided tape. Mine is finished on the sides by the way. Fun guitars!
Oh man I love these things! I've got one in orange sparkle with the leo quan style wraparound bridge(with the adjustable saddles). They're fantastisc (but they are quite difficult to play higher up the fretboard since the strapbutton is placed so awkwardly). Man I'm sure going to enjoy this video here, Colin. Have a nice weekend oh great wise man
When you see the Long Horn, you'll understand why this one is called the Short Horn. The classic Dano Long Horn bass is pretty iconic
Reminds me of a look under the hood, of my 1966 Hagstrom electric, all plywood! Underneath that industrial grade plastic and vinyl.
Don’t know what the neck is made of, but it’s super fast action, and straight as a straight edge, even after half a century. Sounds great, plays great.
A classic case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. I bought about seven or eight of the single cutaway version(U2?)from that store in Germany (you can guess which one) about 15-20 years ago for £106 each and sold them all for a modest profit except one which I kept until a couple of years ago. I love 'em. Totally unique.
Well i like em. There are a some in my Dad's collection. A Longhorn Bass, 12 string and a DC 59. Really glad you got round to Danelectro. It was a matter of time. Thanks for the exellent content Colin.
I just got an early 60’s 1413 silvertone…it was a super budget guitar but the build quality on this thing is excellent…pickup sounds great action and intonation are fantastic…fun fun fun
Jimmy page played this guitar live they haven’t changed a bit sense they started making these inexpensive guitars. I like them for slide. They are amazing. Dan Electro was Jerry Reeds favorite guitars cause they were good and cheap!
Another great video brother! I always love hearing your take and appreciate the free education….keep it up! 👏🏽
They are going for £200 here 2nd hand. Also, they had a revival lately due to the bassist from Måneskind who has a cool longhorn.
I have the NOS+ and I just keep it in the middle pickup position for the most part
I have the 59x12, Korean model. P90 neck with twin lipsticks splitable bridge pickups. I would not trade it for anything. I have many other guitars, but this Danelectro is my go-to chill vibe guitar. It takes pedals well and sounds divine through both tube and ss amps.
Colin o'clock! Tea's made.
And here we see where the inspiration for the old Formica kitchens came from.
Sounds good though for a bit of old worktop.
In 2000 ,my pops got me a convertible model (acoustic/electric) to learn on with the "dirty thirty " amp.
23 years later, I've had genders, gibsons, rickenbacker... and that Danelectro is still one of the best guitars I own. Great neck and has a completely unique sound.
Would be very interested in a review of the Mosrite shaped Danelectro offering with the lipstick humbucker and the P90 at some point
Cheers, Col. Hope all is well. I bought a Danelectro Danoblaster Innuendo Cherry Burst 12 String for less than $200 U.S. back in 2003. Sounded great and had one of the sweetest necks I've ever played. Lookswise, it seemed based off the Hodad, with bigger horns and an offset kind of body shape. Had built in effects for distortion, chorus, trem and echo, 3 single coils, 5-way selector. It was very solid construction and was in great shape when I gave to a kid who needed something to play. Lot of guitar for very little money. Not everything's a PRS with me :-))). Cheers, Vern.
Great video! Let's see more stuff from Danelectro. I love my wierd 3 pickup longhorn. It's a guitar scale longhorn and not a baritone. Fits well for surf guitar and Link Wray music. Excited to see your Hodad as well.
I appreciate your videos so much! Cheers.
I started out playing Danelectros, Kays, Sivertones and Harmonys and Gracos.
Danelectro probably was instrumental in building these product lines.
The pups come right out the top when you loosen the adjustment screws. I've been into danos for many years. One mod I do is install a fret in the rosewood bridge saddle, gives it a bit more jangely ring.😊
I just ordered the 59M NOS+ before I watched your video. This guitar has been lingering in the background of purchases for several years. No more. One thing your video convinced me to avoid is taking the pickguard off. 😅 If I feel the need to change out tuners, I believe that I can handle that. Thanks for another informative video.
What a strange guitar, I've heard of them and seen pictures but I've never seen one in person. Great job on the Zoso you definitely channeled Jimmy. Great video yet again. See you next Friday, cheers
Regarding the tolex binding lifting. Heat gently with a hairdryer and then tape down or tie down with a scarf between cutaway and down to bottom of guitar. Add some contact adhesive via cocktail stick or similar if needed.
I ordered a 12 string. It was beautiful. There was a chunk missing out of the headstock on the left front corner right where you look at it playing. Returned it. Paid more for a Reverend 12 string that is better in every way except looks. The bridge on the 12 is different, and both of these guitars use the same style. Gotoh I believe.
I wonder why no ones said here,{meaning USofA}that it's semi- hollowbody, so, thank you. Oh hello, Syd. This's a gem/opal of a Danelectro vlog.
The pickups are wired in series in the middle position. That's normal for a Danelectro and always has been.
The resistance thing with the both pickups is just the pickups being wired in series or in parallel. Basic electronics, really. If you wire two resistors in series, the total resistance is the sum of their individual resistances (meaning the total value is higher than the individual values). Wired in parallel, you add the reciprocal values of the resistances to get the reciprocal value of the overall resistance (meaning the total value is lower than the individual values). So it means this guitar has the pickups wired in series in middle position, essentially making them into a humbucker (which would even suppress the hum like a humbucker if the pickups are wound in opposite directions).
Way cool Colin ! For the price this is a no-brainer... Really interesting dissection of an oddball [i.e. non-traditional construction] guitar and a great sound on your outro... 😊
The reason why the DC resistance of the pickups double in the middle position of the switch is because, unlike with Gibson standards, the pickups are then wired in series and thus summing and humbucking. By the way, the switch is special: ON-OFF-ON and the wiring schematic is very peculiar.
I love those. I hope to find one thats a good deal like you did, I like you always wanted to get one yet never found one used but have played them. I really like them. Thanks for the fun video.
I have the same model. I like the resonating of the guitar. I often play it without plugging it in.
I had one of those several years ago. I couldn't get on with the neck but it sounded great, as does yours.
Those speed knobs with just a touch of red in them are sweet!
30 years ago, knowing nothing about electric guitars, I bought this. I knew Jimmy Page had one and I didn’t want to just buy the same Fender or Gibson as everyone else.
Took me a while to figure out that the lipstick pickups were never going to sound like Jimi (or Jimmy for the most part!)
Colin, Silvertone is offering a reissue of the 1303 U2 BUT with what they call updates, a solid mahogany body, modified bridge and some others. Price has dropped dramatically but a comparison of your Danelectro Shorthorn and the “updated” 1303 U2 might be interesting and certainly a first. Love the channel ❤ from ol’ New York, USA.
Another fab vid Colin! Never thought I was a fan of lipstick pups but they sound pretty good. TBH mate you will make the crappiest guitar sound good though! Love your playing, your reviews really show what these guitars can sound like in real honest detail. This guitar looks great too, and for the money, if it sounds right and plays right it doesnt matter whats under the paint finish. A great review mate thank you.
Cheers mate that's appreciated! 😁👍
I did something crazy recently. I traded my 2020 Gibson Les Paul Standard 50's straight across for a 1967 Blackface Fender Super Reverb which I promptly took to the shop to get sorted out. Out another $469 for repairs and I have exactly what I wanted, a supreme tone machine of an amp that doesn't require pedals at all, even though you certainly can add some to taste. Was it worth it? Heck yes it was, they're not making any more original Super Reverb amps and this one has all the magic within it.
Nice one Rich!, I think that will prove to have been worth it 👍 they move a lot of air those 4 x 10's eh? 😁🔥
I'm loving the "Steal my licks" feature on TV!
Remember my local guitar shop having these back in 2000-2002ish? Either way 15/16yr ode me didn't appreciate them as much as i should've. They are cool vintage style geetars :)
I read some magazine article like 20 years ago that was talking these up as the cheap fun tgat they are and it mentioned that zz top bought like 100 of these and gave them out to friends at christmas like a stocking stuffer. I don’t know if that was true but it was a great story so Inprefer to think it was! Wanted one ever since cuz of their looks. Finally picked up a 12 and it is great!
Excellent video Col👍
I remember seeing somebody make a right pigs ear of taking one apart a few years ago So well done 👍Like Danelectro guitars .
I bought one of these from hot rocks a while back Danelectro
DC59M Spruce Electric Guitar, Chianti Red with F hole new for £395 and it’s one of my favourite guitars.It’s still on there site but hasn’t been in stock since I bought mine.
There 12 strings are superb👍
Weicome my friend to the world of Danelectros. I have three at the moment a lomhorn bass, 56 h/s pickup and a 59 one of a kind prototype. Both pickups together is the secret sound mate!
Late to the party today, very sorry Colin. Sounds really sweet and loved the Ramble On and Kashmir, I’d take a black model personally as I’m a sucker for black anything. Great video and enjoy your weekend! ✌️💜
I have one with the p90 and split lipsticks and it sounds like a chainsaw through my marshall and also has amazing cleans. So much fun to play and a unique vibe ❤
Mines old black and white and has rosewood neck with badass bridge like Jimmy had later on. I leveled the frets and it’s great. Paid 400 for it with hard case
Great stuff ...is it a keepeer ?...ooops just listened to 40.11 ....enjoy...some intresting comment on other non 'key brands' is that you bring your vibe to the guitar !...wonderful play out 2U !
I’m like you. I’ve always thought these little Danelectros are cool, but I’ve never had one. Along with their coolness, they’ve got a kind of “cuteness” to them like a toy. As you said, it would be perfect to have just laying around the house.
You and I have similar reads on a guitar's value. I love, love, love a "player" guitar. Sure, a PRS is beautiful and plays & sounds great, and it has tremendous resale value, but for all that, it doesn't have more value for me on gig night than a fun, even a tad trashy, rock 'n' roll toy like this little sweetie. Great find. Great review. Cheers, Colin!
I love the little snippets of oldies you do. FARRRR OUTTT! 😂
I don't have a Dano yet, but I did install a Strat-sized 8K lipstick tube pickup (from Guitar Fetish) into my '07 Gibson reissue '59 Melody Maker 😀
Guitar, pickup and harness for about 345 GP total.
So funnny I was just in my LGS the other day and a guy was playing a similar Dano! (But in white) had an odd sound but it must've been the amp and settings it was at. I love the American ingenuity behind the design,,simple, no frills and inexpensive. Cool review though Colin! Mine would have to be blue or aqua though. Neat review!
Great work Colin!!
I've never owned a Dano either, but played a mates yrs back, badass bridge replacement... the lipsticks are just brilliant...take effects well esp fuzz..not bad for Masonite & plywood!!👍
Dano pups are wired in series, not parallel, hence the double output reading, and the ‘boost’ effect in sound, when selecting both.
Colin, I knew you could ramble on, but I didn’t know you could Ramble On! Great playing!
😆👍
That is a lovely guitar for the price Colin. It sounds beautiful. Really liked it.
Hello, From The StateS 🇺🇸 I Enjoy your RUclips Channel!!! Thanks For Sharing 🎸 🎶 🇬🇧 💪
Aloha Colin! Pickups are wired in series rather than parallel. These Danelectro are one of the best starter guitar of the days. A keeper like the LP Jr
Mahalo Colin another great video
Cheers mate 😎👍
I've got the 12 string version. Sounds really good!
Penny for penny one of the coolest guitarists you can buy.It's not a cliche. It's versatile. It's tough(er than it looks). The engineering is unique. It looks sweet. I mean, what's not to love about these things?!
Hi Col,
Love the channel and I watch every video. I’m getting back into guitars and you deep dive’s into gear is invaluable. Any chance you could review the Stevie Ray Vaughan FSR Strat that Andertons have reduced to £339.
Keep the faith!
The tape lifting off of the body sides is practically inevitable. I assume they're rather thoughtlessly stretching it in place. It'll likely be fine at the factory but destined to pull up during shipping. My solution was to take a hair dryer to it and spread/stretch the tape down with my thumb. It's barely a minute of effort and to date (roughly 4 years) it's never peeled back up.
Also, more trivia on the series middle position. In one of the many attempts to keep the price down, a generic on-off-on SPDT switch was used instead of a selector switch. Each 'on' position would short-out its respectively opposing coil with the middle 'off' position acting as a freely open path for both.
**Another mandatory song: Rebel Rouser on the neck pickup.
Measurements suggest middle position has pickups in series, i.e., like a widely-spaced humbucker. Similar to Brian May's wiring on the "Red Special".
Yes I agree this looks interesting and I have seen SYD playing one on some old clip and I always wanted one and this is my price range, so kettle is on and biscuits at the ready.
Great review! I've no experience with one of those..neveer played one but like my Casino it's got a nice hollow tone. It looks like a guitar a kid would put together in woodshop at school. I think Roger Daltrey did that ..made his guitar at school...I like the red and white on that one..I've seen a lot of Longhorn basses in that beige burst that I'm not a fan of but this one looks good.
One positive way to look at the construction is definitely that plywood is a thousand times better than OSb!
You know, it is what it is. I know a guy who has one that plays and sounds really good, and I'd like a used one but I've never seen one in my local emporiums or pawn brokers. Probably pretty easy to find online at usual sources, new or used. I guess new ones are over $600 now? Somebody's laughing at me, I bet $800 is actually more like it. A bit pricey for what it's made of and how it's made but it's not outrageously high. Still definitely a cool and fun guitar. This body is basically a table top with a fancy furniture leg attached, so your Ikea joke was appropriate. Literally almost any commercial cabinet shop with standard basic tools could build these in numbers. The poor edge tape adhesion near the cutaways is not really excusable but it happens. They may use a little heat to form it into the tight concave curves and this can stretch it a little there while it's hot. Or it's precoated with heat-activated cement and some places don't hold well or at all. It can seem to be stuck down well but when it cools it can contract enough to pull away and leave a space. Doesn't happen often though, except occasionally with a bad batch of tape or glue, or a worker just having to rush and a bad one got through. This may have even been ok when it was inspected and packed. It probably would've been exchanged for another acceptable one if you wanted. Anyway fun video, Dannies are cool in their way. Cheers from Dallas!
Must be tone plywood.
Interesting film. Seen them around but never had one in my hands.
Now we know how to take of the pickguard off. Learned something here.
The pickups are wired in series so when they are combined they double the resistance reading.