Silvertone Two Pickup Amp-in-Case Model

As others have, or should have, mentioned, this guitar is what it is. Two lipstick tube pickups, a stacked concentric Volume/Tone knob for each pup, and a 3-way.

The combination is as visually clean and simple as a barebones Tele, but the guitar is arguably more versatile given the series configuration in the middle position. Thus, electronically anyway, we can say that given the concept of the guitar, it's as full-featured as need be and even gives a little more. That said, Ned Daniels was a clever and innovative guy, as everything about his products attests, and he MIGHT have thought of a couple other electronic features for this model. Such as a choice of series or parallel for the pickups.

The bolt-on tilt neck is simple and effective. The bridge is a minor masterpiece of engineering efficiency. I count 5 or 6 parts depending on whether you count screws. With a simple pivot in the middle of the rosewood slab, you can intonate the dang thing to as close as who cares, and you get height adjustments for both treble and bass sides. It just works. If every part you add to a bridge just wastes string vibration and increases the chance for problems, what can we find wanting in this design? A Floyd Rose has over 80 parts. Who was the cleverer engineer?

For a fixed-tail bridge, the Dano Silvertone's lacks nothing necessary. But on a guitar whose era was surf and twang, a whammy bar would have been appropriate, and added to the spec.

As others will say, the instrument is a sandwich composite of wood framing and masonite, sprayed industrially with what must be countertop paint and the top-side and bottom-side joints hidden by wrapping the sides with textured vinyl tape. No body sculpting or arching, no expense, no hassle. It was cheap and easy to manufacture.

It's also ideally resonant and sounds very very good. Joe Naylor at Reverend learned some lessons here, as his guitars share some of the same industrial aesthetic.

The neck is maple with rosewood and an aluminum nut. My guitar has obviously been much played, as the body shows much hand wear below the pickguard - but the frets and nut show no sign of wear. The action is about like the factory spec on a new ASAT, and it's comfortable to play.

You'll read a number of posters who take the 6-on-a-plank tuners to task for slippage. I assumed I would be replacing mine. But here's the hot tip which makes my review worth reading: put heavier strings on the guitar, and the tuning problems go away. I normally play 10 - 46, 10.5 - 48, or 11 - 50/52 depending on the scale of the guitar. With 10s on this badboy, I had tuning problems. With 11s, it's voodoo. My theory is that the extra string tension "locks" the tuners. In any case, it works, and it sounds better too.

So I give Ned and Sears a 9 here. With a whammy and a series/parallel choice, it would have been a 10.

Sound is subjective and very hard to describe. This guitar is louder and more present than my other lipstick tubers (a Surfcaster and a modified old Melody Maker). It has perhaps a touch less sparkle on top than the Surf, but makes up for that with much more body beneath.

It's perhaps most similar to an ASAT Special with the large MFDs, but that too is a bit brighter, and not quite as warm in the midrange.

It's just its own thing, and every pickup position has its character. I've played few single coils in the bridge position (including P90s) which really give me authority and satisfaction, which don't make me feel a bit insecure. They usually seem to lack body. But this, like a great Tele or the ASAT or the best P90 bridge pup, backs you up all the way. It's bright but not thin. Full marks for that.

The neck and bridge/neck positions are remarkably fat and warm, but still retain high-end gloss. Work the tone controls and you really can get some version of almost anything you want out of this guitar. Even under a modest load of distortion, it's clean and articulate, with a throaty midrange you'd have a hard time finding anywhere else.

That said, it's going to be most at home in the funky Big Twang tradition of its era - perhaps more because of its look and feel than its sound.

So I don't play it for everything. But it's way more versatile than you might expect, and entirely unique, a classic unto itself. If you're a tone steward who looks for guitars that don't just ape everything you've heard before, this one will give you enough grins to justify your expense.

Mine does have the amp, which works perfectly and still has "Silvertone" silkscreened in orange script on the tubes. It sounds sweet - but small - and the tremolo is indeed unique, a kind of square wavy choppy trem. Think "Crimson and Clover".

As another poster said, it will record beautifully, but it's not for gigs and the case almost needs a case.

Mine is red sparkleburst mid-60s model, just like the one I wanted from the Sears catalog, and from trips to Sears with Dad, and never got at the time. It would have to be considered in 8 or 9 of 10 condition regardless of age, and a 10 for its age. Virtually the only wear is at the bottom of the pickguard and edge of the lower body where a previous owner's palm must have rested while playing. There it's worn through the top layer of red paint to the underblack.

It must have been perfect new - because even close to 40 years on it's this nice. I find no manufacturing defects, and functionally everything remains 100%

Ned Daniels was building inexpensive guitars - not bad guitars. He simply had a certain kind of manufacturing genius which saw the simple, engineeringly elegant way to do a thing. This simplicity not only made it possible to build guitars that were better than they had any right to be for prices now unimaginable - it also added to the tonal and ergonomic virtues of the instrument. The masonite sandwich construction both sounds great and makes for a light, comfortable instrument. The bridge is not only simple, cheap, and easy to adjust - it also contributes to resonance.

Likewise down the line. Here's a 40-year-old axe which has been cared for but never repaired, and everything still works and looks like it's 3 years old and babied. What more could a cowboy want?

The guitar is a punchy resonant hoot at a gig, and exudes big bold 60s pop guitar vibe. It's proven its dependability and longevity, and I wouldn't hesitate to gig with it unbacked-up.

If we're to assume that inexpensive Sears guitars were largely bought for kids to learn on, they will not have been as well cared for as a pro's instrument. That makes the survival rate of these guitars - and their conditions - remarkable. But if survival in good shape seems to be the rule rather than the exception, the remark OUGHT to be that they were built pretty well, huh?

38 years...lots of other guitars covering every conceivable construction method, material, style, and genre. I can compare the Silvertone Dano to this entire range and see where it slots in sonically and functionally. In terms of quality of tone, it's right up there with the best of them. In playability, it's appropriate to its function but not a buttery-playing smoothie.

No guitar is all things to all people, and I'd hate to be driven down to one electric. If I was, it probably wouldn't be this one. But it would easily make a top 7 or so classic axe list. (Mine does have the amp, which works perfectly and still has "Silvertone" silkscreened in orange script on the tubes. It sounds sweet - but small - and the tremolo is indeed unique, a kind of square wavy choppy trem. Think "Crimson and Clover".)

I'd always wanted one of these, and now that I have it I want always to have one. There's simply nothing else that does what it does, and for those of us who grew up in that era, or younger guys who reminisce about a time they only imagine, this guitar is a time machine. (Not that it won't do contemporary..it's just that the look, feel, and even smell are so distinctive.)

But the main point of my review is the strings. It wasn't designed for 10s; Ned assumed stronger wires. But 11s or 12s on it, be a man about it, and sound huge.

This guitar was made by Danelectro and sold under the Silvertone brand name by Sears in 1964. Typical 3/8" masonite top and back over a wood frame like you see on most Danelectros. Cool 3/8" thick masonite pickguard, very 60s looking.
Two single coil lipstick pickups each with their own volume & tone controls in "concentric" configuration. The neck is poplar with a very nice luxurious flat radius brazilian rosewood board. Not something you'd see on a modern "cheapo" guitar!
The bridge is the usual Danelectro rosewood saddle on a metal plate - limited but workable adjustment, intonates just fine with a little tweaking.
Skate key tuners - the weak spot of this guitar.
Not much as far as bells and whistles, just the usual Danelectro features so the low rating shouldn't be viewed as a "negative" rating.

The case for this guitar is a real cool one - it contains a built-in amp. The amp isn't much to speak of, a small all-tube practice amp with a great tremolo but very little power. Makes a nice sounding practice or recording amp but that's about it.On the downside the case (even when it has no guitar in it) is pretty heavy, provides little protection for the guitar, and you wouldn't want to go out in the rain with it! More of a curiosity than a practical guitar case.

This is the classic Danelectro sound. Listen to the first few records by Southern Culture On The Skids if you don't know what these sound like. They are twangy but not as shrill as a Fender, hollow sounding but not like a hollowbody. Plug one straight into a good tube amp with tremolo, turn the tremolo WAY up and fingerpick some funky Slim Harpo stuff in E. No other guitar sounds quite as perfect for swampy Link Wray influenced picking. Also a great sound for blues slide guitar, early Jimmy Vaughn, reverby surf instrumentals or any style of music where you would use a Telecaster.

Lots of people say the bridge pickups on these guitars are too thin and low output and based on my experince with reissue Danelectros I would have agreed completely...but the bridge pickup on this Silvertone is well matched to the neck pickup (it is only slightly higher than the neck pickup and has lots of room to be raised). I would say it has as much output as my '64 Fender Jaguar's bridge pickup, and that's louder than any stock Strat.
The neck pickup has a really incredible sound, very round but ith amazing detail and clarity. Quite hollow in the mids but not in a "scooped" way at all. There are plenty of mids, just sweet and musical,not in your face like a P-90.
The combined pickupsettingis wired in series so you get a volume boost when you play both pickups together. Make than an EVERYTHING boost, as the bass, mids and volume all increase when you switch to this setting. Pushes an amp into overdrive really nicely.

Before I bought this guitar I already had a Danelectro U2-56 and DC-59. They simply don't compare to this guitar in terms of sound, feel, or construction. It was really hard for me to like those guitars after getting my hands on this one. I just could not think of an excuse to keep them because they sounded thin and weak compared to this Silvertone. I sold them both on ebay and bought a single-pickup, short-scale version of this guitar but it wasn't very satisfying so I sold it and now I am looking for another one like this, or some other long-scale 2-pickup Danelectro or Silvertone.

When I got the guitar the neck angle was perfectly parallel to the body resulting in high, unplayable action. The seller sold it to me as a "slide guitar" claiming the neck was badly bowed when in fact it was perfectly straight and only required a neck tilt adjustment (via a screw at the back of the body). Minutes later I had this guitar playing beautifully in standard tuning and with low, smooth action and a set of 10s. No buzzes anywhere on the 100% straight neck (a miracle when you consider there is no truss rod, just some aluminum reinforcement bars). This guitar plays remarkably well after a few minor tweaks.

This guitar has been played heavily in the 40 years it has been around as evidenced by the neck wear and finish wear on the body. Still plays and sounds great, even the electronics are fine except for a slightly scratchy bridge pickup tone pot. Nothing some spray cleaner won't cure.
I have to stress that the difference between this guitar and the modern reissue Danelectro DC-59 and U2-56 I previously owned is like NIGHT AND DAY. This is not a "fine hand crafted instrument" by any means, but it feels much more solid and sturdy than the reissue Danelectros, and does not have the unpleasantly plastic and thick paint like the reissues are covered with.

No support from Danelectro (not the same company anymore) OR Sears so you're on your own!

This Silvertone really inspired me tolook for more old Danelectro-made guitars and completely ruined any chances of me appreciating reissue Danelectros. As I said before, there is a huge difference in terms of sound and playability between the old Danelectro guitars and the reissues.

The other guitars I currently own are a 1964 Fender Jaguar, a 1962 Harmony Rocket, and a 1999 Epiphone ES295. My amps are a 1964 Fender Super Reverb, a 1966 Fender Deluxe Reverb and a 1961 Ampeg Mercury.
I don't use any pedals or effects other than a Fender Outboard Reverb reissue and a Chandler Delay.
The Silvertone has a unique sound of its own but can also cover much of the same ground as my other guitars. I would say it is actally the most versatile of all my guitars and the only one that sounds equally good with all of my amps.
I originally bought it for almost nothing thinking it was unplayable but it turned out to be a fantastic, playable guitar with a great sound.

I bought it used as my first guitar back in 1984. The amp in the case was striped out and was lined with cheap foam to help protect the guitar. The guitar body is cheaply made with ply-board with cheesey cheap ass lip-stick looking pick-ups in the neck & Bridge positions. God only knows what kind of wood the neck is made from I highly doubt it is even maple. The bridge is just the crapiest piece of shit I've ever seen on a guitar, and the tuners, I won't even go there.

well the only good thing I can say about this guitar is that the pick-ups were quiet which is surprisen compaired to the shitty construction on this guitar in whole. Parts of this guitar are hollowed and other parts are solid which makes for an all out just bad tone. yuk! no Warmness to the sound, just steril and trebely. The only reason this guitar does not get a big fat 1 is because there was little hum in the pick-ups.

There were deep grooves in the fret board on the first fret of the guitar. Action was terrible and the cheap ass tinny bridge sucked ass for setting up any kind of decent action. The neck was SLOOOOWWW. Man I have air guitared with two by fours that were more comfortable to play. The frets were crappy made as well worn in alot of places and fret buzz every where even with the action up high wich was where I kept it butt not cause I wanted too butt because I had too on this guitar!!!!!

For a piece a garbage it was built to take abuse. I literly threw it around trying to break it and it never did. I sold it for $25 and felt like I ripped the kid off I sold it too.

N/A

I read some reviews on this guitar from others and it seems like mine is the only negative one. Sorry guys I had this hunk of shit for two years before I got a decent guitar. It wasn't worth the money I saved up at 15 years old to buy it. Mabey as a second guitar to play around with, and if I got it at a lower price I would have felt allitle differently about the Silvertone I had.

This is a sixties made by Danelectro for Sears, stacked controls (Danelectro would line the control cavity with a copper foil to control hum and some models have a label on the headstock proclaiming "Totally Shielded Controls"), famous lipstick pickups (two with a three position switch), cheesy-cool sparkle burst red to black finish, typical Dano masonite semi hollow body, ALUMINUM nut (this is a very good indicator of Dano built guitars)and rose wood "floating" bridge/tailpiece. Wild looking white pickguard with a big old oval hole for the neck position pickup- you just gotta see it to appreciate it. My friends either love it or hate it. The first version was one pickup, black with a lttle sparkle in the finish, with an amp built into the case, when the two pickup was introduced they added tremolo to the amp. My dear wife and I have two of the single pickup models with the cases, but I did not get a tremolo amp/case with the sparkle burst. Dano had a twin aluminum truss bar through the neck and as a result almost all Dano necks are straight and true.

This guitar is too cool for school. Bluesy, rockabilly, surf, are all there straight into a clean amp. Neck position is warm and mellow, bridge twangs like Link Wray, middle position actually boosts the output! for an overdriven Chuck Berry "Maybellene" sound. Add your effects of choice and anything goes, with the possible exception of traditional clean jazz. Lipsticks are pretty quiet for single coils (Totally Shielded!)

When I got this guitar it was ready to go. Pickups are easily adjusted by screws in the back of the body, neck tilt with an allen wrench below the bolt-on heel. The only flaw is a slight fret buzz somewhere while playing high on the neck that I could fix if I tracked it down. This is the only one of our Dano or Silvertones (we have 12...cripes!) that has this problem and as I say could be easily fixed. Action is great, necks tend to be narrower that say a Strat or Les Paul, and have a flat radius which works well for slide playing- again the lipsticks can't be beat for slide tones. Finish has some dings, but so do I.

I have gigged with this guitar as well as most of my others without a backup. They are also great couch guitars as they have a bit of acoustic sound when unplugged. Selector switches get sloppy sometimes on these guitars and the tuners can be upgraded. Unique to these Dano/Silvertones, an upgrade in tuners or a custom paint job does not seem to lessen their value as a collectible. Light weight and can double as a breadboard for making sandwiches.

Original Danelectro is history. Good guitar shop or bold player can work on these babies.

I've been playing for 30 years, one of these days I'll start getting serious. Together with my wife we have accumulated more that 30 guitars, Fenders, Gibson, Martin, asian acoustics and electrics for gigging worry free, and our favorites Danelectro/Silvertone- don't ask me why, a guess the same reason some people have little yappy dogs- we just love 'em. I own a couple of the reissues which were recreated pretty well, although they are not using masonite! and the latest stuff has little resemblence to original models. If I lost this guitar I would be very very sad and would have to run out and find three replacements ASAP. A must have for those of us who build collections.

This is the 2 pickup amp in case made by Danelectro for sears. it has a plywood frame with masonite frone and back and vinyl sides. the one i have was customized to be Bright orange with a tortise shell pick guard and the original pots with the concentric controls were replaced with 1 volume 1 tone but the tone knob pulls out to make a different sond. i'm not quite sure what it does but it sounds really cool. the Tuners are a total joke you have to tune it evry time you play but it looks like they could be replaced by Telecaster tuners quite easily
also I the neck is too thin in both width and thickness for my weird fingers.

Oh man. this thing, like all vintage dano 2 pickups, is electric honey. the neck is pure surf twang, and the bridge is quite full and rich. the middle config is ooey gooey goodness. this it the quintisential sound!

it was beat to hell. THe guy I bought it from said it was owned by a local Blues Man so I like to think it was beat up in smokey blues bars and brawls and whatnot adds to the image :)
it's easy to adjust the hight of the pickups
as i stated the tuneras are crap. pretty loose. because of their age watch out for stripped screw holes.

it's been around since 65 and still going strong.

havent talked to them don't think they'd honor a modifyed guitar like this.

wonderful guitar. I don't have the amp/case but would love to get ahold of one. if I can find a way to make the neck better and put new tuners on it it would rock the world!

Looks like a '63 of '64 model in burgangy sparkleburst. This model was sold from Sears and built by Danelectro in New Jersey. I suppose that this model is sort of a cult classic among the Danelectro's and this exact model guitar was seen in the Tom Hanks movie "The Wonders". The construction is standard for Danelectro's of the period with 2 Lipstick pickups, masonite top and back, brazillian rosewood board, concentric controls for each pickup, and the bridge with sliding intonation rosewood slab. The body is a unique double cut-away which reminds me of a Stratocaster/SG/Danelectro DC hybrid.The tuners are pretty cheesy but they are functional and the neck pretty wide, flat with ample meat to grip into high bends. If the bridge is setup right, intonation is perfect and good action when adjusted properly.

The instrument gets a rich, beautiful clean sound which is airy and 3-dimensional. I attribute this to the semi hollow construction, light weight, and the balanced output of the low output single coil pickups. Speaking of pickups, they are average in noise output and probabaly alittle less noisy than say a vintage reissue Stratocaster. The best sound is switching on both pickups (middle position) as independently the pickups (bridge in particular) are utterly weak and thin by themselves. The "middle" position is a sound that I have never duplicated on another guitar and it is a good one clean, or overdriven. One GREAT sound from both pickups, a good one from the neck, and a weak and thin sound from the bridge pickup sums it up.

My Silvertone is in great++ condition but "aged" in look. For example, the pickguard is now an off white and the screws and tuning pegs show some rust etc. The body has a faded patina reminicent of old furnature. I have seen these guitars in a condition which rival new off the shelf instruments . The neck is very comfortable and there is no buzzing or strange playing obsticles. The amp in case is a great feature. It is 8 watts and sounds like a Fender champ (probably similiar RCA circuit). The tremelo feature in real cool. I would imagine a pro could cut neat tracks with the tremelo in the studio cause the sound does have a real vintage vibe to it. Otherwise, the Silvertone guitar does not break up the sound of this amp too much even with the amp on 10. My humbucking equipped guitars are a different story though! They give a sweet blues tone with just the right amount of natural tube/speaker breakup. Both pieces are original and are in perfect working order after many years. Hell, that is a 10 in my book.

For a cheaply build guitar, there sure are alot of them still around. I suppose they are pretty durable unless you stomp on it something! The strap buttons are metal originals and an vintage style leather strap, the guitar holds well. I have never broken a string on this guitar so I would gig with it without a backup. Since I am a humbucker fan, I could never use this as my primary guitar though.

Pretty good vibe guitar and I like the change of pace from my Les Pauls, Fenders etc. I like the sounds and playability alot. I just bought a Dano '59 DC reissue and that is a good guitar and both guitars share much of the same hardware (bridge, toggle, controls are identical). I for one think the new Danelectro did superb job in the reissues cause they sound and play the same or better as the originals. I would not spend bug bucks on this guitar (I see em for $400-$900) but if you find one with the amp in case "go for it"!