Danelectro 1956 U2 Reissue

When Nat Daniel made the first Danelectro back in the mid Fifties, could he have had any clue that his guitar would sound so great and play so majestically? Known for its amazing tone and "signature sound", the U2 guitar was a instant hit when it first appeared in 1956. Thousands of recordings from the 50's and 60's feature its signature sound.

Forty-something years later, this U2's sonic magic is superbly replicated in its new reissue incarnation, the 56-U2. Impressively, it's a near-perfect recreation of the original with "Coke bottle" headstock and a "cool copper" colour and exact replicas of the original's "D" style tuners only used on the early reissues, probably this guitar is from 1998, these made in Korea reissues were produced from 1998 until 2001 - 2003.

Just about everything here is identical to the original. This includes those beloved "lipstick tube" (so-named because the originals actually used surplus lipstick tubes), single-coil pickups; the stacked, concentric knobs (combining volume and tone onto one pot); the heavy-duty, industrial-strength toggle switch; and an alloy bridge with a rosewood saddle.

The 56-U2's hollowness provides a buxom acoustic voice; amplified, it's a bright, trebly guitar with ample harmonic overtones that cut through a mix. It's simply a great-sounding guitar that delivers jangle (using both pickups) and fatness (the typical front-pickup tone). The pickups kick out a Strat-like output, but with more midrange. The 56-U2 offers great playability and cool vintage looks.

Specifications Average weight = 6.0 lbs.
Body Hardboard top and bottom with plywood frame.
Neck Hard maple with rosewood fingerboard.
Scale 25???
Frets 21
Body Width 42mm
Headstock Width 15.5mm
Nut Width 40mm
Action 1.6mm high 'E'
18mm low 'E'
Pickups Original style brass tube w/chrome plating
Magnet ??? Original formula 50???s style Alnico magnet.

Controls: Large knobs control volume.
Small knobs control tone.
Knobs closest to the neck control neck pickup.
Knobs closest to bridge control bridge pickup.

Toggle switch :
Up = neck pickup on.
Middle = neck & bridge pickups on wired in series in phase.
Down = bridge pickup on.

Unbelievable, if your looking for crisp & cristal clear sounds with lots of treble this is it, don't look any further anymore. I use this guitar mainly with a 1979 Fender Silverface Princeton Reverb.
I own a variety of single coil guitars : Fender Strats & Tele's, Epiphone Zephyr Blues Deluxe and an old 1960 Gibson ES-330-TD (the same guitar Grant Green used on his early Blue Note recordings), I'm a real Fender fanatic when it comes to guitars and amps, but this Dano has become my all time favourite guitar instantly. I'm suffering from "Dano fever" ever since and the next Dano I'm gonna buy is the rare & more versatile 56-U3 in a cool sparkling turquoise colour, I can't wait until I put my hands on that guitar!!!

I bought this guitar second hand and cannot say anything about the factory setup, when I got it I've tweaked around with the action until it suited my style, as a blues guitarist I prefer a little bit higher action then normal for better tone and easier string bends and I use heavier 011-049 D'addario EXL115 strings instead of the more common 010-046 strings also to achieve a better tone.
But the pickups on this guitar were not balanced well, the rhythm pu was loud compared to the weaker lead pu, even raising the lead pu height didn't improve this problem. After checking the DC resistance it turned out that the rhythm pu (LP1) with grey cable measured 3,8 kOhm and the lead pu (LP2) with white cable measured 3,77 kOhm, almost identical readings, so the unbalance in output was probably caused by a difference in magnetic strength between the rhythm pu and the lead pu???
I decided to desolder both pu leads from the pots and swapped the pickups in position, afterwards I've soldered the pu leads back to the correspondive pots and the unbalance in output was gone, the problem was solved, I assume that the original neck pickup LP1 with grey cable has stronger magnets then the lead pickup LP2 with white cable. I don't know if this was only the case with this particular guitar, normally the hotter pickup should always be mounted in the bridge position instaed of the neck position.

Here's the standard switching on a Danelectro 56-U2 :
Toggle switch :
Up = neck pickup on.
Middle = neck & bridge pickups on wired in series in phase.
Down = bridge pickup on.

As a blues guitarist I like the nasal out of phase sounds that can be achieved on a 2 or 3 pickup guitar like T-Bone Walker, Jimmy Nolan, Johnny Guitar Watson etc... I liked the standard middle position on this Dano with neck & bridge pickup wired in series in phase for a hotter output, but when I decided to change the little red & white wires of the now grey bridge pickup cable to place it out of phase with the neck pu it was pure blues heaven. I can now really achieve that cool nasal out of phase blues tone used a lot by contemporary blues cats like Rick Holmstron, Junior Watson, Teddy Morgan etc...

Here's the customised switching on my Danelectro 56-U2 :
Toggle switch:
Up = neck pickup on.
Middle = neck & bridge pickups on wired in series out of phase.
Down = bridge pickup on.

Like most other Danos equipped with a rosewood saddle mounted on an alloy bridge, the metal baseplate has warped over time under the string pressure, but the guitar still plays like a dream, no string buzzing over the entire neck because of this poor bridge design.

This guitar will withstand live playing in my hands, I'm very careful with my gear and I always take good care of it.
Recently I've played live with this Dano at a blues caf?? and got many positive reactions afterwards about the unique tones this guitar produces, I was also surprised how easily it cut through the mix.
The only thing that could break on this guitar are probably the small white plastic strap buttons, they could drop out unexpectedly, maybe I've to remove them, use very strong super glue and fix them back into place.
The vintage Danelectro & Silvertone guitars also used this simple design and are still around up to today, so I'm not afraid about the build quality, you can depend on it.

I've never contacted Danelectro.
I repair all of my gear myself, and in this case you can buy all the original Dano parts on www.danguitars.com!!!

I play for more then 22 years now, mostly blues, I wish I would have bought me a Dano right from the start.
Danelectro guitars are really fantastic, a lot of bang for the buck!!!

Danelectro 56-U2 Reissue from 1998-2001, made in Korea.
Color : Cool Copper
Specifications Average weight = 6.0 lbs.
Body Hardboard top and bottom with plywood frame.
Neck Hard maple with rosewood fingerboard.
Scale 25???
Frets 21
Body Width 42mm
Headstock Width 15.5mm
Nut Width 40mm
Action 1.6mm high 'E'
18mm low 'E'
Pickups Original style brass tube w/chrome plating
Magnet ??? Original formula 50???s style Alnico magnet.

Controls: Large knobs control volume. Small knobs control tone. Knobs closest to the neck control neck pickup. Knobs closest to bridge control bridge pickup. Toggle switch: Up position = neck pickup on. Middle = both pickups in series & in phase. Down = bridge pickup on.

This guitar is the best kept secret for blues lovers.
It has a real crisp & clean sound, retro looks & sounds, if you like Tele's for blues, this guitar will even do better.
I use the Dano with a 1979 Fender Princeton Reverb.
The guitar is a little bit noisy, but I don't care for that, you wouldn't even notice this at a life performance.
The lipstick pickups produce very clear & bright sounds, awesome.

This guitar has 3 basic sounds, toggle switch up = neck pickup, toggle switch middle = both pickups in series & in phase , toggle switch down = bridge pickup

The guitar was properly setup when I bought it second hand, nice action, not too high without fret buzzing, straight neck, this guitars plays like dream, even unplugged it produces a reasonable volume which is always a good indication.

The bridge baseplate with rosewood saddle has warped a little bit bend under the pressure of the strings, this is a common problem but didn't have any negativ impact on the sound or playability of this guitar, it is possible to upgrade the bridge to a newer model with six individual saddles for perfect height adjustment & intonation of each string, furthermore these newer bridges can be mounted down to the body to improve overall sustain, these bridges and a lot of other Danelectro parts can be bought at www.danguitars.com

I noticed a big volume difference between neck & bridge pickup, neck pickup was giving good output, bridge pickup was weak sounding, I changed the height of both pickups but didn't get the bridge in balance with the neck pickup.
I decided to desolder the pickups & placed the neck pickup in the bridge position & bridge pickup in the neck position and soldered them back to the appropriate pots -> this was a huge improvement in output balance of the 2 pickups.
After that I even changed the wiring a little bit more, I've changed the 2 leads (white & red) of the bridge pickup soldered to the volume pot to make it out of phase with the neck pickup when the toggle switch is in the middle position.
This gives you both pickups in series & out of phase for that trademark sound a la Rick Holmstron / Junior Watson / Teddy Morgan.
To my personal taste it's way better now then the normal wiring.
This mod is very simple if you can handle a soldering iron and easy to reverse.

This guitar seems strong enough to me for live performances.
Maybe the warped bridge baseplate with rosewood saddle needs to be upgraded to the newer model with 6 individual saddles
The plastic strap buttons look tricky, they can also be upgraded easily to metal ones.

I have no experience with the customer support of the Danelectro company.
I don't care too much, you can buy a lot of original Danelectro parts at www.danguitars.com, everything can be easily replaced on these guitars, they are very easy to service.

I've been playing blues guitar for more then 22 years now and I own several vintage Fender & Gibson guitars and amps.
This cheap Danelectro 56-U2 Reissue was a big surprise to me, great playability and incredible sounds at bargain prices.

I wish the Danelectro 56-U2 was also equipped with a 6-way rotary Select-O-Matic switch instead of the 3-way toggle switch.
This would give the following switching possibilities :

Pos 1 = Neck pickup
Pos 2 = Neck & Bridge pickup in parallel & in phase
Pos 3 = Neck & Bridge pickip in series & in phase
Pos 4 = Bridge & Neck pickup in series & out of phase
Pos 5 = Bridge & Neck pickup in parallel & out of phase
Pos 6 = Bridge pickup

I want to buy the Danelectro 6-way Select-O-Matic rotary switch and upgrade my Danelectro 56-U2 with it to get all the possible 6 sounds by a flick of the switch for greater versatility.

If it were stolen I would definately buy it again or maybe look for the more collectable Danelectro 56-U3 or DC-3 Reissue with 3 lipstick pickups.

1998 made in Korea lefty '56 U2 Reissue. 21 fret, 3 way pickup selector, 2 volume controls (stacked), 2 tone controls, 2 single coil Alnico "lipstick tube" pickups. Single cutaway (Les Paul style) semi-hollow body, masonite top and bottom, bolt-on painted maple neck, adjustable truss rod, 21-fret rosewood fingerboard with white dot inlays, aluminum nut, rosewood/metal stop tailpiece, "Coke bottle" headstock with screened logo, 3-per-side sealed tuners, chrome hardware with off white plastic machine heads, 2 off white plastic strap buttons. 2 tone "Aqua-burst" painted gloss finish on guitar body, back of neck and headstock. Clear, stylized plastic pickguard with "D" logo, 2 screw mount. This is a small, semi-hollow guitar, so it is quite light.
Tuners, strap buttons and the metal/rosewood bridge are the weak features of this guitar.

I really like the sound from this little guitar. I like blues and rock styles primarily and this guitar has no problem creating nice tone. I'm a hobby player and just play through a couple of practice amps, a '98 Fender Frontman Reverb and an Orange Crush 30r. I have a few other lefty guitars, a Tele, Strat and an Ibanez RG550L and the '56 U2 RI has a distinct sound from those guitars. You can get a fairly nice creamy tone on clean settings and you can also get a full, well rounded growl when you push the overdrive and crank the gain. Pickups are well behaved on all settings. Being a semi-hollowbody it is also quite resonant. I find it great for noodling on unplugged when I'm watching a game on TV or just relaxing.

I've had this guitar about 6 months and the action is a little high. I don't believe the previous owner had it set-up, so this is probably the original set up. Very playable, but it is a little high.
Fit and finish is very nice. Over ten years old, well cared for, it looks mint. Neck and frets dressed nicely, body finish (paint) is A1. Plastic strap buttons look cheap, but are serviceable, their still tight, but I haven't used a strap with it. The rosewood fretboard is not the tightest grain I've seen and is of a lighter variety in color. This type of metal/rosewood bridge have been know to warp due to string tension, however a full metal intonating replacement bridge is available for around $50 on the net.
I think my biggest complaint is the machine heads/tuners are not the best quality. They are quite stiff to use, although the guitar appears to hold tune very well.

I believe this guitar could be gigged with, although upgrades to the bridge, tuners and strap buttons may be advisable.

Have not dealt with the company. These '56 U2 Reissues were only made from 1998 to 2003. The company still has a website, however there is no information on previous models, only the current year models. It would be nice if they could incorporate more of their model history on their website.

I've been playing on and off since the early '80s, played mostly acoustic early on and in recent years more electric. I have other lefties including a '69 Fender Tele partscaster, '89 MIJ Fender Stratocaster '67 RI and a 1990 Ibanez RG550L.
I like the different tones this guitar produces compared to my other guitars. I like the size and weight, great for just picking up and creating masterpieces on the couch, lol. Love the color and retro looks. I'm always on the look out for cheap lefties, especially an LP style. This came along and it is a nice contrast to my other guitars.
If stolen or lost, I would love to find a replacement, however they are no longer made and had a limited run. My guitar retailed for $500 new here in Canada, used examples are cheaper, but appear to be rising in value.

STANDARD FEATURES, BUT A WAY COOL ANTIGUA FINISH

INCREDIBLE! JUST PLAYED IT THROUGH A PEAVY 5150. VERY IMPRESSIVE.

AS GOOD AS ANY GUITAR 4 TIMES THE COST.

SEEMS SOLID

NEVER NEEDED

EXCELLENT! EXCELLENT!

Purchased on e-bay. 2 lipstick p/u, short scale (25") lp body style. Very basic instrument, but thats the idea.

Then there's the dano sound. The only reason forgetting this guitar was the sound from the lipstick p/u's. The retro bridge p/u sound, and the phased middle position are worth every cent.

Unfortunately, it is true to the '56 version, which means a rosewood bridge. Relpaced with an intonating bridge, this guitar holds pitch WAY better. Action a little high, but for what I need (slide), no problem. No sustain whatsoever, but that should be expected given th construction.

Don't know....seems solid, but time will tell.

Never contacted

Been playing too long (35+years). I got this for the specific sound (In My Time of Dying) and covering '50's and '60's stuff. Put this in the "Have to Have" category since it is so unique. I play an Austin Tour Pro (modded with duncans) and an '84 Tele. This does things that the other just can't. "Twangier" than a Tele, major retro sound. A must have to fill out a sound library.

Not terrible, but not amazing, either. I just bought this and will probably replace rosewood bridge with the adjustable intonating chrome bridge (available at danguitars.com). A worthwile $49.00 investment in my mind. The aluminum nut is great...sure as heck beats the plastic ones found on some higher priced guitars. The guitar stays in tune just fine, but I could see myself eventually upgrading the tuning machines, as well. The strap pegs also need to go...the plastic feels like they're going to come loose (or worse...snap off). But overall the guitar seems like it was built with care.

I'm not an old blues guy, and I'm not in a dad band and I don't like heavy metal. I play powerpop (The Posies, Big Star, etc) and this guitar is great for it. I use a Marshall Valvestate Combo Amp and get a great clean tone that sounds like a Tele when I switch to the bridge pickup.

The setup out of the box was pretty darn good. Not in love with the rosewood bridge which could really throw the intonation off after a time, but it works for now. My primary stage guitar is an Ibanez Artcore AS93 (a semi-hollow double cutaway like the Gibson ES that weighs about 95lbs). Compared to that, this guitar is VERY fast. I'm no shredder, but I found myself able to do some pretty clean licks on this that were a bit tougher on the 'Nez.

The guitar looks awesome. I've got a white one that fades into this orange creamsicle color...cool as hell! I knew the second I discovered that Danos existed, I would own one someday.

I just came off a 50-date tour and now I'm taking a four month rest before I head back out. I acquired the Dano after said tour was over, but it'll be around for the next one. After playing it around the apartment and among friends, I think as long as it's taken care of, it can withstand some hefty gigging. I'm going to get a hard case for it...for now it sits in a guitar hook on my wall (talk about hanging a piece of fine art). Tunings pegs and strap pins feel a bit flimsy (I'm likely going to upgrade both eventually). Since I do like to live dangerously, I would play a show with no backup. I think the Dano would come through.

N/A

I've been playing guitar for only four years and have quickly become an enthusiast. I have an Ibanez Artcore AS93, a Fender American Strat, and a Guild acoustic. The Dano is the perfect addition to my guitar collection. I can't wait to play it live and show off to all those old dads playing their dusty barroom covers. If this guitar were stolen, I'd look to replace it immediately.

Malt-shop cream '56 U2 reissue purchased in summer 2000. The lipstick pick-ups look great and produce a great viontage tone. 22 frets, limiting for lead guitar in higher keys but never really been a problem. stacked volume/tone knobs with three way pick up select. The metal nut is a nice touch, shame about the cheap-looking plastic pegs for securing the strap in place, unfortunately they have a tendancy to come loose. The action is nice and low which allows for fast playing and easy chord playing higher up the fret board. The guitar is hollow and feels as though it could be easily damaged yet i've never had any problems so it must be tougher than it looks.

Works well for almost all styles. I play a lot of blues, funk and hard rock and the guitar is well suited to all of these.
In a clean setting the guitar shines through with a distinctive tone ideal for jangley settings, especially in conjunction with a chorus pedal. The guitar excells with a rich, full bluesey bite in an O/D 1 setting with a fantastic full crunch. Turn the amp up to the 11 and the U2 will sustain notes with brilliant clarity as long as you want it to whilst offering nice fat power chords. Knock the pick up select into the bridge position and the guitar produces a tone reminiscent of a telecaster. None of the pick up positions are noisy and the stacked volume/tone knobs allow for lots of tweaking in creating whatever sound you want. On sound alone this guitar is great, the fact that it looks amazing too is a bonus.

Nice low action straight from the box, i've never had any complaints and as such i've never bothered having it adjusted. One screw on the higher pick up has a tendancy to come loose from time to time causing the pick up to mute the top string, although easily fixed with a screwdriver this is rather irritating when it happens. The guitar has a fantastic retro look. Aside from the cheap, loose strap pegs and the equally cheap looking tuning pegs I wouldn't have this guitar any different.

I use this guitar for gigging and teaching and 7 years on it is still my favourite. The hardwear has held it's own as has the finish. A few knocks on the headstock have seen the paint wear off ever so slightly but you'd only notice if you were really looking for it. Sound wise this guitar always performs and as such is reliable. Part of me wants to replace the tuning pegs and strap buttons but at the same I like the colour scheme of the instrument and am reluctant to actually act on doing this for fear of butchering an old friend in the process. I always gig with several guitars for fear of snapping a string as well as for a variety of different sounds. I also have a Fender Strat and a PRS and tend to vary between these instruments.

For what I paid this guitar is fantastic value. If it were lost/stolen I would seek out another one as soon as. I like Danelectros for their distinctive tone and retro look. They look very different to most other guitars which also sets them apart. Apart from some of the cheap hardwear already mentioned there is little fault I could pick about the U2. If you ever get chance to buy one do so, you won't be disappointed.

Imagine the beauty of any noise after 10 years of silence. This guitar aims to please and pleases to aim. Might look like it was made in a Korean sweatshop (possibly was) but don't judge a book by it's cover. It's always darkest before dawn... play a simple open chord and realize your own musical expression.

Unfortunately, cream and pink don't always impress the ladies. I'm secure with my manhood though so whats good for the goose is good for the gander. I'd give it an 3 but the sound makes the inadequate paint an 8.

I've been playing guitar for a solid 1 1/2 months, I've been playing this guitar for 1 month, and have had only slight problems with some cracking from the input. But then again, does as bear shit in the woods?

Like a fart in the wind.... does this company even exist anymore?

fantastic value... I suggest you find yours at yardsale as well... suckers.

this is actually just an edit to my review my dano is actually a56 reissue pro,it has an ajustable bridge(not a wooden one),the tuners are solid and closed ,the strap buttons are chrome plated metal and screwed in.there is an ajustable truss rod but the neck must be removed to make a change.and i justed wanted to add that pickup selector switch is actually very quite.not a pop or click or anything.it seems the quality of these guitars really varys and should be throughly checked out before buying.

i cant lie it feels cheap, it looks plain,and it does'nt have any features to speak of .It's almost impossible to set the action. yup its pretty much a piece of ikea furniture with strings.but its a dream to play and sounds wonderfull.

with different amps and effects there has'nt been anything that this guitar has lacked in

the factory setup was poor,well bad actually.horibble string buzz the frets were all over the place and the action was too high.but it went to the guitar tech and 50 bucks later and it feels and plays as nice as my prs cu 22.i shoud've bought the dano first and saved about 3500 bucks

treat it gently you could play it for ever.but it is light and feels delicate.its not punk rock lifestyle friendly.

hasn't been an issue

i ve played guitar long enough to know it plays and sounds as good as my prs and blows my les paul away in every way.a high end guitar may look better but this one is alot of fun to play and would need to be replaced first if i lost all my guitars.

I found my aqua Danelectro in a local secondhand shop for $300. It was in perfect condition. I didn't know about the sound or quality of these guitars, but as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it. Read other reviews fer stats, I'm not the best of guitarists, I just dug the damn thing. Mine had a golden "Made in Korea" sticker on the back.

I'm in a noisey sludge/punk band and I love the sound this thing makes when it's running through a high gain pedal. (I know, waste of guitar, don't care.) It sounds like a chainsaw on heat. I used to play a '94 (?)Fender Japanese Jag with JB Jr's, but this damn aqua monstrosity feels a shit-ton nicer to play. The damn thing weighs piss-all, Saves the old shoulders, lemme tell you. The only problem I have is the feedback. I play a lot of feedback, and low gain pickups don't like feedback. At least that's what I think I've discovered...

I bought the thing (No scratches, flaws, I think it may have been a forgotton gift...), jammed, then played a gig and it was perfect. The bastard's one of the best guitars I've ever played.

I've dropped it once or twice and it still works. That's enough fer me. Oh, the input jack thingy tends to get loose now and then. That's the only problem I've come across so far.

Never had to deal with them.

If I lost this thing, I'd track down another A.S.A.P, it's a great guitar.

this is a 90's u2 reissue with 2 kickass lipstick pickups, a neat U shaped neck, 21 frets. It's a hollow, kind of les paulish body, well finished, in a creme color. made of plywood and masonite. dont laugh so soon.

This guitar is the best sounding single coil guitar i own, including a 50's classic stratocaster, and an american Telecaster. When describing the tone, the word "jangly" comes to mind. Because of the 25" scale length, (as opposed to the 25 1/2" fender scale), this guitar has a looser, less tensed up sound than a fender, which i like alot. Also, the bad-ass lipstick pickups are much quieter than strat pickups, due to the metal "lipstick" pickup housing, which acts like a shield from RF noise and such.the bridge pickup is bright but not shrill, pleasing. I run this through an Orange crush 30R, a danelectro compressor, and a proco RAT2 (buy one of those). the neck pickup is smooth, round and full, but with good definition. Both pickups on produce a full, slightly funky sounding tone, which is also very, very cool. When i kick on the RAT, the guitar overdrives smoothly, the bridge sound great for an early black sabbath type sound, i turn up and play along with that first album all the time. keeps me in practice. the middle pickup sounds powerful and a little smoother. The neck, (still my favorite) offers a warm, very smooth, obviously bassier sound. Has serious amounts of vibe, very fun to play. Resistant to microphonics, the biggest annoyance of guitar to me. i hate squeals. But who doesn't? Also: series wiring means that when both pickups are on it boosts the output. cool.

I bought this guitar used from sam ash for 90 dollars. It wasnt at its finest moment. The previous owner hacked it up. He just put a million holes in it, trying to screw with the bridge, and installing this little trapeze tailpiece thing. Frets were rough from a level gone horribly wrong. tuners i believe were stock. Completely terrible. I couldnt bend the G without going out of tune. But still, as soon as i picked it up, i knew i was going to buy it. the neck profile is this perfect U shape. very comfortable. I really value a guitar with a special neck. finish was in great shape. I got it home, leveled the frets, installed a tune-o-matic bridge instead of that crappy rosewood bridge, which cannot be adjusted for intonation without sliding it around. it actually wasnt so bad at all, but the wood would wear out eventually, i just went ahead and replaced it. Then, i set it up to play really low, put on some new strings, and some tuners i had lying around. the results were inspiring. seriously, this is one great playing guitar now. My friend is this gibson whore, and he picked it up and immediately stated "I like the way this plays" Also, do yourself a favor. replace the plastic strap pegs.

This guitar has taken alot of crap since ive had it, and it's held up admirably. However, it is hollow, and more care should be taken when handling it than a solidbody. If you take care of it, it'll last you a long time. I've always thought danelectros, though made from cheap materials, were not necessarily cheaply made. You see some pretty old ones around. but nobody wants to sell them.

dont know about this one. never had to call the company, probably never will. its used anyway...no warranty im sure. I've heard alot of things about dano support, everyone either says they were great or they were terrible.

I have played guitar everyday for the past two years. this is not a long time, but sometimes i'll just stay up all night, playing away, so i've got alot of actual hours of practice in. if you cut me open, i swear to god i wouldnt be surprised if sound came out. ha. What i love equally is working on guitars. actually, im a better repairman than a player. I really like to experiment and get cool tones out of my guitars. those would include the aforementioned fenders, another excellent 90 dollar guitar, a strat copy from the 60's that is also better than my strat, an agile les paul copy with alnico humbuckers that rules ass (pick one of those up too.), an ibanez jet king, a classical guitar that was my dads way back in the day, and a shitty fender acoustic guitar.

2 lipstick tube pickups; two stacked volume/tone pots; malt-shop creme colour; retro vibe!

The sound of this guitar is very unique. I personally find that there is a lot of treble in all of the sounds, both neck and bridge pickups. However, this doesn't mean I don't like it and the fact that the pickups are wired in series is very useful for me, and it also makes logical sense, in that turning both on at the same time makes it louder! Genius!

There appears to be no way to fault the fit an finish of this guitar. It's second hand and approaching 10 years old now but there are no problems and it seems to have stood up to the test of time, though i don't think it's been gigged much as there are two screws where I can only assume some (idiot!!) has attached a Roland MIDI abomination to it and used it at home. Colour is perfectly applied and while light, the whole thing feels solid with a particularly nice neck.

I would not hesitate to gig this guitar. I have so far had no problems with the strap buttons and it looks the bomb so I'd have to cool factor too! I also don't mind the tuners too much. Ok, they do take a bit of work to actually tune up but once they're there they stay there. Only wish mine had the "D" covers! The only issue I have is the tape, though I think it's more my scaredness - it's still absolutely pristine on mine.

I just love the look of Danos and also have a Convertible on the way, as well as a Nifty Fifty amp to play them all through. However, the U2 is completely different to any guitar I own, except the neck which can be compared to my Epiphone Les Paul Junior in size and feel, though is far superior in quality. I have Rickenbackers, Gibsons, Fenders and while this is my most newly acquired and the new one is always the favourite, I can see this staying top of the heap. I wouldn't swap this for anything and in fact am hoping to get more Danos as soon as I can! Shame about the new re-issues though....

Not sure of the year. I think I bought it in late '97 or early '98.
Plywood frame body, masonite top. Bolt-on neck. Two lipstick pickups, each with its own concentric volume/tone knob, and a 3-way p/u selector (neck, both, bridge). Pretty basic setup, but you have everything you need.

Keep in mind, as you read this review, we're talking about a cheap guitar. The construction, sound, style, etc were all modelled after the vintage cheap guitars that people have come to love. These things were cheap in 1956, and they're cheap now. So, I'm treating this as a "what would you expect from a $200 guitar" sort of review...

These things have a sound all their own, between the pickups and the hollow masonite/ply body. There's a plywood block under the bridge to help stabilize it, but it's also pretty effective in reducing feedback. Also, because of the hollow body, it's fairly loud unplugged, though not as loud as a true hollow body (ie, with f holes, deeper body, thinner sides/top, etc).

Basically, if you're looking for a vintage-sounding guitar, or a great lo-fi/rockabilly/blues/slide sound, this is a great place to start. I don't see it being much of a shredder/metal guitar, but the style would probably keep people from thinking of using it for that as well. This guitar definitely sounds like it looks, and that's not a bad thing.

Okay, you can't intonate the bridge very easily. That's been established through countless reviews. But that's part of the charm, and the rosewood bridge/metal nut combo contribute to its unique sound. But, I have never had a noticeable problem with the intonation either. There might be a little inaccuracy high up the neck, but down low, everything is fine. Since this guitar sounds best below the 12th fret (it makes a great rhythm guitar), I haven't run into it being a problem.

Action was wonderful, no buzzing at all, but low and comfortable.

Finish was good (I got "Beatnick Burgundy") and looks great for a guitar in this price range. There is tape around the body edges, and it started to lift on the upper waist curve, but other than that, I've had no problems.

The body tape on the upper part of the waist has lifted a little, about the size of a dime. Not a big deal, but I will probably replace the tape someday.

The two biggest reliability complaints I've seen about these guitars involve the tuners and the strap pegs. I have never had a problem with this guitar going out of tune, and I play this guitar a lot around the house. If anything, they're a little stiff to move. And the tuning pegs... The first time they came out, I put a little super glue on them and stuck them back in, and they haven't moved in 7 years... Don't expect straplocks on a cheap guitar, folks. By all means, if you want straplocks, go put some on, but this is an easy solution to an easy problem.

Never had to use 'em, but their website is pretty bad if you need to find any info out...

For the money, I don't think you can get a better guitar. Yeah, it's got quirks, but that's part of the fun. I got a good deal on this because a music store had bought a whole bunch, and then was trying to clear room for the next line of Dano's that were coming out. I bought this, and the next week, my roommate went back to that store and bought a barritone U2. A few months later, our other roommate bought a DC3. All three of us have loved our Dano's. Yeah, this thing's not a boutique guitar by any means, but it sure is fun, and sounds pretty cool. I want another one so that I can leave it open for slide, but since they stopped making them, the prices have actually gone up a little...

One note about these: They're a little bigger than Strat/Tele/Les Paul type guitars, but nowhere near the size of a true hollowbody, so finding a hardshell case can be a bit tricky. Make sure you measure or try fitting it. I was lucky and bought a "Strat/Tele" case that was actually a little too big for my Strat, but fit this perfectly...

It's a few years old. Made in Korea I think. 25 inch scale. Two pickups with concentric tone/volume controls and three way switch. Rosewood bridge sitting on two philips screws. Maple neck with five screws holding it on(you have to take the neck off to to adjust the truss rod), masonite/wood body. Single cutaway, cheap plastic tape, strap pegs and cheap 3rd rate tuners.

Super sound. Nice clean jazz tones, blues tones, complex and deep like a hollowbody. Tele sound whatever. I have a Marshall amp with effects and also a Roland with modeling and effects, it's amazing. The thing is it's not hard to get really good sound out of this guitar.

The setup wasn't bad. I put heavier flatwound strings on it and adjusted the neck and bridge. The intonation was good and pickups. The neck is now really nice and low no buzz. I had to file the edges of the frets a bit which is ok for an older guitar.

It's really solid. The tuners and strap buttons should be replaced.

For the price it's a super guitar. With new tuners you'd have a nice instrument. It's a really good invention and has been around for fifty years. I have an old Hofner archtop and it's the same sort of thing fantastic sounds a real pleasure to play.

This was from one of the first batch of the re-issues. Agua colored mosonite over plywood frame. Almost a clone of the originals. metal lipstick tube pickups and concentric pots for both volume and tone for each pickup. three position switch with the middle for both on.

bright,loud and twangy. kind of Fenderish but slightly different. Sounds good with a Fender Deluxe reverb or a Hughes & Kettner combo.

I bought this guitar used in a music store. It was slightly through the mill by the previous owner. I think he/she may have been in a punk band due the Van's sticker that was on it when I bought it. It came with junk tuners and a bowed bridge with wood saddle. Almost impossible to intonate. Let me make a suggestion to those who may have the same model. Immediately remove the junk tuners and intall the gotoh vintage oval tuners and install the newer U-3 bridge upgrade. "Mama mia" what a difference that made this guitar now. It stays in tune and you can adjust the saddles. I was just about ready to donate it to the Salvation Army. Not now, I'm having fun with it now. sounds and plays great for a small additionalinvestment.

With the improvements, it can stand up to my strats and teles. It has it's own sound so it is a definite addition to my other guitar. I call it a great cheap guitar. I will probably install new stap buttons because they don't cost much and that should do it for a while.

Never dealt with them. I think Danelectro is some kind of Ghost Company with no real address. Nobody to really talk to.

I have been playing for over thirty years. I had an original Danelectro and athough it sounded good, I sold it for a lot of money and bought a much better guitar with the funds. When the re-issues came out, I was going to buy a new one. They disappeared before I got a chance to buy one so I was able to pick one up used and hot rod it a bit. I suggest if you shop for one, save about an additional 100 bucks and upgrade the hardware. You will have a great guitar.

90's Dano 56 U2. Same good ol masonite/plywood body same wooden bridge that can't get that perfect innotation, same D tuners, same clear pickguard. Much more like the original than the "pro" series.

has stacked pots, which is a nifty litle feature so i know whats for what pickup and what isn't. Each individual pickup is quiet, both on is about normal. its easier to leave both on and use the volume knobs for both to adjust your amount of twang and treble. I leave the tone knobs cranked most of the time and when its in an open tuning (usually A on this guitar) both pickups are on. \

its a prety simple setup, but im a pretty simple man, so i dont need hundreds of features.

THIS GUITAR CAN'T FEDBACK NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY!

I use a Big Muff as my distortion pedal, and even with the sustain cranked it wont squeal. I like that! If you want a "clean" distortion, this guitar is perfect. It suits my "style" i usually am playing uber heavy blues rock (think soledad brothers) but i dont limit myself by "genre" and do whatever the heck i want. I use the bridge pickup for funky chords in open tunings. both pickups on is very good for slide guitar in my opinoin. nothing sounds like these things, thats good, but, its a very quiet guitar so dont be suprised if your turning it up loud.


Important: Distortion on this guitar DOUBLES the volume of the guitar. very loud! roll off the volume on that distortion. Hey, at least it doesnt feed back right?

The guitar was perfectly set up when i got it. i like the metal nut! it makes it hard for the guitar to come out of tune it seems, that and the WICKED tuners. "D" i like that. my name starts with D to. innotation was as good as it was gonna get on a wooden bridged guitar. there was a small scratch on the neck that turned out to be an area where they forgot to paint. but, it hasnt affected the sound, so im not concerned. its light as love. which is a nice turn of events for me. (tele, i love you, but your so darn heavy)
I have 2 new guitars, this and a mexican tele (my love) and 1 old guitar, a Kay hollowbody version of the gibson es 125DP. This guitar, is probaly been the one that was easiest to deal with right when i got it. It took me monthes to get my tele just perfect, that thing was a ginny pig for a year, then i wised up, got it set up right. this baby was in tune when i got it (danelectro packs well man)

be wary of the strap locks, they WILL fall out.

well, me and my mom both are very clumsy, and i have dropped it a couple times because of those strap locks that pop out everynow and then. Im thinking of gluing them in there, but i also am not...


its perfect for a gig, lightweight, sleek, sexy, everything a showman would want. lots of dolts out there think its a custom made les paul i got with the letter of my first name on the tuners and pickguard. (idiots, so square, all they see is les pauls, strats, and stacks)

havent had ANY problems with the electronics, its been in my possesion for about a month.

I always have a backup, but those 2 backups are in different tunings. if i were less complex, i could use this by itself easily. this thing will be pristine 70 years from now when im dead.

i would give it a 20 if i could.

I dealt with a little company out in louisiana, not danelectro, but they sent it NOS from the 90's in the original box, never left it. the company was very nice, and i had it in about a week (im in Atlanta Georgia)

Its considered "vintage" i guess, because they discontinued the model what? 7 years ago? the dark ages of the Danos. so no warranty for me, but i got hookups, so when it does give out (70 years from now) i shouldnt have a problem getting the DECEPTIVLY SIMPLE guitar, back running.

No complaints, its perfect in my eyes, so versitle, i can do WHATEVER I WANT, and i like that. its cool, sturdy, unique sounding, NOS, and NOS...

i love the idea of New old stock ANYTHING

i give it a 10

I have no idea were it was made, I just know my dad bought one off of Ebay about two years ago. It is a 22 fret (I think, dont feel like counting) guitar. I really like the frets on it, easy playing. Its body has a very unique sound, and I prefer the lipsticks over other single coils any day. the switch on my particular dano is a little messed up, but we re- soldiered everything and it works fine now. This guitar is like a tough old lady, its light, strong, bitches when you want it too, and if your sensitive with it it likes you back. I love particularly the dual knob funtion on dano's. The bridge isnt the best, but looks good on this guitar. its body style is nice and thin, not fat as hell (oh gosh I can't play the fucker its soo fat) fat. The seafaom green is awesome looking and brings back a little taste of the 50's retro styling. the tape on the sides puts it all together, holding and hiding the bindings of the body.

I play though Vox amps, sounds awesome, I love the bridge pickup, and the neck pickup sounds ever- so- sweet with tremolo.

action needed some adjusting, but now its fine, barley any buzzing (none if you have stong fingers)I set mine very low, and it plays pretty fast.

The jack on it can be a bitch, you might have to re- soldier the connections inside the guitar. It can short out, but this is only if you put pressure on the cord end.

????

Kickass rig, love it, would never sell it. if you wanted better pickups buy some good lipsticks from seymore duncan, they fit great, makes a fender look shitty.

I got this 56 U2 reissue second hand a while back. It has 2 lovely lipstick pick ups that give it that unique Danelectro sound. Two concentric tone & volume controls and a 3 way selector. It is of lightweight construction and a joy for live playing (especial for long gigs). The tuners look a bit cheap, but work just fine. They have the 'D' stamped on for Danelectro. The neck is straight, the action is fantastic and the finish is beautiful. Kind of a Les Paul shape, without the weight.

I have lots of guitars, including USA Telecaster, Gretsch and Ibanez. I use all of them live through a Line 6 Duoverb 2x12. I use a line 6 short board controller with the amp, this seems to cover pretty much all of the music styles we play. Mainly rock with a touch of stomp and country. The U2 sits in just fine and I use it live for certain songs, because it has a unique sound. It can produce a deep warm tone and a full on sustained scream when needed. My favourite sounds with the U2 is a clean sound, middle switch setting with any modualtion effect (chorus, flange, trem or phase).

As I said, I got this second hand and the set up is perfect for me. I haven't found any flaws yet. The only thing I wouldn't want to do is drop it, it is so light weight that it might just crumble to dust. I haven't dropped it yet so I don't really know.

The guitar does stand live playing. It stays in perfect tune all of the time (something most of my other guitars don't do). The hardware looks a bit cheap, but I have no complaints so far. The one thing on this guitar that I don't like is the strap studs. They are just pushed in and I always think that one will just pop out at any time. It never has, but I do fear it. I always have a backup live, whatever guitar I'm using.

I have had no cause to deal with them. I don't know much about Danelectro, but they are still around.

I have been playing for around 20 years and have owned many guitars. The U2 is up there with all of them, a great low cost guitar that plays and sounds like an expensive one. If it got stolen I would try to get another. I don't think they make this version now, but I would get another used one. If you are thinking of getting one of these, I'd say snap it up now, you won't be disappointed.

I?ve had an old ?57 Silvertone labeled U-1 for many years, so when I saw these U-2 repros at the music store, I had to pick one up. I was sold right away. Didn?t even moan over the price. This axe is just as much fun to play as my old Danno. There are some differences, small things that don?t bother me. The headstock has more rake back than the 57. The position markers are bigger. The 57 has a reinforced neck, but the R.I. has an adjustable truss. The 57 has 3 neck bolts, the RI has 5. The RI has this thin, shiny vinyl trim around the sides. The 57 has a much better looking vinyl trim with a more deeply embossed texture. This same material is used under the clear pickguard on the 57.
The frets, neck shape and fingerboard are dead ringers for the original. The body frame of the RI is made from laminated ply boards, the original has solid poplar. I?ve looked closely at the back board of the RI through the control access hole in the back. It is definitely not any kind of laminate. It looks to be a very similar material as the original Masonite. The only difference being that the Masonite on the 57 has a textured secondary surface, tiny small squares, while the material on the RI is smooth on both sides. The cover for the control access is white plastic on the RI, the 57?s is Masonite, painted the body color. The overall balance and feel of the RI is very much like the 57.

I?ve been playing for almost 30 years, 20 professionally. My main amps are a Princeton Reverb and a Champ. Personally, I love the sound of this guit. Others may disagree, but I think the RI nails the Danno tone solid. They did a good job with the lipstick pickups.
As far as the tone and feel, all I can say is that I can?t see a Danelectro sitting there without wanting to pick it up and play it.

The fit and finish are actually quiet good. I doubt that my old copper Danno ever gleamed like the RI does. The frets needed no attention at all, the action is good, no fretouts or excessive buzzing. A couple strings of my .011 set were pinching in the aluminum nut.
It was harder to fix than a plastic nut would have been. I ended up using a brass shim and aluminum polish to lap the grooves open. Took a while, but I got it.

I really like the old Dannos and am not at all disappointed with this reissue. What a fun guitar.

Well this has about the same amount of features as a standard Les Paul two volumes two tones, 3 way selector. There are a few shortcomings but nothing too terrible, a metal looks like alluminum nut, which might cause string binding problems. The tuners are a little cheesy but they have performed fine. The one real shortcoming is the strap posts, which are just pushed in and bound to come out eventually. The rosewood bridge might also become a problem with the tiny wear notches the strings make. Overall though, not bad for $200 and some coolness as well.

Well, I played quite a few of these in the store, and I thought they were cool enough and cheap enough to add to the arsenal. When I told the salesman who was a friend of mine I wanted one he said wait Kurt I've got one for you. He disaapears into the back and comes out with a black one that looks normal enough. I only noticed one thing and that was that the fretboard was like a 1/4" think looked like a huge chocolate bar. I plugged it in and was like wow listen to this. The cleans were beautiful really sparkly and really twangy, overall very nice and a sound I didn't have with my other 12 guitars. It's a touch noisey when you have anything more than lower gain settings, but it sounds so good at the lower levels that you'd never want any high gain on it. The ideal combination for this is a nice thick clean with some chorus and delay and on the other end of the spectrum think Matchless type drive with big cabinets, great full sound. Not too many guitars in this price range or double can get as much tone, but I suspect it comes from the fact that it has sound chambers. These chambers are probably how it gets around being made of inferior materials, it's made with a masonite top and back and plywood internals. Plywood is stable, but not exactly a tonewood and who knows what masonite really does. No matter how you break it down though the sound that comes out is what's most important.

It came with slightly high action for me, lowered it a little at the bridge and it felt good, I like the radius and size of the board, another fret would have been nice. THe pickup selector is a little cheap and it can become a little noisy. The fretwork was great right out of the box. I also bought the matching hardshell case and that was decent too. In this category it was as good as most decent instruments.

Well I'd just say be careful with it, I haven't really had any problems so far, but haven't used it much in a live environment, however, being it's semi-hollow it won't sustain a fall like some solids might. I can see potential problems though, especially for those not particularly careful with their equipment.

I have no idea what so ever.

I have been playing for quite a while, and am the owner of KWCABS the custom guitar speaker cabinet company. I own a dozen guitars ranging from many thousands to guitars like this and only use great gear, and one thing I have learned is that if you are discriminating, big price doesn't always equal great quality and vice versa. This particular U2 that I have is great, and I would hate to lose it, it would be hard to find a replacement. I might not use it all the time, but it has some sounds that it's ideal for. All in all a steal for the price, and it's something a little different.

I'll give it a ten for features because this guitar has everything I expect from a guitar: two pickups with a switch and individual volume/tones, six strings, etc. I think that asking anything more of a guitar that's so cheap is ridiculous.

However, I did put some money into upgrading it. First, new strap buttons, because my strap was falling off all the time (even now it still does though, so I guess I'll get those things that clip onto your strap). Then, a Bigsby vibrato bar, with a new bridge (Schaller I think, I forget) to make life easier. WOW! What a difference this made! Now it's a much more versitile guitar, and in fact it has become my main guitar (replacing a Jazzmaster which I think I'm going to sell to buy a second Dano). Next, I'm going to replace the tuners, pickup selector switch, and output jack, because those all seem a bit squirrely.

Imagine my surprise that a $125 could sound as good or better than a Telecaster? That's the closest comparison I would make, and it does the sound very well. Again, I give it a for-the-value rating. There's nothing you can get for this cheap that sounds as good as this.

At first I thought the sound was good but a bit weak, so I raised the pickups a little and that helped. The problem is that you can't raise them very high without them wobbling around. A friend with an original Dano told me the solution is to raise them to the proper place and then put copious amounts of tape on the screws to keep them there. Worked like a charm.

Then, when it came back from the shop, the new bridge had raised the strings a bit higher and the sound was weak again. When I mentioned it to the guy at the shop, he gave me some strips of weather-insulating foam to put under the pickups to raise them up a bit. Brilliant. I did that in conjunction with the tape on the screws and now they sound perfect.

Since I didn't get it straight from the factory, I can't tell about the setup for sure. But I love the setup right now. I have .011 gauge strings on there, and they sound and play really well. No fret problems, but see above for the pickup adjustment problems I had.

I'm docking a few points for the hardware though. The bridge, tuners, pickup selector, strap buttons, and output jack are all shamefully bad. I have replaced or will replace all of them. I mean, I know it's cheap, but it couldn't have saved them more than a couple of dollars to make these so terrible.

I would give it a 7 in its stock state, but with upgraded hardware (say, about $70-$100 worth of upgrades, which still makes the guitar an incredible value for the money) it would be a ten. Still, some people are unwilling to put any money into making a good guitar into an awesome one, so 7 it is.

The company doesn't make the guitars anymore, so I'll leave this blank.

This is an excellent guitar and beats many that cost much more. It's a shame that Danelectros aren't taken very seriously.

I play this guitar through a Zoom Ultra Fuzz, Ibanez DE-7, sometimes a Boss DD-20. Sounds excellent with fuzz and delay, particularly with some short slapback. Amp-wise, I use a Fender Ultimate Stereo Chorus when I want ultra-clean sounds and a 9-watt Gibson Discoverer when I want dirty rock-n-roll. I particularly love cranking the Gibson and playing some Big Star. Normally I'm not a big fan of bridge pickups, but the one on the Dano is great.

I've owned a bunch of Dano stuff: the Vibe (eh. like a phaser with a really fast rate), the EQ (excellent), Slapback Echo (good, though a one-trick pony), Fabtone (excellent), and Cool Cat (excellent, second in its price range only to the EH Small Clone). If you've got about $300 and want a good backup or slide guitar or different sound, then I would suggest getting a Dano of any kind and upgrading the hardware. If you hunt patiently, you can even score deals as good as mine.

well its made of hardboard but dont let that put u off.Cool lipstick pickups.Tuners look great and do a reasonable job(same applies to the bridge)

This is where this guitar really scores!!!
Pure white stripes tone with both pickups on,gretchy at the bridge,whispery at the neck.
Got mine 5 years ago as a spare guitar in case i broke a string live.Ended up using it as my main guitar!!!!!!!!!!+it only cost 100gbp in a sale.
Just has a sound all its own and a great one at that.

Quite a high action but good 4 slide.
Finish is ok.
good fretwork
Adequate tuning stability(have fitted mine with a set of grovers.)

Never let me down yet.Guess it feels flimsy on account of its lack of weight(this aint no les paul!!!)

Great value and more importantly great tone.Get one now if u can find one!!

well reviewed by the 100+ people who submitted reviews. i read the reviews before i picked up this guitar.

2 lipstick sc's
made of masonite?
3 way selector
rosewood bridge
feels like a short scale neck. neck is average, in my opinion similar to some fenders i've had before.

features are for what you really need in a basic guitar.

mine is the "coral" type color.

i was really shocked here. the pickups are actually good! chords , which i thought would sound like mush, sound great! single notes are clear as well. has the real vintage vibe to it.
can get a variety of sounds with it- anything from 60's rock to your jimmy page , old school blues, get the jack white sound with ease if you so desire. sounds great! i thought ahead of time that the pickups would be junk and that they would need to be replaced( duncan makes aftermarket pickups for this, cost around $62 each... but i think i will leave them as is.
another surprise, as mentioned by another reviewer, is that you do get a boost in volume with pickups combined.

action is a tad hi... this is a second hand guitar. can deal with it as is; i might just reserve it for playing slide stuff on, but can work with it. as this is used, but not heavily used, it had a cheapo am. paint design painted on it by a previous owner, but that will easily come off.

i'm not sure about this bridge. i have heard of someone who had one of these who replaced the bridge , etc.. with individual saddles on it.. is it worth doing all that? that's up to you. strap buttons are solid. the tuners are absolute crap..
input jack and selector switch are 'scratchy' .. need to be replaced.
if you were gigging / practicing with this, you'd absolutely have to frequently tune up.

could be gig worthy for a few songs; keep in mind this would not be someone's main axe, but it has a nice sound to it.

my latest trip to the dano website.... not much. you can only access info on their new series of pedals on there. cust. support seems non existant. it's an inexpensive guitar-- you're on your own.

overall , it's a fun guitar. best way to put it. it honestly has a great sound. i'm playing it through a vox ad120 vt. haven't tried this guitar with anything hi gain, but i will to see how it sounds.

i felt like i got my money's worth with this one...
keep in mind this isnt a custom shop guitar-- so don't expect it be that. also, i can't stress the importance of having a decent amp. soooo many people bash guitars, etc... , then they list there gear, which usually consists of a $100 cheap practice amp, a $39 zoom multi effects pedal, and all i can say is, what do you expect?

it's got a nice sound, it's debateable if its really 'gig worthy' ...
i agree with other reviews on the signature sound.
if you can get one for cheap, go for it.
for some reason, some of these recent year dano guitars are going for 250- $300... i dont know if i would pay that.

a few minor upgrades( new selector switch, input jack, ) and this guitar is good to go.

LEFTY Black Dano U2! Bought it for $175.00CDN! This is a guitar that i have set up for slide playing, and it gives me a nice gritty sound! It is super light, being made of masonite!! 2 lipstick pups, 3 way switch, volume and tone contols. These guitars have super necks! Great shape and feel, great finish.Great fretboard and frets. Bridge is a crappy little rosewood thing, gotta change that. Tuners are poopoo too! but they look cool...came with 0 accessories.

It suits my style for slide, and i find myself sitting around playing it for general purposes too. It is a little on the brittle tinny side, but that is sometimes the sound i am looking for. I push this thing thru a Vibro King or a little Blues Junior. If you tinker with the tone contols, and you should, you can get some legit tones out of it. I dislike the bridge, tuners thats about it.

Great neck and fretboard, frets. Finish is kinda cheesy on the bod etc. but that is part of its charm, i guess, who cares what a 175$$ guitar looks like! It has vibe.

Sure, it will withstand pretty well anything, except for those tuners and bridge...you can depend on this guitar to sound the way it sounds! i would never use this on a gig without a back up, seeing that i only use it for slide live.

never use em.

been playing along time own lots o stuff. i saw this thing, in all its lefty splendor, hanging on the wall and i went to it and asked it if it wanted to come home with me and it said yes. if it were lost or stolen, i would find the person who did it and call them an idiot for stealing it and not my $2000.00+ guitars next to it!! I never compared this guitar to anything else. i wanted a guitar i could set up for slide and thus sacrifice it in a way, since i would not enjoy playing it for anything else because the action is too high. Wish i had a long horn bass, lefty.