Danelectro 59 DC

-98, Korea -22 Frets -Laminate top/body, neck? -2 pair Concentric tone/volume controls -3 way pup switch -S/S Dano lipstick tube pups -Opaque black w "seal" pickguard -Body style more or less a doublecut Les Paul shape (hollow) -Metal bridge with simple one piece rosewood string saddle -Dano brand closed back tuners -25" neck scale, medium frets -Dano tweed gig bag (real sturdy)

-into a wide range of styles but mostly pop/rock/blues/country (soft to heavy) so suits me fine for the soft to medium range (gainiacs hold on to your solidbody humbucking equipped flamethrowers) -Budda twinmaster Ten combo, VHT pitbull CL w/212 VHT Fatbottom cab -Noisy on all settings, that's the single coil lipsticks -Rich full sounds possible w/neck pup alone or neck & bridge at about equal output settings, bright and biting bridge pup only (a little too thin here sometimes, but can be easily remedied by putting pup switch in mid position and dialing in just a bit of output from the neck pickup with bridge volume most or all the way up), Traditional Dano sound, kinda bright/hollow/spongey, tone controls (yes, I actually use mine) work well but not until you have them turned most of the way down (this can help taking some of that high end clip especially from the bridge pup when at higher volumes) -To achieve my optimal tone settings usually I back the Dano's tone all the way down w/strings completely muted then turn it back up until I can hear just a bit of high-end hiss coming thru with my amp on w/its typical settings -To my ears this is the closest you can come to cross between a stock Tele and a stock hollow body single coil equipped Rick which tone-wise are my favorites for single coil rhythm sounds -Like it's tones mainly, dislike the noise (but you can't get this kind of sound without some noise so I don't mind the trade-off), dislike lack of sustain but then my feeling this is designed more as a rhythm axe like a Rick

-near Excellent factory setup, Low E/A buzz but in a friendly way, excellent off-the-rack playability, excellent fretwork, fretwire polished smooth as mirrors, no tangs sticking out at edge of fingerboard -come to think of it I might try to raise the bridge pup and lower neck pup as it is very dominant volume-wise compared to bridge w/both volume controls full up -bridge placement/function fine considering bridge/saddle unit is not really designed for optimal setup/intonation as with most other electrics -no major flaws this category, pickguard removal is a bitch on this design (you have to remove to get the serial to registar it for warranty)

-Definitely a gig-worthy guit -Hardware is not exactley the most durable looking stuff -Finish appears to be very durable, probably a polyurethane -not too crazy about the plastic glued-in strap buttons but I've owned a couple dozen guits in a similar number of years and have broken a total of two strap buttons in all that time (on "higher quality" instruments) -Overall dependability seems good enough -I'd be confident enough to gig w/this guitar without a backup

-never dealt w/them -no problems thus far -Typically worded one year warranty

-See my Gibson Les Paul Jr Lite review for other gear/playing history -If it were lost or stolen I'd probably get a DC-3 (which I could actually "trade up" for with the store I bought it at but that's limited to stock only and they don't have any yet) -Mainly I love it for it's unique tone, don't particularly "hate" anything about it, favorite feature would have to be "Seal" shaped pickguard -I compared it w/all the other Dano reissues available at the time (bought 11/98) but this one had the best setup and fretwork -wish it had the features of the DC-3, maybe with a decent tremelo thrown in but what do you expect for under $300?!? -wish the tone controls were more interactive like a Les Paul's (2 each completely separate volume/tone controls), then I wouldn't be thinking about a DC-3 -I believe that off-the-rack quality is of optimal importantance (with guitars and tube amps) and while all the other Danos were good this particular one was the best among them (maybe things slowed down at the factory that day and the fretwork guy got bored and put in some extra time on my Dano), the FACTORY FRETWORK/SETUP is what led me to make what was basically an IMPULSE buy (guitars makers are you listening?), "...a new one in the box" is for effects and other electronics -overall I am very satisfied with this purchase

This new (1999) "reissue" of a `59 design was made in Korea. It is a double cut-away guitar with two pickups. Danelectros (old or reissue) or unique instruments both in construction and sound.
I bought the "Copper" finish sight unseen. It is less 'metallic' then I remember the old ones being, but lovely, none-the-less.
The guitar is what it is. "Features" in regard to a Dano is almost a misnomer. That is no loss. Gimmicky it ain't. What it does is make music.

The body is a 3 layer (masonite -wood- masonite) semi-solid. The masonite over an open chamber, along with the old Alnico magnet "Lipstick Tube" pickups allow for a wonderful sound that is at the same time mid-range "bongy" and top-range "Boingy."
I play eclectic, somewhat "primitive" original rock and electric blues. The Dano is a wonderful additional voice to compliment my customized ES-Artist and Vintage Reisssue Tele; my other main axes.
I find it equally unique and exciting whether over-driven thru my Marshall 900 or clean thru my old silverface Tremolux.

The Dano was delivered by UPS in a styrofoam packed box. It was still pretty much in tune from the factory set-up. Amazing! Intonation is supurb. Neck good.
The finish (paint) is the BEST I have ever seen. No kidding!
The off-white vinyl "tape" that covers the wood sides looks great but is not 100% secure. I expect that it'll start to peel and tear where it pulls away, Gonna be a bummer if it does.
Tuners are closed back; non-adjustable. Good now, but.... ???
If this was a $1,200 Fender or a $2,800 Gibson I'd be only "somewhat pleased." For a $225 guitar this is a solif "10." (Maybe a 12!)

Old Danos kept on Rockin.' I bet the new ones will too!
Gig with it? Without a doubt! (Though I haven't giged in over 30 years!) ;-)

Quick responding web site. 1 Yr warranty. No parts available. No owners manual.

I've been playing since 1958. Played in several semi-successful groups in the `mid to late `60s. (Any old "Abstracts" or "Crystal Circus" fans out there?) ;-)
My eqipment: Gibson Les Paul Standard, Gibson ES-Artist (custom wired), Fender Vintage re-issue Telecaster, Fender Vintage reissue Stratocaster, Epiphone Sheraton II, Marshall 900 Duel Master Volume, Fender Silverface Tremolux, Etc.
Frankly, as a young teen, I used to go into the Sears store with my buddies and laugh at the (Danelectro) Silvertones. Then -- some years later -- I heard Danny Kalb wailing on one in the Blues Project. Oh my, were we spoiled and snobby suburban kids wrong! Of course by then I was playing an 'abortion' Telecaster in down and dirty blues clubs and, at least generally, new better.
The only change I would like to see on the guitar is screwed in metal strap buttons. My plastic ones seem fins (so far), but I'm not sure I really trust 'em.
Would I buy another one? Absolutely! I'd replace it before my beloved Tele!

But with this axe, who needs 'em? Two stacked knobs, two lipstick pickups. Standard stuff for this model. The body shape fits me nicely, both ergonomically and aesthetically. Got to ditch the plastic strap pins, tho. Groovy little art-deco tuners with a Danelectro "D" embossed on the back.

Gods, but this thing screams! I'm only a novice (three chords, thanks!)but this little Limo Black monster is the most fun I've had on a guitar ever. I've borrowed friends' Fender Strats, Les Pauls, owned a couple of cheap-shit Japanese no-namers and an Alvarez Tele copy, and this is by far the raunchiest, most rock-and-roll guitar I've laid my hands on. I'm just using a Dan Electro Honeytone, but it's peeling the paint off my walls!

Action is good compared to my previous Alvarez Tele copy, and excellent compared to the Series 10 Rickenbacker copy my best friend has been lending me. No noticable flaws yet, but I've only had it an hour! Strike that, there is a small spot on the fingerboard where some stain may have dripped or otherwise collected, but you won't see it from a foot away. The antique white accent tape around the body is crap and I'll have to be careful of it, but I'm not removing it until the warranty is up, then I'll have someone paint a similar stripe on it as I like the two-tone effect.

Strap buttons may be a problem, and the accent tape will certainly peel off soon if I'm not carefull. As for the rest, only time will tell.

I sent an email asking them about tremelos and removing the accent tape and they responded immediately. Unfortunately, no plans for trems, and removing the accent tape voids the warranty.

Despite fooling around with guitars off and on over the last 15 years, I haven't really played all that much, just noodled around in my spare time. But this baby is so much fun, as soon as I post this I'm getting out my chord charts and practicing! If lost or stolen, I'd buy another in a heartbeat. I love the light weight, the crisp sound that can go from clean to raunchy with ease, the cool styling and the slick action. I do wish it had a tremelo, maybe a Bigsby? Have to think about that, but I'm pretty sure I'm not ready for one as a player, tho.

Just picked up a new Danelectro '59 DC reissue. The user comments on this guitar is pretty much consistent from other players sharing their revues. But, how can you pass up something so cool, daddy-o? 'Specially at the $219 out-the-door price tag. Mine is burgundy-sparkle, I -love- the color, and all the other colors that are available. Standard Dano reissue fair. Masonite top/bottom, plywood 'core' with a white vinyl binding around the perimeter of the body covering the innards of the bodys' finish. Rosewood fingerboard and way-cool 'coke bottle' headstock. They're so cheap, I think I'll collect 'em all! Let me start by saying this is NOT a primary player guitar. It's a unique little piece and I'm not sorry for a second I picked one up. I got it home and immediately went to a lighter gauge string (9-46 as opposed to the 10-?52?) that it came with. I struggled a bit with the solid bridge/tailpiece. The ball-end of the strings seem to teeter on the brink of flying off the slots on the bridge where they mount. Everything appears to be okay so far though. The machine heads are cheap & sticky, but adequate. Surprisingly, the truss didn't seem to need adjustment after going to the lighter gauge, but only time'll tell there too. The guitar actually came very well set-up and perfectly intoned for such an inexpensive price tag. The finished neck feels great. Nice and 'chunky', apparently very true to the original and again, pleased and surprised at the fretting of the Dano. The combo volume/tone pots take a little getting used to and are a bit out of the way, but it only adds to this guitars appeal. Really. The tone circuit is very responsive. A nice sweep from biting treble to warm tones only rivaled by a wah-pedal.

Ah, here's where this nasty little guitar shines. The lipstick alnico pickups roar. Coupled with the semi-hollow body, I was getting harmonic feedback that I never experienced with my solid bodies. Crunchy, shimmering tones in the bridge position. Unique 'nasally' tone in the mid position and warm, thick, loud tones in the neck pos. I play thru a Marshall JCM900 dual reverb and a 2x12 cabinet w/Celestion 30w Silverbacks 'vintage'. Not a huge gain freak, but like to turn it up to nasty up the sound. This bitch shimmers. The middle position is a blast. Listen to the intro on Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions CD on "Black Dog". This is pure Danelectro talking. This is more of a picking/strumming guitar it seems. Sounds wicked-crunchy playing open chords. Besides, the neck 'hump' where the neck meets the body makes it virtually impossible to play beyond the 12th fret. But that's okay. I have my Strat's N Tele's to do that!

As I said before, it came well set up right outta the box. It was better intoned than even my '92 American Standard Tele when I bought it new. The poly finish was excellent for the price. No obvious flaws and the finish actually feels 'lighter' than most high-priced guitars. My biggest complaint on even guitars costing $1000 and up is that that abysmal polyester finish. The Danelectro's is actually very tolerable. The only thing that's gonna take a little getting used to is that the guitar feels 'fragile' and I tend to baby it. Guess it 'cause I'm used to playing Strats and Teles and putting them thru hell. Again, for the price the finish is super. Hence the high rating.

Reliablity? Durability? Probably not, but who knows? I wouldn't trust it to be your 'main player'. I don't think thats what was in mind when they were reissued. This is a fun guitar. Great for beginners and a blast for experienced players just 'cause they're so damn cool. Cool looking, cool sounding, etc. Plop down the $200 and get one. It's worth it just to feel like Jimmy Page! I don't think a reliabilty rating should even pertain here. I really don't know how it'll hold up. It does feel 'fragile' but that only adds to it's coolness.

Never dealt with Dano.

Overall rating is-> buy one if you want daddy-o cool. Don't buy one if you're expecting a PRS or Custom Shop Fender. Hell, buy one of each color! Buy one just 'cause Jimmy Page played one! As far as out and out groovyness (and great sound), this is a fantastic value.

1998, Korea. 21 frets. Solid masonite top. 3-way selector switch (N, N+B series, B) plus dual concentric volume/tone controls. Two repro Danelectro "lipstick" single coil pickups, not RW/RP (see below). Passive electronics. Maple? neck, rosewood fingerboard, masonite body over plywood frame. Beatnik Burgundy (deep metallic purple that appears black from a distance); would have preferred Cool Copper, but it looks more like a Band-Aid than the original copper finish. Repro of classic Dano bridge. Generic die-cast tuners with Danelectro logo and plastic buttons. No accessories.

Using it with Danelectro's own Nifty-Fifty amp (a must-have), brown Tolex Fender Super (not Super-Reverb), no effects. It is noisy, but you can flip the coil in one pickup upside-down to RW/RP them when combined at equal volumes (an ancient Dano trick - e-mail me, rogers@hi.com, for instructions). Unlike the original, it is not shielded; my repro Longhorn bass benefitted tremendously from a couple coats of shielding paint just in the output jack socket, but no such luck here. It has essentially one sound - the classic Danelectro sound - which it does wonderfully. If that isn't what you want, there are plenty of other choices in that price range - but for me, this is *it*.

The guitar was impeccably set up at the factory, although the one I bought was admittedly the best of four or five I tried. (Others who tried mine complimented me on how well I had set it up - I didn't have the heart to correct them.) The pickups are not well balanced - the neck is considerably louder than the bridge - but I only use the middle setting anyway. No obvious quality control flaws on mine, nor on any of the others I tried. The tape on the side did start to pull away in a couple places, but a quick blast from a hair dryer fixed that.

I no longer perform publicly, but in my mid-70s bar band I used to use a Bellzouki for 12-string parts and a Silvertone/Dano for slide; if they held up live, so should the reissues. The strap buttons - particularly the neck button - are one weak spot; I've already filled in the hole with a dowel, redrilled it, and retrofit a leftover 60s Dano one-piece strap pin/screw. You could probably attach a metal strap button to one of the neck screws instead.
Others have remarked that Danelectro does not recommend use of string gauges heavier than .010. I saw no mention of this myself, but bear in mind that .012-013 was probably the norm back when the originals were made.

I mailed Evets a letter with some suggestions; too early to expect a response. No repairs or adjustments needed yet, and in any case I could probably do most of them myself. Warranty is 12 months.

33 years. Have owned over 100 guitars over the years, including 7 original Danelectros (none of which I currently own). Would definitely buy another - maybe one in each color.
What other guitars did I compare it to? What other guitars *could* I have compared it to?
If you had a separate category for "coolness", I'd rate it an 11.

This is an update of an earlier post of mine. I'd been playing my new DC at home for a couple weeks, and played an actual gig with it last night.

Clean sounds, when coupled with my Fender Hot Rod Deville (4x10) and Voodoo Labs Analog Chorus, were absolutely beautiful, as I've said earlier. Just bubbly and bright, but not overly bright. Low notes are punchy. Fun to strum or to palm-mute and chunk-a chunk-a, you know. My one complaint is that high notes, especially higher on the neck, seemed to get a bit lost, but that could have just been the noise levels.
Overdriven is okay, although single note leads sound weaker than they do on my Strat. As I said in an earlier review, I left the pickup selector in the middle position and just adjusted the volume controls depending on if I was clean or overdriven. I read somewhere recently that the pickups on Danos sound weak by themselves because they're wired in series, not parallel. I guess that's why the middle position is so dreamy, loud and full.

Set up great, stock from factory. Strings are 009's I think, and I usually use 010's, so I may change them.
Again, my big complaint is the strap buttons. I meant to glue them in before this gig, but didn't, and sure enough they pulled out three or four times, sometimes when I wasn't even moving much. I'm going to move the neck button to either perpindicular to the back of the neck (instead of facing up toward the headstock on the neck heel) and glue in the body-side button. Minor, but annoying design.

Should be fine if you take care of it. Nice and light!

I might add that I picked up a Dano "tweed" (it's really plastic or some other synthetic, I think) gig bag for $40. It's not super-padded, but it's perfectly fine for this guitar. $90 seemed too much to pay for a real tweed hardshell case for a guitar that cost less than $300 itself. Plus it's got pockets, and cool rubber logo, and twin carry-straps. Like everything this company is making, even the gig bag says "huge value".

O.K. those of you reading this already know what you are looking at..you just want to know if you should really add another guitar to your collection (or maybe your first!?) Check out the gig bag..cost a bunch..made well..just too coool looking. warning this can get expensive.

Now before I put my fingers on this keyboard, they were on another. That being the guitar in question. Which did lend it's self to my being disconnected from ........I'm using everything Danelectro has to offer including the Nifty 50 amp..Now, it is solid state, but the feel and texture is worth the money. And their floor units speak for themselves (however I do have an idea for the Dan-Echo..you guys listening out there? It won't cost you that much in the overall scheme of things and we can both be happy) Yes, it is noisy when you sit in front of your computer screen with the FAB TONE,CoolCat@DanEchogoing... No HuMBs here. Who cares, move it around with the sound.LIKES:it so light you don't even know it's there. Quick rosewood Neck..creates sounds(with proper stretching) liken unto a scalloped fretboard style without the deep indentations in your fingertips(i do have a scalloped neck Strat..also heavy in the lap as you sit in front of a screen!)

Whew..action..well I never took up cameras that way. I bought black..Slick finish. all you can do is hope you never lay your nails into it in a fit of frenzy..Don't expect a $1000 guitar for under $300{{{but i can't tell a whole lot of difference in them}}}(not counting the effects and amps, i told you earlier this wasn't cheap and if you are going to buy one buy the whole "PACKAGE' No I don't work for these guys but i probably should buy stock in them.

I don't gig,,been there,done that..but if i did i would use this without a backup..ok,ok I would have others on stage but this would be the one i wouuld 'fiddle' with more than others. Final Note--if your local dealer has several Dan's in stock..1st check them out without plugging them in. I found a variation in tone. and those pickups are microphones

I havn't dealt with the company yet, but they really need to talk to me afbout the Dan-Echo idea ;-)

Length of playing:Since before Elvis..other gear:YES!!!! ?'s before buying? Are they cheaper by the dozen Get Even Love/Hate..takes too much energy.. Of oourse,Strat,pre samick Valley Arts, Washburn..I like them all..this one just weighs less and sound as great with the proper tools. Why do you think Johnny Winter doesn't lug that Thunderbird around anymore? Buy it!

This is the double-cutaway version of these new Danelectros. I actually owned one of the 56-U2's, and got rid of it, traded for something else. But I like this one, shape-wise and vibe-wise, much better. Mine is black, white seal pickguard, twin lipsticks, etc. Stacked volume and tone knobs. Bridge is not adustable, but Mass Street Music in Lawrence Kansas can make you a better-intoned custom bridge for like $40.
Giving high rating for cool vibe/low price ratio.

Unbelievably unique sound for a cheapo guitar. My only complaint, and it was like this on my first single-cutaway reissue, is that the bridge pickup seems very weak in comparison to the neck, and especially the middle position. The middle position rules the clean tone world, I'm not kidding. It's blossomy, billowy, bright, fluffy, poppy, huge, cool. The neck position, which you might expect to be even more so, is not.
I play in a surf-rock band, and we do overdriven stuff as well as clean. What I'm doing is leaving the position switch in the middle and simply rolling off the volume from the neck pickup, and this keeps the overdriven sound from getting too weak. You have to roll some off from the neck, though, or else it will be too muddy, less focused. Does this make sense?
I'm using it with a Fender Hot Rod Deville, and the sound is just dreamy, as I've tried to describe.

Fine, fine, fine. Do a custom bridge to intonate it correctly. May need some graphite in the nut slots, as the strings stick on bends. Maybe file out the nut slots some, too.
Also, the ridiculous way the strap buttons are put on...the one for the neck side is absolutely useless. I drilled a new hole on the back of the body and put in a steel button. Plus they're not glued in, so you better do that. No problem though, just puzzling what they were thinking.

Take good care of it and it will be fine.

Great guitar and vibe for the price. Very high value marks.