Danelectro DM-25 112 Combo

the speaker serial # indicates 1965. i play everything from rock to jazz to surf to avant-garde. the amp is versatile for many styles, however i tend to gravitate towards unique tones to begin with. has a very pulsing vibrato as well as a spacey reverb that is usable at low volumes. this is one of 4 amps i own - and though it is not crazily loud, it does work for most gigs i do. it is also my first-call recording amp. it kicks ass recorded. unfortunately, the previous owner's cat has scratched the hell out of the tolex and sides of the amp. so it ain't pretty anymore.

i play a gretsch chet atkins nashville, gibson 335, fender telesonic. it's great for biting surf, with thick bottom end and a top that can rip your face off (hence the reason i swapped the ceramic jensen for an alnico). thanks to another review below, i discovered using both channels at once to get a more full sound and it really opened up. i generally prefer to keep the volume(s) on ten to get some of that nice natural overdrive. it's never too saturated and responds nicely to dynamics. sound techs have looked at me funny when i walk onto a theatre stage with it, and always come back and tell me how amazing it sounded.

i'm not sure how reliable an old tube amp like this is. i'm generally pretty careful with it. like i said, i changed the speaker and i think the tubes could use a little attention. i'd be most concerned about that moving reverb spring/tank.

i dunno.

i love this amp. it's my first choice if it's possible to use it. also play a fender vibro champ for quieter gigs or when i want the sound a bit nastier. and a fender blues deluxe for when i need to be clean and loud. i wish the reverb was more versatile ie. didn't feed back at higher volumes. also wish the tremelo was a bit faster, but i suppose i could change that.

Early 1960's -- Two channels; two inputs per channel; both have treble and bass; channel has reverb, tremolo depth and frequency. Had the speaker output changed to 1/4 inch. This amp didn't come with the speaker cab....just the amp head. Cool looking amp. Wonderful presence -- must be Class A.

Isn't as loud as a 25 watt, Class A, so the "25" may not be the true wattage. But, it's loud enough for a small room but not with a loud drummer.

Reverb doesn't work, but I have a 50-watt Dano with the reverb working and it's very narrow and spunky. More like a curiosity than a feature that's useful. But the tone is so great, you don't need reverb!

The tone is better than I ever expected. Deep, rich, sharp, bright, creamy, and etc. etc. etc. If you ever wanted a vintage amp on the cheap and you can find a Dano 25DM -- get it!

Very nice tremolo (as good or better than my 1964 Gibson Tremolo Discoverer). This amp is CLEAN. I cranked it all the way up with a 4x10 loaded with Celestion GL10s and no break up or distortion.

Add an Ibanez Tube Screamer (reissue - TS808) and you're set. With the TS distortion, tone and output all at noon, I get super fat, rich, shimmering bell like tones. Come off the distortion and back off the volume on amp and guitar and you get....tube heaven. I played my strat and got Jimi, my tele and got Steve Cropper, Ibanez semi-hollow with humbuckers and got Jimmy, Malcolm or both.

I'd love to gig with this gem, but no way would I risk having it trashed or ripped off. Plus it's not loud enough. With proper maintenance, the Dano 25DM is a great practice and recording amp.

No way...find a good amp tech and keep him/her happy. The Danelectro of today isn't the original company, but a buyer of the trade name. The old Dano Neptune City, NJ is no more. Just be happy to own one...they?re going to be very collectable.

Years I've been playing doesn't matter, but my wife says she's a guitar widow. I practice 15 hours a week and if I could quit my job, it would be 50 hours a week. Jam nights with the other professionals are my only gigs now.

Gear...lots...

Amps: Marshall Valvestate 265 (130 watt, tube preamp, 2x12 combo); Traynor CYV80 (80 watt, all tube, 2x12 combo); Fender Blues Jr (15 watt, 1x12 combo - Celestion Vintage 30 upgrade); early 1960's Dano 50 watt head; early 1960s Dano 25 DM; 1954 Gibson BR-6; No name 4x10 - loaded with vintage Celestion GL-10s; small bass rig

Guitars: 2004 Fender Strat (50th anniversary model); early 1970's Mexican Tele loaded with custom shop noiseless pickups; 2003 Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow body; 1994 G&L Precession bass (Leo worked on this one); Squire mimi-strat; early 1990's Alvarez Regent acoustic

The features on this amp have been pretty well covered. 2 channels each having 2 inputs. Channel 1 is minimal- Vol, Bass, Treble. Channel 2 has additional reverb and tremolo. The tremolo is has a "soft square wave" sound to it. Very retro and unique. The reverb on mine not only works, but seems to go forever when you turn it up. Reverb volume works independently of channel volume- If I leave the main volume down and turn up just the reverb, all you hear is the reverb. Very odd, but I like things like that and will definitely exploit it. No headphone jack or effects loop, but what do you expect on an amp this old? Mine, not surprisingly, did not come with a footswitch.

This amp has such a unique flavor to it. I was in a store with my friend trying out guitars not even intending to buy this amp, but I was on the market for one. This just happened to be the amp we were playing through and I had to get it. It's a great match for my Dean Stylist Deluxe hollowbody.

I'm suprised no one has yet mentioned that you can use both channels simultaneously. If you plug into channel 1, for example, and run a short patch cable from channel 1's second input into Channel 2's first input, you can blend the two channels together. This is REALLY cool. Channel 1's treble seems shelved at a lower frequency than channel 2's. Also, when you turn the treble up from zero as you're playing, an interesting phase manipulation occurs between 0 and 3- it almost sounds like it's sweeping the frequency upward a bit.

As I mentioned before, the reverb on this is very unique. The decay seems to last a very long time, and has more dense quality to it than typical spring reverbs, and almost sounds somewhere between a spring and a plate. It's also VERY dynamic and responsive. When you pick harder/louder, the reverb gets louder. It can sometimes be tricky to get the right balance. When you turn it past "3", it gets pretty overwhelming and even starts to feedback. I think of this not so much as a weakness but as a personality quirk I can exploit.

I bought this mainly as a recording/practice amp. I'm also a recording engineer and bought this with the idea that it's something I could cart to sessions when looking for a unique tone not of the typical Fender/Vox/Marshall variety. This is actually the first time in years that I've had a tone that I liked without having to add a bunch of digital effects to make up for poor tone.

I would gig with this, depending on the Nature of the gig. Mine needs a bit of cleaning up, though. the jacks and pots are dirty and one of the tube sockets is a bit scratchy. Nothing you wouldn't expect from an amp this old. I wouldn't carelessly chuck it into a van or anything, but I can't imagine doing that with any tube amp. It's definitely not indestructable, but would probably hold up very well if it was properly taken care of.

Never dealt with them. Last I checked their website, it only mentioned their current effects pedals- not even their current amp and guitar lines, unless perhaps they quit making those.

I should probably mention that I'm not like the other folks who give guitar/amp reviews on this site. I started playing guitar in the late eighties as a kid, and then put the guitar on the back burner as I became heavily involved in the electronic music scene. This was before any kid could walk into best buy and get ACID and throw a bunch of loops together and claim he's a "producer". I was mainly using the guitar as an additional texture over the electronics and it was often heavily manipulated. I wasn't even using an amp anymore. Recently I realized I was spending too much time staring at screens and not making music. I decided I needed to go back to my roots, and having a backround in music theory for guitar, I bought a nicer guitar and this amp. They've really inspired me to play more. I find myself using less and less processing (just a tubescreamer and a basic delay pedal now- no more pods or crappy modellers), even when playing older tunes where I used a lot of it.
That whole pointless story aside, I'd highly reccomend this amp. It has fantastic tone, is true vintage without the ridiculous price tag, and has a unique vibe to it that sets it apart from today's ultra-homogenized retail market. Even Vox amps have friggin' amp modellers in them now. Forget that crap. Just find your own unique sound. You'll only get that with gear like this, nowadays.

I wish I could tell you what year but it they were only made in the late 60s. It was Dano's answer to the Princeton Reverb by Fender that could be purchased at a department store for a reasonable price.

Has reverb pan almost a foot long with one spring. The tremolo sounds squared off a bit. Not round. Works very well with depth and rate controls.

It has 4 inputs which is very rare in amps nowadays. One channel has Vol, bass, and treble and the other has vol, bass, treble, depth, rate, and reverb.

It has a ground switch, power, and standby all coveniently on the front with a red pilot lite.

The reverb never seemed to work well as not much of an effect is noticed. Not any better than shouting into a coffee can but better than nothing I guess. Not sure if any evr had good reverb.

It has enough power to make a great practice amp.

Mine is missing its speaker like most of them. From what I have been told they were built out of a very weak tone robbing spongy material. The amp head part was built with better wood. It has a mirror finshed faceplate.
It has a decent size transformer for a 10-12 watt amp. I guess it could be a 25 watt since the power consumption is 75 watts and the label says DM- >25<. It sounds almost as loud as my Vox 15 watt but not quite so I tend to think it is a ten or twelve watt amp as claimed in reviews elsewhere.

Sounds are great full and toneful at low volumes with plenty of headroom. My amp doesn't distort until it is all the way up but doesn't crap out. It sounds very warm with a Les Paul. Very bright with a Strat. Very, very, clean, bright and full ranged when played with yes, you guessed it, a Danelectro DC 59. Very sparkly and zero distortion at any setting, just pure tone.

This amp was made for cheap guitars and made them sound good and expensive ones just push it over the top a little with their higher gain pickups.

Runs very quiet. Very nice frequency response. How a tube amp should be in my eyes, thats what I expect. Amp can be very bright with the treble just 1/4-1/3 up and is useful at any setting there after as well. Speakers make all the difference with this amp. The range is there if you unleash it with a good speaker like an Altec Lansing 417 8c- 12 incher.

Effects processors work very well with this because of its good frequency resonse. You can also just turn everything all the way up, pop on the Boss OD-1 overdrive with the gain and volume up and you will get an unbeatable swamprock tone through this baby. Park your finger on any favorite fret and you get the best harmonmic feedback to sing out even from the next room over. The vibe is truly warm and intense and never harsh on the ears.

All hand built point to point wiring. Everything still works great(except the reverb) after almost 4 decades. The tolex is almost mint too. The speaker cabinet which this thing is supposed to hitch a ride in, has long since been deceased. It would be fun to design and build my very own better one.

Never had to deal with, luckily.

If it were lost or stolen I would try something else. I wanted a cheap lower volume replacement for my Bandmaster reverb and this just didn't cut it. It never stood a chance but for what it is its great. Any vintage tube amp like this will blow away virtually anything you can buy new for the same price, blow it away tonewise, and for holding its value, and for its ability to last period.

I heard that you can exchange the 7169 power tubes with el 84s for earlier breakup. I also heard there was a popular mod back in the day that used the special reverb circuit in this amp to stack the gain and make it twice as loud as stock and with a new Marshall plexi tone. Since the reverb isn't so hot that would be an idea I would try if I could.

1965 Danelectro DM 25 all tube amp.25 watts (I think),2 channels,1 has only vol,treb,bass,2 has same plus reverb & tremolo.reverb does not work.I think all of the tubes and Jensen 12" speaker are original.Still has a sticker on the back from where ever it was purchased @ $180.00.Has a footswitch jack,footswitch is missing.I don't think there ever was one with this amp.My dad bought this amp @1970 along with a '36 Gibson ES 150 (which I also have in my hot little hands!).

The ES 150 sounds amazing through it,(I cut my teeth playing Jimi tunes on this rig), also have an '80 Gibson SG that I actually thought sounded better than the 150 or my '77 Strat.You can get very sharp,bright clean tones and it's not too noisy as far as hum,etc.It does start to crap out at higher volume,but holds its low end well until then.Hard to get distortion before it craps.It has been basically not used in years and probably needs recapped & tubed.I used it in the early 70s until it wasnt' cool to be seen playing a "surf" amp.I think it still sounds great for its age,in some cases you CAN go back home!

This amp is kind of a family heirloom,so I would be reluctant to gig with it,aside from the punishment it took when I was 14 years old.Still a very tough old amp for 35+ years though.

N/A

I'm 44,been playing as long as I can remember,mostly a bass player for the last 10-15 yrs.If I were to lose this amp to a thief,fire or other mishap,I don't know where a guy could find one of these.There are only 4 other reviews on this site,I did find a schematic on another site,info on these amps is very hard to find.

196?, mine came sans cabinet, slightly modified with a 1/4" speaker out and a 4-8 ohm switch installed, bass, treble,reverb, trem on 1 channel nothign on the other but 2 band eq.,

all creamy tube goodness at reasonable recordable volumes.
it's about 25 watts and i got mine recently retubed and recapped and the mods added for less than 200.
it's hard to keep this amp clean at 4 ohms so be forewarned

my guitar comes in very ublike any other dimarzio quad rail in the bridge , fender gold lace in the neck and ibanez stock single in the middle, no tone control, heavy strings, no pick.

for blues and straight rock it's slams most other amos and i can even fake a metal tone with either my ds-1 or my Rat

at 8 ohms through a 12 i get great sounds in all ranges and it breaks up at about yelling volume, clean to a whisper is very toneful, ( unlike many amps that to low lose thier tone)

at 4 ohms through a 15" speaker it's a bit hard to keep clean at rehearsal volume and we had to mic it and still got a bit of distortion where we didn't want it

the reverb is bizzare as you raise the volume on channel two the settings you can use on the reverb changes, at low volume you can actually get the reverb to feed back

not sure

not sure

I needed thisd amp in a hurry now it will go in the list as one of my favorite things man has done, it's just fun, the distorion is smooth and midrangy with a great growl, the clean is very resonant, and it traets pedals well, tomorrow i try running 2 12's @4 ohms I expect good results. it's a happy amp for little money that does a blues player proud

Mid sixties danelectro space age looking amp head, all tube w/ separate speaker cab. 2 Output tubes are 7189's (I think they're the same as EL84's) and has about 5 or 6 other tubes, mostly 12ax7's. 2 channels, one with vol./bass/treble and the other with same + controls for reverb and vibrato strength and speed.
Reverb and vibrato both work, reverb is decent but sounds better at low volumes, vibrato is great, deep and throbbing, blows away this vibro champ that I had. Channel one is quite a bit louder than channel two, I don't really know why and haven't bothered to trouble shoot it, part of the reason may be the vibrato and reverb draining signal but I'm not too worried about it. I bought this primarily for recording and just playing and it works great for both. I didn't buy it to gig with but I'm sure it would do fine. No effects loops or any modern features, I wish it had a line out but no big deal.

This amp really sounds great, especially for blues and raw rock and roll. You can dial in a nasty early 50's era John Lee Hooker type overdrive at about half volume on channel one, when cranked you can get some great garage punk distortion...The treble and bass controls seem to not only increase the treble and bass but seem to add some gain. By tweaking the controls you can get a broad range of sounds out of this thing, it can make my old 60's hollowbody sound like a strat. For an old tube amp this is pretty quiet, I think the previous owner replaced the caps at some point, you get a little noise but I've had solid state amps that were noisier. This amp is excellent for 50's style electric blues, rockabilly, grungy rock n' roll, etc. and has a good amount of volume. Sounds like it was made for my cheap old 60's guitars (I guess it was...), I have a big old acoustic with a soundhole pickup that sounds AMAZING through this thing. I usually just plug straight in. Sometimes I use a Danelectro Daddy-O to get that Funhouse era Stooges vibe, that pedal can make it sound like a Marshall. Great sustain. If the reverb was better I'd give it a 9 or 10 but it's a super amp for the money.

I've only had this for about six months but haven't had any problems. It seems like it was pretty well taken care of. I'd gig it w/o a backup but I haven't gigged for a while so it's a moot point. Hand wired, easy to fix, they don't make em' like this any more (unless you wanna drop some serious cash...). I wonder how these new Fenders will work in 35 or 40 years...

I've been playing about 10 years and have a few other old tube amps. I definitely prefer the vintage gear and just about all my amps and guitars are from the 60's. I don't really have any use for amp modelling and pods and pro tools and all that shit. I use a computer for some minimal editing of stuff I've recorded so I'm not against digital per se but you can definitely go too far...slick and perfect is an aesthetic ideal I don't care to pursue, I like it raw. If this were stolen or whatever, I'd definitely try to find another one or some other old sixties tube combo.

1965 tube combo amp, 25(?) watts, manufacured by Danelectro Corp. Neptune City, NJ. 2 channels w/ 2 inputs each (4 inputs total), channel switching via footswitch. Channel 1: vol, treble, bass. Channel 2: vol, treble, bass, reverb, vibrato depth, vibrato speed.
This amp sounds quite nice, and seems versatile and loud enough for my needs (recording and some performing). The reverb is pretty crazy, turning it past 3 or 4 o'clock brings gobs of trashy goodness. Definitely one of the longest reverb decays I've ever heard on a guitar amp. The vibrato sounds great too, but seems almost bland, compared to the wacked out crazy deep reverb. No overdrive or any of that fancy stuff here. One channel seems a bit buzzier than the other three.

I didn't get this soley as a guitar amp. I plan to run whatever I can through it if it seems appropriate. For guitar, I have a late '60s Jazzmaster that sounds more convincing through this amp than any modern one. This amp can dish out offensive amounts of ice-pick-to-the-head treble and has a pretty decent bass response too. I've never been able to turn the treble knob past 2 or 3, it's that raw...I've run my Rhodes through it with the vibrato slowed down and a touch of reverb, and the vibe/tone just smokes everything else. I also plan on running bass, vocals, etc. through it too, and expect crappy/good results - but the results shall all be interesting to say the least. At least this amp has some KARAZZZMA...

Hmm, I pretty much baby the damn thing as much as possible. Hasn't been re-tubed or re-capped and don't feel it needs it. If I was still heavily gigging, I'd maybe bring a backup, but I'm keeping this as a studio/bedroom amp. It hasn't broke down on me yet, (and it's been around for 35+ years!) so I'd give it a 10 based on longevity alone.

Errr, warranty? We don't need no stinkin' warranty! Never dealt with Dano (doesn't somebody else own the Dano name now?), and don't plan on it either. If it breaks, I know plenty of tech guys who would love to work on this amp.

If this were lost, I'd definitely find another or similar '60s amp. They just sound better than 90% of the amps made today. I wouldn't change anything about it - it is what it is, it ain't broke so don't fix it. What amp can you buy today that is TUBE, has reverb AND vibrato AND a great speaker AND 2 ch./4 inputs for under $300? You'll easily spend way way more than that. Yeah, it's not gonna be the heavy metal contender, but what it does, it does very well.

I just got this amp, and do not really know the date codes, but I got an email from a fellow enthusiast who is sending me a page from the 1965 Danelectro catalog with this amp advertised.It is a 2 channel "piggyback" where the head will store in the back of the cab. I plugged in my Danelectro 56 U3 re-issue and tried it out! I am amazed! The tone is absolute heaven, but on ch.2(reverb/trem) with the reverb and trem down, this thing is breathtaking! I played in my living room (all the furniture is out for carpet cleaning) and the ceiling is vaulted at about 20', my ears were ringing for 20 minutes. It has a 6x4,3-12ax7's, and 2-7189's. The reverb and trem both work, but I don't use them. In the short time I played with it I was able to get any tone from a "CHet Atkins" to "SRV"

I play Blues and blues heavy rock and I think I will be playing this a LOT! There is only the slightest "mellow" hum at full vol and treble. Both channels distort very well, but ch. 2 is cleaner, louder and sustains better. I was not able to get any undesirable sound out of it , except with the bass too high and of course then chords get muddy.

The previous owner gigged with it on and off for 15 years and has never had a problem..everything is original and it would be mint except for small tears in the tolex at the bottom of the cab corners, but all the tolex is still there and flexible! It has a "chrome" control panel and fittings and they are mirror-like.

I think this amp and Danelectro (original company) speak for themselves...who needs a warranty?

I an 47 and have been playing since 16 (you do the math) albeit with some gaps and a recent venture into acoustic guitar( but that's all over now). I also have an Alamo Titan 1X12, a Silvertone 10XL, a Silvertone 1484 2X12, and a Harmony 415 2X12. Each has a sound that I wouldn't want to be without, but the Dano is the Crown jewel. The 1484 is awsome and loud, the Alamo will raise the hair on your neck, and the little 10XL is the best Amp in History for playing in the bathroom(yes guitar freaks I know you do it too).The Harmony is THE garage amp! If it were lost(impossible) or stolen I would track it down! No doubt. This amp is SO cool that my WIFE was impressed and finally had to admit that I knew what I was doing with all that $$$$>