Official Aqua Danelectro Dano 63 Club!

[SilverBirch]

ah..probably should've posted here first :scowl:

But yeah.. I'm definitely gonna try to replace the front strap button. Found a few repair/mod shops and gonna compare. If there's anything else that I should modify, please let me know! I did read a few threads, but as a beginner, it's a bit overwhelming

 

[Chuck King]

Well, about five months down the road with the Dano '63, I have to report some unexpected issues that have arisen with the bass. Primarily, the BODY is warping! The neck has stayed relatively straight and responds as expected to truss rod adjustments, but the string height at the 12th fret DOUBLED over the last few months, which can only mean that that cheap plywood-and-masonite body is bending!!! ***?!?!? I put a shim in the neck pocket and was able to get the action back where it had been---we'll see if it it continues to move, or if some morning the body just breaks in half.

Also, the bridge mounting screws are visibly being pulled towards the neck---so far, the movement has been within the range that intonation adjustments can keep up with, but I'm going to look into getting some anchors and machine screws. Although, I'm not sure that the anchors would hold, either.

FWIW, I have the bass strung with regular D'Addario Chromes flats, gauged .045-.100. Not bridge cables, and strings that certainly should be within the design parameters of any bass made today.

I like how the bass sounds, and with the action fixed it plays great, but after these experiences I would think twice (or three or four times) before buying another Danelectro bass. Maybe mine was a lemon, but these seem like problems that naturally arise from the dirt-cheap construction of these things.

If the body continues to warp, I may see if I can get a lightweight pine body made in the same shape, and swap the pickups, pickguard, neck, etc. onto that. But at that point I'll have a lot more into the bass that I intended.

 

[Mastermold]

Well, about five months down the road with the Dano '63, I have to report some unexpected issues that have arisen with the bass. Primarily, the BODY is warping! The neck has stayed relatively straight and responds as expected to truss rod adjustments, but the string height at the 12th fret DOUBLED over the last few months, which can only mean that that cheap plywood-and-masonite body is bending!!! ***?!?!? I put a shim in the neck pocket and was able to get the action back where it had been---we'll see if it it continues to move, or if some morning the body just breaks in half.

Also, the bridge mounting screws are visibly being pulled towards the neck---so far, the movement has been within the range that intonation adjustments can keep up with, but I'm going to look into getting some anchors and machine screws. Although, I'm not sure that the anchors would hold, either.

FWIW, I have the bass strung with regular D'Addario Chromes flats, gauged .045-.100. Not bridge cables, and strings that certainly should be within the design parameters of any bass made today.

I like how the bass sounds, and with the action fixed it plays great, but after these experiences I would think twice (or three or four times) before buying another Danelectro bass. Maybe mine was a lemon, but these seem like problems that naturally arise from the dirt-cheap construction of these things.

If the body continues to warp, I may see if I can get a lightweight pine body made in the same shape, and swap the pickups, pickguard, neck, etc. onto that. But at that point I'll have a lot more into the bass that I intended.

Well, I've got the exact same strings on mine and while I also shimmed the neck (following your advice) to get the action down nice and low, nothing has moved since. I wonder if something else is going on with yours?

 

[marcwcarroll]

hey club- I need an aqua long scale... any source anyone knows about?

 

[Mastermold]

hey club- I need an aqua long scale... any source anyone knows about?

Probably just ebay now. I got mine from MF several months ago when they were blowing them out for $199.

 

[marcwcarroll]

Dangit nice one. I have searched the bay, nothing so far.. If anyone hears of one available please let me know. thx

 

[Boove]

I am a satisfied Dano 63 Aqua Italian owner...

I took the bass to my guitar technician (he's also a skilled lutist here in Roma, a really cool guy) to swap the original pickups with golden GFS 8k (bridge) and 6k(neck) lipstick pickups and to mount a EMG PA2 preamp booster, since the general output was not hot enough for me (I play in a loud and crappy indie/punk/rock band).

Now the tone is wonderful...

I think I'm going to change the bridge...getting something more solid. An English guy told me he mounted a Fender Jaguar bridge on his Dano 63...

I'd also like to change the pick guard with a custom one (you can find them here
Link Removed ).

 

[JonW]

Reviving this thread… I have one of these basses. (It's my only bass, actually.) Thought that I'd provide some info that might be useful to others.


The bass was OK, but it needed some help to be more playable. So I dropped the bridge down to the body. And added some shims to the neck pocket. I put two business cards in there, of different lengths, to add some tilt. Got the thing playing well, with the action nice and low. All was well.


(An aside: This was actually the first time that I ever removed the neck of any guitar or bass. I was able to do it without needing new strings. I loosened all the strings until they were super floppy but still in the tuners. Then wrapped a face cloth around the neck and held the strings to the neck with a woodworking clamp. Removed neck, added shims, put the neck back on, removed the clamp, tightened the strings. Excellent.)


So the bass is playing well. I got away from playing for some months. Switched over to guitar. Roamed the Earth for while. (OK, it was work travel.) Then one day, I look at the bass and the strings are a mile high off the fret board. Just like Chuck King said, above. The neck took on a little curve, for the first time. So I removed the neck as described above, gave the truss road about a 1/3 turn (4 mm Allen wrench, BTW). Added two more business card shims, for a total of 4 cards in there now. Put the neck back on. It's better for sure. But not where it was earlier and not quite to where I want it to be.


I looked closely and do not see any warping of the body. But I did see what is in the photo, below. It seems as though the bridge screws are tearing themselves out of the body. Or, actually, the metal that the screw sits in. Uh oh!


Next up, I think that I will try adding a wood shim into the neck pocket, something in the range of 0.1"/2+ mm thick. Might help. Although I am likely be fighting a loosing battle here.


I do like the sound of the bass. But it has a flimsy feel to it. Note in the photo how even the bridge metal has a warp to it. And playing the first fret requires a bit of reach. Now I think I can see where the cheapness of it all is playing out. I may have to get a "real" bass next. Still, I'm glad that I have it here, to play a little bass when the urge strikes.

 

[JonW]

Some more thoughts here, in case they help anyone…


I was almost ready to add a thick, wood shim to the bass but then thought better of it. On the treble side, seen in the photo, the thing that the screw goes into (anchor?) is pulling out of the body. On the bass side (not shown), it's just the screw that is visible above the body now. It's possible that the anchor is working it's way out there, too, and I just don't see it. Or it's also possible that the screws go right into the body without an anchor.


Anyways, I am thinking that the guitar might rip itself apart. With the tension from the strings pulling the bridge out of the body and then we're done. It's still quite playable now. So it's probably best not to loosen the sting tension. That might give the screws a chance to relax. Then retensioning the strings will pull it back. In essence, doing these things might help wiggle the screws out of the body.


There are probably ways to fix everything here, but it depends on how much effort you are willing to put in. Maybe remove the bridge, add in a lot of glue and wood to strengthen the bridge area. Then screw the bridge back in. But if it comes to that, I might just get a new bass instead.


If anyone else is having similar issues and the bass is still playable, I will recommend that you do not remove the neck. And do not change strings. I'm curious if other people have dealt with this. It's still a fun bass to play and I'm gal that I've had it for these years.

 

[JonW]

OK, another update that probably no one will read. But what the heck, I'll post it just in case...

I turned down all the bridge screws, to bring the bridge plate closer to the body of the guitar. It worked just fine. I was afraid that the wood was stripped or something but the screws and bridge went in perfectly. The bridge is lower and the action on all the strings went lower. There is not much left for adjustments in this regard. The screws are kind of at their max or thereabouts. But the bass is even better playing now. So things look good as long as there are no changes to the neck or body from temp and humidity changes. (Although we have winter and summer where I live.) And as long as the screws hold where they are. No idea if the screws are going to give out at any moment or they may last for ages.

After the adjustments I was noodling around for a while, unplugged. When in the upper frets, the unplugged bass gives some nice tones reminiscent of an upright. And upper fret access is really great. I still want to get myself another, more solid bass or two. But this one is OK for the moment.

 

[CatSquare]

I'm hoping my Dano DC doesn't develop any of these issues - I've got it exactly how I like it, and I like it a lot (a lot a lot, as in LOVE). Same exact strings too.

 

[JonW]

I'm hoping my Dano DC doesn't develop any of these issues - I've got it exactly how I like it, and I like it a lot (a lot a lot, as in LOVE). Same exact strings too.

Hopefully yours is OK. I have no idea how common these issues are. I found them, even though my bass has never left my house or been abused. And it sounds as though Chuck King has the same thing going on. I've got the bass stable for now. So we'll see if that lasts. Overall, the thing is pretty cheaply made. Even the bridge main metal plate is bent. I can't expect much or complain much about the bass. Heck, it didn't cost much and it is fun, for what it is.

 

[Turock]

OK, another update that probably no one will read. But what the heck, I'll post it just in case...

I turned down all the bridge screws, to bring the bridge plate closer to the body of the guitar. It worked just fine. I was afraid that the wood was stripped or something but the screws and bridge went in perfectly. The bridge is lower and the action on all the strings went lower. There is not much left for adjustments in this regard. The screws are kind of at their max or thereabouts. But the bass is even better playing now. So things look good as long as there are no changes to the neck or body from temp and humidity changes. (Although we have winter and summer where I live.) And as long as the screws hold where they are. No idea if the screws are going to give out at any moment or they may last for ages.

After the adjustments I was noodling around for a while, unplugged. When in the upper frets, the unplugged bass gives some nice tones reminiscent of an upright. And upper fret access is really great. I still want to get myself another, more solid bass or two. But this one is OK for the moment.

Soon after I got mine, the bridge popped off. I screwed the bridge back on and it has held. I suppose that was at least two years ago. I'm guessing, that initially, it just wasn't screwed in deep enough to hold; haven't had any problems with the bridge since. Never had any problems with the neck.

 

[JonW]

Soon after I got mine, the bridge popped off. I screwed the bridge back on and it has held. I suppose that was at least two years ago. I'm guessing, that initially, it just wasn't screwed in deep enough to hold; haven't had any problems with the bridge since. Never had any problems with the neck.

E gad, it popped off? Sorry about that. Were the screws going straight into the wood or are they seated in some collets or something? Whatever the screw-body interface is, I think that's the weak point.

I also have had very good luck with the neck. It was straight as an arrow for a few years. Recently, when doing the work above, I gave the truss rod 1/3 of a turn. That's all it's ever needed.

 

[Turock]

E gad, it popped off? Sorry about that. Were the screws going straight into the wood or are they seated in some collets or something? Whatever the screw-body interface is, I think that's the weak point.

I also have had very good luck with the neck. It was straight as an arrow for a few years. Recently, when doing the work above, I gave the truss rod 1/3 of a turn. That's all it's ever needed.

Yep, popped right off. Didn't damage anything. I wasn't playing it at the time. It was just sitting in the stand and gave away. I don't remember if the screw goes straight into the wood or not, but seems like it does.

 

[JonW]

Yep, popped right off. Didn't damage anything. I wasn't playing it at the time. It was just sitting in the stand and gave away. I don't remember if the screw goes straight into the wood or not, but seems like it does.

Sounds like all turned out well for you. Just screw it back in and you're good.

 

[Roman Mars]

Well, about five months down the road with the Dano '63, I have to report some unexpected issues that have arisen with the bass. Primarily, the BODY is warping! The neck has stayed relatively straight and responds as expected to truss rod adjustments, but the string height at the 12th fret DOUBLED over the last few months, which can only mean that that cheap plywood-and-masonite body is bending!!! ***?!?!? I put a shim in the neck pocket and was able to get the action back where it had been---we'll see if it it continues to move, or if some morning the body just breaks in half.

Also, the bridge mounting screws are visibly being pulled towards the neck---so far, the movement has been within the range that intonation adjustments can keep up with, but I'm going to look into getting some anchors and machine screws. Although, I'm not sure that the anchors would hold, either.

FWIW, I have the bass strung with regular D'Addario Chromes flats, gauged .045-.100. Not bridge cables, and strings that certainly should be within the design parameters of any bass made today.

I like how the bass sounds, and with the action fixed it plays great, but after these experiences I would think twice (or three or four times) before buying another Danelectro bass. Maybe mine was a lemon, but these seem like problems that naturally arise from the dirt-cheap construction of these things.

If the body continues to warp, I may see if I can get a lightweight pine body made in the same shape, and swap the pickups, pickguard, neck, etc. onto that. But at that point I'll have a lot more into the bass that I intended.

Hi chuck! I recently just purchased the dano 63 longscale bass off of reverb and it came about two days ago! All in all everything looked good and I started to tune it up, played it for a bit and it sounded great! The next day I removed the bass from its case and I noticed the exact same thing!! At the end of the body it's taken on a slight curve, like as if it's slightly bending from the tension of the strings... I also noticed one of the screws on the bridge on the tone knobs side is bending forward towards the strings... and the action was super duper high... I brought it into a realgood guitar setup guy and I'm supposed to get it back on Tuesday, but I'm not really sure if the setup isgonna do much good for it, it'll probably help but not much. I just want to know If the warping has gotten any worse since you've had yours these past years? or is it still all good and playable and it just settled in with the previous warpage that has already undergone? I just want to know if this bass is gonna be able to survive being played...

 

[P. Aaron]

So, I guess if I bought a Longhorn it would not be advisable to adjust to string gauges to B-E-A-D?

 

[Roman Mars]

OK, another update that probably no one will read. But what the heck, I'll post it just in case...

I turned down all the bridge screws, to bring the bridge plate closer to the body of the guitar. It worked just fine. I was afraid that the wood was stripped or something but the screws and bridge went in perfectly. The bridge is lower and the action on all the strings went lower. There is not much left for adjustments in this regard. The screws are kind of at their max or thereabouts. But the bass is even better playing now. So things look good as long as there are no changes to the neck or body from temp and humidity changes. (Although we have winter and summer where I live.) And as long as the screws hold where they are. No idea if the screws are going to give out at any moment or they may last for ages.

After the adjustments I was noodling around for a while, unplugged. When in the upper frets, the unplugged bass gives some nice tones reminiscent of an upright. And upper fret access is really great. I still want to get myself another, more solid bass or two. But this one is OK for the moment.

Hi chuck! I recently just purchased the dano 63 longscale bass off of reverb and it came about two days ago! All in all everything looked good and I started to tune it up, played it for a bit and it sounded great! The next day I removed the bass from its case and I noticed the exact same thing!! MAt the end of the body it's taken on a slight curve, like as if it's slightly bending from the tension of the strings... I also noticed one of the screws on the bridge on the tone knobs side is bending forward towards the strings... and the action was super duper high... I brought it into a realgood guitar setup guy and I'm supposed to get it back on Tuesday, but I'm not really sure if the setup isgonna do much good for it, it'll probably help but not much. I just want to know If the warping has gotten any worse since you've hadyours these past years? or is it still all good and playable and it just settled in with the previous warpage that has already undergone? I just want to know if this bass is gonna be able to survive being played...

 

[Roman Mars]

So, I guess if I bought a Longhorn it would not be advisable to adjust to string gauges to B-E-A-D?

Actually I have the long horn bass and that one is fine! I had the strings changed on that since I wanted some higher quality, deeper bass strings and the only thing I noticed with it was that bridge was sagging towards the strings abit. It probably was already sagging with the old strings on it and I bought it new! All in all that bass is pretty well built for a dano! I have no issues with it now and the action on it is great!