Welcome to the cult... er I mean club. And P.S. I'm very jealous - I totally miss my long horn (as great as my 63 is) and to get one used and beat (they look really cool worn and I'd never deliberately "relic" a guitar) for cheap just makes me green - and yes they are surprisingly hard to come by when you're looking.
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Danelectro Owners Club
- Thread starter portaflexer
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Thanks! It's funny -- my town has very few music stores with a pretty lousy selection. When I went looking for a short/medium scale bass, the only one I could find was the beat up Dano longhorn. It wasn't what I was looking for, but I'm sure glad to have found it! If it's there this weekend, I'm buying it for sure. Also, I think it was made in China, which may be why it was so cheap. From my very basic understanding, the Korean-made Danos are a little more desirable, no?
I would have bought it sooner but I recently bought another oddball short-scale bass that I've been craving for a long time -- a Gretsch Billy Bo Jupiter Thunderjet.
Thanks again.
Yes, the Korean ones are considered to be a little better made - better than the early Chinese ones, anyway. That may not be the case with the newer Chinese ones, though. Can't say, personally; I'm a lefty, and the Korean ones were/are the only lefty Danos; other than a handful of Jerry Jones-made ones. Welcome, and enjoy your Dano.
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My Chinese Longhorn is not as well made as my Korean Danelectro 56 bass, but the Longhorn isn't bad. It sounds really nice. I haven't been able to set it up right, so that it has good intonation, though. I think there's something not quite right about the nut. Some time I'll get it sorted out. I have other basses, and other things to do. If it were my only bass, I'd take the time to put it right, and I'd be happy.
So here is a little story from a couple of weeks back. I met with a band that I might join, in their new-to-them rehearsal room. (With very weird acoustics!) The players are ok and they have good sounding gear (Strat + Twin amp, Gretsch drum kit).
I had brought my 1987 Squier Jazz, which is a well regarded instrument, easily better than any non-Road Worn MIM Fender I have tried. Fresh strings, well intonated etc.
I played through my MarkBass LM II and a 210 loaded with Deltalite 2510 IIs. Flat, clean and fairly loud rig.
Still, I had the worst struggle ever to find a working, or even audible, tone. I could get clank, subs, nasal quack, honk etc, but not the lows and mids to support the band.
After a few songs I asked that we stopped so I could switch to my backup, the MIK Longhorn. Bone stock, fresh d'Addario EXL 170s. I just plug it in, turn it up, play a couple of notes, do a MINOR eq tweak, and got just the right tone for the modern blues rock we play.
The balanced lows, thick low mids, twangy upper mids and slightly compressed tone is super supportive, IMHO.
On a side note, my Longhorn has given a workable sound in every context I have used it; rock, pop, blues, roots/folks. Not always the first choise, but always a perfectly good option.
I had brought my 1987 Squier Jazz, which is a well regarded instrument, easily better than any non-Road Worn MIM Fender I have tried. Fresh strings, well intonated etc.
I played through my MarkBass LM II and a 210 loaded with Deltalite 2510 IIs. Flat, clean and fairly loud rig.
Still, I had the worst struggle ever to find a working, or even audible, tone. I could get clank, subs, nasal quack, honk etc, but not the lows and mids to support the band.
After a few songs I asked that we stopped so I could switch to my backup, the MIK Longhorn. Bone stock, fresh d'Addario EXL 170s. I just plug it in, turn it up, play a couple of notes, do a MINOR eq tweak, and got just the right tone for the modern blues rock we play.
The balanced lows, thick low mids, twangy upper mids and slightly compressed tone is super supportive, IMHO.
On a side note, my Longhorn has given a workable sound in every context I have used it; rock, pop, blues, roots/folks. Not always the first choise, but always a perfectly good option.
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- 59DC guitar: New colors??
- 63, 67, & Hodad guitars: colors??
- 56 SC [U2] bass and baritone are back, and in some new colors. No guitar, though.
- Longhorn bass is available in black now (in addition to copperburst)
- 12-string and 6/12 double-neck (but we know they've been around for a few months already)
- Baby Sitar (advertised in other markets, now coming here apparently)
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You can make your own baritone. You need a bridge, nut, 2 more tuners, and strings. You might be able to do that for $100 (plus one Longhorn bass).
(If 30" scale length is what you want.)
Hi Folks,
I have one of the Danelectro ’63 basses. It sounds nice. But I have been having a little trouble keeping the setup stable. I investigated a few things and posted them here. starting with post #48:
http://www.talkbass.com/threads/official-aqua-danelectro-dano-63-club.540204/page-3
As far as I can tell, the metal screws into the body are not too stable. I’m adding this link here in case anyone might find the info helpful.
I have one of the Danelectro ’63 basses. It sounds nice. But I have been having a little trouble keeping the setup stable. I investigated a few things and posted them here. starting with post #48:
http://www.talkbass.com/threads/official-aqua-danelectro-dano-63-club.540204/page-3
As far as I can tell, the metal screws into the body are not too stable. I’m adding this link here in case anyone might find the info helpful.
I haven't had that sort of bridge/body stability trouble with my Danos, but mine are short scale, so they'd have lower string tension than long scale.
My 56 bass came out of the box, new, with the bridge cockeyed, and a couple of the screws pitched wrong in their holes, like maybe it had taken a good hit to the bridge at the factory while the strings were already under full tension, and they put it in the box anyway as-is. I unscrewed and rescrewed the bridge (I don't think I filled and redrilled the screw holes), and it's been good and stable ever since. My 56 is Korean. Were the 63 basses Chinese? If so, then of course they were made in different factories.
Now,... My Chinese Longhorn... I should really inspect it to see if its intonation issues might be related to your troubles. The bridge screw holes aren't tearing or anything obvious, but I haven't thought about the possibility of body warpage.
My 56 bass came out of the box, new, with the bridge cockeyed, and a couple of the screws pitched wrong in their holes, like maybe it had taken a good hit to the bridge at the factory while the strings were already under full tension, and they put it in the box anyway as-is. I unscrewed and rescrewed the bridge (I don't think I filled and redrilled the screw holes), and it's been good and stable ever since. My 56 is Korean. Were the 63 basses Chinese? If so, then of course they were made in different factories.
Now,... My Chinese Longhorn... I should really inspect it to see if its intonation issues might be related to your troubles. The bridge screw holes aren't tearing or anything obvious, but I haven't thought about the possibility of body warpage.
Good to hear that you can keep that bass stable. I think that mine will be OK for a while. Maybe for the long run. But if it does destabilize again, there is not much left available for fixing it, without going to extremes beyond what I'm willing to put up with. I know that, for some people, your experience and mine are part of the Danelectro appeal.
Yes, my '63 was made in China. Since then (maybe 2 years ago?) I bought a Danelectro baritone that was made in Korea. This one is a much higher quality instrument. It's solid and I foresee no trouble on the horizon. Maybe the Chinese basses were a low point- cheap, with Danelectro charm, but too poorly made to be around for the long term. And so they moved production to Korea and stepped up the quality.
Yeah, the Koreans are a little more desirable and a (very) little better built. But, the difference is slim at best and while I prefer the gloss finishes, the Chinese ones with the satin finish are actually closer to the "real thing" cosmetically.
I have both and the only reason I'd trade my Chinese is I prefer the look of the DC (my Chines is a long-scale 63) or if someone offered me a Long-horn in trade which I'd have to take, just 'cause I miss mine so much - but I'd take a Chinese longhorn too.
My personal philosophy is if it's made of Masonite and has lipstick tubes, it's good.
I would highly doubt that the body itself is bending - it's hollow which means it would break/collapse before it bends significantly (think of trying to bend a straw) - but the screws on some of these are made of quite soft metal and they can also strip out the wood/plywood block under the bridge. If you can find suitable screws of a better quality, you could replace them - but make sure you fix the holes they're in too - this can be as simple as putting a couple of wooden toothpicks and glue into the holes or as involved as drilling them out and putting new wood - I'd go with the first solution - just be careful not to glue your screws in - I.e. let the glue dry most of the way before you put the screws back in. While you have it off, check to see if your bridge is still straight - if it's not you can straighten it in a vice - this is of course not a permanent solution (still soft metal) but you'll put it back a couple of years.
danosix, thank you for explaining some of the differences between Korean and Chinese-made Danelectros. I was sidetracked from my purchase because I stumbled onto a used example of another one of my "most wanted" basses at a very good price. I bought another oddball bass, a Gretsch Billy Bo Jupiter Thunderbird.
So I'm going Dano hunting this weekend. Hopefully, it'll still be there.
Thanks again.
Yeah, some sweet stuff - I've been waiting for them to release a baby-sitar!
I'm glad they're finally (seemingly) showing the whole line on the website. (the 12 string and double neck have been out for a while) the basses weren't there for a couple of years even though they were available and they never showed the deluxe sitar on the site even though they were available for at least a year.
But if the site is now complete, it looks like they may have dropped their pedals - which I doubt - but who knows?
Those are nifty too - but, "once you go Dano - you never go back"
Seriously, I currently own a vintage PBass, an American G&L, a Hofner, an ABG and a Squire - and the Dano gigs as much as the rest put together. Of course, lately they all gig equally (none)) but I'll be getting back to playing in the next couple months (now that I'm settled again) and the Dano will be going pretty much anywhere that doesn't DEMAND one of the others.
good eye!
I really want to test out that sitar! I also have a tough time thinking they dropped their pedal line (though it is the most common thing I find in the used pedal/bargain bin at the shops)
Its a good thing the first/only bass is a dano. I know my guitars have seen less play since the 57 heaven hawk was picked up
I don't know if you'll have an easy time finding a baby sitar (or most any other new Dano) in a store. I've only seen the 12-string and double-neck at Guitar Center, and nothing anywhere else. Then again, I don't go in every guitar store, I guess.
(Small) point of (mild) interest: my 56 bass is Korean, but has a matte finish (paint and hardware), so not all Koreans are gloss. But probably most are.
(Small) point of (mild) interest: my 56 bass is Korean, but has a matte finish (paint and hardware), so not all Koreans are gloss. But probably most are.
