Danelectro 1956 U2 Reissue

Crappy tuners, crappy metal nut. Decent rosewood bridge that is adjustable.

For the money, it is probably one of the best sounding guitars available. So why does it sound so good? I find that its character works great in the studio, it has a "signature sound", that is highly uncharacteristic for the money.Slightly noisy lipstick pickups and a semi-hollowbody design make this thing sing.
If it cost $500 I would give it a 9. The sound is unique and unlike anything I have ever played. Probably the best guitar under $200 in the world. If you are a really good guitarist you can use this professionally with your more expensive guitars. A junkyard masterpiece.

The bridge is a little tricky to get correct intonation, and with time it needs adjustment. I would recommend replacing the metal nut, as the strings tend to get hung up on it.
Somehow, my guitar manages to have absolutely perfect action with a set of 9 (Light) guitar strings. You gotta go with the light strings, as this guitar lends itself to hard bends (like a sitar) and is really easy to manipulate because it is so light.

Made like shit. This guitar was probably built by some 10 year old in Mongolia. The toggle switch doesn't stay in place, and the one of the tone pots doesn't Somehow it manages to hold together. I shouldn't depend on it, but I do.

The Danelectro website doesn't help much. There isn't any way to replace the stacked tone/volume pots. Please let me know if you can get them.
chrisjonesblue@hotmail.com

I own a Gibson SG, J-45 and 1936 L-4, so I know good guitars. I like unique instruments, and this is one of those rare instruments that is cheap but great. It is different than any other guitar. The design is simple and cheap, yet everything works as a whole. I wonder how the old ones play. If you know how to play, this guitar could find a place in your heart. If you are beginner, I still recommend this one, but it takes a little knowledge to make this baby sound good.

I have a black one with a light teal or skin colour around the edges. Very sharp looking. This particular guitar was made in korea.

It has the chrome lipstick pickups, somewhat of a thick neck, but is extremely light weight.

I use this guitar for clean stuff with a delay pedal. I tried smothering it in effects but it sounded horrible, so take advantage of its full and natural sound. The negative side of this is that it isn't very versatile. But the positive side is that is sounds bloody amazing in it's role! I recommend heavier strings to take advantage of this guitar...and a heavy ass pick!

I have played it with cheap amps, expensive amps, big amps and small amps. The Dano keeps it characteristics very well.

Keep this guitar away from computer monitors, as the pickups will buzz feircly.

There are only two physical flaws i will point out. #1 - this guitar isn't the easiest in the world to play. At least not for someone accustomed to a thin neck and light strings. #2 - The factory pickup switch was trash! The guitar is beautiful to look at as well.

The guitar so far has been very tough. I have a hardshell case for it and i am very gentle with my gear...so i am not the best one for commenting though. I never belive in gigging without 2 or 3 guitars, but it has never broken down. I will make another poit: I use it for three or four songs in my bands' set and rarely take it to jams. I use a variety of tones so i like to switch to the best guitar. I don't and can't use this guitar for that. I give it a nine because it has never failed, but it hasn't had any endurance tests yet.

2nd hand

The bottom line...

If you want a guitar that is very good at full clean tones go for it! It is a very affordable addition to anyone's setup. I play alot of heavy songs, and when i back off this guitar steps up. Like I mentioned before, i use different guitars for different songs. This one is my clean guitar. I guess it can be described as bluesy, but i don't use it for that. Even with distortion this guitar is very well articulated. But don't use alot of any effect or you'll get some retaliation. I am not against burying my guitar in distortion, chorus, delay or wah, but this guitar likes to be dry.

Email me and I'll send you some Mp3's of this guitar in action.

I have a reissue that I bought new from a local music shop, and it was a great first guitar. Good tone, not too expensive. In its stock configuration, the hardware is horrible. The 'adjustable' (wod plank) bridge makes it sound slightly out of tune all the time (even when adjusted by professionals), and the strap locks fall out with no hesitation. But, after jamming on it for a couple of years, I got some straplocks for a it and a decent bridge from another Danelectro guitar (with adjustments for each string), and it works great, it still has the wonderful tone but it much more reliable. It's also one of the lightest solid-body electrics I've ever seen, so it's nice and easy to play standing up for extra-long sets.

Almost any configuration of the pickups gets a good sound off of this thing, there's not too much variation in the sound (you either like it all the time or none of the time), so I use the pickup selector as a volume control, keep the bass end at a bit lower volume for backing tracks and the high pickup all the way up for solos. But it sounds good any way. Also, you can run this thing through eight effects pedals and it still keeps its nice tone, a sort of rich/bright sound which sounds like a quality steel-string acoustic if you use the low pickup only.

Once again, from the factory this thing is pretty bad. The stock bridge doesn't stay in tune, and I wouldn't put too much force on the neck, because you can bend it easily. I used this as a slide guitar for a little while, and ended up bending the neck quite a bit. It seems to like a low action very well, though. There aren't too many adjustments unless you spring for a more expensive bridge, you can't adjust the top very easily. No problems with the pickups, I love 'em.

Replace the strap buttons and everything else holds up pretty well. I may change out the flimsy tuners, though. A rule of thumb for this guitar is everything wood is fine, everything plastic should be replaced.

My local guitar guy called them up for some measurements for the new bridge and adjusting the action, and they were really friendly then. I don't know how long the warranty is, I never used it.

It's perfect for an inexpensive guitar. I wish it had better stock hardware, but when your price range is about that of a cheap Strat knockoff, it's great. Great tone, nice and light, a nice guitar which is fun to play. It's inexpensive enough that you feel okay in throwing it around and playing it pretty hard. It's pretty versatile, too. With the right effects you can do anything from quasi-acoustic to death metal without sacrificing your tone.

I was looking for a bare bones basic guitar for bottleneck playing and this fits the bill. Very basic, no frills just what I was looking for. Plastic knobs make me a bit nervous though...will replace with Allparts chrome concentric knobs. Strap pegs a definite negative mark, read a good way to install strap locks. Got the beatnik burgandy finish which is pleasing to the eye. The simple bridge took a little getting used to, it just needs to be set at the right string angle, and intonation can be done by sliding the appropriate side of the saddle to the right string length.

Running through a '56 Gretsch 6150 valco made tube amp w/ various analog tube driven effects (down with digital). The clean tone is beautiful & full. I would say the best tone for my style (blues, bottleneck slide) I can achieve a nice nasty tone that seems to modulate within the hollowbody construction. Best setting is Middle for a little extra push because on their own the pick ups do lack power. Great for blues, reggae etc... definitely not a thrasher guitar.

Got the guitar second hand via ebay from a pawn broker so I had to set the action to my height (for slide I gotta do this to every guitar anyway) Some loose bolts (toggle & jack plate) Neck straight & fat (nice), higher frets can be a little challenging for fret work due to the neck joint though, again for slide not much of a problem. Frets real easy all over the neck. Will get used to the vinyl tape as long as it stays where it belongs. Lost the pickguard & filled the holes, making a big difference in the overall appearance for the better. Keeps in tune very well, we'll see how long the keys last (just another easy modification anyway)

I've never dropped it, & with the installation of strap locks I hope I never will. The guitar does feel light as a feather, but the neck to body joint feels solid. I've read alot of reviewers say the dano can't stand up over time, but it seems like there are alot of vintage ones out there that weren't well cared for, and they're still alive & kickin' with better tone. For the price I think it's fine to put a few mods into a great sounding guitar in order to get it up to spec. I've depended on it and it has not let me down so far. I've always gigged w/o backup (thats what the blues is about) and have so far been lucky.

Never dealt with them

Been playing guitar for the better part of 16-17 odd years. I've had some real nice ones (Carvins, Fender Thiline, Les Paul, Melody Maker etc...) & some crap. As with all musical equipment, your likes & dislikes depend on your style. For the price I think this is a real winner. I think it will take some updating of some of the hardware (knobs, strap pegs etc...)but it's supposed to be about the sound & the tone, ain't it?

Pretty basic-
Made in Korea. 2 lipstick single coils, 2 stacked tone/volume pots, 3 way toggle. Semi-hollow masonite body that looks like a cross between a Les Paul and a Tele. Mine is commie red with cream binding. Very sweet retro-looking axe. The color is rather conservative, so it's not too cheesy. I could sit there and look at it for hours. Very nice looking.

I am playing my U2 through a Rocktron Rampage R50C Stereo Chorus. The little bugger is a tone machine! I have both tone knobs rolled back to around 50-60%, neck volume at 85%, and bridge volume 100%. The bridge pickup is nice and surfy/jangly, with twangy lows and spanky mids and highs. The neck pickup is smooth and punchy. Both pickups gives a full tone with increased output. At the edge of overdrive, I get a fat, smoking, bluesy tone from the neck, and a piercing tone I like to play U2 (the band) with from the bridge. Some people have said this guitar stinks distorted. Initially, that was my impression, too, but it is not the truth. Granted, it won't do metal, but with light distortion, it gets a nice, hot crunch. At mid-gain, it does fine for classic rock and anthem-type stuff. You can even get a decent grunge sound with neck pickup at higher gain. Amazing variety in this guitar, all with a cool retro vibe.

The previous owner of mine damaged the headstock pretty good, but it was done in replacing the stock tuners for nice chrome ones. Action is good and low, a little bit of buzz. I kinda like the quirky bridge.

I don't know about live playing. The finish is super-strong. The guitar is built like a masonite tank!

No idea.

I have been playing for only a few months. This is my first guitar, bought after lots of careful research. It is a great guitar. It looks great, feels great, has awesome tone, and is easy and fun to play. If it were stolen or lost, I would really be disappointed. I don't know if I would get the same guitar, but I would definitely get a Dano. They make great guitars cheap. The other guitar I considered in this price range is a Squire strat. (I played my friend's) The U2 blows it away. The only thing I don't like is that I wish it had a little more punch. Next time I will look at a DC-3 or Hodad for that, or maybe a U3.

Made in Korea sometime around 1998 I presume. I don't remeber if it's got 21 or 22 frets but it's enough. It has a solid formica top aqua blue burst and plywood sides. Two lipstick pick-ups, two volume and tone controls stacked. The body style for those who don't know is sorta Les Paulish w/ just a single cutaway. Tuners are "cheap" Danos. and the bridge is basically a "splinter" of rosewood.

How easy is that?

Here's the zinger! Sounds really great for whatever style I play. From hard rock, blues, jazz whatever it's got it covered. It's especially great for clean, crisp sounds but it also sounds great running through my 50 watt Marshall with the gain all the way up.

The guitar store I got it from had a stash hidden in the back in storage so I was able to pick and choose the best of the lot. The one I chose was perfectly set-up and the pick-ups came set up fine. Didn't even need to change the strings. The finish and fit was perfect.

I took this puppy to jam sessions and rehearsals/gigs and it kicks butt. Like any other type of guitar...take care of it and it will take care of you. I usually take at least two guitars to gig's and I think I'll add this one as a third for a couple of Rolling Stone and Zep tunes in our set. OK the strap buttons look week and they might fall out , but hey that's going to be my guitar repair guys problem, not mine. So far so good though.

N/A

I've been playing for about 20 years and own and have owned really great stuff. I usually go for guitars that have a particular sound, tone or uniqueness that fills a need. I presently play a couple of "modified" strats, a Les Paul Custom, a Dean Baby Z, a nylon string classical w/cutaway and a steel string acoustic. I can get all kinds of sounds for any studio or live situation. I run these into a pedal board with a Buddha Wah, a Boss Blues Driver, a Boss Flanger and a Boss Digital Delay through by trusted 50 watt Marshall combo with a single 12" Celestian speaker.

For the price you can't beat it. The Danos are for everyone, from beginners to the pros and I find I tend to play this more than my others because it's so damn fun and sounds great. For those looking for a great guitar at a great price, forget Squire (no quality control) forget Epiphone (just bugs me) get a Danelectro, a true classic. Even playing it acoustically will inspire you. When I first saw it at the store and played it unplugged, I was extremely impressed by the fact that it resonated so nicely. But then again, it is basically a hollow body.

i'm giving a nine because of the TV style pickups. it's something my other 2 elctrics don't have. the lipstick pickups are great...except for the environment noise.

i use many different sounds in my personal style. i use this guitar for arpeggiated chords and a little lead work. nothing fancy as i am not a blues player. i belive this guitar is better for that than what i use it for.

the neck is a little thick for me, but the action kicks ass. no buzz, easily fretted with 11's. the guitar is light and comfortable to play as well. the finish is very durable as i banged it on something right after taking it out of the case. i like using a slide with this guitar, but it takes care to do it right.

i hate the bridge. the output jack also screws up. the guitar being so
light would also tell me that it is fragile, but then again what do i know considering i never throw my guitars around.

N/A

i run this guitar into a GFX 707 and then into a 30 watt johnson. i use a light creamy distortion and it sounds really good. alot of mids and lows, as well as an excellent high end roll off. it isn't the easiest guitar to play in my collection but it is unique. i have 2 very "high endy' guitars as well as this one. it is great contrast to them.

Bought it in 2000, so I've had a good chance to get a long term feel for the guitar... not much has changed. I won't go through all the features since they've been listed here more than "Stair Way to Heaven" has been played. It's Copper Burst, though.

I use this as a backup/alternative guitar. It works great for a surf sound. I like to use it often for "the good, the bad and the ugly" sound. After all, it's fits the spagetti western analogy... cheap reproduction that gets the job done, no? My only 2 beefs with it is the nut is too low such that I can't raise the action high for slide and that the sorry ass bridge is one piece keeping intonation from *ever* being a realization. Oh, well. I have tried to grunge it with surprising results. Not great, not bad. If you select both PU's, you can fake it alright.

The strings that came with it were too thin, like .09's or something. I switched them out for heavy bottoms, this seems to suit the surf/gunslinger sound better. Lipstick PU's will pick up ANY and ALL electronics near by. Try a 20' cord.

This thing feels like it was put together by a high school shop class. Which is to say that Danelecto has maximized sound from inexpensive resources. Kudos to them. But if you ever drop one, it's dead. Save the strings or something.

I've dealt with them once for another issue and they were pretty helpful. They kinda took their sweet time getting my part to me, though.

For the money, it's good for someone starting out or if you want an extra f*&k around guitar. It's semi-hollow body sounds alright unplugged, so you could take it and play on the raod or something. I don't know if I would ever seriously gig with it. Looks cool, sounds too bright and twangy for anything outside of what was mentioned above or country.

I'm giving this guitar a low number for figures because it is what it is: A kick ass Dano. It's fun to play, feels great, sounds great (if that's what you like), and looks great. It has low features, but you shouldn't buy something unless it's what you want. I didn't want a guitar that would cost a years rent and have active pick-ups with coil tapping and all that. I wanted a Dano. You know the features. One major complaint, if you have an isong cd rom, or ever try to play in front of your computer for any reason, the lipsticks will pick up so much hum you might as well not even try.

I know everything on HC gets a ten, but I'm giving this a Ten for a 240$ guitar. It's no D'Angelio or whatever, but it doesn't cost more than the car I don't have.
I like to pretend this is a casino and play beatles tunes. Not much sustain, but I do all right with a hint of distortion. Good for rythem ( I can't spell to save my life) struming, with a little release of left hand pressure, you can get a nice click helping establish rythm instead of mush.
I also tune this bad boy to open G and pretend it's a Telecaster when I play black crowes songs or the stones.
Also, you can get a pretty good immitation of an accoustic with no extra gear. If you play live, you can leave your accoustic and accoustic amp at home.
I used to run it through a Danelectro fab tone, and then a peavey bandit 112. I thought it gave really good tone for being run through a cheap solid state amp. ALSO it seems like cheap gear sometimes goes together like it was made for each other. Not always though, sometimes shit + shit = super shit.
Now I use a Classic #0, usually with out effects, and it sounds even better.

The guitar is well made of cheap materials. The parts are crap, but it's well constructed. This was made latter in the reproduction, so it has a sturdy toggle switch. I would not gig without a back up. The pick guard will get polish traped under it if you polish your guitars. Then the screw holes will strip out of the chipboard. Minor complaint for a 240$ guitar.
I string mine up with 11's, which might void the warranty, but feels great and makes this loud! Action is good, intonation/intonating is a pain in the ass, but can be done. Stays in tune well. I might glue in the strap button if I ever think of it.

I've had no problems with mine, but I can tell one good shot and this thing would be out for the count. If droped on a tile floor or stage, I bet it would go down. This is not the guitar's fault, it's just the cheap parts give these things their charm and charachter, ya'know?

NEVER DELT WITH THEM.

NOTE TO ANYONE WHO KNOWS RANDALL, better store had it for $220 Randall wanted $260, and had the finish I wanted, Blue Burst. We dealled it down to 240. I hate to buy from randall, and now they are out of buisness.
I know everything gets 10's on HC, but this thing is so cheap, and so great it's a fantastic value. If you buy a $2500 ES335, it will sound better, but you will have more "complaints" because all the little picky things will piss you off more because something should be perfect for that price. With this you just laugh off all the little problems because you're having so much fun.
GO FOR IT!!!

Korean bought new in 98. Actually bought two within a few days of each other then, Aqua and Beatnik Burgundy. Just got a lefty for my 10year old dughter to learn on. See the pile of reviews below for the rest of the features.

Sounds great, bright and jangly. I bought the first two from different shops. In each case, the guy trying out another guitar next to me snapped his head and wanted to try out a Dano. One guy was playing a Les Paul, one a PRS. Once they heard the guitar and the price, they both just HAD to have one. Coulda bought 9 of these for the price of one Les Paul.

Guitars were set up great. Nice action, great playability.

They seem to be doing fine after 5 years of home recording. Only gigged the blue one a couple of times. These things are light but feel surprisingly strong.
I'd use a backup no matter what guitar I was playing.

Why bother? If it screws up, buy another. Probably be cheaper and less hassle.

Been playing 35 years. Own guitars that cost more than 10 times what these babies do. Can't beat the value. The initial shock was that something this cheap brand new could sound so incredibly cool. Run it through Marshall, Vox, Fender.
Of course I'd replace it if it went missing.