Danelectro 12-String

Recent model with two pickups, symmetrical body. Reviewing the other reviews, there seem to be some real differences in the exact same model. I don't know if it's series or parallel but the volume drops considerably in the "both" setting. And the tone controls aren't great but they don't have either the sudden taper noted in one review. Nor do they only cut in all the way down at the "1" setting, as noted in another review. I bought the tweed hard shell case, which is really very nice for the money (about half the price of a Fender tweed case.) The nut on mine was terrible - I had to fix it (see below.)

Since they all appear to have little differences, I'd recommend that you check out the very one you're going to buy and avoid the mail order houses on this one. Now don't be tempted just because they only have one red one left! If it's not OK, face it and go elsewhere!

Well, the solo bridge PU definitely gets the poor man's Rickenbacker sound I was looking for. You'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference without seeing the guitar. I don't find the "both" position very useful. The solo neck PU has a nice single coil jazzy sound which I like but which has limited application. Well, the whole guitar has a rather limited application. But it does give me the sound when I need it.

The aluminum nut was way too low. It's screwed into the end of the fingerboard with one screw. I had to drill another hole in the nut in order to put a shim under it and raise it to an acceptable height (I am NOT having a new nut cut for this guitar!) I can't find any truss rod adjustment on this guitar - I don't think it has (or needs) one. It came with a .008 string set, which contributed to the horrible buzzing and dead notes all over the fingerboard. With a .010 string set and the nut raised up, it sounds great and plays pretty good too. The intonation was set perfectly, though - I'll give 'em that.

Seems OK to me.

I have been playing 38 years. I've owned a number of guitars over the years. Right now I also have a Gibson ES335, PRS Custom 24, Fender Jimmy Vaughan Strat, Epiphone Sorrento, six- and twelve-string acoustic guitars, and fretted and fretless five-string Carvin basses. I play generally clean through a Mesa Boogie Mark III combo. This is a great guitar for the money. It really has a "close enough" vintage Rickenbacker sound. It does what I want it to for the few occasions I need that sound. Raising the nut was a pain. But they can't all be like this one or other reviewers would have mentioned it. (It was really bad.) If I had the money to spare, or I were using it on a lot more songs, I'd get a 360/12. But this does the job very nicely.

Features have been described in detail by others here. I won't go into detail. Other than the cheezoid strap buttons, all features are pretty cool for the price. At first the blue sparkle seemed velveeta-esque, but the more I see it, the more I like it. It is a Dano, after all.

I give an 8 because of the strap buttons.

Quite usable sounds. Many variations using the different pickups, tone controls. As mentioned, the treble control drops off suddenly, not a smooth tapering off. I don't find this to be a major problem. Work with the guitar and you'll find good, usable tones.
I am currently running it through a Behringer Blue Devil amp (an acquired tast, but baby, I've acquired it.) I have used it through a wide variety of all kinds of amps, tube and SS.
Someone here mentioned that this guitar didn't do "lead" work well. I must disagree. Some of my favorite moments have been doing "Mahavishnu-esque" fast leads with this axe. Add some distortion, and you can really rip - for a 12 string.

I have not adjusted the action. I was perfect as it was. I have raised the bridge pickup and lowered the neck PU, as someone else mentioned.
Everything works fine. No buzzy strings. I've had it for about two years, and everything still works.

I believe the guitar would make a good showing at gigs. I don't imagine anyone would play it 100% of the time, being a twelver. Strap buttons = cheeze, but haven't broken yet. As mentioned, it is tough to get some straps on the top button.
Never gig without a backup. If it tanked at a gig, I would work around it - just avoid the twelver songs, or use a sixer.

Never needed support.

I have been playing for over 30 years. I read the review in Guitar Player, went to check it out, and came home with it.
The price has dropped since I got mine. For goodness sake, go get one.

This IS a cheap guitar, but cheap guitars can be great fun.(I just bought an Epi Dot - again, cheap, good fun). I like that each individual string can be intonated, but then it won't STAY in tune. The G's on mine won't intonate well due to some fretting inaccuracy. The pickup selection is novel in that in the middle position, the pickups are connected in series instead of parallel, so you get a volume boost as well as the most articulate sound. But the tone pots are pure garbage - they do nothing till you get down to about '1', then the tone goes off with a 'click'. Since the pots are stacked, it's unlikely you can fix this without spending more for new stacked pots than the axe is worth. Someday I'm going to replace them with single master tone & volume pots, but the pickguard doesn't come off easily without distorting it somewhat. Duncan has lipstick pickups with supposedly a bit more beef, but I've learned with several electric 12's over the years that very few pickups work well with 12 strings. What's great for 6 may totally suck with 12 on a similar guitar.

This guitar's bright, shiny sound is certainly usable & useful for many things, but it doesn't compare at all to my '66 Rickenbacker 330. But then, no new Rick comes close either.
I got this guitar originally to keep onstage in open-G tuning for a couple songs I do, but it's turned out to be unsuitable for that. Besides the iffy intonation, the sound is too "clangy" without the necessary string-to-string articulation for fingerpicking or strumming chords with melodic runs on the top strings. I guess the word would be "clangorous".....hmmmmm....a better word would be "crude". The peaky resonance that makes the tone so cool for single-course melodies or shimmering backing textures is the very thing that causes all the sound to run together - masking the individual notes of a chord. On the other hand, my Rick can do all this & more beautifully.
Acoustically, this axe sounds pretty good, bringing up the possibility of adding a piezo or a small mic inside, brought out to a separate output.

The setup was decent right out of the store. I intonated the bridge which is a rather cumbersome operation, given all the strings and the design of the saddles (this bridge, or something similar, is sold by Stew-Mac, by the way). I wouldn't call the purple metalflake surface on the masonite body a "finish", but rather, an "application". It's very well done, as is the smooth, comfy neck. As others have mentioned, this is a very easy to play 12-string. Roomier than my skinny-neck 330-12.

It doesn't feel fragile but this isn't a good gigger anyway, so I'm not worried about it. The gig bag it came with is good enough.

no experience here

I've been playing about 40 years, off & on, and besides my Rick, I also have a 60's Vox 12-string which I joined to a similar 6-string years ago (with professional assistance). Compared to the Vox, and some others I've played (Ibanez, Fender) the Dano is a dream to play. The sounds are limited but then that's a 12-string. Both pickups are very usable & with just a little EQ & FX this axe can add a nice touch to a song. Considering the price I give it an 8 or 9. But I probably wouldn't replace it, though - I'd save my money & get a new Rick 360-12.

Read other reviews, basically everything you need

This is one cool sounding guitar. I have owned a Rick as well, and I have to say I enjoy playing this much more. The sound is not the same as a Rick, it is less complex and bright, but on the other hand I find it the effect is more rocking, and it is a very full sounding instrument. The bridge pickup alone is jangle central, very 60's Brit invasion, cheesy and fun. Both pickups sound best to me, easy to blend them with the volume controls. Don't use the neck alone.

Assembly is flawless, finish is way cool (white sparkle), intonation just needed slight adjustment. The neck is wider than my Rick and easier to play (I have big hands), better action.

Could be fragile. I would handle with care, but as long as it is not thrashed, I think it will last forever.

don't know

this guitar is a remarkable value, I can't beleive that such a great sounding and playing guitar is so inexpensive. I have 20 guitar, vintage and new and have played and owned everything. This guitar is one of my faves. RECOMENDED.

The best feature of this guitar is the fact that it cost less than $300.00. If you understand that going in, all the little shortcomings don't really matter. Danelectro is the manufacturer of quirky, funky, plastic covered pressboard guitars that just so happen to sound unbelievably good. They are as much fun to play as they are to look at. Good machine heads, good neck, good bridge, great buy!

The guitar is very bright as soon as you roll the tone knob from it's off position. The bridge pick up sounds just like the opening chords from Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here". You know the sound. Like a guitar being played through a transistor radio. Way cool! The neck pick up is fuller, warmer, but still crisp enough to convey that twelve string ring.

This is where you have to accept this guitar for what it is. Although the action was good right out of the box, every tuning head was moving back and forth on the headstock. A few turns of each retaining nut with a 10mm cresent wrench fixed that right up. There was some debris rattling around the interior. Pop off the "Seal" pick guard, shake thoroughly, problem solved. Jack loose, undo the two retaining screws, hold interior part in one hand, turn nut untill sufficiently tight.

I wouldn't play this guitar live without a backup.

Overall this guitar gets a big eight. It's a fun guitar. No more, no less. Don't try to justify it
being something better than it is. It's no Strat and it's no Les Paul. It's just a really cool Dano 12.

I believe this one was made in the year 2000, in Korea. It has 21 frets on a hard maple neck and rosewood fingerboard, the body is made of a plywood frame with masonite top and bottom and painted in a beautiful blue metal flake finish. There are two pick-ups called "Lipsticks", two stacked, cheap plastic pots (volume/tone for each Lipstick) and a 3-way selector switch. The tuners are from Gotoh and the nut is either steel or aluminum. The bridge is a string thru body with the octaves strung thru the bridge and the strap buttons are cheap plastic that seem to hold up so far.

INCREDIBLE SOUND! Especially using the neck pick-up. It gives off a rich, full, and bright sound on all of my amps. The bridge pick-up has no body whatsoever to the sound. The tone knobs don't have much variety, but I keep it just below max and it gives me what I need. I'm surprised with the sound it produces, even without effects, for the money. (However, I received mine with faulty electronics. To get both or just the bridge pickup to work, I had to fiddle with the pots) -1pt

The action is a perfect 10 as well as the intonation. All I had to do when I received it was tune it. I can stand with it all day because it's so damn light and somehow, with this guitar, while standing with it, I can get all the complicated chords easily. When I first got it it had a little scratch on the neck pick-up but the rest of the finish is flawless, that blue metal flake,....mmmmm!

Because the body is made of a plywood frame with masonite glued to the top and bottom, there is a vinyl tan strip glued along the side. Like I said before, the pots are blue-light special cheap plastic along with the strap buttons, which I'm kinda sketchy about. But other than that, it looks like it can hold up pretty well. I'd use it on a gig with the backup being the same guitar (different color).

Danelectro virgin. Will get it repaired someday but I only use the neck pick-up anyway.

I've been playing for over 10 yrs and have been collecting guitars and basses over that period of time, so I won't list them, but I'll say that I use a Crate G212XL and DXJ112 and a Peavey bass Combo 210TX and like I said, the guitar sounds great thru all of them without any effects. When I was in the market for an electric 12-string, I bought this guitar solely on looks alone. It just so happens that it sounds as good as it looks. If someone ever stole it from me, I'd first find the fucker and kill him till he dies from it. But most definitely, I would buy it again, and again, and again.

I just recently purchased a new 2000 Danelectro 12. Black w/ white guard. This is a nice unit. I was in the market for an electric 12.
I also ahev an acoustic 12 with a D'armond pickup hotwired permanently.
Mine is I guess the basic, w/2 lipsticks, excellent gearing, stacked volume/tone controls, which can be a little finicky but I'm managing to get by okay. Combination tailpiece: Bass strings thru body, octaves on front.
The neck is narrow and very fast. Byrds, Fleetwood Mac are a breeze.

Our band does a lot of Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, Beatles. Pretty well a full coverage of 50's thru 70's, and top 40.
I'm running thru a Fender 112 Deluxe / 90w. The tone is a little bright, maybe too bright, but that's probably the nature of the Fender and not the doing of the guitar, as I've tried her thru a Carvin, and it's teriffic.
Basically, I have to keep the tone way down, but I'm able to sharpen it a bit with some mid-range.
I'm not overly fussy on the controls, they're a little K-Martish, and I agree with that other reviewer with regards to the strap buttons. They gotta go, as a matter of fact...they're gone.
She accepts a capo very well.

I had the guitar intonated when I bought it.
No flaws to speak of.

I've gigged a fair bit since buying it.
The gearing (tuners) are very good.
I might become concerned about the controls though.
When I forst saw it I was concerned about access to the truss rod.
I suppose you have to unbolt the neck to make any adjustments. I'm not too crazy about that aspect.
I use my acoustic at our gigs also, so a back-up is not a problem.

Danelectro Virgin.

I've been playing about 35 years.
I play keyboards, Tele, and 12 in addition to harmonica with our band, so I'm kept pretty busy.
I have a Korg T3 (great unit)
This is run thru a Rickenbacker TR35B (greater unit)
US Telecaster (blonde)
Mansfield 12 (acoustic) w/ D'armond
Danelectro 12
thru a Fender 112 Deluxe, in conjunction with Korg G3 pedal
Beta 57 and EV 457 mics.
I also have, but don't gig with, Epiphone Viola Bass, and an Ovation 6
(acoustic)

I started off as a bass player, and this has a nice wide neck that makes it very easy for me to play chords.

Very nice bright sounds, I like using it for Yardbirds stuff, but playing things like Pretty Vacant are also much more fun now

I have the Deep Purple Metalflake, I didn't like it at first, but now I think it's pretty cool. Like all Dano products I've bought, the craftsmanship is supurb.

Dano makes incredibly durable products.

Always friendly and helpful.

I have never had a problem with anything from Danelectro, and this is no exception. I only with they could make me a custom model with the guitar/mandolin, 12 string, and bari all in one.

The features for this guitar have been pretty well covered by previous comments...

This is my first electric 12-string in some 29 years of playing, so I don't have anything to compare it with, but I do think it sounds great. I also love the wide, flat neck/fingerboard - right up my alley since I started with Martin acoustics. I have played it through my '55 3x10 Bandmaster & '61 Tremolux, using reissue Fender Tube Reverb Units, both fingerpicking & with a pick. It would be fun to have a third pickup, but for the price I won't whine about it. You can also play it without plugging it in & hear it fine in a reasonably quiet room, which I like.

The "deep purple" metalflake finish is even more outrageous looking than in photos & seems to have a lot of depth - very nice. The guitar's finish & construction are flawless, I'm not kidding. One thing I did right off the bat & would recommend is changing the strings, since the factory ones aren't locked around the tuning peg shafts. This has helped it stay in tune better. The guitar played so well "out of the box" that it inspired me to lower the action on my "bowling ball" Strat.

Like others I don't like the cheese-o plastic strap buttons - maybe I'll change them.

Haven't had a reason to try to contact anyone.

I actually bought the guitar since I've always wanted an electric 12 string but didn't want to spend a fortune on one, since I won't be playing it all the time. I also really dislike little skinny (side to side)necks - you could set this one up as a 6 string electric with an acoustic guitar neck (1 3/4" at the nut). I've also always wanted a wacky metalflake finish on an electric, but didn't feel like paying $1500-$2000 or whatever for one. I would recommend this guitar to ANYONE who might be remotely interested in a 12 string electric.

2000 model,right out of the cardboard box.dark blue finish with a groovacious 3-D sparkle.the body is made from the highest quality masonite the koreans could muster.this is not a putdown however,because this thing rings like a bell.the neck is wide and thin with a rosewood board,gotoh tuners(yeah baby!),aluminum nut that has been cut and filed by someone who cares,and a loverly satin finish.no case,no gig bag,no tools,no kidding!nice bridge with intonation on all 12 strings adjustable.moderately quiet lipstick tube pups.a series/parallel switch would be nice,but i may do it myself someday.the 3 way pickup selector is nice and solid,and doesn't pop or buzz.

i play praise/worship music mostly which means i have to sound like everything from lawrence welk to matchbox 20.this guitar has a nice jangle up to moderate gain settings,but these pickups get trashy sounding if you push them too hard.the twin volume/tone controls provide lots of tonal options with both pickups on,and the treble doesn't roll off when you turn the volume down.however,as with most import guitars,the tone knob has a usable but abrupt taper.suprisingly though,the tone doesn't get muddy with the tone knob rolled down-very nice! my current setup is a little no name cheeseball practice amp with a danelectro daddy-o as a preamp.(keep the gain down and nobody gets hurt.)i plan on getting another crate vintage 30 ASAP!this guitar would sound magnificent through a good class a tube amp.be forewarned,if you sell your vintage 30, you'll be sorry.back to the guitar,the bridge pickup is bright with little mids or bass.if your p.a.and keyboad player turn your stage into a sonic black hole(church guitarists,you know what i mean!)this bridge pickup will pull you out of the mud.nice clear neck pickup sound,and nice round jangle in the middle position-but these pickups are wired in series,so you get an increase in output.a parallel option would be nice.no matter what you do to this guitar,however it will never be a chunker/shredder.by the way,this guitar is as loud unplugged as some low priced acoustic guitars i've played lately.

wouldabeenatenexceptforthose!@#%&%$##@$ STRAP BUTTONS! this thing stays in tune remarkably well,and the action is as low as it can go without buzz.i wish the neck were a little thicker,but i can adjust without much trauma.there were no visible flaws,no rattling truss rod,(my epi sheraton and jap strat both did this)and very consistent fretwork.

top quality hardware,rock solid neck,(no truss rod work necessary!) ill put it this way,if THE BOMB were to drop tonight,this guitar and cockroaches would survive.oh yeah,i almost forgot-I HATE THESE STEENKIN STRAP BUTTONS!mine havent come off,but i wouldn't miss them if they did.

i've been playing for around 8 years,and i have owned both u.s.and japanese fenders,peavey and epiphone guitars.this guitar is equal and in some cases better than previous guitars i have owned.the price/quality ratio on all danelectro gear is excellent.i would recommend this guitar to anyone looking for an all around good guitar at an unbelievable price.