Danelectro '58 Longhorn Reissue

I am the same Joe that reviewed this bass in '02. Six years later still kicking *** and no problems. I do not service it at all. The setup has never been changed. Just the strings when they lose tone.
I play all the time and this bass is my main axe.All the reviewers who mention that it feels flimsy I just don't get. Mine is in a shotgun case that I cut the foam to fit. Sound is great for rock, blues etc. I still agree with all the statements mentioned below. Buy one if you can find one. They ae not as cheap as they were in the 90's!

I have played mine for over adecade without ANY work. The intonation is still spot on and the truss rod has never been turned. I use a Fender Mustang to get a 'darker' sound, but the Dano is my favorite.

Never needed.

This is the cheapest and most useful bass guitar I have ever had. I still get comments from players about how clean my sound is and how it cuts through the mix without having that 'whale fart underwater' sound. It's light, but sturdy. It's a surprise to someone used to lugging a P-bass all night. We play 41/2 hour shows and the Dano performs very well all the time.

This is the new or re,reissue longhorn 2006. Korean.
It has the same body construction and pickups, everything else is defferent. It is like the older reissue pro model. It has better tunners, but they don't look as good as the D tunners. it has an adjustible bridge and better strap buttons. It only has one volume and one tone knob, so you can't pick either/or pickups anymore.

It sound clear, I don't know how else to say it, just a real good clear bass sound. no noise or hum.
very versitle. warm, bright, dark, all that stuff

Good action out of the box, d string needed an intonation adjustment. Nice that you can do that now. Good fret work, good construction. even the input jack was tight,WOW! One small chip in the finish. I hate that. I like earning all my battle scars. The whole thing is black even the back of the neck. I don't like painted necks, but this one seems fast and smooth. So for now I won't sand it down.

It just looks cool and cheap. They don't look like they would hold up, but they do. selector switches are sometimes a week point in Dano's. I have five different Dano's and I love them all.

I have deen told to not even try getting help from them.

I own lots of guitars and basses. I'm a hobbyist and a dreamer.
You either love or hate the longhorn. Just like motorcycles; you can buy a better bass for $400.00 dollars, but it's not a Dano.

1998 KOREAN 24 FRETS MASONITE TOPS PINE FRAME SINGLE TRUSS ROD 2 LIPSTICK TUNERS PURPLE SPARKLE FINISH 20" SCALE EXTREMELY LIGHT DURABLE BASS.

IT SOUNDS PERFECT FOR ANYTHING I PLAY IT HAS THE BEST RANGE TOO. THERE IS SO MUCH VARITY IN THE SOUND IT IS AMAZING. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT

EVERYTHING WAS IN PLACE WHEN I BOUGHT THIS BASS. THE ONLY MAGOR PROBLEM WAS THE LINING ON THE SIDE WHICH WAS BUBBLED UP EVER SCINCE I BOUGHT IT.OTHER TNAN THAT EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT.

IVE USED THIS BASS FOR THREE YEARS PLYAING THE ODD GIG AND IT HELD UP TO EVERYTHING EXCEPT FOR THE STRAP BUTTON BUT GLUE FIXES IT. THE HARDWARE SEMMS LIKE IT WILL LAST FOREVER. THE FINISH IS AMAZING AFTER PLAYING IT EVERY DAY FOR 3 YEARS IT LOOKS BARND NEW.THE STRAP BUTTONS ARE CRAP. BUTGLUEN FIXES THE PROBLEM PERMANTLEY. ITS THE ONLY RELIABLE BASS I HAVE . I USED IT MANY TIMES WITHOUT A BCKUP AND NOTHING WENT WRONG

I HAVENT DEALT WITH THE COMPANY. THE BASS IS VERY SIMPLE AND EASY TO FIX

I AM 17 AND HAVE BENN PLAYING FOR 5 YEARS AND THIS IS THE BEST BASS IVE EVER HAD. I HAD A CHARVEL

Late 90's Danelectro 58'Longhorn Bass Reissue.
Korean-Made Reissue of the Neptune New Jersey, U.S.A. Classic.
24 Fret, Triple-Octave, 30 Inch Short-Scale.
Masonite Top & Bottom, Semi-Hollow Body, Pine Frame, Maple Neck.
Twin Lipstick Passive Pickups.
Concentric Volume-Tone Controls for Each Lipstick Pickup.
Rather Unique " Peach-Burst " Polyurethane ? Finish. Mint.
Danelectro Body Style...Nothing else Like Em'.
Steel Three Point Adjustable Bridge, One-Piece Rosewood Saddle.
Individual Sealed Danelectro Tuners, with "Pseudo-Vintage" Cream Knobs.
Thin, Narrow, Easy to Play Neck.
Bass came with a Danelectro Tweed Gig Bag.

For the Money, this Bass does the Trick. It has a Clean, Punchy, Resonant Tone that Cuts Easily through the Mix. Sounds better when Played in a Band Situation. I have Owned Two Vintage Danelectro Shorthorns and they do Sound Different, ( Warmer ), but are not as Punchy, Clear, and do not have Adjustable Necks...a Huge Disadvantage.
Lipsticks are Kinda Trebly, You have to Play with the Tone Knobs a Bit.

All I had to do was Adjust One Bridge Screw Downwards & Lower the "E" String and things were where I wanted them...Nice & Low ! Cannot say that for Many other Basses I've Owned, even the better Vintage Ones.
Lipsticks in Correct Positions.
Tuners are working Terrific, despite what other Reviewers have said.
This is a " Clean Machine ! "

Already had the Bass out for a Long Night and it Performed Flawlessly.
The Hardware Follows the Danelectro Tradition of " Basic, Yet Highly Functional. " As mentioned Earlier, I Previously Owned Two Vintage Shorthorn Basses ( and One DC Bass ) and they are all Pretty basic Instruments Made on the Cheap, but to Perform & Last & Sound Great.
There has been a Lot of Derision regarding the Strap Buttons ( Coming Loose, Falling Out, Etc. ) Tell You what, this is how Danelectro Built Basses and Guitars in the 50's and 60's. If the Damn Strap Buttons come out, Glue Em' back in for God's Sake !
If You want Better Technology, Go Pay More for a Bass. I'll sure as Hell tell You one thing....it ain't Gonna Sound Like a Danelectro !
Haven't had to Adjust the Truss Rod. For what it is, this would seem a Dependable Bass.
I am going to be Gigging very soon without a Back-Up.

I Dealt with Evets Corporation back Several Years Ago when I Owned My DC Bass. They were very helpful.
Warranty is Expired.

Playing Bass 36 Years.
I would Buy another in a Minute....Wish I had Bought One Years Ago !
I Love the Light-Weight, Easy Playability, Great Sound, and Retro-Look !
The Fully Intonatable / Adjustable Bridge may be Added Later....Right Now, I am Having Too much Fun !

Wood frame with masonite top and back. Two standard Lipstick/tube pickups, simi fixed wood bridge. Make in Korea around 1998. Short scale 24 fret neck (Ajustable if removed). And tuners that look like they came off a toy guitar. Features are not what make this Bass.

Sounds like a short scale hollow body bass. And this is a good thing. The sound is mellow, not deep and powerful. Ever hear a car drive by and all you hear is a thump thump boom boom from the bass. Well it does not sound like that at all. This bass if for those who want to sing and carry a tune. Don't buy it if all you want is thump thump boom boom. Try one if you like to really play with the song. Each note can be heard clearly with out overpowering the music.

Setup, there is no setup. You like it or you don't Sure you can change it a little, but not that much. The finish isn't that bad. It holds up quite well over the years. It is not a well made bass by any means. You have to take care of it. The tuners and the bridge when you first look at them make you think what a joke, but they work. It's a 58 reissur, and that's the way they made the first ones. The only thing I hated about this guitar was the strap pegs and that is was neck heavy at first.

This is a hard one to answer. I use one to gig with, but not every song. I have used it for three years now, and no problems. I did put some real strap pegs on it the day I got it. Push in pegs just don't get it in my book. I filled the holes, drilled new ones in a better location, and added strap locks that would last. Other then that I never changed a thing over all of these years.

never used it.

I have played for way too long. I own or have owned several guitars and basses. This bass is the first one I pick up when I just want to play. I also have a Fender Jazz fretless bass, a Fender telacaster bass, and a Rickenbacker. I have to say the Rickenbacker is by far the best of the lot, but the Danelectro Longhorn has it's place. For your money you can't touch the Longhorn for value. Worth every penny and then some. If it was lost or stolen, I would replace it, maybe with a Longhorn pro next time, maybe not. But I would have to get another Longhorn. Every Bass player needs to try one out. It may not be your cup of tea, but I bet you will have to smile when you play and hear it. You will be making real music with it right away. Or you can just keep going thump thump boom boom on a long scale bass and just keep a beat.

My re-issue was built in '98. Korea
You know how they're built. Semi-hollow, lipstick pick-ups
Shortscale neck.
Has two concentric controls that have Vol/Tone together.
Yellow finish with brown vinyl tape covering the seem.
No accessories with mine.

I play blues and love the sound of this guitar. It is warm and breaks up nicely with the volume up. I sometimes use a bass wah for some funk , but usually it goes straight through my Fender Bassman 10. I used this setup in the studio and the sound is COOL. I also play it through a Silvertone 1483 for a little harsher distorted sound. Mine has the wooden bridge, but the new ones are better. The steel bridge stands up to time better and doesn't wear down and get string notches in it like the wood. However, I've played mine for several years and not needed to replace it.

Factory set up is OK. These basses are easy to change if you like your action low or high. Simple is good. Pickups are fine and honestly don't change much in volume no matter how you set them up. The only two complaints I have are the binding on the edge of mine bubbled up and the strap button popped out. I glued both back down and have had no problems since( 3 or so years ago) I play alot! The new ones have far superior strap buttons so this isn't a problem if you're looking for a new one. If you get a used one, get some JB weld or super glue ready and it's an easy fix. I cut a peice of gold foil and put it under the clear plastic pick guard which makes it look a little better. The clear plastic is a little cheesy.

This bass has been played on stage litterally 100's of times. I have not had any trouble except to glue the strap buttons in permanently.
The sound is cool and I get comments about the cool longhorn look from people all the time. My bass has kept well and not needed adjustment since I bought it. I take a back up bass only because of the occasional string break.

I have never delt with the company. I fix things on my own. This bass is so inexpensive, I'd rather buy another than invest much fixing it. Kind of like a Bic Lighter. Only mine's never run out of gas.

I have been playing for 18 years and owned expensive j-basses and Ricks. I bought this bass because I played an original from the 60's and loved it. But the originals had no truss rod and were not easily adjusted. This bass is great fun but not for the slappers or metal guys.

Korean '99 model I believe...Short scale bass...masonite body...you know, typical Dano style.

This bass is KILLER! I never played a Longhorn before I bought this one, and to be honest, I didn't even plug the damn thing in before I bought it! Sounds great through my old '75 Ampeg SVT head & cabinet. The tone is fat, and punchy....cuts through your typical rock band sound spectrum. Well defined sound.

Action needed a little adjusting (I like 'em high)...pickups were fine, and there were no flaws with the finish. The strap buttons are horrible, I must admit. I took 'em out and replaced them with straplocks...they've held fine since.

The Longhorn is definitely a cool gig bass....I've used it live many times and it's stood up pretty well. The tuning machines might need to be replaced after a year or so (what do you expect for a $225 bass??), but they're holding up fine for now.

Never dealt with Danelectro personally....probably never will.

This is definitely a cool bass. Cool tone, cool look....it's just damn COOL alright? Buy one, you won't be disappointed.

98 I think, Korean. You know the score on the features. Laminate body, S/S Lipstick p'ups, interesting concentric (stacked) volume tone for each pup, unique body shape. This one's "Beatnick Burdundy." 30" playing scale.

Into a little of everything but mainly rock. Bright and punchy sounding. A little noisy when cranked but not too bad. Just plug it straight into the little Squier practice amp. Very musical sounding bass. Gives good fundamental tone but fun to noodle melodies on too. I'm primarily a guitar player so this is just to have some fun on and record with. Never gigged with it. The Short scale really keeps the E-string from standing out when played open or fretted, this is one of the drawbacks to a short scale instrument. I was aware of this problem but being the runt that I am, with proportionate size hands I was more comfortable going with the short scale. Less adjustment to go through.

Needed bridge adjustment to get better intonation (it's a single piece string saddle with only so much room for adjusting). Lipstick tubes adjusted fine off the shelf. Well constructed for an inexpensive instrument. Stays in tune good. There were some noticable surface scratches on the top's finish but these were minor. This was showroom wear so it was discounted accrodingly.

Again, I only use this at home and for the occasional jam, nothing too serious. I think it's durable enough overall. The strap buttons haven't fallen out yet like on my Dano 59dc reissue, but that only happened once and I just knocked the button back in with a wooden mallet. No adjustment necessary since purchase 2 years ago, still has the original strings! Finish (poly I imagine) has held up just fine since I've had it.

I communicated with them 3 times on 3 separate issues (only one related to the Longhorn). They responded helpfully the first two times and I haven't heard back from them on my 3rd issue (about about 6 weeks ago by now). I probably should try them back. I figure my last request was lost in the shuffle.

Warranty a year I think.

Played 25 years. Own lotsa guitars and amps, recording gear etc: Gibson, Martin, VHT, Gretsch, Ampeg, Tascam, Yamaha etc etc.

If it were lost or stolen I'd probably get another Dano and probably end up going for one of their regular scale basses instead. The sound and the feel of these instruments definitely work for me. I really like it's sound, unique body style and easy playability. Didn't compare it to any other basses at the time, I HAD to have the Longhorn!

The only thing I don't like about it is the low E string, which is a hazard tone and intonation wise on any short scale bass.

Short Scale, Semi-Hollowbody, passive pickups, retro body stype

This bass sounds exactally like what I was looking for. It is very warm, and big. I feel like I get a better "acoustic bass" sound with the dano, than I do with my acoustic bass!

I bought the bass partially for the retro style and the also for the price. The retro "blue-burst" look is very cool. Now if I could only find a matching strap! This is an economy bass. The tuners are not the best, and the bridge is very very very simple.

The Dano needs to be handled with care. It is just not built as solidly as other basses.

I know what you're thinking. I did too. The bass looks like a poorly made joke that probably has a terrible sound and plays like crap.

Well, there is something about the Dano, aside from the price tag ($99 used). I have played bass for over 15 years and own 4 other basses and one acoustic. For some crazy reason, the Dano is my favorite. While I would not use this bass for all styles of music, I do find it a joy to play. The short scale is a blast, and the pickups sound unbelievably good. I am also particularly impressed with the way that it sounds on some of the home recordings that I have made. This bass is a classic.

I hate to admit it, but playing this bass has got me asking questions like "Do I really need a 7 string bass with a quilted maple purple heartwood bubinga body, a graphite reinforced neck with LED fretboard dots, an on-board fuzzy logic enhanced preamp, custom wound pickups from Bavaria, and a 20 pound wammy-bar-enhanced bridge?"

The Danelectro '58 Longhorn reissue has proven to me that sometimes a simplier bass is simply better.

This is simpley a reply to the previous review of the Danelectro Longhorn bass reissue. The person below stated that the neck is not adjustable. This is pure bullcrap. Unscrew the neck and you'll find a truss rod at the body end of the neck, just like on any Fender-style bass. The trussrod works fine and the neck is fully adjustable. This is the problem with harmonycentral: any ignorant idiot can say what he pleases and spread misinformation as though he/she was an expert in the field. I'd love to see people stop reviewing things they've only had for a few days and know virtually nothing about.