Danelectro Danelectro E-Studio

I bought this fellow second hand, it came with no headphones or instructions. From what I've read, the lack of headphones was a good thing - they are purportedly quite crappy. With my proper headphones the clean sound especially is quite good - more than adequate for the purpose of the unit (sitting on the couch playing guitar through headphones)

I should point out the little speaker on the front of it is fake. You can't wander around the house broadcasting your mad skills unless you strap up a battery powered speaker to yourself as well. I didn't realise this until I had a closer look at it.

It's all pretty intuitive without any instructions - plug guitar in, plug in headphones or line out to an amp/recording device (the full sized line out jack is a nice touch). There is an on/off switch, a distortion switch, an "echo" switch, a volume dial and a distortion dial.

There is also a plug for an external power supply.

The clean setting for the unit is surprisingly good assuming you have decent headphones.

I quite like the distortion, it's a straight up rock distortion - ACDC, 60s rock, punk and grunge stuff will be reasonably simulated as you sit on your couch. With the volume and distortion too high whilst thrashing your guitar you can get a nasty buzz in one of your headphones however. If you are a MeTL head you will most likely be extremely disappointed, but I don't think this unit is aimed at that demographic particularly.

The echo is a 1950s delay sound. It makes you sound like you are playing in a bathroom. Unlike the distortion it can't be adjusted either, but if you are playing any Elvis or Johnny Cash stuff you'll get a kick out of it. It's actually quite nice for blues stuff. You can probably tell by the design of the thing it's more pitched to vintage sounds.

Pressing the echo and the distortion together means you can coax some more Hendrix/Cream/Zeppliny tinged sounds out of the thing. Actually playing around with these two settings is heaps of fun.

There is also a full sized line out jack on this unit as well, which means it can be used for recording or as a little effects unit for an amp. It's not really practical as an effects unit as it doesn't have a bypass switch, and you can't control it with your foot (unless you have extremely dexterous toes). BUT - I actually quite like the distortion run through a real amp ... sounds better than a Boss DS-1 to me anyway (Boss DS-1 haters/lovers, bite your tongue). So if you want "straight" or more subtle distortion, you could do a lot worse. The echo effect is similarly not too bad when "blown up" (considering this is basically a toy).

The unit can sometimes hum (not always). Whether it is being used with headphones or plugged through other effects and/or an amp. It's subtle but noticeable, however it doesn't really bother me after the first minute.

I've been playing this unit with a Squier Strat and a decent set of Panasonic headphones. I tested the line out through a Marshall practice amp. I ran my pedal board through it too for a lark (using the unit with headphones, not through an amp): It handled the Whammy and the Crybaby Wah well, but it didn't like other distortion pedals very much. It was particularly distressed by having a Big Muff run through it (perhaps not TOO surprising, that one).

This unit is mostly plastic in construction, but seems sturdy enough for playing around the house.

This is basically a toy unit for use primarily with headphones, it would be unlikely this would be used at a gig (but quite cool to say you did). The only time I could think of it being used at a gig would be if it was a low-key acoustic set and you needed some whacky echo sounds/light distortion for a number or two, or perhaps if your real distortion pedal exploded whilst you were playing covers and you quickly patched this into your effects loop for the last few songs (this might be a little far-fetched).

I bought this second hand. No support for me.

I play mostly rock/funk/punk, but I'll tackle any genre really. This unit is good if you love vintage sounds (not too bad for ska either, the echo effect).

I've been playing guitar for seven years (drums for much longer). Since my real job has meant I have less time to play but more money, I've recently acquired a bad case of GAS (Gear Accumulation Syndrome), and make use of a Crybaby Wah, Big Muff, Digitech Whammy, Boss DS-1 (leave it alone people!), and a Boss multi-effects pedal that handles all your Chorus/Delay/Flanging/Reverberation needs.

If I lost it and I could find it again at a bargain price (I've only ever seen one of these locally at a pawn shop), I would buy it again. I probably wouldn't go to great lengths to track down a new one. Even though it's a charming little unit.

It's easy to fall in love with this thing - the version I have has a vintage "pale mint green" colour, it has a very 1950s Danelectro fake speaker front on it, it's styled to be very retro. The effects are simple but give you enough combinations of knobs and dials to keep you entertained for ages. The clip on the back goes nicely onto your guitar strap, and the line out means you can use it as a simple effects unit or as a pre-amp for computer recording. The worst thing about it is the buzz you sometimes get with it, but it's generally avoidable.

The only thing that would make this unit better would be a bypass switch so you could leave it in your effects loop and flick it on when you wanted to amusing everyone at the jam session with your cheesy echo effects. However this is not the primary function of the unit, and would be a tad unnecessary. One thing that would be nice is if that little speaker at the front worked (there is another Danelectro mini-amp that does just this, however I don't think it has any echo effects, and it's not as compact).

This little guy will have you happily practicing on the couch for hours, remembering all the sounds you can get out of a guitar on a very basic set up.

Tone purists will probably hate the effects. People who love cheap plastic vintage looking stuff will go to sleep hugging it.

If you get this for a good price, it's a cool little toy.