Danelectro '63 Reissue

A lot of older musicians will know the Danelectro of old - built down to a price and sold mostly thru chain stores as a first guitar - Well having bought this one on-line on special offer I can say that it is a strange but stunning little guitar. Masonite body with a plywood centre (or center..) lipstick tube pickups and short scale it`s nothing like any guitar I`ve every owned or do own now. "C" shaped neck - odd bridge. Body shape is small strat style, thinnish frets, cheapo tuners that somehow manage to do a reasonable job (not perfect..but at this price !!). No accessories except the cardboard box it came in and two allen keys.

Sounds are great... bit weedy on the single pickup selections but huge on the centre position. I play thru an Ashdown 60 watt Fallen Angel valve amp and a 100 watt marshall JCM2000 TSL122. It`s not noisy at all - not a lot of variety in the sound tho but the volume and tone controls are cheap - they wont go down to zero but cut off before you get there what the hell that`s half the fun of buying a 60`s reissue made in almost the same way as it was then.

Not well set up when it got here but a couple of hours was all it took to sort a reasonable action (neck was a bit on the banana side of things, but ok now after a few tweaks). Pickups are raised and lowered from the back of the guitar and this seems to work ok. The binding tape around the edge of the body is lifting off a bit in the cutaways but, again, nothing that can`t be fixed.

Played with this at an open mic night last week and it handled everything pretty well. Hardware is cheap but works. I did take along a backup guitar (not a cheap one..) but didn`t use it.

I`ve been playing since 1965 and am still playing everything from folk to rock with strats, 335s and takamine acoustics in different bands and solo. Were it stolen I would definatley try to get another one because it has such a unique feel and sound, it is quite strange with it`s short scale and flat fretboard but it does have it`s own sound and quirks and that`s the reason I bought it. I got fed up with a million and ten "top brand" variations on a theme and decided to try something different. Glad I did - it`s a guitar Jim, but not as we know it...! takes some getting used to but when you do - it`s fun and that`s what it`s all about !

The Dano 63 Re-issue:
Made in China.
Not sure what it's made of.
Has it's own design
1 volume, 1 tone control.
2 lipstck pickups. 3 way switch
I added Grover locking tuners.

This guitar is really cool. Please note that this is $200-$300 But it has it's own twangy vibe. I was pleasantly surprised at how strong the neck pickup is. There is a good tonal difference between a 3 settings of the pickups. I think my model is the baritone.As far as sound goes, it does exactly what I bought it to do. I also own a Gretsch, a Tele and a Casino and this guitar stands out from the rest in terms of sound. It sound really cool distored or with slap echo.

Again.....200-300 for a new guitar, one must expect flaws.Mine came with the border tape around the nect peeling off. I super glued it back in place but that didn't turn out well. The off white pickguard is turning a funky yellowish color. Again...I don't think this guitar is wood.

The action is great. The pickups are single coil lipsticks so there's not much to do there.

I wouldn't use this as my main gigging guitar but maybe for 2-3 songs it would be ok. The tuners and bridge are really cheap. I really the tuners and will be replacing the bridge some day. the strap buttons seem ok.

N/A

Again..200-300 for a new guitar?!?! Buy this axe for the sound, the vibe, and the looks. I read reviews where people complain about these guitars but again, I paid $150 for mine so I can't complain. I love the look, I love the sound. It is a fun guitar to play. I would definately buy this again and may be looking at the Dead on 67s.

This is a rather cheaply made Chinese guitar. If it is made of wood, it's no name wood. To me, it;s a guitly pleasure guitar.

Body is composite (like a hard plastic) covered plywood with hollow inner chamber.

25" length scale

Neck is c shape, maple with matted black paint and rosewood fret board, 19 frets, 14" radius

Bridge and neck lipstick single coil pickups, master volume and tone and a 3-way pickup.

The tuners are worthless.

The Dano has some serious mojo. When I picked the box up, I was amassed how light the box was. When I picked the guitar up for the first time, it felt more like a Guitar Hero guitar than a real guitar. The plastic body looks and feels strange to the touch ??? the finish is kinda matted. Not smooth or glossy, but slightly rough. Acoustically, the guitar sounds loud because of the chambered body. The aluminum nut gives it a twangy, jangly, bluesy sound.

I played it through a Dr Z Z-28 and used open-G tuning. The pickups have much less output than my Fenders. So, I had to kick up the volume. The neck and bridge pickups sound okay by themselves, but the magic happens in the middle position (when both are pickups are selected). It must be the way it???s wired, but you get a big boost when you switch from neck to center or from bridge to center.

After playing the center position, the neck and bridge seem weak and thin. The tone potentiometer is ???jumpy??? and seems to ???bottom out??? before one gets to 10. You can???t get that nice dark in between phase Strat with tone turned all the way down sound. The volume potentiometer is also low quality.

I played it through Dr Z Carmon Ghia and that???s the match! It sounds gnarly and smoking with EL84s. I had a bass cab set up with the Ghia and I???m so lazy I didn???t change it. The combo of the Dano, the Ghia and the big floppy 15 inch is super swampy.

The guitar is in great shape. Everything was tight and secure. Intonation is still an open question because I don???t trust the tuners. The tuners are worthless. I plan on replacing them with some Grovers.

Maybe it???s the light strings that came on it, but this guitar is ???bendy.??? Finger and hand vibrato seem to emerge from one without trying. It???s like the guitar is playing you. Bends are sweet and easy with no fretting out.

The Dano seems pretty tough. Can't really say, yet. I don't think it will age as gracefully as my American Strat.

Decent warranty. Hope I don't need it. Who cares for a guitar that costs less than $200

Overall, I very happy with the guitar. It???s really light and feels ???toy-like,??? but it???s a pleasure to play and looks great!

This guitar has nothing fancy. Two lipstick pickups that do as adverstised. They give you twang. The neck pickup is actually the stronger of the two. The tuners really need replacing becasue the D string goes out of tune after every 2 plays but what do you expect for $175? I am not sure what the body is made out of, it feels lile plastic but the neck is wood and feels good. I really like how it looks too.

I bought this guitar for the sound. I love the twang. I knew that I wasn't getting a Gretsch or any other great guitar, I knew I was buying a $200 guitar and for the money, I'm happy with the sound. The bridge pickup is good and the neck pickup has a heavier sound. I was surprise at how much bass sound I get out of this. I play through a Blues Junior and get a good sound. I really like it.

Again...$200. I bought this guitar for sound. The body looks like it's made of formica and the hardware is junkie. The accent tape along the body is pulling away. If you put $150 in upgrades, you'd have a really good guitar.

As far as gigginh goes, you could probably use it for 1 or 2 songs on stage but that's about it. Tuners are really weak and it just seems like it couldn;t take the abuse. It would be fine in the studio though. I mean, you get what you pay for.

N/a

I;ve been playing about 12 months. I;m happy with this guitar because it;s what I expected it to be. I read other reviews where people are disappointed but really, what do you expect for $200?

I also play a US Tele, a Reverend Club, an Art & Luthurie acoustic, an Epi Casino , and an Aerodyne Strat (Japanese). This guitar is the lowest on the totem pole but I wasn;t looking for greatness. I played it in the shop for an hourt and I loved the sound. I like how it looks and it has it's own personality. I would buy it again and I may look for a "real" 63 Baritone vs. the re-issue.

For the money, you get a pretty good guitar that has it's own vibe and for $200, it;s really hard to find a guitar that has a vibe!

* 19 frets
* Body: Masonite with plywood core
* 2 lipstick pickups
* 3-way toggle switch
* Deliciously kooky Woolworth's retro styling

Vibey as hell! Seriously, unlike anything I've ever heard before, in a good way. Can't really make a direct comparison, as the appeal of this line is the "kitch factor," but, just like the masonite composite that it's made of, this Dano jangles and twangs like a low-cost hybrid of a Rickenbacker pureed with a telecaster, but with less sustain and a shallower mid. Bottom line: You're not going to get a Ferrari sound out of a Volkswagon Beetle guitar. You should know how that up front. Works for surf sounds better than my Stratocaster. This geetar swims best in an ocean of reverb.

I bought this one used, and there isn't a lot of room for adjustment; bridge height and intonation could be had, but a persistent fret buzz on A, frets 1 - 4 continue to vex. It came with an allen wrench, but darned if I can see where to adjust it. I have small hands and don't solo much in the high notes, so the smaller scale was to my liking. There is a great volume discrepancy between the bridge pickup and the neck. Middle position (both pickups) produced the best sound.
It is a very light guitar. 5 lbs. It makes the whole seem rather brittle, but I'm not diving into the mosh pit with it, and my back has no complaints about the weight. So it's a keeper.

The build is not rock solid, like a Gibson, but, if you're careful, take it on tour to clubs and the like. Get a good, hard shell travel case. It does tend to go out of tune, though it's not the only guitar I own that is known for that little feature. Knobs seem solid, as do the sleek looking pickups.

Used. As is. Though I've been pleased with the Danelectro people regarding pedals.

If you are a shredder, or a **** rocker, or a metal head, why would you even look at this guitar? If you are a song writer, a chicken-picker, a surfer, or you have a predilection toward the adventurous, and you have a sense of humor, you'll love all of the quirks, and personality of this unique little addition to you collection. I'm able to get a plethora of sounds and tone combinations from this guitar.
If stolen or lost, I would replace it and sell one of my other guitars to cover the loss. It was so inexpensive to begin with, I feel like it was a worthy investment. I'm not even interested in two of my other guitars as a result of buying this one.

I like the simple smooth sound. Sounds best with front and rear pick-up engaged.

Trim tape already lifting off all around. Action was reasonable and very playable right off the wall of the guitar shop.

Would use this guitar for living room fun, open mic night, not a gig.
My 6 year old bangs on it pretty hard and its's held up. No problems with the finish yet-one month old. Constantly goes out of tune, however.

I've been playing 8 years. Own a Larrivee, Martin, and Sanchis acoustic/electic guitars, a Roland amp. I wanted a cheap first electric guitar that could stand being left out and not cased. If given the opportunity to buy this or another guitar, I would shop around a bit more for a better quality guitar with the same hip groovy vintage look.

you've done a search and know the spec now you want to know the low down.
standard guitar, 2 lipstick pickups, blah blah.
nice body shape feels good to hold but light weight and flimsy.
tuners go out of tune constantly.
a nice matt finish but paint work is really thin, one knock and it will chip off!
typical bolt on neck...but it moves unless you play like a girly!

i was expecting to hear some sort of magical 60's byrds type sound...but no...it sounds like any other cheap (and i mean cheap copy type) guitar.

the volume difference between bridge and neck pickup was vast.

bland sound.

the factory set up was terrible.

on opening the package the action was set so high i could have use the dano to shot arrows!
there was a air bubble in the paint work on the back by the neck bolt on screw which was already peeling away.
the edging tape around the body of the guitar was already lifting off in places...there's no way it would stay on there longer than a week!
the frets are way too high...your fingers almost had to hurdle up the neck!

i lowered the action...way way down, adjusted the pickup height to compensate for volume difference, tightened the 4 screws that bolted the neck on...and it was not too bad to play.

would have had to file down the frets though, to get the perfect feel.

it didn't stay in tune and i wasn't thrashing it.
the paint work was thin.
the neck moved if you hit a chord harder than a feather landing on a matress of breasts.
and the whole feel of the guitar was like that of a cheap toy.
i've played bad beginners guitars that felt better!
i would not gig with it, or even play it that much.

never contacted danelectro but the shop where i bought it from in the uk were a complete joke. arrogant beyond belief and after sales support was nasty. stay clear from these guys!

i've been playing for 34 years. i was tempted to get this guitar because of it's retro looks and hype.
i really don't know what all the fuss is about...if this is an example of the new danelectro's then they are terrible.
obviously they are the 'in thing' at the moment but for all you 'future-retro' hunters out there look to "italia guitars" for a stunning guitar experience...true they cost more but it will last you a lifetime.
the dano 63 re-issue on the other hand won't last 5 minutes especially if you intend to gig it.
although after setting it up correctly it had a fun feel...this appeal soon wore off when i realised it was falling apart and unstable.
i returned mine for a full refund and had a feeling of relief shower over me :-)
i won't miss it at all and i would suggest anyone tempted by danelectro to give them a series going over before purchase.