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.

Re-issue, Korean made Danelectro 2 single-coil, single cutaway pickup guitar.

3-way pickup selecter, stacked tone/volume knobs for each pickup. Unusually, pickups are wired in series, meaning you get a big output boost when you select both pickups at once.

Semi-hollow masonite construction. Very attractive blue-burst finish, if you're into the 50's kitsch asthetic.

Single adjustable truss rod, where the originals had two non-adjustable pickups. A nice addition, although you have to take the neck off to get at it. Makes set-up a pain. Remove strings, adjust truss, replace strings, let guitar sit overnight, check neck, repeat.

Strange, primitive bridge. Not much more then a sliver of wood. You not ever going to be able to get your intonation dead on, but come on guys, this is Rock and Roll, the the LSO I don't mind the bridge, you might hate it.

Aluminium nut. Unusual but it works.

This is the king hit. This is the #1 reason why you would want this guitar.

Normally on Harmony Central I expect the ratings to be scaled to the price of the guitar. So a '10' in sound for a $200 guitar may only be a 6 or 7 for a $3000 guitar. Not with the Dano. The sound of this thing can stand up against anything. It's very distinct and the guitar will maintain it's sonic signature through any amp. I've played it through custom made tube amps, cheap SS cheapies and even a Pignose (my favourite!) and it always sounds like a Dano.

How to describe the sound this thing makes?

Think spaghetti westerns, think trashy garage rock, think dirty blues, think surf guitar. Think Link Wray.

It's an obviously retro sound, a little bright in the top end, although the pickups have no problem lending definition to the low notes. (Danelectreo used the exact same pickups on their basses). The pickups are very low output, so it'll take 'em a while to overdrive your amp, but when they do you're in garage rock heaven.

Having both pickups on gives you the "classic" Danelectro sound, with a bit of an output boost. The neck pickup is very similar to a tele neck pickup. The rbidge has quite a "jangly" sound which reminds me a little of a Rickenbacker, although still with that distinct Dano mojo.

I use it for dirty slide-blues and it fits my style perfectly. On slightly overdriven settings it does an incredible job of sounding like a biscuit-bridge resonator guitar. Turn up the filth and you're staright into Hound Dog Taylor territory.

Very well put together. No flaws in the finish, electronics very well done. Strap buttons are a bit cheap, but that's no major complaint.

Pickups are very noisy when around electric interference.

Seems pretty durable. Masonite's stronger then you'd think. More then able to withstand live playing, provided you're not Pete Townsend. I often do a bit of the Bukka White style slapping, so it gets a bit of a pounding, but it just smiles and asks for more. Treat it with respect due to a musical instrument and it'll last.

Danelectro (or rather Evets, which owns the name) don't make the guitars any more. I tried e-mailing them and all I got was a failed delivery message.

I love this guitar. It's probably the most rock-and-roll guitar in the world, provided that your definition of rock and roll places Link Wray, The Cramps and ? and the Mysterions above Led Zeppelin.

For what it does, nothing does it better. It's not an original, but factory production in Korea seems to to fit Nathan Daniel's industrial design asthetic more then a Jerry Jones custom job.

I love it. The day I bought it was the day I found my sound. It's my gigging and recording guitar. I think I need another one.

Surf green and cream colored guitar. Two lipstick single-coil pickups. This is a 1956 reissue and It only cost a little over 100.00 its a steal. i also play a Jag-Stang and this old guitar beats it out by far. 21 frets.

The sound is warm and full. It has he in/out phase switch and it can get really good distortion. The sound is grungy/surfish. Probably the best sounding guitar Ive heard for being a classic reissue. I played an Ibanez Iceman IC400 and it was amazing, but this one comes pretty close.

This guitar is made to last. I thoroughly trust this company, they make amazing beautiful classic looking guitars. I never would have imagined I would buy a Danelectro, but I did.

It seems durable.

I just got the axe Friday afternoon, I havent had to deal with the Danelectro corp. yet but I anticipate it will be hard because they are a relatively old company.

Ive been playing for a few years I am still young and I am fem. guitar player. This is a perfect guitar for small hands, its easy to manage. It just looks old and different, to me thats beauty right there.

Features have already been covered by those more ambitious than I. (You gotta give me credit for using AMBITIOUS in a sentence though.)
I give it five not because it's bad but because there aren't alot of them.

It is perfect for blues. I picked this up to just bang around on while my Epiphone LP is on consignment and fell in love with it. I play it through a ZOOM 7010 portable effect amp and when powered on batteries I get no hum. My Blues2 setting makes this sound identical to a Resonator I MEAN IDENTICAL!! I love it. The lipstick pickups overdrive a tube amp with some definite hum but tolerable. I am looking to use a booster with this thing.

I took this guitar apart and the control cavity was SPOTLESS. The first time that has ever happened to me. Can't comment on the factory setup as I bought it locally and they set them all up before selling.

This guitat was meant to take a beating. The body and neck are pretty solid. The rosewood bridge and saddle will have to be replaced a few times I am certain. I am going to get a replacement bridge for the U3 that doesn't have the rosewood and keep that on hand. Also going to order some Rosewood replacement bridges as they probably aren't going to make them much longer. The tuners suck but I am not planning to replace those anytime soon. Drilling would be required and I always hate to do that. If live playing I would not jump around with it too much to begin with. It just ain't that kind of guitar.

Haven' dealt with them and doubt I will. Besides, they stopped production on these guitars.

I love this thing. I find myself picking it up quite often. I am not afraid to let my kids bang around it or that they are going to knock it over and destroy it. I am looking to buy other Danelectro's if the price is right.

Second hand two pickup U2 reissue, edible turquoise color, art deco styling and the cutest knobs you've ever seen. In perfect condition, same specs as described before. Pretty basic construction but just perfect, although the bridge seems a bit dodgy and the intonation of the second and third strings can be a bit of a hassle. Medium/thin frets, very flat fingerboard radius, just perfect for slide. Not many features but the construction is amazing for the price. Why don't they make them anymore????

The sound is very bright, airy and resonant. Incredible. Moreso for a guitar at this price (even though they are very hard to find in Spain and not cheap...). Using a small Marshall combo and other small solid state amps for that bluesy sound. I mainly play blues and country, some jazz. The sound on the treble pickup is very edgy and thin but perfect for chords. This guitar is a screamer for the blues, add a little distortion and there you go. Pickups hum a little but these lipsticks are amazing. Want to try them on a Strat or Tele... The middle setting is just fabulous, tons of middle and much more volume, the tone pots work really well. The neck pickup is also thin but wth more open sounding, perfect for some more chords. It is a killer rythmn and slide guitar, full stop. Not a "do-it-all" horse, but would definitely use it as a reliable second guitar. Also VERY nice sounding with gobs of reverb for surf and instrumental, lots of snappy and choppy rythmn with both pickups on. I give it a ten because I was astonished with the sound, fell in love with it the minute I took it out of the box. Definitely not a metal guitar, but a cutie for bluesy/vintage rythmn sound lovers.

Setup is a bit weak, very high action and difficult to intonate, also difficult to access the truss rod, but hey, this is a Dano. Pickups can be adjusted from the back and sit below the strings perfectly. Action is killer for slide, the neck camber is very flat and you can slide those Elmore riffs like butter. The only thing I dislike is the plastic strip that covers the sides, I've had the guitar for a couple of months and it seems it can peal off easily, but it's not a major issue. No flaws, no construction defects, just perfect. Gibson and Fender quality dept's should check this baby out, see what can be done for just a few bucks.

The construction is pretty solid but the guitar is not a tank, finish chips easily and hardware is very cheap. Sounds terrific though. How did they do it?
Strap buttons are crap, replace them immediately, they fall off. This guitar can be used as a main guitar, if you treat it well. I'm not sure it would withstand heavy playing, punk or metal, but for lighter styles it does it all.

n/a

A ten, definitely. This is one of those guitars you fall in love with, if you don't need a versatile guitar that does all kinds of tricks this is it. Been playing for 15 years and own a Fender Tele, Strat, Duosonic, Ricky, Epiphone Broadway and a Les Paul Studio. The sound is unlike any other I've heard. If I had to define the sound in one word I would say it is "open". I am now considering on buying one of the double cut models or the three pickup sparkle finish dazzlers if I find one. I also own a DC3 bass which is also one of my most prized posessions, and that one cost half the price of this one!
I only with it had a Fender string through style bridge which would give more resonance. No sustain here, just choppy rythmn for he masses. Love this baby to bits!

First of all tis is an inexpensive guitar. That is something that must be kept in mind at all times. And for the price it is worth the money overall. I bought this guitar when this reissue had just come out. In retrospect, I probably should have waited, but I needed a back up for slide. I play primarily blues and blues-rock and replaced the flimsy strap pegs and tuners. However,even with the locking Sperzel tuners, I still have intonation and tuning problems. The cheap wooden bridge keeps this guitar from ever really being in tune, but you can get by if you fool enough with the screws on the bridge to get the intonation set as well as can be expected. I don't like just "getting by" however.

Blues and blues/rock is what I play, and it works okay for slide. Tone is bright and there's not too much noise depending, of course, on the club one is playing in and their light set up, neon beer signs, etc. I have had problems with my Strat under certain conditions as well, so really, noise hasn't been a real problem with the Dano. I use a 1966 Fender blackface Concert amp with 4 10 inch speakers hooked up to a 2 12 inch Fender blackface Bassman (1964) bottom. In addition, I use an Ibanez Tube Screamer and a Sansamp in tandem with one another for a more distorted sound. Sometimes I will use just the Tube Screamer. I don't put a ton of distortion on these two effects, just enough for a little more sustain. The Dano does just fine for this type of music.

Action was good when I got it. I had to raise it for slide. I use fairly heavy strings on it, about 12s to 50s top to bottom. Pickups are fine. Tuning and intonation has been the only problem, and while I think I have it intonated fairly well now, I still am not sure it will hold. Guess I'll have to see at the gig. If anyone out there has any suggestions on how to solve this problem, I'd gladly listen.

I have played with it live and it handles it all right. I would not use it on a gig without a backup, but I believe in a backup guitar anyway since I play in a guitar/bass/drum trio. Can I depend on it? Hmmmmmmmm.......that's a tricky one. I would have to answer "Not really." I have almost quit playing slide due to the intonation/tuning difficulties. In fact, I had purchased another guitar, a Phantom teardrop to play slide with and had been leaving the Danelectro at home, but someone stole the teardrop at a gig, so I am back to the Dano.

Haven't dealt with the company.

I have been playing for 39 years off and on. I have 2 Mexican Strats, one with SRV pickups, the other one with stock pickups. Both have Sperzel tuners and Strap locks. I also own an Epiphone acoustic, although I am primarily an electric player. If this guitar were stolen, I would probably look around for something else, but for the price, I don't think I would have a lot of luck.

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.

Features have already been gone over 83 times but I wanted to add my two cents worth in here as I frequent this fun site quite often. I, admittedly, am a Dano freak. I missed getting one of these U2 treasures when they were in full (re)production and longed for one of for several years. I happened across a great music store that carries used gear called Village Music in Edmonds Wa. Mike, the owner, is a great guy and has the largest collection of black faced Fender amps I've ever seen in one place not to mention a huge supply of guitars too. Apparently, one of his regulars, a Dano freak had to thin out his herd of Dano's on orders from the boss. His loss was my gain. Thank you!.

This catagory is what Dano's are all about. That Lo-Fi, reedy tele tone that is so prevalent in old sci-fi and western movies. Any commercial done with a guitar for early TV was probably done with a Dano of some kind. Team this guitar up with a splash of reverb and most importantly Tremolo,(mine is a guyatone mini and works perfectly), and you are rewarded with the coolest tones imaginable. The lipstick pickups are excellent for this application and I will not change them as much as I like to customize my guitars. The only thing I will change is the bridge. It works ok as it is but I like to intonate my axes as well as reap even a bit more twang that the wood bridge is dampening. The only hit is the switch is noisy when flipping it from one pickup to the next. I drop of three way oil down the shoot of the switch will help that.

My guitar was made in 1998. It's Malt Shop Creme and brown. The previous owner took excellent care of this guitar and had set it up gnatz. The top and back are perfectly book matched pieces of Masonite painted beige. The neck feels super...ideal for me.

No worries, mate! And I'll thank you to not mention my strap buttons...are they solid?....what kind of a question is that??.

I do repairs myself so I'm going to rate it 10. Hey,..I'm incredibly kind and helpful...ask anyone!.

As much as I like and drool over expensive guitars, I have no need for them. I play for my own amusement and therapy now. I used to have some really good gear from boutique tube amps to high end mass produced guitars when I was playing for dough. Now I enjoy producing sounds and tones of yesteryear. The Danelectro's are superb, inexpensive guitars that fill the bill from anything from country, to surf, to good ole rock&roll.

My lefty U-2 reissue ,bought in 2000,for $199 with gig bag. This axe plays better than the one I learned on in 1964! It is what it is,mystery masonite and other unique stuff make a dan a dan.

sounds like the real thing. when I need to hear it I plug it in.

set up was good.pick up fine. OH! that bookmatched top [ha ha] now after 2 years the toggle switch needs help

Itis a great giging guitar. the whole guitar seems like it won't last another 5 minutes but this remarkable little box keeps on &on.Iwould gig without a back up,sure, unless I was playing at the hollywood bowl or lincoln center.

I have no knowledge of korean language

playing 40 yrs,I definitely would replace it,I need to hear that sound once in a while.I have a 1969 lefty strat , 1961 gretch duo-jet firebird lefty, a silver delux and a silver bassman I use with a variety of bottoms, a bunch of less impressive axes too.I would encourage anyone to buy a U-2,it is a real instrument ,with a happy voice,cool vibe,fun to play . as long as you accept it for what it is ,you will be pleased.

I bought this guitar a few years ago , -roughly 1999. The neck is maple? w/ rosewood fretboard., and body is masonite (also known as hardboard) -If you are unfamiliar with masonite, try to remember when you went to the neighbors garage and they had the pegboard with tools hanging off of it. -The pegboard is masonite. -Pretty chincy material.
2vol, 2tone controls, maybe the coolest part of the design is that they are stacked on top of one another, -like pancakes.
2 lipstick pickups, not bad.
graphite nut.
And a dinky bridge w/ rosewood and metal.

Danelectros have a unique sound, -it pops. -Suprisingly nice pickups
Not much buzz at all. Works fairly well distorted, but not ultra heavy. -HERES THE PROBLEM... If you like sustain, this isn't for you. But as i have said, these guitars have a sound of thier own.

This is the easiest playing guitar i have ever played. Little bit of buzz down on low notes, but i sorta dig it. Real low action.
Another MAJOR problem with this guitar is the cutaway, -very akward. So if you like high notation, forget it.
Controls are as smooth as can be.

The bridge pickup on mine has begun to rattle, and there really is no real way to tighten it up... -Not good.
Finish... Ok i guess, like a formica table or something. If you get this guitar you prolly arent tooo concerned.
Strap buttons are cheap plastic.
I would not use it with out a back up guitar.

Ive played for 10 years. The problems are listed above. Danelectro would be wise to make a solid body with a nice cutaway and use the same pickups.

These details have been described in previous reviews so I won't do it again.

I play this through a 10 watt Marshall and a 100 watt Yamaha. It is so quiet. No unwanted sounds whatsoever. Widee range of tones from bright to chunky. lots of variety between 3 way switch and tone knob.

the original setup was very good. I played with the pickup and action and found the original settings very good. I just lowered the action a touch. Not that I know what I am doing but I like it that way.

The guitar is just so easy to play and has a cool style, even if it isnt select wood with a hand rubbed finish.

This guitar has been dragged all over the place by my son and me. So far it seems bullet proof and resistant to scratches. I cannot believe how it stays in tune. When you consider how much plastic seems to be on it, this guitar is very tough. I keep forgetting its just a "cheapo" piece of equipment which not break me if it were damaged or lost. I just never have to worry about it.

No idea.

Bought this originally 2 years ago to get back into playing. My son always wanted his guitar back and he was'nt prepared to share. We have added to the collection since then , but I cannot believe what a great deal this guitar was. Everyone looks at Gibson, Fender , Ibanez , whatever. But for the money NOTHING touches Danolectro. I just laugh every time I think of it. I would definately get another one if it got stolen. I may get one in another colour or model just cuz I like them.

I got this guitar in '98. Features are pretty standard, but I like the stacked pots. I'm taking points off for where the truss rod is adjusted, when you are changing string guages and have to keep taking the neck off to adjust the neck- what a pain in the a$$. Plywood frame sandwiched between masonite boards... what?

This guitar has always sounded cool to me, but was missing something. I just put some heavier guage strings on it- D'Addario Chrome 11's. Wow what a difference, I've been studying Jazz as of late and this is the most perfect Jazz tone without spending money that I don't have (having a family and all) on some hollow body. This thing has an awesome acoustic tone, great for playing on the couch. Who knew plywood and masonite could sound so good. It makes me wonder sometimes if guitar makers have brainwashed us into being wood connoisseurs. The pickups are an even lower output than my standard Strat, that's pretty pathetic. The heavier guage strings seemed to help alleiviate this problem though. All in all this is a great sounding guitar, especially for the price.

Playability was the first thing that attracted me to this guitar. When I got it, it was perfectly setup. The overall finish seems well enough for a guitar in this price range, but the strip of whatever keeps coming off near the neck.

Strap buttons suck.

I've been playing for about 8 years now. I also own a Standard Strat, Taylor 310, '50's gibson acoustic which i got at a garage sale for $10 :D , a Squire P-bass, Behringer BX600, and a Korg AX1500G. Besides where the truss rod is adjusted, the only thing I don't like is that the pickups aren't really adjustable.

Made in Korea, 21 frets, Hardboard top and bottom with plywood frame (body), hard maple (neck) rosewood fingerboard. Two lipstick retro-style single coil pick ups, adjustable bridge (its a combination of metal and wood!)

Two volume knobs and two tone knobs that individually affect each pickup. This is a very nice feature because you can mix and balance each pick up creating pretty cool and unique sounds.

The guitar is basic, almost primitive, but with a great charm and on its own right the features are very nice compared with other guitars of it's price or category (and thinkinking in what was available in '56 for a very cheap guitar)

I love this guitar for Blues. The tone you may obtain with this guitar and a Line 6 POD using models of Twin Reverbs or Black Faces is fantastic. The guitar delivers a nice tone, specially with the pick up selector in the middle. You may obtain also a very good sound for Jazz.
Although you may crank up the distortion, this axe is more blues, rock'n'roll, jazz, R&B oriented. For these styles, the U2 is an excellent instrument with a truly vintage sound.
Being single coils, picks up are reasonably noisy, but with the pick up selector in the middle, they act as humbuckers and you have a great rich noisless sound. Any processor has a noise gate, therefore you can use the single coils with no furter problem.
The neck pickup has a nice almost Strat sound, and the bridge pick upo delivers a bright sound. The best position (the one I always use) is in the middle, because you can obtain a rich full sound or a bright one using the volume and tone knobs. You have with this a great variety of sounds.
I would like better pick-ups. The overall design of the guitar delivers a very original sound. I really like it.

For a middle-low priced guitar the quality is very good. I didn't find any flaws, but the picku up selector is noisy (I think this guitar was for a couple of years in the music store). The action is pretty good, but I found that soloing in the 12 fret is the best position for sound and comfort. My guita color is Cool Copper, and is not the most beautiful color from all the availables from Danelectro, but the paint job is very nice.

The only think I dislike from this guitar is that I don't feel it solid. It's very light (due to the semi-hollow body), but there is some strange lack of consistence that makes you feel like you are playing a toy, not an electric guitar. Although I don't really know how reliable/durable this guitar really is, I actually don't care, since I use this guitar in the studio and not for live playing.

15 years playing guitar, lot of acoustic guitars, PRS custom 22, Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan Stratocaster, Ibanez JS1000 Joe Satriani Signature, Santana SE, Les Paul Custom.
I bought this guitar after a complete investigation. I found that you could have a truly vintage recreation at an affordable price. And I found that's true. The Danelectro was in '56 a very cheap and basic guitar, but a very nice one.
The sound of the guitar is very retro, and its primitiveness is very good if you want to give your music a root-oriented sound. It's perfect for me, because I love blues, R&B, jazz and rock'n'roll, but if you are looking a guitar for heavy metal or hard rock the Danelectro perhaps isn't your best choice (although Jimmy Page played a black baritone Danelectro ).
I'd like a more solid guitar (the construction feels somewhat poor) and better pickups.
The pricetag is very good. The bang-for-the-buck ratio is pretty good, also. If you want to add some color to your guitar collection, you need this Danno. If this would be your first guitar, be sure to use it for styles like Blues, Jazz or Rock'n'Roll and you'll obtain a great sounding axe. If you want to play Heavy Metal or Hard Rock, think twice before buying this guitar.
In overall, I consider it a good investment, great fun, a lot of new sounds at an affordable price.

It isn't that complexe. The brige is a real pain, it is made of wooa and is hard to ajustl. It's thee way pickups you fcan gett a lot of tomes frome, jangley , or twangy at the bridge to mellow jazz at the neck

It sounds great. For 200 dollers canadian this is the hippest guitar you can buy. It is a totally unique yet oldschool 50s tone. It has a real rockabilly feal to it.

Ahhhh I just cant get a good settup with it. It's always got horrible frett buzz, the only way to make it resonable is to set the action so High it's barly playable. If somone has some tricks for getting these things to work Please E-mail me because I am getting desprite. I love everything about this guitar exept I cant get it resonably playable. I think the finnish is realy hipp. It again has a cool 50s look

I hate to say it but it is very unreliable at the moment. If I broke a string at a gig it would take a half an hour to change it because of its weird bridge, and it would have this awfull fret buzz. Maby it's just me but I can't get it sett up to a degree of playability

Garbage so far. I e-mailed dano a month ago about my problems and I still haven't goten a reply. I ask anyone out there familier with danos please e- mail me if you know how to fix my ploblem. I would realy appreciate it.

Ive played it for 2 years. It sounds real cool but I can't seem to get it to work decent for playing

The features are not this guitars strong suit. The parts are plastic,
the body is a laminate over plywood, the bridge has got some wood in it, and the tuners are seemingly very cheap. Having said all that, everything works great (at least, so far. Granted, I've only had the little bugger for about a week). The lipstick pickups have a really cool sound to them, all the knobs work fine, and the damn thing keeps pretty good tune. I had a pretty long practice session the other night and had a really good time with the new toy (granted, I'm strictly a rhythym player, to lead would probably be a different story).

As I said before, the pickups have kind of a cool sound (at least for the style of music I'm playing - kind of a hard jazz rock thing). I was surprised at how much low end the pickups had, and everything kept clear at louder volumes.

The guitar was set up pretty well. Don't expect to play much over the twelth fret, cause the guitar is'nt set up to. The finish is that cool laminate finish (can you say - retro?). The jack had to be tightened and the pickup selector seems pretty loose, but nothing that can't be done bya ny beginning guitarist.

As I said before, I'm kind of basing this entire review on playing it a week which included one 3 hour practice session. I was just so pleasantly surprised by how it held up that I thought I'd drop this word. It might not have many of these sessions in it, though.

No opinion

I've been playing now for about 25 years, and started out with the usual crap guitars until I got a new 79 strat which I played without a backup for about 15 years. Then (when I earned a little more scratch) I got a PRS, a Parker, and some more strats. This guitar I got because of the ridiculoulsy low price, and was pleasantly surprise when I plugged it in. Though not obviously a main axe, this guitar seems to be good guitar to have around to get a certain sound (a twangy, but full, rhythm sound) or just to have a little fun with.

Made in Korea, 2000, plywood frame with a masonite top and back, groovy Dano lipstick pickups, copperburst
I've gutted the electronics on mine and replaced them with 1 volume, 1 tone and a Gibson style pu selector switch, when both puckups are selected, they're now wired in parallel instead of the stock series wiring

I like the overall tone much better now that I've rewired the electronics, the bridge pu has more "sparkle" and the neck pu is much less muddy sounding...the rewiring was a DEFINITE inprovement IMHO
it has better sustain than the other Danos I've played, especially past the 12th fret and it never goes into uncontrolable feedback at a gig, if the pick try to squeal, all I have to do is mute the offending string, I am able to get controlled feedback which is really cool! she sings!

ok, now I feel it's time to dispell some "myths" I've read in other reviews here, the bridge IS adustable for the action, there is one screw on each side to allow for raising or lowering the 6th and the 1st strings, the large screw at the lower end of the bridge can be used to adjust the angle of the strings passing over the wooden saddle
the saddle IS intonatable as well, although not for each individual string, it is designed so it will move and can be pushed into the proper positioning for fairly accurate intonation

tuners are kinda cheesy, I removed the covers so the tuning shafts wouldn't scrape against holes cut in the sides of the covers and now they work much better, the guitar stay in tune quite well and the tuners work smoother after I lubricated them
looks like I may have to break out the Elmer's glue for the strap buttons though
I've gigged with this baby and have had no problems with it, no need for a backup in my opinion

N/A

it's simple, inexpensive, sounds and plays great....bottom line? it works!
ya gotta love the cool quasi vintage, sleazy vibe this baby ouzzes

Everyone else has already gone over this so i wont bore you

I love the sound that comes out of this guitar i was in a music shop and there was a sale in them so i thought id have a play and i was amazed at the sound i play ska/jazz type music abd this sound crazy for it

mine is a aqua burst it is a sweet color and a sweet guitar the only thing was the action was a bit high so i screwed the bridge in a bit lower and i was set

it feels really light so i wouldndt wantto drop it to many times but it seems ok although ill be replacing the strap pins soon

Ive been playing for about 6 years have a mex strat and a marshall vs100 half stack and behringer v-amp
i can dial up a vintage amp plug in my dano and get the sweetest sound its insane i luv this guitar