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Danelectro Owners Club

#1,541
And in my experience, lower "authority" on a Dano is often psychological. Sometimes the people I play with have taken me less seriously when I don't play a more macho bass. Or sometimes I feel like they might not be. There can be a huge amount of psychology that goes into the interface between your fingers and your strings. Sometimes the resulting sound has little to do with the rest of the instrument.
 
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#1,542
Thanks for the very true comments.
Personally, I do not care for flats, but many do. I prefer the "wider" tone and better sustain of rounds.
Well, nobody has ever complained about my tone when playing Longhorn on gigs or at practice! On the contrary. However, listening to our multi channel recording of our practice, some "heft" and sustain is definitely missing. The keys player and myself tend to notice, guitar player, drummer and singer not so much...
 
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#1,544
AlexanderB said:
Thanks for the very true comments.
Personally, I do not care for flats, but many do. I prefer the "wider" tone and better sustain of rounds.
Well, nobody has ever complained about my tone when playing Longhorn on gigs or at practice! On the contrary. However, listening to our multi channel recording of our practice, some "heft" and sustain is definitely missing. The keys player and myself tend to notice, guitar player, drummer and singer not so much...
Click to expand...
You're totally right that there's a LOT less sustain than a Fender - but that's one of "features" of danos - as muc as the unique sounding pickups the resonant - but not very - hollow body give the note a bit of bloom like an upright and then quickly damps the rest of the note.
If you're spoiled by an old solid fender (like my old heavy ash WITH heavy bridge '76) which you can pluck, go grab a sandwich and then come back in the room and have it still ringing, this is a "loss", but realistically, it's just a different tone - and since most of us play "groove" most of the time, how often do you really need those three bar sustained notes? They're nice to have on tap - but not essential - and the Dano "click-boom" sound is, like a good P, a sound that just "sits" in the mix - and can elp cut through in a situation where beautiful ringing harmonically rich notes can disappear.
Just like you I am not an "either-o" person, (I recently had to part with the above mentioned bass for financial reasons - and am now scrambling because I miss having "that tone" when I want it - which is often, but I think we as bass players are so used to the Fender thing that we just take for granted that that's the RIGHT tone instead of one GREAT tone.
 
#1,545
Hi! I had a Danelectro Longhorn between 1967/8 and 1972. It was converted to a 5 string in London.
It lasted me a good 5 years and I chopped it in for a "superior brand" whilst in Stuttgart on a 60 day tour in 1972. I replaced it a few years ago with a standard 4 string. I do have a Rick 4001 and a Fender Squier.PB but I play guitars now most of the time. One is a Danelectro 12-string guitar that I bought new (1 of 10 guitars in my collection. Effects units - I have about 20 - mostly Danelectro. The Dano bass was really good to have hung around the neck for several sets being so light weight especially on tours and longer term residencies. The action was excellent and the sound was good. The Dano 12 string is just the job for a change of sound to an accompaniment. Good old Danelectro (but the Baritone conversion was on a cheapo from a charity shop - new p.u.s from China for few beans and restrung with strings sorted out from 2 sets) but a Danelectro would have cost far, far more. Consider me to be a member.
 
#1,546
It's been a while since we posted an updated membership 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
93 - Real Soon
94 - radioripster
95 - Ductapeman
96 - Jouleo
97 - ba$$
98 - CharlyG
99 - EdO.
100 - Old Fart
101 - stringthrough
102 - pedwar
103 - FitzFitz
104 - Arturo+music
 
#1,547
Heads up: there's a 90s DC shorthorn (long scale) bass on *Bay right now at a good price (well below prices I've seen these at), with 11 hours to go. Look for "Danelectro DC-2 4-string bass guitar".

I'm not connected to the seller in any way, but I know there are people here who've mentioned wanting one of these, but not wanting to pay too much. Here you go, maybe.

I'd jump on it myself, but I'm not allowed even one more mere wafer right now.
 
#1,548
Figured I'd share. Put this together from a new Longhorn and an 90's era U3. Came out nice, I think.

IMG_2748_2.jpg
 
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#1,554
mcgreivey said:
Huh. Interesting. I had to cut the pocket in pretty far. I guess Dano Pro and 56 guitar necks are quite different.
Click to expand...
Yeah - because there was a bass version the bridge was set up in a position that would be common with the 24 fret longscale neck and then the guitar and shortscale necks were made to be the right length for that distance from the bridge. The Pro was a short scale guitar and so the neck pocket doesn't match any of the Danelectro bass necks.
 
#1,555
danosix said:
Yeah - because there was a bass version the bridge was set up in a position that would be common with the 24 fret longscale neck and then the guitar and shortscale necks were made to be the right length for that distance from the bridge. The Pro was a short scale guitar and so the neck pocket doesn't match any of the Danelectro bass necks.
Click to expand...

Makes sense.

The Dano Pro body I have is a reissue. I think the reissue Dano Pros have regular Danelectro guitar scale, or close to it. If that's true, then it must use a different neck, with fewer frets. That might make sense, since the pocket (before I modified it) was a bit too narrow for the Dano guitar neck I have. I wish now that I'd measured before my modifications to compare the scale length of the guitar neck to the likely scale length of the body. Maybe next time I take the neck off to adjust the truss rod, I can do that. But that might be years from now, and some Dano expert reading this will know.

By the way, the guitar neck I have is from the period (in the early '00s?) when Dano were asymmetrical. They made Dano Pros then, but since it's apparently not from a Dano Pro, I suppose it came from a DC guitar. I bought the neck used.

msb said:
I like that U3 bass , and it makes me wish the new Danos had more finish options . I'd also love to see a shortscale DC bass .
Click to expand...

I've been thinking of making a short-scale DC from a DC guitar. I haven't worked up the courage to dive into modifying (or replacing, more likely) the fretboard. Other than that, there's not a lot to doing it, I think: change the nut, change the bridge and move it close to the tail (it might need a block added inside the body to support the bridge), remove 2 tuners, maybe change the tone capacitor (s).

Or make it a 6-string bass, which I suppose means widening to slots in the guitar nut.
 
#1,557
mcgreivey said:
Makes sense.

The Dano Pro body I have is a reissue. I think the reissue Dano Pros have regular Danelectro guitar scale, or close to it. If that's true, then it must use a different neck, with fewer frets. That might make sense, since the pocket (before I modified it) was a bit too narrow for the Dano guitar neck I have. I wish now that I'd measured before my modifications to compare the scale length of the guitar neck to the likely scale length of the body. Maybe next time I take the neck off to adjust the truss rod, I can do that. But that might be years from now, and some Dano expert reading this will know.

By the way, the guitar neck I have is from the period (in the early '00s?) when Dano were asymmetrical. They made Dano Pros then, but since it's apparently not from a Dano Pro, I suppose it came from a DC guitar. I bought the neck used.



I've been thinking of making a short-scale DC from a DC guitar. I haven't worked up the courage to dive into modifying (or replacing, more likely) the fretboard. Other than that, there's not a lot to doing it, I think: change the nut, change the bridge and move it close to the tail (it might need a block added inside the body to support the bridge), remove 2 tuners, maybe change the tone capacitor (s).

Or make it a 6-string bass, which I suppose means widening to slots in the guitar nut.
Click to expand...
If yscales
mcgreivey said:
Makes sense.

The Dano Pro body I have is a reissue. I think the reissue Dano Pros have regular Danelectro guitar scale, or close to it. If that's true, then it must use a different neck, with fewer frets. That might make sense, since the pocket (before I modified it) was a bit too narrow for the Dano guitar neck I have. I wish now that I'd measured before my modifications to compare the scale length of the guitar neck to the likely scale length of the body. Maybe next time I take the neck off to adjust the truss rod, I can do that. But that might be years from now, and some Dano expert reading this will know.

By the way, the guitar neck I have is from the period (in the early '00s?) when Dano were asymmetrical. They made Dano Pros then, but since it's apparently not from a Dano Pro, I suppose it came from a DC guitar. I bought the neck used.



I've been thinking of making a short-scale DC from a DC guitar. I haven't worked up the courage to dive into modifying (or replacing, more likely) the fretboard. Other than that, there's not a lot to doing it, I think: change the nut, change the bridge and move it close to the tail (it might need a block added inside the body to support the bridge), remove 2 tuners, maybe change the tone capacitor (s).

Or make it a 6-string bass, which I suppose means widening to slots in the guitar nut.
Click to expand...
If you move the bridge you need to change the scale of the neck.
The originals used a guitar neck blank but the fretboard was fretted for a 30 inch scalescale so essentially the bottom half of a bass neck.
You can do this but its pretty major surgery you'd need a 30 fretboard and replace the one on the neck. It would be less drastic to make or have made a purpose built neck.
 
#1,560
narwhale said:
Has anyone found a good solution to deal with the pickups vibrating against the routes and making noise? It's particularly noticeable when I anchor my thumb on the neck PU. I'm wondering if I could find some thin rubber to line the routes or something like that to prevent the metal on wood contact.
Click to expand...
I think the best solution is install a thumb rest - never heard of that before because most people don't anchor on them since they're so rounded and low to the body at the ends.
 

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