Danelectro Owners Club

[danosix]

Any particular case you'd recommend for a Longhorn? I'm thinking about grabbing one for mine soon.

None in particular - unless you come across one of the old Danelectro cases from the 90s - 'cause obviously they'll be the perfect depth for the neck support.
But as I said, pretty much any rectangular guitar case that will fit a Strat in straight - not angled like vintage Fender cases - will work well.

 

[danosix]

Yep, those are just two nuts. I'm not sure what size or anything, just whatever I had handy at the time. Eventually I'd like to fashion something similar to the Gibson 3-point bridge "mod bar" but for the dano bridge. [/ATTACH]

Thanks - great idea.
My idea for a modded Dano bridge is simpler - make it drop in replacement (ie match on the three holes) and just make it out of slightly heavier steel, slightly longer to the back to accomplish what you have done and no slot for the saddle to screw into - that's the weak point that causes them all to warp.
You would gain some in the intonation (also considered splitting the saddle in two and with angling you should be able to get virtually perfect intonation on all four strings) and better sustain and all you lose is the saddle will want to fall off when you changge strings - a piece of masking tape can fix that - or simply change one string at a time and then it won't move. Also the strings will hold it in place just fine - like most arched top guitar bridges - but it will be easier to adjust. Plus - you maintain the "look", which I like.

 

[mcgreivey]

...slightly heavier steel, slightly longer to the back to accomplish what you have done and no slot for the saddle to screw into - that's the weak point that causes them all to warp.
...

I wouldn't say that the slot is really the problem, in itself. It's the metal. I have a Jerry Jones bridge that hasn't bent, and won't ever, and it has a slot. I think it's chrome-plated brass.

I never heard of original '50s/'60s ones didn't bend at the slot, but I don't have personal experience with those.

But basically the '90s+ Dano bridges have been made of crap metal that bends at the weakest point.

 

[SJLee]

I haven't read this thread in it's entirety but was curious if anyone is using La Bella Beatle Bass Stainless Steel Flat Wounds? I have a Dano Longhorn 30" scale and the tuning machines have a rather small hole to fit through.

 

[portaflexer]

Happy New Year Dano Club Members!

BTW, I looking back thru previous posts trying to figure out who still needs membership #'s. If I missed you, please PM me. Thanks.

Love that gold Longhorn BTW.

 

[SJLee]

Thanks portflexer! Happy New Year to you as well! I have a number already I believe - #31.

 

[portaflexer]

Here's the current member list...

01 - portaflexer
02 - Rob Martinez
03 - rllefebv
04 - The EH Man
05 - Turock
06 - Abaroa
07 - mongo2
08 - deste
09 - JimmyM
10 - Mastermold
11 - williamk
12 - smcfarland1337
13 - jumbodbassman
14 - atomicdog
15 - rfslick
16 - Bullitt5135
17 - bamofo88
18 - sub006
19 - emblymouse
20 - msb
21 - GBassNorth
22 - guylorenz
23 - moonshinegtrs
24 - AphekGreg
25 - brokencode
26 - Farmerboymusic
27 - Wagz
28 - ddinpsl
29 - johninmemphis
30 - gus79seyffert
31 - sneha1965
32 - jasongil1
33 - 1stnamebassist
34 - iamthebassman
35 - rodl2005
36 - April
37 - JoeyDiLamma
38 - rapidfirerob
39 - Southway
40 - benlauziere
41 - FatherG
42 - JGintheHam
43 - mcgreivey
44 - King Kenton
45 - racecarguy
46 - CaptainGrog
47 - SherwoodGreen
48 - foxxiroxx
49 - johnnyangel69
50 - DENelectro
51 - RandyMolson
52 - pinebrookjohn
53 - GIBrat51
54 - suprblip
55 - 4-stringB
56 - tacman6749
57 - Thedeadking
58 - leftieray
59 - jsutton1988
60 - AaronVonRock
61 - scabpicker
62 - rogerbmille
63 - danosix
64 - RicMetsBruce
65 - Back To Bassics
66 - fjadams
67 - Fuzzbass666
68 - old mark
69 - HelpImaRock
70 - R&B
71 - Robin
72 - AlexanderB
73 - biglugpa
74 - sethmadsen
75 - mel0dic.bassist
76 - Eldo
77 - lowendfriend
78 - tomshepp
79 - TDZ
80 - CatSquare
81 - ack
82 - hodad
83 - Celtic59
84 - Michael King
85 - MVS
86 - secretsound5
87 - ScarfFace
88 - blankfield
89 - SamanthaCay
90 - TBPlayerOC
91 - danomite64
92 - Rikki_Sixx

 

[SJLee]

 

[moonshinegtrs]

Any particular case you'd recommend for a Longhorn? I'm thinking about grabbing one for mine soon.

About 4 years ago I had the chance to buy a storage unit that had a quantity of guitar cases in it. They were all brand new in their shipping boxes (4 cases to a box); a couple of boxes had cases that fit a Gibson ES-335 but the majority of the cases were slightly wider than a Les Paul, there was 8 boxes of these cases. The cases were not what I would call top of the line, but they weren't cheapo cases either (hard cases, black fur inside, lockable with a key); they did end up having an issue with some of the piping(?) coming loose but I got quite a deal on them. As a bonus, the smaller cases ended up fitting my single cutaway electric resonator guitars perfectly. Also as I was loading the cases up, I discovered a large, very heavy box that ended up containing pickups & complete hardware for 50 Les Paul style guitars... It was imported, Epiphone quality stuff, but I made some nice coin off of it all.

Fast forward to a couple of months ago, for some reason I had one of those cases sitting on a table and I laid my most recent Longhorn on top of it... Hmmm it looked like it would fit...

Like a glove!

This Longhorn has a 31" scale neck, I also make basses with the standard 29 7/8" scale neck which would fit even better.

As I mentioned the piping on the sides started to come loose (my bad, leaving the cases in a shed during a very hot summer), but a little black gaffer's tape took care of that.

I wish I knew what these cases were originally designed for because they are a perfect fit for Longhorns.



Moonshine

 

[moonshinegtrs]

I wouldn't say that the slot is really the problem, in itself. It's the metal. I have a Jerry Jones bridge that hasn't bent, and won't ever, and it has a slot. I think it's chrome-plated brass.

I never heard of original '50s/'60s ones didn't bend at the slot, but I don't have personal experience with those.

But basically the '90s+ Dano bridges have been made of crap metal that bends at the weakest point.

When Jerry retired I purchased all of his remaining bridge inventory. They are made of brass and are considerably heavier.



Moonshine

 

[mongo2]

I never heard of original '50s/'60s ones didn't bend at the slot, but I don't have personal experience with those.

The bridges on my 3 early '60s Silvertone dolphins haven't bent in any way.

But basically the '90s+ Dano bridges have been made of crap metal that bends at the weakest point.

My quick fix for my modern Danelectro RI bridges that bend is to pre-bend them a bit at the front of the plate into a slight convex shape with the apex up so when they take the load of the strings they flatten out to level or close enough, but they don't collapse.

I use one of my pre-bent RI stick bridges on my '63 Silvertone dolphin gig bass because someone in it's past modified the original bridge plate by enlarging the string slots with a triangle file and the ball ends of my preferred strings won't hold in them.

 

[mcgreivey]

I have to do another fix on my Chinese Dano Longhorn. I guess the wood the bridge is screwed into isn't hard enough, and the screws also bent. So I need to dowel the screw holes, drill, and very New (straight) screws. I haven't identified what size screws they are, but I haven't gone as far as thinking about that detail yet.

This Chinese Longhorn is crappy, but it sounds nice. I may end up selling it.

 

[danosix]

I wouldn't say that the slot is really the problem, in itself. It's the metal. I have a Jerry Jones bridge that hasn't bent, and won't ever, and it has a slot. I think it's chrome-plated brass.

I never heard of original '50s/'60s ones didn't bend at the slot, but I don't have personal experience with those.

But basically the '90s+ Dano bridges have been made of crap metal that bends at the weakest point.

You're absolutely right that it is the quality of the metal that is most important (note I was also planning on going to steel) but even that cr*p metal would be strong enough if it didn't have two holes down the middle (the rear screw is there too) - the other reason for eliminating the slot is that the screw, while handy when changing strings, also makes intonation a LOT harder - instead of just the tension of the strings resisting movement, there's a screw that's holding it in place which makes it necessary to apply more force and this means you often end up moving further than you want. So if you're gong to eliminate the screw, you might as well eliminate the slot.
As for the old ones - they weren't as bad as the new ones (that is one place where the Chinese are indeed worse than the Koreans) but they do indeed warp (most of the ones I've seen have been warped in the same way - or had the bridge replaced, most likely due to that problem (why else remove the bridge?).
One thing people forget about the old ones is they aren't "fine vintage instruments" they were made to be cheap while produced by North American Labour - so all the shortcuts are in materials and design - and thus, while they're AWESOME they do not conform to the MIA is better than offshore paradigm.

 

[mcgreivey]

I do actually leave the saddle screw loose to simplify intonation, so I suppose the screw and slot are indeed superfluous.

 

[danosix]

View attachment 762911

That looks like a merry Christmas to me!
Nice Club bass, is that German or CT? I have the CT violin which is way more awesome than I expected it would be (and keep in mind, I have it 'cause I wanted one already), but the Club was what I REALLY wanted. Being new to Hofner I was shocked at how high the output is on that thing - I can't use my compressor with it because it overdrives the input (in the bad way). Definitely a different experience from the Danos - though clearly a LOT of us like both, it's a common combo, longhorn and Hofner.

 

[SJLee]

That looks like a merry Christmas to me!
Nice Club bass, is that German or CT? I have the CT violin which is way more awesome than I expected it would be (and keep in mind, I have it 'cause I wanted one already), but the Club was what I REALLY wanted. Being new to Hofner I was shocked at how high the output is on that thing - I can't use my compressor with it because it overdrives the input (in the bad way). Definitely a different experience from the Danos - though clearly a LOT of us like both, it's a common combo, longhorn and Hofner.

Thank you dansix. Mine is a German. I love the tone, weight and look of the Hofner, and have been enjoying the quickness and ease of playing the 30" scale. I have not tried the CT or icon but have heard good things about them. I had played a Beatle bass but the body shape felt a little uncomfortable for me, which is how I ended up with the Club.The pickups do have high output and they are much louder than either my P or J basses.

Anyway, I have had my Dano for several years and thought it would make for a good picture next to the tree. I love the tone of it as well and appreciate it's small scale. I'm also looking forward to hearing the difference with a set of new La Bella LTF flatwound strings.

 

[danosix]

The pickups do have high output and they are much louder than either my P or J basses.

Yeah, WAY louder. I'd read that they were high output, but I was shocked! It sounds awesome, but you sure can't use anything on the same old settings.
Keep in mind, I discovered the output difference while switching between it and my G&L L1505 - and that's anything but low output, blew it away volume-wise.

 

[danosix]

I have to do another fix on my Chinese Dano Longhorn. I guess the wood the bridge is screwed into isn't hard enough, and the screws also bent. So I need to dowel the screw holes, drill, and very New (straight) screws. I haven't identified what size screws they are, but I haven't gone as far as thinking about that detail yet.

This Chinese Longhorn is crappy, but it sounds nice. I may end up seeking it.

Yeah, those bridge screws (on the Chinese) are trash - the one on my '63 (amp-in-case reissue) are bent too.

Of course when you're looking for a replacement- all that matters is that the HEAD is right - so just take the bridge into the hardware store and see which ones fit.
If you get a good screw which is significantly larger diameter and/or longer, you can probably get away with just repairing the hole with matchsticks/toothpicks and glue and then putting the bigger screw in.

What did to write when you wrote "seeking" it? Selling or seeking a replacement (of course they're the same thing in the end) or something I didn't think of?
Once you deal with the bridge issues, you should be pretty happy with even the Chinese - that's their only REALLY bad point.

 

[Real Soon]

As of yesterday, I've joined this here club, by way of a Wild Thing. The prior owner put a fully adjustable bridge on, and since this isn't one of the original classic designs, I have no compunction about letting it be modded a bit.

I wasn't sure what to expect with how it plays...but after doing the usual adjustments, it's already feeling goooooooood! Big ol' fat & punchy tone, too. The only thing I need to tweak now is the pickup right under the E string to keep my low notes from clobbering things.

I've wanted one for years...so finally bringing this home has been a huge deal.

 

[portaflexer]

You need a number Real Soon... let's call you 93.
Love that Wild Thing BTW.

01 - portaflexer
02 - Rob Martinez
03 - rllefebv
04 - The EH Man
05 - Turock
06 - Abaroa
07 - mongo2
08 - deste
09 - JimmyM
10 - Mastermold
11 - williamk
12 - smcfarland1337
13 - jumbodbassman
14 - atomicdog
15 - rfslick
16 - Bullitt5135
17 - bamofo88
18 - sub006
19 - emblymouse
20 - msb
21 - GBassNorth
22 - guylorenz
23 - moonshinegtrs
24 - AphekGreg
25 - brokencode
26 - Farmerboymusic
27 - Wagz
28 - ddinpsl
29 - johninmemphis
30 - gus79seyffert
31 - sneha1965
32 - jasongil1
33 - 1stnamebassist
34 - iamthebassman
35 - rodl2005
36 - April
37 - JoeyDiLamma
38 - rapidfirerob
39 - Southway
40 - benlauziere
41 - FatherG
42 - JGintheHam
43 - mcgreivey
44 - King Kenton
45 - racecarguy
46 - CaptainGrog
47 - SherwoodGreen
48 - foxxiroxx
49 - johnnyangel69
50 - DENelectro
51 - RandyMolson
52 - pinebrookjohn
53 - GIBrat51
54 - suprblip
55 - 4-stringB
56 - tacman6749
57 - Thedeadking
58 - leftieray
59 - jsutton1988
60 - AaronVonRock
61 - scabpicker
62 - rogerbmille
63 - danosix
64 - RicMetsBruce
65 - Back To Bassics
66 - fjadams
67 - Fuzzbass666
68 - old mark
69 - HelpImaRock
70 - R&B
71 - Robin
72 - AlexanderB
73 - biglugpa
74 - sethmadsen
75 - mel0dic.bassist
76 - Eldo
77 - lowendfriend
78 - tomshepp
79 - TDZ
80 - CatSquare
81 - ack
82 - hodad
83 - Celtic59
84 - Michael King
85 - MVS
86 - secretsound5
87 - ScarfFace
88 - blankfield
89 - SamanthaCay
90 - TBPlayerOC
91 - danomite64
92 - Rikki_Sixx
93 - Real Soon