1966 Silvertone Model 1444 Short Scale "Dolphin Nose" Bass with non-original hardshell case made by Danelectro in Neptune, NJ, USA. These were sold by Sears Roebuck. The 1444 model uses the same hollow body as the U1 and U2 guitars. This is the one on which the current Dano re-issue is based!
The tone, 30" scale, and feather weight (6.2 lbs. on the bathroom scale) make this bass a blast to play! This bass is in great player's shape, having been around the block a few times. When I picked it up, someone had butchered the tuners, bridge, and nut. I put some time and TLC into bringing the bass up to playing speed. The lipstick pickup produces that classic Dano tone with the hollow body which can cop old school thump or even grindy pick, or tic-tac tones with a pick and these roundwound strings.
I removed the funky tuners and replaced them with the sealed Gotoh guitar tuners (the all-in-one "skate keys" were long gone). The former tuners have left some exposed screw holes that do not affect the playability. I added a new Danelectro bridge with individual saddles to allow intonation adjustments. The original was missing its rosewood saddle, which I replaced and am including with the sale. I also added an aftermarket pickguard (it's for a baritone, so it has an extra pickup route, but works visually), and a pair or aftermarket knobs (the ones included were not original and are also included in the sale).
The pot codes date to 1966 (and the date was confirmed by the neck stamp) and one odd thing was that the tone and volume are reversed. I didn't want to disturb the pots or solder joint, so I left them that way. I couldn't find a control cover, so that is still MIA. The final thing I did do was add some new D'Addario XLs which sound great, and this bass also sounds phenomenal with flatwounds (I only had the XLs kicking around, so the flats will be up to the next buyer)!
These crop up on eBay all the time, but are starting to command some serious dollars. Mine's a player that is priced accordingly that would make a great backup, recording bass, or primary bass for the right gig!
$249 shipped in the lower 48 and Paypal is okay. AK, HI, & Canada, please email first for a quote (NO INTERNATIONAL).
