Danelectro Coral Deluxe Bass project

[JIO]

This is the darker stained neck I was referring to. I like it more than the pale maple and it will coordinate nicely with the rw hs and coral body.

View attachment 3378122

 

[Beej]

Nice. I love the carving on that body, I may have to try something similar...

 

[JIO]

Nice. I love the carving on that body, I may have to try something similar...

Yep - airfoil contouring all the way around. As I've done similar ergonomic sculpting on my bodies - it really rings my bell.

 

[wraub]

Did you fully disassemble the tuners to clean/polish?

View attachment 3385165

 

[JIO]

Did you fully disassemble the tuners to clean/polish?

All that I can aside from the worm-gear/paddle/plate. Note the hint of yellow on the left worm-gear post - overspray from the final coating before stripping. That yellow coat must have been pretty DIY as there are traces of it on the parts - like, was it left assembled with hardware taped off?

 

[JIO]

Tuners sorted - two poly satin coats on the neck - next stop... neck stain.

 

[JIO]

More once-overing ... lubed the pots, cleaned the metal control cover and knobs - which are both white, the lower being factory sprayed black, or red, or whatever color. Knobs are made to specifically fit the narrow shaft pots. Tiny silver dots are basically a metal ball-head pin through a drilled hole. (can see it in the back-view of the lower collar)

A visit to Tap Plastic SF for some plastic-scratch remover/polish. The pg is 51 years old - scratched, yellowed and wavy. So no way I could get it 'perfect' but the product and elbow-grease got it looking presentable. I could have re-done the pg (cut a new clear plastic replacement) but as much as possible I want to keep everything original. The black line is on the under-side and looks to have been applied using a pin-striping device (paint) and was done after the screw holes were drilled.

Tap Plastic has a similar 'swirl' plastic sheet - I used the aqua-blue variety on my TeiscoT-bird backed with silver mylar. The Coral swirl plastic has a coating on the back and appears to be a silver showing through, giving it more definition than a white background.

And starting the body finish process - a couple coats of primer. Very egg-like being all rounded. Cavities are taped off.

 

[JIO]

Searching for the bridge cover (no dice) I found this - NEW - Danelectro Guitar or Bass Concentric Stacked Knob, CREAM & BLACK 645208014727 | eBay - new repo's of the Dano cream/black stacked knobs.

Also saw this -
A 60's vintage Dano Longhorn that shows the neck-tilt access grommet below the neck-plate. (that my bass is missing) Actually need 2 of them - one for the lower hole (still not sure what it's for) as seen on the metallic red bass I posted. Need to visit my local Ace HW and search through the back bins...

On the same bass, I noticed the lower collar-knob. (and bakelite pointers -which are still sold at Ace HW stores!) Same gold as the halo and the knurled edge dark brown to echo the body. Class-y!

 

[JIO]

Like Holding a Beautiful Girl! 1968 Coral (Danelectro) Hornet Guitar

"Some of the Coral guitars were made in Japan (bodies for the hollow bodies), but the solid body Coral guitars were all New Jersey BABY! Once again we see a Vincent Bell design, and let me tell you something, that guy had some cool ideas. Holding this guitar is something to experience. Seriously, all the edges are tapered and smooth and it’s like wrapping your arms around a slender, firm woman. Does that sound weird?"

Frankly - no, not weird at all. Guitars have always referenced a woman's curvy body - like, forever.

Sorry, I just realized I have the longer 3 screw neck plate! (like this 3TSB) .., so the neck-tilt hole is 'covered'. However, the lower 'back-of-body' hole is still a mystery. This example has a screw there. It's weird - on mine that hole has no reason to be there... or does it?

On the front - the hole (through the body) aligns with the round-head screw that holds the wood bridge. What I think is going on here is that with that screw loose for bridge adjustment (for intonement) - once it's in the optimal spot (which hopefully matches the hole location...), you could insert a thin-shafted Philips-head screwdriver to tighten it down. That sounds reasonable right? So back to the 3TSB example above... the round-head screw is the same type as the 3 neck anchors, so looks original. But why is it there? Is it a (purely visual - not utilitarian) 'plug' to fill the hole after tightening the bridge? A collar there is a better/cleaner aesthetic/function solution. (as in, a screw/plug will easily be lost, leaving a raw hole - where as a collar will look correct and serve the joint purpose. So that screw was added by someone who found a matching screw.., or Dano tried a couple of different versions (like the shorter-longer 3 screw neck plate) over time. I'm going to look for a collar that is the right size.

 

[Jon Clegg]

Like Holding a Beautiful Girl! 1968 Coral (Danelectro) Hornet Guitar

"Some of the Coral guitars were made in Japan (bodies for the hollow bodies), but the solid body Coral guitars were all New Jersey BABY! Once again we see a Vincent Bell design, and let me tell you something, that guy had some cool ideas. Holding this guitar is something to experience. Seriously, all the edges are tapered and smooth and it’s like wrapping your arms around a slender, firm woman. Does that sound weird?"

Frankly - no, not weird at all. Guitars have always referenced a woman's curvy body - like, forever.

Sorry, I just realized I have the longer 3 screw neck plate! (like this 3TSB) .., so the neck-tilt hole is 'covered'. However, the lower 'back-of-body' hole is still a mystery. This example has a screw there. It's weird - on mine that hole has no reason to be there... or does it?
View attachment 3388146
On the front - the hole (through the body) aligns with the round-head screw that holds the wood bridge. What I think is going on here is that with that screw loose for bridge adjustment (for intonement) - once it's in the optimal spot (which hopefully matches the hole location...), you could insert a thin-shafted Philips-head screwdriver to tighten it down. That sounds reasonable right? So back to the 3TSB example above... the round-head screw is the same type as the 3 neck anchors, so looks original. But why is it there? Is it a (purely visual - not utilitarian) 'plug' to fill the hole after tightening the bridge? A collar there is a better/cleaner aesthetic/function solution. (as in, a screw/plug will easily be lost, leaving a raw hole - where as a collar will look correct and serve the joint purpose. So that screw was added by someone who found a matching screw.., or Dano tried a couple of different versions (like the shorter-longer 3 screw neck plate) over time. I'm going to look for a collar that is the right size.
View attachment 3388181

I'm guessing that Dano tried or made different versions based on what was on hand; they were no strangers to frugality, after all.

 

[JIO]

I'm guessing that Dano tried or made different versions based on what was on hand; they were no strangers to frugality, after all.

It would be interesting to talk with/read about those who were there - like this recently published interview with George Fullerton. George Fullerton, Leo Fender's Longtime Partner, on Their Legacy of Guitar Building | Bacon's Archive - background details and antidotes. Danelectro was all about economy of design/purpose, much more so than Leo Fender. Jerry Jones probably has had a lot of "those days" stories passed on to him from Dan.

 

[JIO]

Re-did my bridge cover mouquette - perfect fit

Watermelon time! This is a flash pic and it looks pretty accurate - definitely on the 'pink' side.

This is no flash in incandescent (warm) light. Gives me exactly the info I needed, that adding some ocher will get me closer to coral. I know what to do now.

 

[bassingeorge]

Subbed

 

[JIO]

The "Watermelon" spray is fighting me - won't fully cure/stays tacky. I wet sanded it which created annoying residue, and once done I rubbed "golden oak" wiping stain over it. It knocked out the 'pink' and I hope it cures and stabilizes the finish. The rattle-can sprays out there either work, or they don't. So obnoxious as even if you use the same brand it can go either way. But fighting back with creative solutions is not new to me, so I've decided to incorporate an aged/mild distressed look on the body. The original parts look their age, so the body shouldn't 'stick-out', looking re-finished. A 51 year old bass is going to show player wear and that is the tact I'll be taking from here on in. I'm also debating the bridge - possibly upgrading it w/o changing it's outward appearance. It's a steel plate withe 3 screws - about as minimal as you get. Minimal, but possibly not the most optimal in terms of sound. My Dano-esk Calabrone bridge is way better than the '68 Dano bridge. I'm thinking metal inserts into the body and machine bolts - much more connected dynamically. Maybe even replicate the steel plate with aluminum. Dano-technology was "budget" and is budget is not usually better.

 

[Novarocker]

Always great to see another of your retro re-infusion overhauls! Awesome color choice, hope that BC cures on you sooner than later.

 

[JIO]

Always great to see another of your retro re-infusion overhauls! Awesome color choice, hope that BC cures on you sooner than later.

Thanks! It was better this morning - my plan worked. Speaking of work, I began 'working over' the finish. (a way to avoid using the dreaded D word) I will wait to post pics once it's done. I've wanted to do an authentic interpretation of time/player wear and it dawned on me this was my opportunity. So far it looks bitchin' - mostly the sides and front. The back is like a canvas and the few examples I've done so far have all been treated as such. Here's some examples of some of my 'worked-over' finishes -

This one was done (years ago) over a Squire factory finish - really hard to remove that (epoxy) finish. Concept was that once worn it exposed a gold core. I did this heavy distress look before I got my player worn '66 P which had similar gouged/worn sections.

Gold-leaf over physically distressed wood with an umber stain rubbed over it - final finished with satin nitro clear.

The short-scale bass that never was - the Bass King, based on the Kay Solo-King guitar from the late 50's. Amazingly enough - a guitar that looked like this was produced, but no bass.

My SuperB 5'r - Lemon Gold leaf over Red Oxide - final finished by Pat Wilkins

distressed under glass (well, under a shiny clear-coat anyway...)

Mike Watt "Little Baby" tribute - signed by the man in the van with a bass in his hand. Currently on display behind the bar at Winters Tavern here in Pacifica where Watt rocked the house for a Steve Mackay (rip) tribute some years ago. Pre signed pic - I thought he would splash his name large but he wrote it very small over the pic next to the bridge! This was modeled after the bass that was stolen when touring with Iggy Pop - as far as I know is still at large.

This Lakeland finish was done for Chris Kuffner for his upcoming tour with Ingrid Michelson a few years ago. This is right after I finished it - he put knobs he had on it. Silver leaf over factory turquoise & black overspray. Final finished by Pat.

A commission for tb'r @dukeorock - redefining and finishing a Drake custom. I love the way it came out. It's a very pale blue, looking a bit green due to warm sunset light.

 

[JIO]

...and for reference - my player worn '66 P -

 

[JIO]

Checked the pu's/electronics to see if they were responsive. (off the body - plugged it and tapping pu's) I've read that the vintage Dano concentric knob set-up was wonky, and this one appears to be that. Top set works like this; black lower ring - volume, but... for both pu's. Full clock-wise they are both full on, and as you turn it counter-clockwise, at about 1/2 way the bridge pu goes off - and the neck pu stays the same. The rest of the way and they are both off. Weird. The upper white knob is tone, and works for as expected - but for both. The lower stacked pot set doesn't seem to do anything. I'll do a more focused assessment once it's together, strung-up and plugged in. As it stands - other than having specific V/T control over both pu's, it could get away with only the top stacked pot. The more I read about Dano's, the more willing I am to upgrade where needed. In their day, these were cheap instruments produced for the burgeoning new player market in the 50's-60's. Cheap and wonky. They later gained a cult status with those who pushed them into a new generation (Jimmy Page for one) and when re-issued were the hip axe to play in the 90's and beyond, especially for guitarists. Nels Cline uses the 6-string and 12-string models to great effect. The longhorn became the most beloved model/design for bass players, and both the guitars and basses have a characteristic tone/sound that has become "the Dano tone". I'm too old to be considered a 'hipster', but regardless I am very drawn to this Coral Deluxe Bass by Danelectro in its basic-ness and uniqueness. Basses are like different colors in a Crayola box - and this one marked "coral" is one I'm looking forward to dialing in.

I got this Dano-bridge upgrade from when I was developing the Calabrone - I will be using it to replace the original, relegated to safe storage. More adjustable better design.

The neck is coming along - I'm wanting it to go a bit darker. Apparently the neck wood wasn't maple - it was poplar, hence the need for a way to keep it straight and stable.

 

[Jon Clegg]

Checked the pu's/electronics to see if they were responsive. (off the body - plugged it and tapping pu's) I've read that the vintage Dano concentric knob set-up was wonky, and this one appears to be that. Top set works like this; black lower ring - volume, but... for both pu's. Full clock-wise they are both full on, and as you turn it counter-clockwise, at about 1/2 way the bridge pu goes off - and the neck pu stays the same. The rest of the way and they are both off. Weird. The upper white knob is tone, and works for as expected - but for both. The lower stacked pot set doesn't seem to do anything. I'll do a more focused assessment once it's together, strung-up and plugged in. As it stands - other than having specific V/T control over both pu's, it could get away with only the top stacked pot. The more I read about Dano's, the more willing I am to upgrade where needed. In their day, these were cheap instruments produced for the burgeoning new player market in the 50's-60's. Cheap and wonky. They later gained a cult status with those who pushed them into a new generation (Jimmy Page for one) and when re-issued were the hip axe to play in the 90's and beyond, especially for guitarists. Nels Cline uses the 6-string and 12-string models to great effect. The longhorn became the most beloved model/design for bass players, and both the guitars and basses have a characteristic tone/sound that has become "the Dano tone". I'm too old to be considered a 'hipster', but regardless I am very drawn to this Coral Deluxe Bass by Danelectro in its basic-ness and uniqueness. Basses are like different colors in a Crayola box - and this one marked "coral" is one I'm looking forward to dialing in.

I got this Dano-bridge upgrade from when I was developing the Calabrone - I will be using it to replace the original, relegated to safe storage. More adjustable better design.
View attachment 3391035
The neck is coming along - I'm wanting it to go a bit darker. Apparently the neck wood wasn't maple - it was poplar, hence the need for a way to keep it straight and stable.
View attachment 3391036

I wonder if somewhere in it's evolution someone "improved" the electronics not fully understanding how Dano electronics worked. I would wire it up like this minus the switch:

Dano's are wired in series which is part of their distinctive tone, if you omit the switch, it's the same as the "Both" position on the switch. Also Dano's use odd stacked pots 100k and 1M stacked concentrics. The upper inner knob should be the 1M which will be the pot furthest from the shaft.

This site DanoGuitarSchematics1 has a wealth of Dano wiring info along with some useful links.

 

[Novarocker]

Right on JIO, I remember a couple of those, like the Drake and the Watt bass. Great idea for this one. Really going to do it justice.

Jon, that's cool. I never knew that, I've tried one once but just plinking around without an amp.