Danelectro Dolphin Bass

The 1444L bass was manufactured by Danelectro exclusively for the Sears. Sears did not give any instruments they sold a name. The commonly used title is the last five digits of the Sears catalog number; in this case 1444L. It is often nicknamed the ???Dolphin??? due to the peghead design which was introduced in 1959. It???s been said that the peghead resembles a dolphin???s nose. The 1444L was only manufactured with the dolphin peghead. The bass is most often confused with a mythical Danelectro U-1 bass due to the ???U??? style body and single pickup. However, Danelectro never built a four string bass with a ???U??? body other then the Silvertone 1444L. A Danelectro logo???d U-1 bass does not exist. The U-1, U-2 and U-3 designations describe Danelectro guitars with one, two or three pickups.

Regardless of how much you spend on a new guitar, it is not going to sound quite like a 40 year old instrument, The Danelectro, Silvertone1444L bass is a good choice. The nickel tube outer case caused the pickup to avoid ???shorted turn effect???. This electrical effect is due to currents induced in the case itself and results in a loss of high frequency response. The split-shell pickup, exclusive with Danelectro, checks the path of these currents. The split-shell pickup was the only totally metal enclosed pickup of the time period. The pickup offered a consistent tone in every register.

A quote from Danelectro literature states: ???The narrow poplar wooden neck is manufactured with two non-adjustable strong steel beams placed in triangular truss position to insure accuracy and straightness of the neck forever. This permitted a slim back contour and extremely soft action. Its unusual slimness promotes fast, easy fingering and makes it easy to reach even the highest of notes. The neck can not warp regardless of climate and varying atmospheric conditions???.

Danelectro instruments are still used by several touring musicians. They are extremely strong and light weight. My 1444L will outperform many modern basses on the fret board "E" test. The bass was only manufactured in black with a whitish tweed vinyl side trim. Mine is 95% mint so I will not play it on stage for that reason. No truss rod adjustment is ever required.

In 1966 Nathan I. Daniels at age 56 sold Danelectro to MCA (Music Corporation of America). However, Nathan Daniels remained with the company. In 1967 MCA introduced the Japanese imported Coral line of instruments. Two years later in 1969 the Danelectro, New Jersey plant closed due to MCA???s shift in marketing to small guitar shops in direct competition with Fender and Gibson and away from the large department store chains like Sears. The plant was purchased from MCA for $20,000 by William C. Herring.

I've been playing for 30 years. I had one of these basses as my first bass. It was badly damaged so I bought a new one. This bass has a dream come true neck, slim and fast. I have several vintage and modern basses. Many are close to eleven pounds, like most Fender Precision basses. My 1444L or Dolphin weighs only 6 lbs. and 10.5 ounces. Great sustain. This is primarily a collectors bass since they were only manufactured from fall of 1959 to the spring of 1966.

1964 made in USA Danelectro Dolphin bass. Short scale 24 frets 4 string. Black laminate body single cut away shape. Single lipstick neck pickup. Dano bridge and tuners. Got it in 1968 for seventy five bucks. All original until one fateful day a bass cabinet rolled over it....Kabam ! smashed body. I saved the neck and all hard wear electronics..........2006 put it all back together attached to a piece of Mango wood for the body..It works and still plays like I remember 26 years ago..

I play rock and blues in local bands around the island. Play thru a Ampeg amp and 2-10 Ashland cabinet. Its a bit noisy but its a single coil pickup what ya gonna do? Sound is punchy warm and full. I love the way a short scale bass plays. My other bass is a jazz fretless, switching between the two for gigs

I put this bass back together myself using a piece of mango wood..Everthing works perfect nobody to blame but myself........

Sounds great live nobody knows what it is tell them about it...So far so good should last a long long time........

Does not apply.........

Been playing for over 30 years. If lost or stolen would try to find an original dolphin bass again..It was my first bass and still one of my favorites..........

1962 Model 1444 Danelectro Silvertone " Dolphin-Head " Bass, Serial No. 3092 Places Manufacture at 30th Week of 1962, Neptune City, NJ, USA. Original Except for Pickguard ( I had one Cut in White ) and "E" String Tuner Ferrule ( Original was Missing...Found an Identical Replacement. When I Received the Bass, some Dork had Glued Silver Glittery Sparkles into the Paint under the Original Clear Pickguard. He had also Painted the Original PG Orange, Drilled Two Additional Holes in the PG, and Mounted an Ugly Handrest !
The Neck is Possibly Maple, it does not have the Feel of Poplar, and I have a 63' Shorthorn which has a Poplar Neck so I have compared them. The Neck has a Black Lacquer Finish which is Nicely Worn on the Edges. It is a 24-Fret, Three-Octave Neck....very Versatile. Decent Fat Frets...very Little Wear, Brazilian Board. The Body is Black, Les Paul Style, Single Original Lipstick with surprisingly High Output. The Finish appears to be Black Gloss Paint.
Kluson Deluxe Tuners, Great Quality. The Bass is a 30" Short-Scale with a Relatively Big Neck ( 1& 9/16" Wide at the Nut & 2" Wide at the Twelfth Fret. )
Of Course, the Traditional Masonite over Pine ( or Poplar ) Frame. This is a Well-Constructed Bass, considering it was Headed to a Department Store !

I have only used it Twice Live through My Hartke Kickback 10 Amp in a Band Setting and I am very Impressed. I had used Roundwounds but have Switched to Flats ( Which I just got Today. ) I will know more soon but through My Fender BXR25 Practice Amp at Home it Sounds Great.
With Flats, it has a Warm, Full, Sound...Kinda Hofner-Like, but still Distinctly Danelectro

I Set it Up Myself with Low Action....Bridge was easily Adjusted. I had the "E" String Notch on the Nut Filed down a Bit as it was a Tad High.

Durable Bass that will " Easily Cut the Mustard. " Dual Non-Adjustable Steel Reinforcement Rods, No Adjustable Truss Rod...." Par for The Dano Course ! " As I have earlier mentioned, these are very well put together Basses, and Guys like Joey Spampinato of The New Rythym & Blues Quartet have used them in Professional Performance & Recording...so there You are.

N/A

Playing Thirty Years. I also Own a 1963 Danelectro Coppertop Shorthorn Bass, and a 1976 Yamaki 6-String Acoustic Guitar. I Own a Hartke Kickback 10 120 Watt Combo & a Fender BXR25 25 Watt Bass Practice Amp.
This is a Terrific Bass for British Invasion, R & B, Blues, Reggae, Country. I was looking at a Hofner Beatle Bass, but I am going to save the $1000.00 U.S. as this Sounds Similar, and is more Versatile.

Danelectro Dolphin made between 1959 & 1961 model unknown but probably a 1444 or 1419?
Volume and tone, Les Paul Style body, one neck Pickup Lipstick tube type, Masonite body semi hollow, no real hollow body sound.
Original bridge missing and replaced with a narrow "Badass" type modified with larger 4mm adjusting screws in place of the original 3mm.
25 turn machine heads by some offshore company, they work quite well and Schallers were not available at the time.
Controls replaced with Ohmite mil spec JAN type LINEAR potentiometers.
Bass sat under the bed of a friend of my wife's for twenty years before he gave it to her for me...LUCKY ME, Thanks Duane!
Good solid workingmans Bass

I play mostly Blues and it is as perfect as can be.

What factory setup...fourty years ago?
Action setup is real basic but with the "Badass" bridge and the stock neck ( tilt only, truss rod is fixed) I have gotten it to play very clean

Reliable as a rock
no issues of any kind. although, I have done all the work myself and it better be right....or else

Nonexistant

I have been playing on and off for 35 years, my other bass is a Samick TRP, Styized "P" type body with original Samick "P" type pickup.
Only mods other than action setup are Ohmite mil-spec Pots
Peavey TNT-100 amp.
If the Dolphin was stolen I would be looking to get into SOMEBODYS face.
I love it 'cause it talks to me!
I really want an Acoustic 360, that would be my third! great Amp

These are what were once (still are??)referred to in some circles as Spampinato basses, for Joey Spampinato of NRBQ fame. It's a single pickup,black Les Paulish shaped Danelectro bass made for Sears' Silvertone line. It's constructed like most Danos from 1960 with masonite over a pine frame. The neck is poplar with black paint and cheesy but enclosed tuners (or rather the four part Dano "ubertuner" as it is a single unit). Beyond the input jack and vol. and tone pots there ain't much more in regards to features.-oh, there is a neck tilt adjustment under the neck!-it too works great.

It's awesome with flatwounds-I've never had anything else on it. It's low and "thunky" sounding. It has a great sound for rockabilly, blues, brit invasion AND reggae, or anything where one might wanna fake a doghouse bass sound. Keeping the tone pot low is key for its' best sound.

Although danos would seem suspect in their construction, this bass has survived since 1960 and it was well worn when I got it. Once the strings are worn in it stayed in tune quite well. Although i may have preferred something other than an aluminum nut-everything worked quite well until i stripped two of the tuners.

See above comments. My brother played in a band with me as bass player and used it for four years without backup and it never gave him any problems.

Ha-they were long gone by the time I got this thing.

I'm not a bass player and I stripped two of the tuners. Still, I managed to unload it for much more than I paid for it. Buy one if you find it, as I'm kinda sorry I sold it.