Danelectro Coral Deluxe Bass project

[JIO]

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:
View attachment 3391214
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.

Thanks for that Jon - I think I see where to look. The '-' wire's from both pu's got disconnected and I just thought they both went to ground (as the B pu '-' does) but it looks like the N pu '-' wire goes to the (cap) tang of the V pot. Also, the bare wires from the pu's weren't grounded to the pot either - I just taped them off. So two things to do. Will report back after sorting it.

UPDATE:
Sorted! The cap wire was correct but I had the + wire to ground - once it was relocated to the center tang of the pot - everything works as it should now. thanks again Jon!

 

[daveman50]

I'm totally digging this, but have to say that, in my experience, that Dano "upgrade" bridge is not so great. I tried it on 2 Danos and went back to the vintage style, which not only looks better / more authentic (a personal aesthetic judgment) but sounds better. The all-metal bridges are not a great design and didn't really improve the intonation. YMMV.

 

[JIO]

I'm totally digging this, but have to say that, in my experience, that Dano "upgrade" bridge is not so great. I tried it on 2 Danos and went back to the vintage style, which not only looks better / more authentic (a personal aesthetic judgment) but sounds better. The all-metal bridges are not a great design and didn't really improve the intonation. YMMV.

Thanks for this - I really would like to keep it as much original as possible so hearing your assessment is good news. Since you are versed in the original bridge - why are the 2 top holes recessed on the underside? Also, the wood bridge adjustment screw protrudes the lower plate - is the body routed there so the plate lyes flat? And how do you tighten that screw once the wood bridge is correctly positioned? Is this related to the hole in the body there? I'm not certain how this bridge is supposed to work. Thanks for any insights related -

 

[Jisch]

I have one of those original Dano bridges on a short scale I made using a Longhorn neck.

I believe the screw heads under the bridge should be round, so the heads would sit in those recesses. I guess theoretically you can adjust the height of the bridge through the top. I had problems with the middle of the bridge bending in, so I put a third screw under it right in the middle. I think I got new screws for the outside, because I can't adjust them through top. It's a moot point anyway with the screw in the middle I have to take strings off to adjust the height. I made my own wooden piece to lay on top though and cut string slots in it, so I had some control over string height through that as well. It's a bit frustrating to get all sitting correctly, as you tighten strings it tend to move. The string slots helped a bit with that issue.

I was ready to throw this one away and get the upgraded bridge, but I read bad things about it.

 

[JIO]

I have one of those original Dano bridges on a short scale I made using a Longhorn neck.

I believe the screw heads under the bridge should be round, so the heads would sit in those recesses. I guess theoretically you can adjust the height of the bridge through the top. I had problems with the middle of the bridge bending in, so I put a third screw under it right in the middle. I think I got new screws for the outside, because I can't adjust them through top. It's a moot point anyway with the screw in the middle I have to take strings off to adjust the height. I made my own wooden piece to lay on top though and cut string slots in it, so I had some control over string height through that as well. It's a bit frustrating to get all sitting correctly, as you tighten strings it tend to move. The string slots helped a bit with that issue.

I was ready to throw this one away and get the upgraded bridge, but I read bad things about it.

Ok, thanks - I kind of thought that's how it worked, with the two top screws under the plate with screwdriver adjustment access through the top. As much as this provides a 3-point bridge-body connection - the bridge is essentially coupled to the body by only one screw. (lower central screw) As someone who has gone out of my way to create a dynamic bridge-body connection to create optimal tone - one wood screw seems pretty minimal. (Dano technology) Knowing this I now understand the hole in the body - with the upper part of the bridge slightly raised, the round-head wood-bridge adjustment screw clears the body, and is tightened through the hole in the back of the body.

I also saw (on line) how people dealt with the bending plate. One way was to install an adjustable bolt-wheel, like on a wood bridge. I imagine the simplest way would be that once the correct angled height of the plate was determined, a spacer could be inserted at the middle. But, what I think I'm going to do is imbed metal mollies and use machine bolts that can be tightened more dynamically at the lower connection, and have tight up-down capability for the two upper holes. While doing that I can install one more in the center to act as an adjustable stop. Pretty funny having to go through such to make a poorly designed bridge work - but it all happen under the plate so it will maintain its vintage visual integrity. Lastly, like you I will probably make my own higher wood bridge and slot it. Having it be higher, I can imbed a brass insert and use a hex-head bolt to connect it to the plate which will be easier/better to access through the hole in the body.

 

[daveman50]

You guys have it covered! Bridge sits on top of the two adjustment screws. That has confused people. I can't tell you why, but the original design is for sure a part of the Dano sound... & is clearly not dependent on a real tight connection between bridge and body, but it works.

 

[JIO]

Mostly done - a few more area's to address after seeing these pics and another wash of golden oak stain followed by clear satin lacquer. Photo's are always good for assessing the look. I'm happy with the way it's turning out - everything is much more in sync age/wear-wise and the coral hue is exactly where it should be. It looks time-aged/old and played/worn.

Shot with original bridge sitting in place - the metal cover will also be 'beat-up' to fit in. Still have yet to deal with that...

 

[daveman50]

Nice! You might also want to beat up the thumb rest/tug bar/s.

I meant, "age"

 

[JIO]

Nice! You might also want to beat up the thumb rest/tug bar/s.

I meant, "age"

As they have survived unscathed for all those years - I think they deserve to stay as is. As compared to the hollow plastic unit that Fender uses - these are solid wood. The tug-bar on my '66 is distorted and glossy from much interface there. The neck also looks good and I really didn't want to scar it up - the darker stain helps age it w/o damage.

 

[Beej]

Nice work as per usual @JIO

Does the pickguard mount to a curved surface, or is the airfoil shape not quite get that far up edge of the body?

 

[JIO]

Nice work as per usual @JIO

Does the pickguard mount to a curved surface, or is the airfoil shape not quite get that far up edge of the body?

Thanks! It is fairly flat at the pg/control-plate/bridge but it's a very gradual taper so no abrupt transition between flat and curved.

 

[JIO]

Will do this tomorrow when the glaze has cured overnight - but this will be my upgrade to make the bridge connection as good as it can be. As it is, the three bridge holes in the body are buggered-up and imbedding the inserts will take care of that. The center top (black) bolt has a small hex-head which a wrench can access through the bridge adjustment slot. I'll wait to install it until I determine where the bridge will dwell. Looking at examples the bridge seems to sit closer to the top of the slot, and if so the lower section (under the bridge) would be where the bolt would need to sit - about mid plate.

 

[daveman50]

That's a nice redesign of the bridge support.

I didn't realize the tug bars were original - they're very clean! Leave them unmolested, for sure.

 

[GretschWretch]

The two front screws are recessed beneath the bridge to adjust saddle height. The single rear screw head is above the bridge to improve bridge-to-body coupling, as are the two front screws. String pressure forces down the front of the bridge onto the recessed screw heads to create solid witness points. Set your action with the front screws, then anchor down the bridge with the rear one.

 

[JIO]

That's a nice redesign of the bridge support.

I didn't realize the tug bars were original - they're very clean! Leave them unmolested, for sure.

Yah, the asymmetric random-looking placement/angles of the bars look ad-hock. I wasn't sure myself until I saw other examples that were the same. I'll know once I start playing it if they will get in the way - but as another example of economy of purpose, the screws that attach them to the pg also hold the swirl material in place!

 

[JIO]

Very Coral-esk bass sighting from 1982 (bass player with The Beat) - big body shape for sure but with a T-bird like hs shape and black pu's... ???- wonder what that bass was? Now that I think of it - a "non-reversed" T-bird ('66-'69) actually looks like the Coral body shape. hummm...



It looks like this - a '66 T-bird in Polaris White, but his fb has block markers - and it has black pu's which are in different location than the T-bird. Now I'm really curious because it could be a Japanese (?) spin-off of a late 60's T-bird that I'm not aware of. The hs tr cover is different also.

...for body shape comparison - in the same family of shapes/curves... but the Coral is sexier, especially because there are no hard edges.

 

[JIO]

Ok - so this is slightly bizarre... I have been searching pics of The Beat trying to find other images of the bass in that vid. Nothing (yet) The bass players name is Brad Engstrom (Ace) and he's on facebook... still rockin' the bass so I sent him a PM to inquire about that bass. Maybe he'll respond, maybe not - we'll see. The slightly bizarre part is that the bass player from The (British) Beat is from Omaha Nebraska! I'm from Omaha also, and I mentioned that in my PM. I hope he responds - that bass is yet another rare gem that I want to know about.

 

[JIO]

Ordered this fun cool strap for the Coral - it was pretty cheap. (not from China, at least not directly) I wanted something woven for this bass, a kind of strap I don't own. Actually I don't think I've ever owned a woven strap. While looking I was educated to the world of vintage woven guitar $trap$. Many times the word "hippy" was included in the post which struck me as funny. Some were over $200. I get vintage, collectable etc.., but really had not considered a woven guitar strap would be/is rare and collectable, especially if originally owned/used by hippies. Of course I found a 'rare pattern' vintage one I liked that would have costed (only) $180 shipped, but I think this one for $18.39 should work.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Just like anything else, there’s a whole world of collectible vintage straps. Look on the guitologist channel on YouTube. Brad has done at least one video on his collection.

 

[JIO]

Just like anything else, there’s a whole world of collectible vintage straps. Look on the guitologist channel on YouTube. Brad has done at least one video on his collection.

Vintage fashion accessorary! Yes, should have figured such. Those straps then probably were pretty cheap, at least compared to a nice leather strap. I still have my wide brown leather strap that I bought in around 1973 when I had shoulder length hair, but I never considered myself to be a 'hippy' so it's probably not worth much ...