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nbd- Danelectro Danoblaster bass- good cheap bass?

Maxdusty

Maxdusty

Mar 9, 2012
6,556
7,035
Michigan USA
#1
I just bought this over the phone and having it shipped to me. Saw it online at GC and have always wanted to get my hands on a Danelectro- the price of $119 plus shipping was far too tempting and thought it was worth a shot.
Anyway, bass has a few shallow finish scratches on the back per the review of the Sales Associate over the phone but in otherwise in great condition- neck straight, no fretwear and the built in chorus effect (which is the novelty of the bass that attracted me to this model) works.
Just wondering if anyone who owns or perhaps previously owned the bass can give me some feedback on this (I checked previous threads in TB- found only a few).
Should I have held off on buying this?

I'm not expecting a great bass for the original price it sold for, but hopefully as a P-bass clone backup to jam around with.
Don't have it in my hands yet, so I really don't know what to expect. I haven't even had the opportunity to try any Danelectro bass previously- small town, small bass selection. :bawl:
 

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#2
Nice looking little critter you got there -- and at the price, you've now got bragging rights on owning a Dano for a song!

Sir, hold your tears, for you are not a loser but a winner!
Bet you'll dial in a good sound with that thing, and your back is sure to thank you.
 
#3
I have no experience with that particular Dano, but I did own a reissue Longhorn. It sounded great and played well. No fret issues at all.

I'm sure you'll enjoy it. And with the P pickup you should get some great tones.

Congrats!
 
#4
Thanks for the feedback... was feeling guilty about making an impulse buy on a bass I know very little about. I guess I can face my wife with being overly racked with guilt. I have to say as I'm getting up there in age, one main draw of Danelectro basses I've always heard about and have not had the experience with, is the light weight of most of their instruments. That is totally up my alley.
 
#5
Maxdusty said:
Thanks for the feedback... was feeling guilty about making an impulse buy on a bass I know very little about. I guess I can face my wife with being overly racked with guilt. I have to say as I'm getting up there in age, one main draw of Danelectro basses I've always heard about and have not had the experience with, is the light weight of most of their instruments. That is totally up my alley.
Click to expand...

You are going to LOVE the weight, I'd guess around 5-7 lbs?

I especially appreciate light guitars for studio work, it gets annoying having to work a console while simultaneously wrestling with a neck diving or butt-heavy guitar or bass.
 
#7
FWIW, that is the Rumor bass from the DanoBlaster series. I have never managed to see one in person but would like to have one. A friend had the two guitars from the same series (The Inuendo and Hearsay) and they were both very nice.
 
#8
Herbie Chesnutt said:
Is that the model with the built-in chorus? I've been wanting to try one of those out in person.

Happy bassing, my friend.
Click to expand...

Thanks!
Yes, it's got the built in chorus and two input jacks on it. One bypasses the chorus effect even though the chorus effect is activated with the button on the bottom horn face of the bass. Really curious about it myself. Didn't have much time to read more about it before I purchased it as used basses disappear quickly on the GC used site.

Justice, thanks for the info too. Wasn't aware DanoBlaster was a series and not the model name of the bass itself.
 
#9
In 1962, I bought an original Danelectro Longhorn bass and played it as my only bass in various bar bands for over 12 years. I NEVER had any trouble with it at all- I had to adjust the truss rod twice in 12 years-they are incredibly rugged and well made and great players, Depending on the sound you want you might want to try flats...I now have a MIK Longhorn re issue from the '90's and I love it.

I often do what you did - jump on something I see for sale before someone else gets smart-and I find I'm usually right. I recommend a hard case for it if you play it out.
 
#11
I have one in the blue sparkle. it is not hollow like regular danos so not as light but i would guess basswood or some other light wood. chorus effect is actually pretty good. not adjustable but set at a good sound. neck is fine. prettty flat too. all metal bridge , no rosewood block so intonation is cool. standard pickup is a very loud p bass, IMHO is little harsh sounding. been thinking about changing it out actually. but never seem to get to it. i have had it since issued in late? 90's. doesn't really sound like any of my other danos.....

enjoy

just found a picture

DANO.jpg
 
#12
jumbodbassman said:
I have one in the blue sparkle. it is not hollow like regular danos so not as light but i would guess basswood or some other light wood. chorus effect is actually pretty good. not adjustable but set at a good sound. neck is fine. prettty flat too. all metal bridge , no rosewood block so intonation is cool. standard pickup is a very loud p bass, IMHO is little harsh sounding. been thinking about changing it out actually. but never seem to get to it. i have had it since issued in late? 90's. doesn't really sound like any of my other danos.....

enjoy

just found a picture

DANO.jpg
Click to expand...

Nice!! I've been looking at other Danelectro basses online- I guess I haven't really looked into them at all (being that I've yet to see one here locally so it's out of sight, out of mind I guess). Really like their designs- this could start a whole lot of GAS if I'm not careful. :hiding:
 
#15
I had a Danoblaster last year for a few months. I really liked it, but the particular one I owned had some problems so I ended up selling it. If I could find another one in good condition, I would absolutely buy it. Very cool looking bass.
 
#16
I had two and am now down to just the black one.
Really great basses for the money.
Both of mine (one new blue and the other used black) had great necks right out of the box. The chorus is a cute feature and the tone out of the chorus jack with the chorus off sound better to me than the passive jack.
You can play pro gigs with them and they are stupid light.
I don't personally love the neck radius on the back but think very highly of them.
I have wondered what they would sound like with a pup swap and would be curious to hear if anyone has tried this.
 
#17
Bullitt5135 said:
Still kicking myself for passing on that exact model/color bass a month ago on Ebay. I had just dumped a bunch of $$ on PA equipment, and my slush fund was all dried up. Where are you in MI? I'm just west of AA.
Click to expand...

Near Port Huron.
Purchased the bass online from a GC store in Illinois earlier this morning. It's supposed to come on Thursday- can't wait.
I check out the GC used site pretty much every chance I get and every now and then, see a bass I wouldn't mind trying going for a song. Not much risk involved as they have that 30 day return policy. I've also lost out on quite a few as the really good deals are picked up so quickly.

I'm also dying to plug the bass into my two amps- one in the passive jack, the other to the "chorus" jack and play in stereo - sure fire way to drive the neighbors crazy. :)
Quick question on those that have or have had this bass model before. Can I use normal gauge strings on this particular model or should I stick to light? The tuners on the Rumor look more like bass tuners compared to the other danelectro model basses and the bridge looks a little more sturdy , perhaps they can handle the tension - is this true?
 
#18
Update: Just received the bass this morning- I need to get a battery to test the built in chorus effect.
First impression upon visually seeing the bass, I was overall not impressed- the body and finish seemed cheap, at least it's light- not sold on the sparkle finish though. My instant thought was it was similar to a First Act bass. :(
Neck felt good though so I plugged it in and.....
WOW!!!! The bass has a thump and sound that just blew me away. This sure ain't no First Act bass......With the comfortable neck, playing on it just blew me away. Now in comparison, I played it next to my other recent acquisition- a MIM Fender P Bass with upgraded Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pickups and I can't grasp the reality that this Danelectro actually sounds better! I couldn't believe it and actually had to get a few people to listen to it without looking which bass I was playing, and it was unanimous, this cheap looking runt of a bass does sound better. The sound is clean and deep especially when using the effects input jack, not the bypass. Off to buy a battery now to test that chorus effect.
What's running through my head is that if the body of the Danelectro goes south on me, I'm going to put the pickups on the Fender lol. Again, I love the neck .
I can get used to the "cheap" finish and sparkles if the bass itself sounds like a million bucks. Happy with the purchase and the bass!

Edit: Yup, the chorus works, so of course the first song to play that came to mind to test the effect was Nirvana Come as you are.
 
#20
Maxdusty said:
I can get used to the "cheap" finish and sparkles if the bass itself sounds like a million bucks. Happy with the purchase and the bass!
Click to expand...
That's part of the attraction to Dano's generally IMO. They look kinda cheap and flimsy but they sound great and are actually much more robustly built than meets the eye. Kind of an ugly/attractive vibe. Not for everyone but I like 'em.
 

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