Danelectro Longhorn Pro

first. I'm Korean. Sorry.
so~ I doing Konglish...

I have 2001's L-H pro. bass made in korea.
24fret. 4 strings. 30" Neck.

top is... HapPan...Sorry. i doing korea humor.
Body is Masonite board. so top is Masonite board.

4 controls. Two stacked volume and tone controls.

p-up is Dan-O lipstick tube type.
But to My thinking... this P-up is Korean Sky P-up.

http://www.guitarparts.com/zero/zboard.php?id=gall_bass_single&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=4

of course... different design. but on a level with structural.

do you laugh ? but I thinking rearly.
reason is this Bass made in korea.
The chances are reduce the unit cost of bass...

so so.

Passive.
rosewood neck? (unreliable.)
Bridge & Tuners made in Jap's GoTTo...

problem is conclusion.(material.)
outside white tape is Very S U C K.
The finishes on these bass are very pretty.
but really Bad.

So Goog.

How does it suit your music style : grunge.

Is it noisy? On what settings? : ya. some noisy.
Hi-value tone Nob's bery Noisy.

sound are Rich...(low-priced but rich-sund.)
warm.Bright.

Good Bridge & Tuners & P-up & Neck.

but Sucking trimming are spoil good bass.

please cast aside white tape...

Reliability bery good.
an accurate musical interval.

but.
Durability bad.
please cast aside white tape...
The time will come when white tape is come off...

No AS.Warranty...
but we have garage AS. :)

non.

2000 model purchased new as N.O.S., 4 string. 24 fret neck that has sealed gotoh type tuners with an aluminum nut and an adjustable truss rod that is a serious pain the *** to get to because you have to remove the neck in order to do it (this is the biggest design flaw on all the reissue Dano instruments IMO...at least it has a truss rod though). The neck is thicker and more stable than the non-pro version.
The body is semi-hollow with two lipstick p-ups, adjustable chromed bridge, and decent metal strap buttons. Stacked Volume/Tone controls...one for each p-up are plastic but look cool. Tone control is kind've weird in its function but works.
This bass fixed most the problems with the non-pro version except for the truss rod access issue (a very pro issue) that should have been addressed on a pro version instrument.

This bass sounds soooo great for a short scale instrument. Its tonal range is amazing. It can get that fat/punchy McCartney, 60's type, "Beatlesque" tone no problem in the studio or live (I use a Trace Elliot bass rig with 2 x 15's and a AH300SMC head). You can get a great growl out of the bridge p-up.
I love the lipstick p-ups. I think they are one of the basses biggest assests because of the tone they produce from fat and round to a well defined modern tone.
I slap occasionally on the bass on a few songs for a few measures at a time and the bass sounds great for this too but if "slap" were one of my primary styles I would not use this bass for that. The top end slice just isn't there for that. Others might disagree.
Drop tunning on this bass like most short scales has its short commings but it can be done.

The action on this bass is great! Neck pocket is super tight and fretwork and intonation are just fine. This goes for most the Dano's I've had experienced with. Cheap quality components but a better than decent build.
The input jack really eerks me. See next category for more on this. This is a cheap and easy fix.
The finishes on these Dano's are very pretty but really SUCK!

Man...I gotta say the thin finish on these dano basses dings and chips easy! You certainly get what you pay for on these build wise but the playability/weight of a semi-hollow, short scale and the tone (YES THE TONE ON THIS SHORT SCALE) makes up for it big time. I always take two to a show to make sure there are no problems.
I have had strap buttons dislodge while playing (not on the pro version though). The input jack screw constantly needs to be retightened and the p-up screws in back seem to loosen too over time and occasionally need to be tightened to keep the p-ups from raising up too high.
I play in a power pop band and I sing too on most of the songs so I'm not the type to do stage dives, dance or jump around. I take really good care of my gear and I always keep my Dano's in their bags until its time to play but they seem to get dinged or chipped from the slightest things. Sometimes I'll get home from a show and while wiping down my bass I'll go, "Now how in the heck did that one (ding) happen?" I've never had these types of dings and scratch stuff occur on my '74 P-bass or Grabber. When there is a ding or a scratch incident that occurs on a Fender or Gibson you know it because it is usually a significant incident that brings it on. It might be unfair to compare the finish of this $300 instrument with those but I've had other Japanese/Korean (Ibanez/Yamaha/Fender) and other cheaply priced basses that had much better finishes.
I've had tuning issues when playing in the hot sun or when I travel to San Fransico (high humidity) to do shows from the east bay area where I live where the air is dryer...but not nearly as bad on the pro as on the non-pro version.
I love the aluminum/metal nut on the bass and the adjustable bridge is pretty good too! The sealed tuners are O.K. but I'm not totally impressed by their ability to hold tune.

Haven't had to contact them for anything.

Dano replacement parts should be bought through allparts.com for the best prices. Don't get ripped by other privately ran Dano sites or companies that charge way too much for their "now vintage" unobtainable parts.

I checked out Tony Orth's review of the Danelectro Longhorn Pro Bass and his review is dead on accurate except that I haven't had any of the inteference problems Tony has had with his due to a lack of sheilding and I gig with my Pro bass a lot. Perhaps his amp is more affected than mine by the stages electrical issues which is in turn brought out through the Dano.
He's so right in his description of the instrument in how it compares and contrasts with the non-pro, reissue version tonally and the construction differences such as neck size and neck stability. I also own one of each of the two versions as well so I've been able to compare also.
The Pro does have more "bottom end" to it while the reissue has more of the "lower mids" to its sound. The pro's neck rarely needs adjustment while the non-pro needs to be adjusted 2-3 x's a year as the humidity changes.
I can't say which of the two versions I like better though. Each version seems to have a specific purpose for me now...one for recording and one for playing live. Despite the fact that the non-pro has a non-adjustable bridge, cheesy tuners and the neck is more affected by humidity/temp changes it does have a nice sound to it that always works with the 60's power pop/R & B/Beatlesque type of music I play. I tend to use the non-pro more than the Pro only because the neck is slightly thinner as Tony mentioned and therefore faster and easier to play on, especially when playing live shows. I tend to use the pro more for recording because it stays in tune longer and intonates much better from string to string.
The thing I've found about these basses (and this makes perfect sense, since the MAJOR build difference is a thicker neck on the PRO) is that I can basically match the tone of the pro or non-pro version just by working with the 7 band EQ on my Trace Elliot a little bit.
Anyway, this is a great bass especially for the price and I use it professionally, quite frequently, putting my vintage P and Gibson aside. It really can nail that 60's beatlesque sound no problem! It's too bad they have stopped producing them so get one while you can.

Made in 2000 in Korea. 24 medium frets. This is the Pro upgrade of the Danelectro '58 Longhorn Reissue short scale (30") bass. The upgrade includes enclosed bass tuners, an adjustable bridge, metal strap buttons, and a slightly heavier, more stable neck.
Controls are the same as the regular Longhorn. Two stacked volume and tone controls, one set for each pickup. The pickups are the typical Dano lipstick tube type. Electronics are passive and the control cavity is unshielded.
Body is Masonite board over a hollow plywood frame (which helps give it it's unique tone. The neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard.
Small clear plastic pickguard. Body sides are finished with adhesive backed plastic tape which adds to the retro styling. Gig bag or hard shell case are available.

My band plays primarily classic country and classic rock and roll. Mostly 50's and 60's stuff from both genres. This bass suits perfectly since it was originally designed in that era.
I run a dry signal (no effects) through a Gallien-Krueger microbass (MB-150E 1x12) and then out to the PA Board. Amp is for on-stage sound and tone shaping prior to PA amplification. I use a very scooped midrange (hi-fi) setting on the GK.
Normally, this is a very quiet bass. However, with single coils and no control cavity shielding, it can be susceptible to 60 cycle hum from dimmers/etc. This really has not been much of a problem and I play out about 3 times per month in various locations.
The bass has a little bit of a thin but pleasing sound. You can get the hi-fi scooped sound by just adding a little bottom and dropping a little midrange with your amp's EQ.
This bass naturally carries a lot of high frequency tone so you must be careful not to overcompensate by reducing too much of the highs or you will loose your tone definition.
Since I have a '58 reissue Longhorn made before the Pro model came out, I compared the tone side by side. The Pro is naturally brighter with less mids than the standard Longhorn.
A variety of tones are accessible with adjustment of volume and tone controls. Tone controls seem to be OFF until you turn about 1/4 up then suddenly they brighten with only slight variation for the rest of the control's travel. The relationship of the volume controls with each other affects the tone a great deal, as with most other 2-pickup basses.
You need to spend a couple of hours experimenting with the controls, and also the controls of your amp. Fingerstyle offers more warm tones and a pick brings out the natural highs of the instrument. For my band and the style of music we play I set the controls as follows: Both volumes are dimed. Bridge pickup tone control dimed and neck pickup tone control set on about 1/4.

Once I found "my" tone, I was elated. This short scale is easy to play and it's so light I can wear it all night without a backache.
I'm rating sound as 8 although it's all relative. This bass is not one that would do well outside of the genres that I play in. It's just not punchy enough for HARD rock. It's great for the oldies styles.

Set up pretty well from factory. Action was low. I always reset my basses as I am extremely particular about action and feel. The resetting procedure also lets me "get to know" my bass. It's an intimate thing, you know.
All the frets are solid and well dressed with no sharp edges. One odd thing, however, is that the 24th fret is slightly askew from the others.
Since I never use any frets above 15 or so, it didn't bother me.
Actually, it makes this bass unique and probably I'm the only one to notice it anyway.
As with all Danos, the finish is great. While the plastice pickguard and control knobs are cheesy, it adds to the retro look, reduces weight, and who cares anyway as long as they work.
The neck on the PRO model is just a little thicker than the Standard Longhorn due to an increased thickness in the rosewood fingerboard. This makes it more stable and less subjective to temperature changes, etc. It also makes it just a little neck heavy. You need a wide leather strap than has an unfinished underside to keep from slipping on your shoulder.

This bass will easily withstand live playing if you take care of it and don't throw it around like Pete Townsend. It's not as heavy and tough as a Fender or Peavey but that's why I bought it.
I once knocked my buddy's Dano guitar off it's stand during a gig. It slide across the stage after bouncing twice. Came up with a chip on the body edge but otherwise it was unaffected.
The strap buttons have been upgraded from plastic to metal. Makes me feel better but the metal buttons are a bit larger which makes it hard to get the strap on the button under the neck. Minor detail.
I never have used a back up bass. Might start carrying my Standard Dano just in case, but I don't really feel the necessity to do that.

I've only dealt with Danelectro for gathering information and they have been timely and helpful through e-mail. They do seem to be tight lipped though. Not very verbose folks.
Since it's fairly new I haven't had the need for repairs. It does have a 12 month limited warranty, which I would expect.

Dealer was very helpful and knowlegeable.

I've been playing guitar for over 30 years and bass since 1994.
I own an American Fender Jazz Plus, a Japanese Fender Jazz with EMG Active pickups (great tone), a Carvin Fretless B4, the standard Dano '58 Longhorn Reissue, a Samick shortscale P bass with Seyour Duncan pickup (love this one too). For amps I use the Gallien Krueger microbass MB-150E-112 as my main amp. When I play very large halls or outside I use my Ampeg SVT III Pro and Ampeg 4x10 HLF Cab. I also have a Fender BXR25 for private practice and a Peavey Basic 60 for Church gigs.

If this bass were stolen I would definately buy another. I have mostly switched to the short scales due to Carpal Tunnel, Arthritis, and back problems. While they don't have the total punch of a long scale, they work well in the genres and venues I play (mostly fraternal clubs).

So, what I love about the PRO is it's light weight, playability, retro look and tone (vibe) and value for the $. I did compare with other short scales, most of which only have only one pickup. I wanted TWO and couldn't afford an Alembic.

The only thing I really wish it had was control cavity shielding.
Not a huge problem but would make it even more PRO.

My overall rating is comparing it to other short scales and hollow basses. It would be unfair to compare with high end long scales.