Danelectro 1956 U1 Reissue

Danelectro u1-reissue, surf-green color w/ white tape border; masonite top, back and sides; two piece maple neck w/ rosewood fretboard; single lipstick pkup w/volume and tone control; clear plexi pickguard; classic stop tailpiece style bridge w/walnut saddle configuration; and a metal nut. 21 med frets and cheap tuners(tuning and intonation a constant problem when playing aggressively.

I know this is a subjective issue, imh-unbiased opinion, I'll sum it up as this: as a lead guitar, it "fails" miserably; when used as a resonator/slide guitar, it's "great". Its metal nut, masonite construction and hollow inside creates a beautiful, clean, loud resonating tone, perfect for slide guitar. I only use it for that purpose.

Rating: for lead, a "zero"; for slide, a "9.5"

For lead guitar, the action S*u*c*k*s. For slide, "good"!

The fit is cheap, but that's ok.

Finish is ok for the budget build.

If used for slide playing, your gig will be successful. If used for anything else, "may danelectro have mercy on your soul".

Bought it used.

I've been playing for 28 years and own other gear: American ash deluxe fat strat w/floyd rose, mim '57 reissue strat, cherry sunburst Gibson Les Paul standard, Ovation ultra deluxe ele/acc., Jean Larivee D-9 dreadnought accoustic, and a La Patrie classical.

If it was stolen, I would hunt for another.

For the money, it's a great resonator!

My Danelectro is a U1 reissue. It is burgundy, maple nack, rosewood fret board, clear pick guard, 1 lipstick style pick-up. I've had it since the late 90's.Plenty of time to become very familiar with it. It is a VERY simple 1 pick-up guitar with tone and volume knob. However, for this guitar, simplicity is it's shining attribute. When you pick-up this guitar, you simply want to play it and nothing gets in the way of that. It is also very light in weight so it is comfortable to hold onto for hours without fatigue.

I'm not a professional musician, I usually tell people I play at playing a guitar. But, I am a good soundman. My normal configuration for this is to run it thru a DI box and straight into a mixer. From there I send it thru an array of effects units which can model different amps and a plethora of assorted effects. The basic sound from the guitar can be very clear and bright. However, tweek the knobs and input levels a smidgen and I can dirty it up, power house it, sustain it till forever, twang it with a coutry strut. It may only have one pick-up, but the placement seems optimal and the sound quality is very good, imho

When I got it, it had already been professionally set-up. Played very well from day one. I recently had the ability to have it set-up by a master. Oh my God!!!! This thing plays well beyond it's price and 'assumed' quality. Any of my musician type friends who have played on this are always very surprised at how well it plays. I haven't babied this thing. But, I also haven't really abused it either. Having had this guitar for numerous years, it has held up really well. The finish is still great, the tape on mine still doesn't have any problems. Some scratches on the pick guide, naturally, but nothing excessive. It is holding up well through the years and I don't expect to pass it on till I'm dead. This guitar is a keeper for me (I also got it's 12 string brother that's awesome too).

I don't play live, I'm not good enough. But, I have picked on this guitar for hours and years. It is holding up much much better than one would think a guitr of this price range would. No strap problems. Only thing is that, this guitar has a light body and has a tendency for the neck drop down while playing it. Once you get used to that, it's not a problem and the lightness of this guitar has been a pleasure. A friend of mine has a solid body SG. Very heavy and it hurts your shoulders after a half hour or so. Not this guitar. I can hold it for hours without getting any fatigue. I can't think of any problems I have had with this guitar.

I haven't had any reason to deal with customer support.

Obviously, I love this guitar. I have a 12 string Danelectro reissue also that is even more awesome. I have a clone telecaster and a yamaha classical. I have friends who play Ibanezes, Gibsons, Fenders and we swap guitars around often when playing together. I prefer this one, or my 12 string, to all the others for it's comfortable playablilty and wonderful sound. The single pick-up limitation has not never been a problem. For the money, this guitar is probably one of the best values out there. In my opinion.

One pickup, two knobs - that's it. The basic layout has been covered well by others. I'll withhold a rating since I personally think it has everything it needs.

I got this for jazz and some jangly clean chording. With my Vox AC15 I get a wonderful early British Invasion sound that I love. The U-1 in this respect provides a warmer and darker counterpart to my Ric 325. With a 1959 Bassman, I get a nice blues tone that works well for rhythm and brief lead lines. The sound is warm, yet detailed and clear. It can get twangy when needed, but the real winning sound here is mellow chording. The lipstick PUP has plenty of output and is almost dead quiet. I would describe the basic sound as a cross between amplified acoustic and a Strat's neck pickup.
I have it set up with 11-50 flatwounds, so versatility is a little limited. For jazz and jangle-pop, it's perfect.

Very well made. Two complaints - first, the truss rod seems a little un-responsive as it's almost completely tightened and I still see about .02" of relief. Second, the side tape isn't very well adhered compared to vintage Danos I've seen. It's starting to peel a bit in the corners, so I'll have to work some epoxy in there soon. Other then that, it's very well made and solid.

Tuners and strap buttons - same as all others. I'm planing to replace the tuners with Grover Sta-tites. The strap buttons will probably stay since I mostly play sitting down with the strap only to counterbalance.

Never dealt with Evets.

I bought this as a full scale compliment to my 1964 Silvertone 1448. It compares very well to the lovely plonky glory of that guitar, though a little more refined (and accurate intonation, of course). I love everything about it and plan to play it for many years. If lost or stolen, I'd have a hell of a time finding another black one, but I'd certainly try.

Don't know what year this is from but I am pretty certain it is a reissue. Bought it today from someone who I assume bought it new about 5 or 6 years ago, which would make it 2001 or 2002. There ain't no features on this baby. Just a neck, a body a pickup, volume and tone control. Beautiful in it's simplicity, really. Maple laminated neck, rosewood fretboard, nice action. It came with only 5 out of six strings. Really cool greenish yellow 50's-60's color. Binding tape loose on the inside curve... I expect they all have that problem after a while. Cheap tuners, lame bridge that actually seems to work o.k.

Slapped some light strings on it, adjusted the angle of the rosewood bridge a bit, tuned it up and checked it out. At first I thought there was going to be a problem with holding tune (I read here someone else with that same initial feeling) but fairly quickly it settled down and is now holding tune pretty well. Intonation is pretty damn close, considering the caveman nature of the bridge. Where this guitar shines however, is in the sound. BEAUTIFUL is all I can say. I am far from a great guitar player, and typically play only about a half hour a day. I picked this guitar up tonight and couldn't put it down for more than 2 hours. Played it through my Delta Blues amp and while it sounded nice, I sometimes got weird ringing sounds and other strange stuff. Played it through my Vox ADVT30 and the guitar really started to sing. The neck makes it easy easy easy to play and the guitar takes models and effects really well.... everything from heavy delay to deep dark distortion. Way fun !

Loose binding, cheapo tuners. Like the aluminum nut, hate the bridge but what the hey, I only paid $50.00 for mine and it looks essentially like new. The neck is great and real easy to play. Don't really like the short scale all that much but I'll get used to it.

Who knows? I'ts been around for 5 or 6 years already and still works great.

no knowledge

I really like this guitar, even though it is pretty new to me. I have a MIM Players Deluxe Strat and an Indonesian made HSS Strat and while this U1 does not compare to the MIM PD Strat in fit or finish, it sure does sound as good in it's limited way and is just as fun to play...maybe more fun. I'm a cheap S.O.B. and when I fine this much playability and sound quality for what I paid, I am a very happy camper.

Late 90's U1 Re-Issue. Black Finish, Clear, pinstriped pick guard. Creme side binding, rosewood fretboard, natural maple neck. One lipstick pick - up. Bought it new for 125.00 US. This guitar really looks fine, whether using my retro thin black leather strap, or in the stand. I swear I've seen it in rock videos from the era it was re-issued. (in black)

Always loved the Ventures and Dick Dale. Also a big Rockabilly fan. This is my first electric after years of playing acoustic. Nobody ever let me play guitar because I am a Harmonica guru, and I was getting tired of that "box". I tried electrics in my meager price range for years until I found the U-1. I have a musician friend who is blind, and she was with me at the time. I was ready to spend far more. She heard me playing the U-1 and lit up like a christmas tree. I tried it on every amp in the house. I tried it against classics and other more expensive guitars. She and I agreed. This was my sound, and it was SO DARN SIMPLE. I could add other guitars later at this price. This guitar seems to be better dialed closer to bass than treble. We tried a U - 2, and it just didn't have the same "round" tone. Sold. I play it through a Peavey Delta Blues 210. Great. When bored with that, I added: Danelectro "Milkshake" chorus, Danelectro "PB&J" Delay, and a "vintage" Boss OD-2 Turbo Overdrive. All strung together, it makes a very very thick infinite sustain sound, that would, (especially with the trem on the Peavey working, too), would scare the CRAP out of Bo Diddley. It is so full, and sweet, it scares the crap out of me! - Still Experimenting - I will NEVER lose this guitar.

It has very fast action, and stays in tune even if I leave it for weeks, or play it every day. That's very impressive to me. I don't care about much more than that as far as set-up. If I can just pick it up and enjoy it whenever... What else would I look for? I have noticed nothing of the aforementioned fret buzz. They are mass produced, maybe I got lucky? It's tight and right, (and light!)

I have not played this guitar live. I have no idea. I wish I could easily replace it, but sadly, they don't seem to be making them anymore. I'm gonna baby this as long as I can, as I really love it.

No warranty issues.

'98 Korean made, single pickup, stacked knob, very light good action

I play surf rock and it has great tone for this genre. It doesn't have as much punch as my Mexican Tele.

No problems here.

I use it as a backup guitar.

N/A

This is a great guitar and the best things about it are the simplicity and light weight. I probably paid about $100 too much for this guitar, but sometimes you eat the bear and other times the bear eats you. This time I was eaten.

Just a note, some time after writing my previous review, I took my Dano into the recording studio and layed down some tracks and was BLOWN AWAY! There was a certain song that I tried several guitars on, including a Tele, a Strat, A ric 620, Ovation Breadwinner and a LP Jr., but none of them caught the essence. One take with the Dano and all problems solved. For 125 smackers. One incredible sound (still ain't gonna use her live, though!).

Let's see. I picked this guy up new about two years ago. It has that cheap cool look to it, one lipstick pickup, one tone control stacked on a volume control. Rosewood neck, wood bridge, metal nut. I know that more pickups can be had but that would defeat the purpose of getting a Danelectro. It is simple, cheap, and sounds great. Sometimes, I like just picking it up to get away from all the feature creap that is stuffed into my other guitars. Simple can be beautiful.

This is the U1's strength. It sounds great. I have many guitars, and if I want the acoustic features closest to an acoustic, I pick the Danelectro. It's sound is clear and sweet. On the other hand, this rich sound does not do well with distortion; the sound is too complex and subtle and just sounds muddy if distorted (much as an acoustic would). As is well known, the masonite seems to create this sound. Similar to the old Fenders, I'm amazed that a guitar from the '50s gets its sound so right.

OK, this is where the guitar falls down a bit. Actually, the finish and action are fine, although I have some string buzz (only sometimes; the body must change with the weather; also, I know I can change to an adjustable bridge, but this would violate my principel of simplicity stated above and would probably screw up the sound). The 'fit' is fine also, but I'm going to use this section to mention what I don't like about the guitar. The neck has the clunky, stiff feel of an acoustic. I can't explain it, except that it just doesn't feel like an electric guitar neck. This is a matter of feel, but so it is...

The hardware is cheap, and I know to be careful with the strap buttons (they are 'not' solid). This is a one-song-a-set gigging guitar, though a terrific I-will-now-impress-you-with-deep-soulful-playing guitar. Bring a backup.

I've been playing about 40 years, and own many guitars. This is not a primary guitar because, like say a Gretch CG or a Rick 12-string, it is beautiful but has a very specialized sound. If you've never picked up one and played it check it out: it is light and fun and sounds great, and is everything a cheap guitar should be. I often think hard about swapping guitars I get bored with, but never the Danelectro. Without it, my sound palate would be incomplete.

Ko-rean reissue, hollow, Masonite body, 1 PU, rosewood fretboard, maple neck, non-adjustable truss rod, not-so-good tuners, replaced stock bridge with U-3 tuneable one.

The sound is great, just like the old blues men said of the original Dano/Silvertone makes, EXCEPT!.....the PU is a tad weak, you really have to compensate at the amp to get it over the hump. It's kind of a drag, it really limits it's use to the studio; not a good guitar for the stage. Does have a good treble bite though.

Finish? Set up? It was made in Korea, man! I think the factory is connected to their nuclear program.

I will never part with this thing....HOWEVER...I would NEVER use it live. It is a glorified toy. Sounds great, if not weak, but I can't see it standing up to any kind of abuse large or small. It is what it is...a cheap guitar that plays a little bigger than it really is.

Dunno

I have to confess that I like this guitar....not so much for the sound or asthetics, but it is a fairly fine playing axe with very decent action. Might sound odd, but it sounds better thru solid state amp rather than tube....go figure.

Laminated Top (poplar I believe). Volume/Gain controls. Single "Lip-Stick" pickup. Vintage cream color body, with rosewood fingerboard. Plastic tuners - very flimsy. "Coke-Bottle" headstock.

Sweet sound!! For rhythm guitar, this is all you need. Has absolutely no sustain, though - can't solo at all.

Intonation was horrible. Went to AllParts.com and bought a new bridge to solve that problem. Everything else was fine. The action and playability is far better than I could have imagined.

I've played it live, and it sounds great. But, I'd bring a back-up. Otherwise, I've had no problems with it breaking down - dropped it several times too... Pretty reliable.

no opinion

Been playing two years. Still building my collection of gear, but this guitar is my baby. It's a piece of crap, and I need to upgrade badly. But the sound and feel are so unique. I would be crushed if I lost it.