Danelectro 59 DC

This is actually a 59 DC Pro. I have no idea when or where it was made, literally the only markings on it are "Danelectro". There are two volume and two tone controls with a three-way selector switch to two lipstick pickups. I'm pretty sure the neck is maple but I can't tell with the body. The finish is Black/Gold Pearl. Double cutaway body. Calssic Danelectro bridge. Gotoh locking tuners. Fat acoustic-style neck, but unbelievably perfect action. The strings are practically touching the frets and there is no buzz at all. I bought it off of ebay and the only thing it came with was a gig-bag....I hate gig bags, they don't really do anything for the guitar. I'm on the road a lot so, I don't take anything with if it isn't in a hardshell case. If anybody knows where to find one, nathanjdubois@gmail.com, please. Thanks.

The only reason that I bought this guitar was because I watched the new Led Zeppelin DVD and saw Page playing one. I thought, "This guy has all of those other guitars but he picks this one for the stage on 'Black Mountain Side'." I assumed it must be pretty special, but didn't think too much of it really until I plugged her in. Man, was I in for a shock. I play classic rock style originals and a lot of blues, and for some reason this guitar fits me like a glove. I play it throug:

Vox V847 Wah
Old old old Maestro Fuzz(not the fuzzface)
Dunlop Crybaby Wah (yea, two wahs can be pretty fun)
Boss Chorus Ensemble
Sometimes I add: The Ibanez TS-9 tubescreamer, a Danelectro Tuna Melt, or the Big Muff Distortion (russain).

to

Two Fender amps, a Deluxe Reverb Reissue and a Blues Junior.

The guitar isn't at all noisy. I also have an American Strat, a Gretsch Duo Jet, and an old unnamed from the 60s, and this Danelectro beats them all. The sound is much more full and a lot brighter than any other guitar I've played yet. The guitar is pretty effective when using feedback(although a tremolo would've been pretty cool).

There isn't anything I don't like about this guitar.

I have no idea how the guitar was set up at the factory, as I bought it used. Whoever had it before me, or the factory, set it up perfectyl. I had to do some fine tuning on the pickups, they're never just right though, no matter what you buy. The finish is amazing, I love it. From one angle it looks green, another brown, another gold, and then when the light hits it just right it's the blackest guitar you've ever seen. I was surprised at the lack of finish flaws on it since it was used. Whoever had it before took very very good care of it. I love the nut on this guitar, What is it? Is it brass? I don't know, all I know is that the sustain on this baby is beautiful. Nothing on this thing is noisy at all until I kick on that fuzz pedal.

I'm pretty sure that this will be my main guitar for live shows, it feels pretty solid. The hardware is tough. The finish feels thick. The strap buttons....errr....I'm always nervous about strap buttons and you can blame that on Gretsch(hopefully you know what I mean). I would, but won't, play this guitar at a gig without a backup. I wouldn't need it. I usually use .011-.046 strings, but this one has .009s .... I haven't broken a single string yet, I always break .009s. But, with some many guitars (three strats a gretsch and this one) I would never want to not take them all to a gig. The only thing is the body binding Tape. But if it ever came off it would only mean a weekend of tearing the rest of and cleaning it up.

I haven't dealt with Danelectro. They stopped making these (but they do still make guitars).

This guitar suits me, and like I say, fits me like a glove. It doesn't feel like any other guitar, and why should it? It doesn't sound like any other guitar, and why should it? It has it's flaws, but nobody's perfect. This guitar is my favorite, I love it. I want to play it just sitting here writing about it. Beautiful guitar, wonderful guitar. Good job Danelectro. Stay classy.

'99 in Korea, copper finish, 2 lipstick-tube pickups, rosewood bridge--you know the rest. Very light weight, so it's my main travel guitar.

It's almost purely a rhythm guitar. I find myself drawn to blues, rockabilly, and '50s R&B licks on it. Clean, it sounds almost acoustic, but you can play punk with a good bit of overdrive.
I think it sounds best with a mildly dirty tone. I always use the two pickups together because they're too weak by themselves.
It doesn't have the thickness of humbuckers or the bite of a Fender. It's almost useless for playing lead, which probably bothers me less than it bothers most people. The low E can give a nice big bassy twang.

It plays fine, reasonable action. At first I got splinters in my hand from muting strings on the bridge. It's been out in lots of weather, in overhead compartments on planes, still going. Cheap, but solid.

I've used it live, no problem, though I break strings pretty often.
(Because of that, I almost never play guitar live without a backup--the times I didn't bring one, I've regretted it!) One of the strap pegs popped out, so I glued them both in--haven't had a problem since.

N/A

It's not my main guitar; I have an SG, a Melody Maker, and a Tele. Sometimes I think about selling it, but it serves its purpose well as a live backup, 3 a.m. bedroom axe (it's got a pretty good & relatively loud unplugged tone, and I live in an NYC apartment), and instrument that's light enough to travel with, sounds good, and is less fragile and cheaper than my SG.
Not a dream axe, but very playable, and an excellent value.

the one i pickup up was an original 1960 dano, i fell in love. this guitar sings. this is an all usa made dano with a singe lpstick pickup, has volume and tone control and the frets are in good nick. i use it for playing slide in weird and wonderful tunings, the guitar looks stunning in black and the look on peoples faces when you use it live is amazing. i give it a 9 because it is perfect if you like this but not so good in tonal versatility but it does do what it was intended, second to none.

i play in a hard rocking bluesy band with psychadelia going on. its great in this context and i use it through a coloursound tone bender, a vox wah a pahse 90 an old wem copicat echo machine into a marshall superlead stack from the 70's. its sounds perfect, twangy chimey and oozes brilliance. switch is a bit silly with a single pickup...

dont know how this came out of the factory, i wasnt even born then, it was set up ok, i twiddled a bit and its fine, feels perfect for slide though, its a bit nakered but i wouldnt trade it for anything.

i use it live every time and it always holds tuning (maybe the rusted tuners) the finish has lasted 44 years, strap buttons are pants but i cant complain because they work... i use this as a backup or as a slide at certain gigs, would trust it always.

dano dont make guitars anymore but, since i dont have a problem i dont know, to be honest dont think i will ever have to find out!

i use a les paul live and this as my second guitar, and if this was stolen i would cry inlove this guitar and i think you know if its for you when you pick it up and strum but one chord. love it.....

A 1999 korean made limo black Danelectro DC 59 reissue. It's an incredibly light weight guitar, probably due to the use of laminated wood in her hollowbody. Has two concentric vol/tone knobs, one for each of her single coil lipstick pickups. Neck is relatively fat, close to an SG neck (great for slide), with an aluminium nut. The bridge is unique and rare, has only one piece of rosewood that acts as a saddle, so adjusting it is not possible (you can move it a little, but that's all). The tuners are really a piece of junk. Both tuners and bridge are upgraded on the pro version.

Sound is something between a Tele and a Rickenbaker. Really a sweet tone. But as usual on Danelectro, the bridge pickup has to little output comparing with the neck one (wich is awesome). I've tryed to raise the bridge pickup (using the screws on the back of the body) but if it's too high it moves because the screws does not attach it firmly. Anyway, even if raised, the bridge pickup does not have enough power. I use mainly the middle position of the pickups to play and the sound resulting is amazing, if the bridge would be better it would sound close to a Tele but by now it sound with a very particular unidentified tone.

I use it mainly to play late sixties psychedelly (early Pink Floyd and this kind of stuff), blues (it's a real good blues guitar) or sixties pop music. Really, for surf or psychedellyc a Tele is better.

Well, I've got to say that mine was second hand and was in a pure ruin condition when I received it, so the next may not be guilt of the guitar but the previous owner.

The electronics are Ok but the back side of the pickups are unreachable.

The action is real high, and if you low it it begans to make fret noises in certain strings. As years are passing by I'm discovering that I can low the action a little more each year, I think the neck may be damaged because when I received there was a 0'11 oxidated string set that was there from years, and I use 0'09 strings.

It has a very light weight wich makes me think it won't last long with Pete Townshend, but I care for all my guitars and this (once I restored it from the previous owner brutality) is mint and looks like is gonna still be perfect for the next forty years at least.

The hardware is chromed and cheap, but it's doing it's job perfectly.

You may thing the bridge could be better, but I like this wooden one, it's warm in touch and creates a nice tone. Yes replacing strings is difficult until you find the method (use your right hand to fit the ball end at the bridge while high tightening the string with the thumb, then attack the tuners).

The strap buttons are a cream plastic thing, placed in a unappropiated place (well, try a Danelectro U2 if you're curious about real unappropiated places to place strap buttons). Some people says they use to fall, but mines are still there and in good shape.

The finish is real good. Mine is limo black (as Syd Barrett and Jimmy Page's ones) and it has a extraordinary good looking, the neck's back is also black, and the rosewood used is high quality wood (if you use some dark wood care product on it will look astounding.

Danelectro has stopped to manufacture Danelectro guitars. If they used to have any customer support, i's lost. The once upon a time lovely Danelectro web site is now a dead end street, they only offer pedals and even for pedals the web page sucks.

By what you've read before you may think this guitar is nothing extraordinary (or probably, extraordinarily bad). Well, you're wrong. I've tryed to be as critical as possible on this review.

I first took interest on this guitar while looking at a Pink Floyd 1967 video on which Syd Barrett was playing one. I started to search for one and finally I found it. This guitar has some strange magnetism that makes me want to play it, even if a presumed better guitar is available. It may be due to the gorgeous good vintage looking of her, the lovely neck with it's warm rosewood, the sweet sound of both pickups played at the same time, I don't know exactly why but this guitar has some special feeling. Now that I know this, I would gladly have pay three times what I payd for it.

Danelectro 59 DC, manufactured in the luthier kingdom of Korea. Probably made in the late 90's, though I understand Dan is no longer reissuing these guitars? My DC is "communist red", as it has been referred to by other Dan enthusiasts. White "seal" pickguard, matching red headstock, which eally sets this guitar apart from other Dans.Standard Dan tuners, lipstick pick ups, etc. I bought this on eBay at a good price. Bridge is sort of rustic looking, but I admire the attention to detail that was put into this guitar. Is in excellent shape.

I am also a HUGE Jimmy Page fan, which was the catalyst for me wanting to own a Dan! Thank you Jimmy for stearing me into the right path! The lipstick pick ups sound distinctive, as does the feel of this guitar. It is not a Strat, or any other familiar guitar. It is its own invention.I have played it through my Marshall JCM 2000 full stack. It has great tone, like a semi hollow body. I want to own a whole bunch of these- all in different colors. I love every thing about this guitar! It is in my permanent collection. Not a heavy metal guitar, but it suits any style of play. I have it strung with D'Addario 10s.

Action is a tad higher than I like it, but very playable. The only problem I had with this guitar was when I received it, the strap button on the back of the neck was missing. Dan's website is ridiculous! I took a strap button from an acoustic guitar and super glued it in the slot.It has never even budged since. Otherwise, soliud as hell!

This guitar will last. I have played it a few times through my stack, and it truly is a different tone. When I purchased it, my former boss, who had worked in a guitar shop for twenty years, gave me a hard time for owning what he called a "plastic toy". He felt that these guitars are junk because of their construction, etc. He is wrong!! How can anyone argue with the Dan's contribution to rock? I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion.

The Dan website is a joke!! If you ever need anything, visit AllParts.com

Ten years of playing. I have a guitar arsenal that includes 4 amps!
Mostly a Fender/ Gibson player, I am into the vintage guitars/ equipment. I am looking for another 59 DC, in Yellow possibly

Two lipstick pickups, two double pots.... very easy to use... same as all the other reviews... not very many features, YOU DONT NEED THEM! easy, simple, just plain great. Nice thin, fast neck. The reason I didnt give it a VERY high score for features, is because it doesn't have a ton to be honest with you, but Im very glad it doesnt. The one thing thats really cool about the guitar is that it has a really cool finish on it. Its called Burgandy. In the light it shows a really dark purple, or brown(depends on the light) and when theres no light, its black, very cool

Great souns, I love it. Very clear, great on the clean setting, great with some overdrive.It gets kinda noisy sometimes, but hey, genuine lipstick pickups, that are great sounding

Great fast, slim neck. I play mostly slide on it. I also play without slide, but its the best Slide guitar you can buy i think. Can't go wrong with it. For $180, it should be $500. Its got a great feel. Some of the frets buzz a little, not noticable with the amp on though.

Very light guitar, but it seems to be built like a tank, not flimsy or anything, i feel like i can whip it around and not worry about it and thats what i do. The only thing im not extremely happy with is the strap buttons, but they are fine, just not as good as my teles or LPs. This isnt my #1 guitar. Its my slide and alternate tuning guitar. on some songs i use it, but it gets all my slide work.

I have been playing about 2 years. I have an Epiphone Elite Les Paul Standard Plus(with upgrades), Fender '52 Reissue Telecaster, Fender '57 Reissue Stratocaster(MIJ, with upgrades), and this Danelectro. I play all these guitars through a 1975 Fender Deluxe Reverb. I use a Fulltone Fulldrive, Fulltone Clyde Wah, Electro Harmonix Wiggler, and Electro Harmonix Big Muff. This guitar works great with everything i have. Couldnt ask for anything else, great guitar. Im a HUGE HUGE HUGE Jimmy Page, so obviously the reason i wanted one of these. I have been looking for one for about a year and finally found one. Definatly worth every penny. If your looking into getting one, dont look back, youll love it and never regret the purchase.

Same as all the rest of these reviews. A standard DC. FUN FUN guitar!

The sound is very very cool. Think "Kashmir." Wide open and crude. Almost sounds like a bizarre acoustic folk instrument, which is why Page used it live for "White Summer." (See New Zep DVD) Sounds AWESOME for the $55 I paid for it. Also great for slide work.

Mine came in Cat-Puke Coral (I think). The more hidious it is, the more I'm digging it. Front pickup is nice and strong, the back one is weak. Yes the top is properly bookmatched(jk).
The intonation was hidious. I just figured out 5 min ago that I can slide the rosewood on the bridge and get it in tune. Sounds pretty good now. Will sound better with new strings too.

Seems Fine. I don't see anything wrong at all. I'd use this on a gig with trust. (NEVER GIG without a backup...EVER!)

Haven't had to contact them. Thier website looks bad though.

COOL COOL guitar. ESPECIALLY FOR $55!!!! I'd like to see more pickup balence. But, it's a "Dan." They are what they are. And seing how Clapton, Page, Hendrix, Costello, Gibbons, Townsend...need I say more?

Specifications (frets, pickups, etc.) already detailed in other reviews. Made in the happy and trouble-free land of Korea.
The 59 DC is a hollow, plastic guitar, causing it to be heavier at the neck end which is less than great if you move around much.
Plastic paint tends to scratch and bump off easily. I look after my guitars, but an accidental knock scatched a little paint off, exposing wood at the head.
Handle this guitar with a little care and she'll hold up well.

I play from soft rock to folk-type music electrified. With both pickups enabled the 59 DC has a resonant, almost semi-acoustic sound due to the hollow body.
It's rare to find such a quality sound for under the AUS$400 I paid.
Considering the price, I think the great sound is an accident rather than a feature.

Not so hot in this section.
The 59 DC comes with a fixed rosewood bridge. Mine came with free sub-standard tuning. I threw the crappy bridge away and ordered the adjustable steel bridge from the 59 DC Pro model for AUS$50. The difference is huge and the two bridges are interchangable.
The frets are a little too narrow.
The ease with which the action can be adjusted from the bridge is greatly appreciated. The attitude of each pickup to the strings can be easily modified via two screws (per pickup) accessible from the back of the guitar. This a well thought-out guitar for those of us who incessantly modify the action and the attitude of the single-coil pickups.
The standard-issue tuners are awful. They're plastic - enough said. I own an epiphone acoustic of the same price and that has infinitely better tuners.
I'd give this section an 8 if it weren't for that despicable rosewood bridge. I highly recommend the 59 DC Pro, as the tuners and bridge couldn't get any worse, while the pickup and action adjustment methods couldn't get much better.

This guitar came with one fault: the neck-side strap button kept falling out. Many others have had the same problem and the solution is simple: glue the damn thing in place.
My guitar gets a lot of live exercise. I would happily play this guitar anywhere without a backup, though for any professional or semi-professional players this IS your backup.

Took three to four weeks for the 59 DC Pro bridge I ordered to arrive - that's mediocre. Dano used to have an attractive, informative website. Now it has less information and looks cheaper than an happy meal (as at 03.02.04). I'm rating this section 1 due to the sheer crapiness of their new website.

Been playing nine years and haven't invested in much serious gear. I'm trying to find an outlet with Danelectro guitars in Australia (so I can buy another) and it's not easy. Their pedals are everywhere over here.
This guitar is unlike much else on the market. That's why I want another.
If my 59 DC got stolen, I'd buy another Dano.
Features and ease of adjustment? You don't get much better for under AUS$400.

limo black 59 dc
2 lipstick pickups
always wanted one
because of the..

unique awesome sound
i play telecasters mostly
i also have an sg
this is even more jangly than a tele and can bite more than an sg
it even stays in tune on stage
not as reliable as my tele though
that's why i mostly use it for recording

excellent finish
perfect set up
never had to change anything
the plastic strap buttons are a scandal
but on the other hand - they work...

it seems so fragile
and i bet it is.
so i don't slam it around on stage like my teles
but i use it on stage
it stays in tune better than my sg

dunno
never used it

my second favourite guitar ever!
considering the price - a MUST!
if you like a sharp jangly bell - like single coil sound
it's the best you can get

Features as per every other Dano 59 DC.
This is a followup after 4 years of use. How has it stood up?
No point rating the features. It has what it needs and no more.

Bought it because I loved the sound. Still do. Other guitars have come and gone in the meantime, yet the Dano remains. It outshone Squier Teles and Strats when I bought it, and it still does. It is one hell of a versatile guitar!. Tuned to an open chord, I prefer G or E, but an open C is also nice, you can play slide on this beast like it was made for it.

Can be bright and jangly with treble so clear and bell like it cuts clean over the top of everything else, or it can be muddy, muted and moody. It can 12 bar till the cows come home, riff until your fingers bleed, and is the best funk rythmn guitar ever. Played clean on the bridge pup it sounds like an amplified acoustic. Overdriven on the neck pup with the treble rolled off and its either smoky jazz or moody blues. Yup, thats versatile.

It -cannot- cut heavy metal, and anything over an overdrive sounds really piss poor. No heavier than Cream or Led Zep then. To counter this, I bought an SG :), my sonic arsenal is complete.

It does hum a little and it picks up all manner of extraneous noise from my monitor.

I -personally- love the sound, so I'm giving it 10. Your mileage will probably vary, so try it before you buy it.

It was flawless when I got it. Action fine then, no loose controls then. I was impressed then, and I still am.

You bet your sweet ass it stands live playing!. Most of the hardware has stood up to my brutality quite well too. Not all of it has though.

First, the frets have worn quite badly. I play a heck of a lot of open chords and noodle around chord shapes. This means the lower five frets are now heavily worn. The bottom three really need replacing.

Further up the neck it improves until the tenth fret. Seems it can cope with barre chords OK. At the tenth and up, well, here is soloing space :). Again grooved on the G,B+E but the EAD areas of the frets have parallel lines cut in where the wound strings have been blatted whilst playing chords or riffing at the bottom end.

The tuners still hold it in tune for extended periods. The metal nut is still fine. The wooden bridge piece needs replacing again as the strings have chavved their way into it. The neck is beginning to bow slightly, and a small but perceptible twist has appeared in recent months. To its credit though, I have been using heavy gauge strings and open tunings a lot.

Electrically, all is not well in Dano land.

The pups and output jack are fine, but... The switch is now noisy, the pots may as well be for decoration now as they are either on, off or exactly half way in between. They also now crackle. I have cleaned them, but to no avail. The scratchplate has warped slightly. This may have been exacerbated by my habit of storing half a dozen picks just under the edge of the scratchplate. Well, I don't have a mic stand and Im forever lobbing picks :)

The fingerboard is as good as new. The finish has stood up -really- well. No oxidation on the chrome, the binding is intact and I have never had a problem with the strap buttons. Tip. Cut the strap to suit the front strap button and it never fails.

4 years?, with the hammer I've given it?. Solid

Contacted JHS for a new bridge piece when the guitar was in warranty, they sent it.
Not contacted them since. Not needed to.

Been playing for a good few years now. Punk, Rock, Metal, Bluesy stuff. Currently playing through a Dano cool cat and Zoom GFX707 into either a Marshall MG15DFX ( not a well built piece of kit, but sounds lovely ) or a Marshall MG100DFX ( again, construction not really an issue, but those pots are shyte ).
I am planning to buy another. I have considered a 59 DC Pro or a Hodad. I loved its sound when I bought it, and I still do. It can do anything but really heavy rock or metal. It is a lovely guitar for practicing on as it is loud and clear enough to play without an amp for strumming about.
What would I change about it?. Well, for a start I'd like a harder wire used for the frets, better pots, some shielding and an angled lead outlet. Other than that, and the outlet is just being picky, I wouldn't change a thing. My SG gives me humbucker overdrive, this gives me all the single coil I need.

Value for money?, you betcha!