What is it?

For a brand that originally shut its doors in 1969, Danelectro’s rebirth some 30 years later has subsequently given us a huge number of reissues and mash-ups.

Although prices have crept up in recent years, Danelectro models still fall into the affordable part of the market with a retro vision and a reminder of a different time. Head over to the brand’s website and you’ll find a dizzying number of available models, not least this year’s new crop to add to the stew.

These 2026 models definitely fall into the mash-up category: they’re not model- or period-specific but come with features that span quite a period, from the get-go in the mid-’50s to the return of Danelectro in the mid-’90s and on to the present day.

All three new models centre on the double-cut Short Horn outline, with a 635mm (25-inch) scale length and – uniquely for any reissued model – a repro of the original and short-lived Full Bell headstock. More unusually, there’s even a logo change: as you can see these are branded ‘Dano’.

The three Dan O models offer subtly different themes. First, the Golden 50’s features “the show-stopping body/headstock graphic that is borrowed from an authentic 1950s kitchen table top”, the press release gushes, and is combined with a pair of hot Lipstick pickups.

There’s no scratchplate, which allows that “kitchen table top” feel to shine in four solid colours of Cream, Black, Maroon and Green. Next is the Dan O Cool, the first of our review models and effectively the same guitar with the ‘rare’ U3-style pickguard (originally from 1955) in Black, Maroon, Blue and Green. A 12-string is offered in Aqua Blue, plus there’s a baritone in Green only.

Finally, the Dan O Mano swaps the overwound Lipstick single coils for two soapbar single coils, there’s no scratchplate here and just three colours of Maroon, Black and Silver.

“With their Atomic Age styling – drawing heavily upon Danelectro’s boldly original 1950s roots – and turbocharged retro vibe, the Dano line might be the company’s most true-to-the-spirit guitars ever,” says Danelectro. Although exactly what the rationale here is, is far from concrete – the brand has been drawing on its ’50s roots since the guitars became available again in the late 1990s.

Conversely, Danelectro might well have created some of its more fit-for-purpose electrics in its now quite extensive history. For example, the so-called ‘Short Horn’ outline is a Danelectro classic, and although not mentioned directly in the marketing blurb – “back to the magic of the 1950s Daneletros” – was first unveiled in 1958.

It’s never been paired with that original and short-lived headstock, and with the Dano logo here it looks quite modern, far from 1950s. Likewise, the moulded ‘D’ logo plastic truss rod cover, which follows the pickguard, style-wise, and the electrics cavity cover on the back.

Construction is ignored by Danelectro’s PR, and indeed its own website. Alex Davis from the brand’s new distributor Strings & Things says: “The publicly available info does leave a little to be desired, but official build specs are pretty much unchanged in decades with the neck a hard Canadian maple and the fretboard in rosewood.”

While Alex states that “the body frame is solid spruce [and] the top and bottom panels are hardboard”, these look more like what we’d call MDF. Another original-style Danelectro feature is the vinyl tape applied to the sides, though here it’s virtually identical to the body colour whereas back in the ’50s it was typically contrasting.

Again, nodding back to the original design is the long heel, quite long and square edged, the strap button placed at its tip, so it’s not doing much to help upper-fret access or comfort.

The hardware certainly looks back and we have the original-style ‘four-way adjustable bridge’ with its one-piece rosewood saddle, liked by many for its sound, less so its accurate intonation. Uniquely, Danelectro is including the much later six (metal) saddle, fully adjustable bridge in the box so you can easily swap: a nice touch, not least that getting hold of Danelectro spares isn’t easy.

Another specific feature is the ‘Skate Key’ tuners. Well, we don’t have any from the ’50s to compare, but these have pretty basic Kluson-style backs with pressed metal buttons, quite thin and small-feeling though perfectly usable.

The nut, as per the originals, is aluminium screwed onto the end of the rosewood fingerboard. Details such as the fingerboard radius aren’t divulged, but historically Danelectro has quoted 356mm (14 inches), which is pretty much what we measure.

Internally, it’s all very clean, the rear cavity opening cut after the guitar is finished, we’d wager. As to how hollow, well, there seems to be a narrow centre block, less wide than the pickups with a pretty large block around the bridge. The actual sides – which are a part of this ‘frame’ – are quite thick, too, and the lower body is certainly much more hollow than the almost solid horns.

Specs

Dan O Cool

• PRICE: $599 | £689 | €669
• ORIGIN: Korea
• TYPE: Double-cutaway semi-hollow electric 
• BODY: Composite top and back over solid wood frame
• NECK: Maple, C profile bolt-on
• SCALE LENGTH: 635mm (25”)
• NUT/WIDTH: Aluminium/ 41.8mm 
• FINGERBOARD: Rosewood, small white dot inlays, 356mm (14”) radius
• FRETS: 21, medium
• HARDWARE: Hardtail rosewood saddle bridge, Kluson-style ‘Skate’ tuners – chrome/nickel plated
• STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 55.5mm
• ELECTRICS: 2x single-coil Lipstick pickups, 2-way lever pickup selector switch, master volume and tone controls
• WEIGHT(kg/lb): 2.81/6.24
• OPTIONS: None
• RANGE OPTIONS: There is a Dan O Cool 12-string (£759) in Aqua Blue only with different pickups, plus a Baritone (£759) in Green only
• LEFT-HANDERS: Not this model, but lefty versions of the ’59M NOS+ (the ‘Page’ model), Vintage 12-String and Baritone are available
• FINISHES: Green (as reviewed) Black, Maroon, Blue – all-gloss with vinyl-tape sides

Dan O Mano

• PRICE: $599 | £689 | $669
• ORIGIN: Korea
• TYPE: Double-cutaway semi-hollow electric 
• BODY: Composite top and back over solid wood frame
• NECK: Maple, C profile bolt-on
• SCALE LENGTH: 635 mm (25”)
• NUT/WIDTH: Aluminium/ 41.7mm 
• FINGERBOARD: Rosewood, small white dot inlays, 356mm (14”) radius
• FRETS: 21, medium
• HARDWARE: Hardtail rosewood saddle bridge, Kluson-style ‘Skate’ tuners – chrome/nickel plated
• STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 55.5mm
• ELECTRICS: 2x soapbar single-coil pickups, 3-way lever pickup selector switch, master volume and tone controls
• WEIGHT (kg/lb): 2.83/6.23
• LEFT-HANDERS: See Dan O Cool
• FINISHES: Maroon (as reviewed) Black, Silver – all gloss with vinyl‑tape sides
• CONTACT: Danelectro

Build quality, playability and sounds

We’d call the setup functional, rather than dialled in. The nut’s slots are a little wide but not deep, and the strings are held by a good back angle to those tuners.

The string angle from nut slot to tuner post is fairly straight, too, splaying only slightly. The radius at the rosewood saddle bridge is closer to 305mm (12 inches), so with standard string heights at the 12th fret it does mean the inner strings are a little higher than most would set with separate saddles.

The intonation is nowhere near as ‘off’ as the one-piece saddle would suggest, and while you can tilt the saddle (there’s a small screw under the bridge that holds the saddle in place and allows this angle change), it really is pretty close as supplied.

The fretwork is pretty neat, too – a medium gauge, approximately 2.68mm wide by 1mm high. Overall, then, while not the most dialled-in setup that you should expect from a modern guitar, it ain’t bad, certainly if you live on the bluesier side of the style tracks.

Same with the neck, which feels a little wider than it actually is, perhaps because of the flatter radius. But it’s a pretty classic shallow ‘C’: 20.5mm deep at the 1st fret, 22.8mm by the 12th – no issues at all.

Despite the overwound claims of these new Lipsticks, they are still a pretty low output, although today that’s not really an issue – a little clean boost or whatever takes your fancy easily compensates. It’s the very clear tonality that impresses.

Add in a big reverb and it’s a twang-fest at the bridge, fuller and softer at the neck – which really is almost a middle position – but with a nice clarity.

The surprise (again due to the total lack of specification) is that in the both-on middle position on the selector we have more output and a bigger voice, instead of the expected bounce and funk.

A quick check with our multimeter and the pickups are wired in series (the pickup’s individual outputs are combined), which, of course, is typical Danelectro. There’s still some of the both-on character here, though; it’s just louder with slightly rounder highs.

So you really have some choices. Those individual coils are classic Danelectro; the middle series voice is certainly familiar if you’ve played any of the two-pickup models with stacked volume and tone controls.

However, with just the master volume and tone we have less ability to shade the voice, which might well be an advantage for many players. The controls give a very direct feel: the volume has a good taper, the tone less so, with not a lot happening until the near end of travel where we drop to a woolly roll-off rather quickly.

The same trick is pulled off on the Dan O Mano. The soapbar single coils have a fuller and warmer tonality overall compared with the Lipsticks and, from the off, seem to suit a little more grit.

Again, the middle position combines the pickups in series so there’s more heft and this one sort of has it all: power with clarity. But, again, the three sounds are distinct here – as with the Dan O Cool – and give both guitars their own voice.

Verdict

Verdict: ★★★★

The backstory here is a bit laboured as the majority of contemporary Danelectros since the late ’90s reference the ’50s. Nothing new there.

It is good to see the rosewood bridge back (with the modern six-saddle unit as back-up), which might not be perfect but really suits the lo-fi vibe.

In-store, these will drop below £600, with the exception of the baritone and the 12-string. Not exactly bargain basement but then neither are the guitars, which remain strangely unique after all these years.

Guitar World verdict: While these finishes give a contemporary and quite moody sheen, the sounds are anything but. The low-output soapbar single coils really suit the lightweight resonant platform; the Lipstick single coils are far from ‘hot’ but have a really appealing clarity and definition, and are archetypal Danelectro.

Hands-on videos

R.J. Ronquillo

Danelectro vs Death Ray Cat

Guitar Interactive

• Best electric guitars 2026: our top picks for every playing style, ability and budget

Pedals Week 2026: Guitarists are contrary beasts. We spend hours honing tones, then declare it’s all in the hands. Pine for a simpler time, while excitedly downloading firmware updates. Form unbreakable bonds with gear, while simultaneously looking over our shoulder at the next shiny object. It’s part of the fun.

Sometimes, then, I think the most telling way to judge gear is just to see what has actually made enough of a difference to stay with us as players and writers – to set up residence in a little bit of our musical brains.

With Pedals Week in full swing, I set about badgering the inboxes of Guitar World’s hard-working staffers, demanding responses to the somewhat tenuous brief of ‘the pedal that changed me’.

To their credit and my surprise, they did not immediately get together and demand my dismissal – instead, their responses have resulted in a bunch of tips, insights and a little window into the slightly unhinged consciousness of the GW team.

Damian Fanelli, Editor-in-Chief – Fender ’63 Reverb reissue

This big brown box entered my life in 2004, when my band, Mister Neutron, didn’t know if we were destined for They Might Be Giants-inspired indie rock or full-on, Dick Dale-inspired instrumental surf-rock. You know, the usual dilemma for New Jersey bands in 2004.

But, as soon as I plugged into the ’63 reissue, my TMBG aspirations packed their witty little bags and never returned. The seas parted before me, leaving a small walkway between two restless 90-foot waves. I walked forward about 15 steps when suddenly the walkway disappeared, the waves crashed down upon me, and I was awash in gloriously lush tube-driven spring reverb. Mister Neutron dived into the world of surf, released three albums, toured quite a bit and even scored an alt-radio hit in Ohio.

But is the ’63 Reverb even a pedal? Yes and no. It’s a big brown practice-amp-sized box that does the job of a pedal, but — because it was invented when pedals weren’t a thing — it looks more like a pipefitter’s lunchbox. Luckily, there are now plenty of normal-sized spring reverb pedals that’ll make you feel like you’re drowning. In a good way!

Michael Astley-Brown, Digital Editor-in-Chief – DigiTech Whammy

I was about to turn 14, and there was only one thing I wanted for my birthday: a DigiTech Whammy pedal. At last, I could perform songs from my favorite bands – Rage Against the Machine and Muse – with the same siren squeals.

But as I have grown as a player over the past 20 years, so too has the way I use the Whammy. It’s very rare you’ll find me dialing in the two-octave-up Killing in the Name death-screech anymore. The octave up/down blend has become my perennial sidekick – a cheat code whose glitchy warble transforms on-the-verge-of-cheese leads into something edgier, more alternative.

Just about every song I have recorded with my band Maebe features the Whammy in some capacity. It has become my voice on the instrument. I have had countless, painstakingly wired pedalboard setups in my lifetime, but the Whammy has been the sole constant. I could gig without it, but it just wouldn’t sound like me.

Jimmy Brown, Senior Music Editor – Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere (MK1)

If there’s one pedal that has inspired my guitar playing more than any other, it’s the original Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere (MK1).

The thing I love most about this pedal, other than the impressively authentic way it emulates the sound and texture of a real Leslie rotating speaker cabinet better than any other pedal I’ve ever tried or heard, is its breaker button, which gradually slows down the low and high rotors (which ramp up and down at different speeds, just like the spinning woofer drum and tweeter in a real Leslie cabinet).

The breaker button is a momentary switch, which means it slows the modulation speeds to a complete halt if you keep your foot pressing on it for more than a few seconds. As soon as you lift your foot off the button, the low and high rotors begin ramping up to full speed again, with the high rotor (emulating the spinning horn tweeter in a Leslie cabinet) accelerating more quickly than the low rotor, which emulates the massive drum with a hole cut in the side that spins around a stationary woofer speaker.

To me, there’s nothing as musically expressive as the sonic magic of the “ebb and flow” that happens during the acceleration and deceleration of the trippy, swirling, phase-y tremolo and Doppler effect of a two-way rotary speaker effect. I’ll often play an entire ballad, such as Thank You by Led Zeppelin, Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds by the Beatles or my own capo-5 guitar arrangement of The Eagles’ Desperado with my foot on the breaker button the entire time, using it to create a quasi-rubato effect without actually slowing down or speeding up what I’m playing.

The pedal is big, heavy and expensive, and it requires a special 12-volt AC power supply. But to me it’s worth keeping on my pedalboard, more than any other pedal. It’s the ultimate expression pedal and my secret weapon.

Rob Laing, Reviews Editor – Boss DM-101 Delay Machine

I'm not an analog snob – I'm a pragmatist. So modeling works for me, but I appreciate why a player would insist on a tube amp. But one area of delay I love... well that's an exception. There are lots of great digital delay pedals but the Boss Delay Machine reminded me that nothing beats warm, slightly wild bucket brigade analog delay.

And I really think this is the final destination for it – this black and chrome beauty is packing eight BBD chips and it's using 'em. It sounds glorious and with 12 varied modes, each with variations, I'm still using it as a creative tool with endless possibilities. Oh, and if you have a stereo rig you really are in for a treat.

Paul Riario, Tech Editor – MXR Phase 90

When I was a young, budding guitarist with my very first electric guitar and amplifier, the next step in my journey was to color that sound with an effect. Was it going to be a chorus? Nah, too boring. Delay? That was still a mystery to me. Distortion? Overdrive? Pass. My amp already handles this.

Seeking to replicate the cool onboard phase shifter from my bandmate's Peavey Deuce amp, I initially picked up a Boss Phaser. However, its piercing, square-wave phase left me uninspired.

It wasn’t until I eventually discovered the venerable MXR Phase 90 that all my swirly dreams came true. Yes, the day the Phase 90 landed on my pedalboard, all the mysteries of the Divine and supernatural made sense – “Oh, that’s how Eddie Van Halen did that!?!” was a consistent, resounding cry from me.

Using its solitary Speed knob, I’ve continuously adjusted it to shift from a gentle sweep to an increasingly dramatic swirl. Whether delivering a warm, chewy texture for solos, throbbing rhythmic stabs, or acting as subtle as an F-15 shattering the sound barrier, its lush, accelerated swoosh always satisfies. Word of advice: For a genuinely organic tone, the original “Script logo” version is the one to get.

Matt Parker, Deputy Editor – Danelectro Black Licorice

At some point around the age of 18, dipping a toe into stompboxes, I ordered up a set of fun-looking Danelectro pedals with weird names, like the PB&J Delay, the Milkshake Chorus and Bacon and Eggs pedal amp (which literally had a speaker in the pedal). They came in a fetching purple plastic carry case (complete with a pretty much useless tuner), had shells of bright moulded plastic, and sounded so much better than they had any right to.

The best of the bunch was the Black Licorice ‘Beyond Metal’, an utterly unhinged high-gain distortion and octave effect. As an indie rock-type, I was not dropping Dimebag riffs on the regs, so every time I hit the sponge-y footswitch it was a ride-the-tiger moment: I never knew what it would do next. The tiny controls made it pretty impossible to commit to a specific setting. Live, it would feed back with a glorious, anarchic bloom that made me whoop.

It got me playing and writing differently, too. I began leaning on more arpeggiated melodies that played well with its octave tracking. I wrote my favorite self-penned riff on it, and those intervals are still a big part of my playing, even now. For an all-black pedal, it had a truly colorful character.

Jackson Maxwell, Operations Editor - Boss DS-1

When I first started hacking away on the guitar, my heroes were alt-rock wizards like Jonny Greenwood and Kevin Shields. Because of them, I knew what a guitar pedal was, but I thought that they were the domain of six-string world-builders like them – not for plebes; you could only have one if you had 100.

But I also, of course, loved Nirvana. I wanted to sound like Kurt Cobain when I played Smells Like Teen Spirit, but I couldn’t turn the volume knobs on my little Strat and amp up to 10, lest my weary parents take their gifts to me away. ‘Isn’t that what he’s doing?’ I thought.

Then my friend said, “you know the Smells Like Teen Spirit sound is just a DS-1, right?”

“A what?”

“The Boss DS-1 pedal.”

“Isn’t that really complicated and expensive?”

“Nah dude. Try the one I have.”

The DS-1 was my first pedal – and with it came the first thrilling moment of “That’s how he got that exact sound!! I can do it too!” We all know how amazing that feels.

Matt Owen, News Editor – Xotic SP Compressor

I could use this time to talk about some of the pedals that revolutionized my rig, but fundamentally there really is one stompbox that actually changed the way I play. So I would like to give the Xotic SP Compressor its flowers. Ever since I bought one back in 2018, it is the only pedal that has never left my rig.

The HX Stomp has come and gone in waves. Even my Nano Cortex has been demoted. But I simply will not consider my pedalboard complete without the SP. I set Volume at 11 o’ click, Blend just after noon, the toggle locked in the middle.

It just makes everything sound and, even more importantly, feel better. Tonally, it is magic; a tonic to thicken and sweeten both my single-coil and humbucker guitars. More importantly, it gives any guitar a lovely expressive touch that feels spongy and reactive.

As such, it has injected my six-strings with a load more dynamic response that has me feeling more in touch with the instrument as a whole, more expressive in lead playing, and more confident when digging in for rhythms. When I turn it off, I'm a completely different player.

Daryl Robertson, Senior Deals Writer – Electro-Harmonix Big Muff

When I think of pedals that changed my life, I instantly think of the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff. I bought my first Big Muff at a pawn shop, bundled with a few other pedals for dirt cheap when I was about 14, and it's the only one I kept.

Despite its massive size and impracticality for my tiny homemade pedalboard, I was hooked. I just love its thick, fat sound. It’s not fizzy or brittle like a Fuzz Face, it’s smoother and fuller. Over the years, I've owned several versions, from the green Russian one to the more pedalboard-friendly Nano.

When I was playing bass live in a band, I, of course, got the bass version, which featured a handy clean-through to preserve the low-end. I actually ended up using it on guitar too, because it sounded so good.

Back when I had a ridiculously complicated rig and ran two amps, I used the bass Big Muff’s dry out through an overdrive, then into a Fender Blues Jr, while the fuzz signal went through a Vox AC30.

I must admit, my signal chain is a lot simpler now, but I always keep a Big Muff handy for when I want to get fuzzy.

Janelle Borg, Staff Writer – Line 6 M9

The pedal that changed my life has to be the Line 6 M9, for many reasons. From sweaty punk shows back in my native Malta to my first tentative gigs abroad, and eventually a full move to another country, it's been a core part of my setup (even though it's currently very much on its last legs) and my love affair with reverbs and delays.

This is (I believe!) the second Line 6 M9 I've owned, as the first one got stolen. Thanks to a crowdfunding effort, I managed to buy the one I currently have. Safe to say this pedal has been through a lot, and even though I probably need an upgrade – and soon – I can't imagine selling it, if only for the memories and the lore.

Pete Emery, Reviews Writer – Mooer Pure Boost

Like most guitarists, I enjoy the process of chopping and changing things and seeing what the newest addition to the board can do. Thinking back on all the pedals I’ve owned, there is one that sticks out as instigating an important penny-drop moment – the Mooer Pure Boost.

It’s a cheap, transparent boost pedal that I bought early on in my playing days, with the intention of using it to make my solo tones louder. Naively, I put it in the front of a distorting Peavey practice amp, and stamped on it, ready for the room to shake with the extra earth-shattering volume.

This did not happen. Instead, all I got was more distortion. Confused, I looked into why and discovered what is probably the most important part of building a guitar tone: gain staging.

This opened the door to understanding how signal chains work, and what to do to get the intended results. Important knowledge that I’m still using 15 years later.

Matt McCracken, Junior Deals Writer – Line 6 POD XT Live

Back in 2009, when modeling was something attractive people did, and metalcore was all the rage, I purchased a Jackson seven-string. I absolutely hated it. When a guitarist in another band asked to trade, I couldn’t wait to get rid of it. He offered me a Line 6 POD XT Live; it had lots of buttons and lights, so I figured, why not?

Little did I know I was exchanging a guitar I hated for every amp and effect I could ever want. It let me craft dream signal chains as a broke student and gig nationwide without a car, packed right into my backpack. I recorded multiple albums with its USB output.

I eventually gifted it to a friend who still uses it today, but it remains the most transformative piece of gear I’ve ever owned, and its influence continues with the legacy models found in Line 6’s modern amp and effects modelers.

Does being a good acoustic guitar player automatically make you a good electric guitar player? That is the question, and the answer can vary depending on who you ask.

According to blues extraordinaire Eric Bibb, being proficient in one doesn’t necessarily translate to the other. As he puts it, they’re not exactly the same species.

“I’m really not an electric guitar player,” he admits in a new interview with Guitarist.

“I find that the electric guitar is almost a separate species, you know? I have an old Danelectro solidbody that Hubert Sumlin signed the back of, so I love that guitar. I did a video of a song called This One Don’t, and you can see that guitar.”

But, for Bibb, there is a foundational difference in the two disciplines, which can be defined through the styles or techniques that each largely require.

Despite owning the Danelectro, he goes on to clarify that, “I play electric guitars like I play my acoustic guitars, I fingerpick them. I’ve never played with a plectrum, you know?

“I’ve never really mastered or even really been attracted to that style of playing, although I have band members who are wonderful players on electric guitar and who play with their fingers but also are masters of the pick.”

However, if he ever had to purchase one single electric guitar, there’s a certain “jazz big-body” guitar that would definitely make the cut.

“If I had an Epiphone Emperor, that big, beautiful blonde guitar that they made in the 30s, I’d hold on to that. But, yeah, a great acoustic guitar is the way to go for me.”

In more recent news, Bibb talks about how he never planned to be a roots troubadour, but the blues took hold of his career.

For more from Eric Bibb, plus new interviews with Slash and Billy Duffy, pick up issue 538 of Guitarist from Magazines Direct.

What is it?

This year, Danelectro has launched a wave of new, retro-inspired guitars under the moniker Dan O, looking to inject some 50s vibes into the lives of the modern guitar player. Today’s review model, the Danelectro Dan O Cool Baritone, stood out to me and many others when I briefly tested it at the UK Guitar Show earlier in the year, so now it’s time to get my hands properly on it to see what it’s capable of.

Featuring a semi-hollow body with a center block, it has an aluminum nut with a rosewood fretboard and a gigantic 29.75" scale length, which is large even for a baritone guitar. It also boasts ‘skate key’ tuners, which look very vintage and are arranged in a 3x3 format. At the opposite end is an aluminum bridge piece, which is raised from the body and has a rosewood saddle, as you’ll find on a lot of Danelectros, but is quite rare to see on an electric guitar.

In terms of electronics, we have two '50s lipstick single coils, modified to be a little hotter than Danelectro’s typical offering. These are controlled by a single master and single tone control, while a 3-way pickup switch handles switching duties.

Specs

• Launch price: $649 | £689.99 | €801
• Made: Korea
• Type: Six-string baritone guitar
• Body: Solid spruce frame with hardboard panels
• Neck: Canadian maple
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Scale length: 29.75" (755mm)
• Nut/width: Aluminium, 41.5mm
• Frets: 24
• Hardware: Skate key tuners, rosewood saddle bridge
• String spacing at bridge: 54.9mm
• Electrics: 2x 1950s lipstick pickups, 3-way toggle pickup selector, 1x volume, 1x tone
• Weight: 3 kg (6.61 lbs)
• Left-handed options: No
• Finish: Green
• Cases: No
• Contact: Danelectro

Build quality

Build quality rating: ★★★★☆

The body is semi-hollow with a center block, comprising a solid spruce frame with hardwood panels for the front and back, the same design that Danelectro guitars had in the '50s. It’s a rosewood fretboard with a maple bolt-on neck, with the whole guitar finished in a very US Army-esque olive drab green. The outer of the body is wrapped with a textured gold that’s very unusual, but well applied here.

The nut sits ever so slightly proud on the bass side of the neck, but it doesn’t get in the way, while similarly, on the back of the guitar, the control plate hasn’t been sunk into the guitar body but instead sits on top of it. The screws for the pickups and those for the neck are also non-recessed, presumably as a way to save on costs. There are a couple of dark spots on the fretboard, but these small niggles aside, my review model is well put together overall.

Playability

Playability rating: ★★★★½

Sitting down to play it, even I’m impressed with the monster scale length, and I regularly play a baritone in a metal band. It’s absolutely huge at 29.75”, and I find myself having to make some adjustments when playing larger stretches near the neck. It also takes me a while to warm up just playing power chords there, such is the size of the thing.

Despite that, the action is pretty good out of the box, measuring around 1.5mm at the 12th fret with my finger on the 1st fret, and I can quite easily clamp down with some barre chords when playing near the nut.

Moving onto some lead work, it’s surprisingly slinky for legato runs after the 12th fret, but I definitely need a supporting finger or two for the bends, thanks to that 14-gauge high ‘B’ string. They’re not impossible, but players new to baritones will need to build up some stamina for full tone bends and beyond here. Despite my hands getting tired a little sooner than might be expected, I find it to be a very playable guitar indeed, despite its huge dimensions.

Sounds

Sounds rating: ★★★★☆

Plugging into a Fender Princeton, my first impression of the lipstick pickup in the bridge position is that it’s incredibly bright, to the point that I immediately reach for the tone knob and dial it back most of the way. Paired with some spring reverb and a hint of tremolo, it sounds incredibly inspiring whether I’m playing open chords or picking single note licks. It’s a very bright and dynamic sound, with a hint of that sitar like twang from the bridge and nut combo. It doesn’t sustain particularly well, but I don’t mind that at all.

Switching to the neck pickup, this quickly becomes my favorite position versus the spikiness of the bridge sound. It’s still bright, but loses a bit of that icepickiness in the upper registers that make it great for long open chords with plenty of depth on the tremolo knob from my amp. Pairing it with some slide guitar licks I spend a good few hours experimenting with different playstyles, finding the sound to be endlessly entertaining no matter what I play on it from my back catalogue of rock, country, and blues I’ve picked up over the years.

There’s a certain contingent of players who have been using these types of guitars for heavy stuff, so knocking the tuning to drop A and switching to the high gain channel of a Mesa/Boogie Mk VIII combo I’m testing, I start laying into some heavy stuff to answer the question that's no doubt on many players' minds, does it djent? The answer is, kinda.

For less precise stuff, it can moonlight as a good metal guitar with sludgy power chord licks and loosely played riffs sounding pretty good. If you want those super tight breakdowns of modern metal however, the single coils are just a bit too noisy, even with a decent noise gate engaged.

Verdict

The Danelectro Dan O. Cool Baritone kept me playing for hours and hours, which is as good an indicator of a great guitar as any. Once I got used to the massive scale, I found it to be an incredibly fun instrument to play for a wide variety of styles. Whether playing fingerpicked moody triads or strumming open chords, it delivered some fantastic sounds, especially with the neck pickup.

The bridge pickup is a little too bright for my tastes though. Even when taming it with the tone knob, I found myself mostly using the neck pickup, as it was articulate enough to handle most duties without getting into icepick territory. I also found that the strap end is awkwardly placed when I took it to a recording session, so although my strap eventually went on, I never really felt secure with it like that, and the fit is so tight you can’t get a strap lock on it.

Guitar World verdict: If you’re looking for a baritone guitar that djents, this ain’t it. For nearly every other low-tuning duty, however, the Dan O. Cool Baritone is a good value extended range instrument that can cater to a wide variety of styles. It’s lightweight and resonant body gives it a very unique and characterful tone, and although the scale will take some getting used to, once you master it, you’ll find some very satisfying sounds indeed.

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When you think of rock legends, few names inspire as much awe and reverence as Jimmy Page. As the mastermind behind Led Zeppelin’s monumental sound, it’s fair to say Page wielded his guitars like no other. From the very first pluck of the iconic opening riff of Whole Lotta Love to the intricate melodies of Stairway to Heaven, the guitars he chose and the stories they tell are interwoven into the very fabric of rock history.

Now, buckle up as we dive into the five most significant guitars of Jimmy Page. We’ll explore how these extraordinary instruments not only shaped his legendary career but also left a lasting imprint on the world of music itself. We’ve sifted through past interviews with the iconic guitarist from our archive, so you can hear the tales of these important rock artifacts straight from the man himself.

And if you're itching to replicate Page's legendary tone in the comfort of your own home, we’ve got you covered. We’ll provide expert guitar recommendations tailored to every budget, from wallet-friendly gems to top-of-the-line models that would feel right at home on stage next to Page.

1. 1959 Fender Telecaster

It’s often joked that nothing has sold more Les Pauls than Jimmy Page's Telecaster, and well, this is the Fender model they are referring to. Originally given to Page by Jeff Beck, the ’59 Telecaster first saw use in The Yardbirds and, in 1967, the future guitar hero sought to dazzle audiences by fitting eight round mirrors to the body.

By mid-1967, Page had stripped the guitar of its original finish and repainted it with a striking ‘dragon’ design, which would go on to be one of the most recognized guitars of all time.

Speaking to Total Guitar back in 2020, Page recalled the origin of the model, saying, “Jeff Beck gave me a Telecaster, one that he played in the Yardbirds for a while, but I was still doing sessions, and he gave me that as a gift. And once I went into The Yardbirds, I was playing that Telecaster. Bit by bit, I started to customize it.

“I put some mirrors on it. I wanted to really make the guitar my own,” he continues. “People had started painting guitars at that point, and I thought, well, I’d like to paint mine and really consecrate it, so that guitar is absolutely my own. So I went about painting it [with the dragon artwork] – all that art school training didn’t finally go to waste!”

In a separate interview with Guitarist, Page recalls how the guitar was used on Led Zeppelin's early work. “The first album is done on the Telecaster, because it is a transition from The Yardbirds to Led Zeppelin, it’s exactly the same guitar. It’s not until 1969 that I get the Les Paul, when Joe Walsh insists on me having this guitar.”

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2. 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard

Now, when you picture Jimmy Page on stage, you most likely think of him with a Gibson Les Paul hanging from his shoulder and a bow in hand. Often called his “Number One” by the man himself, he would have another guitar hero, Joe Walsh, to thank for his gorgeous 1959 Sunburst Les Paul.

The famed 1959 Les Paul is often credited with being one of the most sought-after models of all time, and that's in no small part due to Page’s associations with the instrument.

In a chat with Guitar World, Page details how he purchased the model from the Eagles’ axeman. “Joe Walsh insists I buy this guitar,” he explains. “That Les Paul was a beauty. It wanted a new home, so I took it home. I had it right through to the O2 [2007], and that’s unusual. Most people have got other guitars they’ll play, but no matter what, it’s the same Les Paul.”

Thinking about the impact the guitar has had on his playing, Page ponders, “It’s hypothetical, but I may not have come up with the riff from Whole Lotta Love on the Telecaster. That fat sound on the Les Paul, you’re inspired. Well, I am, and I know other people are inspired by the sound of particular instruments. Suddenly, they’re playing something they haven’t played before, and it’s really user-friendly, and suddenly they’ve got some sort of riff, which is peculiar to that moment. So many things start singing, you know? Really singing.”

We can only imagine what rock ‘n’ roll would have looked like if Page hadn’t succumbed to Walsh’s persuasive sales pitch and not purchased the guitar.

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3. 1960 Gibson Les Paul Custom

Page isn’t associated with only one Gibson singlecut; he is also known to use a rather unique Black Beauty from 1960. This jet-black Gibson was used as his main guitar during his session work in the early stages of his career. Now, the model would go missing in the 1970s, after it was stolen from Minneapolis-Saint Paul airport after a Led Zeppelin concert in Minnesota. Thankfully, Page would be reunited with the three-pickup beaut in 2014.

Jimmy tells Guitarist he bought his black Les Paul Custom in a London music shop in the early '60s. “I remember going in, and there was a sort of cash desk, and the guys behind it, and right up on the wall was this Custom. I said, ‘Oh my god, let me try that!’ It was, oh, this is just… I fell in love with the bloody thing.”

When quizzed about the instrument by Guitar World, Page recalls his early memories of the model. “The first time I played it, I had such a connection with it. I thought, ‘This is it. After all this searching and going through guitar shops, this is the one.’ I got it before I went to art college, so when I started doing studio work as a session player, that’s the electric that’s used on pretty much all of that work.”

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4. Danelectro 1961 'shorthorn' 3021/DC59

Moving away from Page’s Fender and Gibson models for a moment. We need to talk about his beloved Danelectro. Jimmy bought this guitar sometime in the mid-’60s, and like the Les Paul Custom above, it was used heavily on his early studio work and would also be the guitar that he would use to pen the epic riffs of Kashmir.

Page tells Total Guitar how he first got the model, saying, “Selmers was the big showcase shop, and I don’t know how they got away with it, but they sold every brand of guitar in there – Gibsons, Gretsches, Fenders. I don’t know how they did it, but they did.

“Suddenly, the Danelectro guitar appeared in there, and [John] Entwistle had got the bass with horns on it, and this salesman was saying they had this guitar, it was only £45 or something, and all the other guitars were getting into the hundreds. I said,’ Let’s have a go on it,’ and it sounded pretty great. Because, of course, it’s hollow-bodied, put together with plywood. It sounded phenomenal, and I could afford it, so I thought, ‘I’ll have this as a sort of second guitar.’”

Speaking on how it inspired one of Led Zep’s most popular tracks, he recalls, “I started to write things on it like Kashmir because I was used to playing it in the DADGAD tuning, so Kashmir came out on that guitar, and In My Time of Dying. They’re both on [Physical Graffiti]. So clearly I was using it in [altered] tunings.”

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5. 1969 Gibson EDS-1275

For many, the most iconic image of the electric guitar in the 1970s will always be Jimmy Page brandishing his EDS-1275 double-neck to perform the mighty Stairway to Heaven, but while this massive twin-necked behemoth would become the face of the Led Zep mega-hit, it would be a Fender and Vox that committed the jangly tones to tape.

When it came time to record the classic Stairway to Heaven, Page would employ the use of two 12-string guitars – a Fender Electric XII and the Vox Phantom XII. Now, while these guitars will forever be cemented into the annals of rock history through a recording, they wouldn’t get a taste of the limelight when it was time to perform the song live.

Instead, Page would use a Gibson EDS-1275 double-neck to ensure he could perform the intricate fingerpicking parts as well as the face-melting solo.

Page tells us how he recorded the famous song with his two 12-string guitars. “The Vox one, I had that in the Yardbirds, so a lot of the stuff in the Yardbirds – Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor and all those things – were done on that. And then I got the Fender a little later. I think I got that when I came back from America the first time I visited.

“So basically, I had two electric 12-strings, and on Stairway, I wanted to use both, so I’d have one [panned] left and one right. There is a slight difference, obviously, in the sound of them, so that bit in the fanfare that leads into the solo with all the 12s, that’s tracking both the Vox and the Fender.

“I thought, what’s the guitar, how to do this on stage? And it was just obvious that the only way to do this, with the sort of fragile guitar of the opening style and the more racy sort of pickups for the solo, the double-neck is the only way I’m going to do it.

“When I recorded the song, I wasn’t thinking about how I was going to do it live. So, in actual fact, the song demanded the guitar. There was no other way to do it. When you think about it, it was the only way to actually replicate that song, apart from jumping from one guitar to another on stage!”

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What is it?

Spring reverb and electric guitar go together exceedingly well, and players who have it built into their amps can take full advantage.

If you don’t have this setup, however, but still want the real electro-mechanical thang, rather than a digital emulation, there’s always the option of an amp top-box or a reverb pedal – usually one with a large footprint due to the space needed to accommodate the springs.

Now, for anyone who has passed on having real spring reverb on their ’board because of size restrictions, Danelectro has come up with a solution in the Spring King Junior, which is housed in a chassis that’s slightly narrower than a Boss Compact pedal and about an inch longer.

Specs

• PRICE: $199/£199
• ORIGIN: China
• TYPE: Spring reverb pedal 
• FEATURES: True bypass
• CONTROLS: Bypass footswitch
• CONNECTIONS: Standard input, standard output
• POWER: 9V DC adaptor (not supplied) 50 mA
• DIMENSIONS: 68 (w) x 151 (d) x 70mm (h)
• CONTACT: Danelectro

Usability and sounds

The Junior is based on the original Spring King that first appeared in 1999. That was a much larger pedal at about five times the width and equipped with Volume, Tone and Reverb knobs as well as a Kick Pad for anyone who might enjoy the sound of the springs crashing.

Of course, anyone can knock a reverb tank, violently disturbing the springs to get that thunderous sound, and that’s certainly true of the Spring King Junior. But Danelectro has revived the Kick Pad idea with a rubber stick-on illustration of a boot, which the brand encourages you to attach to the small end of the pedal near the footswitch.

Inside the pedal is an Accutronics-Belton spring tank with three short springs, aided with a delay chip in the circuitry.

While it doesn’t give you the expansive depth of a large spring tank, such as in a Fender 6G15 outboard unit or certain amp models, it does give the Spring King Junior a consistent sound with plenty of vintage flavour.

That sound is dialled in with just two knobs: Reverb adds the ’verb into your dry sound through amounts that’ll add depth to a non-reverb amp (up to a maximum that works fine for those Dick Dale-style heavy surf sounds); while the Tone knob tempers the overall sound very effectively, travelling from the darker end of things to bright and splashy.

Verdict

Verdict: ★★★★½

Guitar World verdict: What’s not to like about proper spring reverb that should easily fit on any pedalboard? In our view, not a lot: the Spring King Junior is a solid implementation of a great idea.

Hands-on videos

R.J. Ronquillo

Brett Kingman

B's Music Shop

• “A saturated reverb with a boingy, surf-like character – garage and lo-fi pedal junkies are going to flip over its seductively dark and grungy splash”: Anasounds La Grotte Analog Spring Reverb review
• This article first appeared in Guitarist. Subscribe and save.

NAMM 2025: Danelectro has announced the return of its cult classic Spring King reverb pedal, which has been repackaged into a new form factor that vows to outshine its predecessor.

First launched in 1999, the Spring King was prized for its ’50s-era spring reverb sounds, which were offered in a convenient pedal format instead of being housed within a combo amp.

This had one particular and unique benefit: the OG Spring King had a real spring inside, which would behave erratically when disturbed. In fact, Danelectro even equipped the stompbox with a dedicated kick pad to encourage players to stomp on the pedal's housing for untethered, rumbly, wobbly tones.

The good news is that, despite the fact it has now been radically resized to free up valuable pedalboard space – the original wasn’t exactly petite – the new version, dubbed the Spring King Junior, still has a spring inside, and it remains kick-friendly.

Mind you, there is no sign of a kickpad, and with side-mounted inputs and outputs, it looks as though the only ideal kicking spot would be the very bottom of the pedal. That’s something to bear in mind when thinking about pedalboard placement.

Its downsizing isn’t overly dramatic, though. It still has a decent size to it to accommodate the spring that lurks within, and there’s still plenty to swing a boot at, which can only be a good thing.

Notably, the controls have also been slimmed down. The original unit offered a trio of dials – Volume for blending wet/dry, Tone for obvious reasons, and Reverb for its length. This time, the Volume dial has been omitted.

There’s also a tiny light beneath the Tone dial that illuminates when the pedal is on.

Despite those changes, the retro warmth and warbles of the Spring King Junior’s older sibling have been transferred across. It offers a fairly astute and subtle reverb with the dials at 12 o’clock, but is far more dramatic and evocative when both controls are maxed out and, erm, kicked.

“The Spring is the Thing,” Danelectro proudly declares. “Even better than the 1999 original.”

The firm’s Instagram post says that it’s “available now for $199”, but at the time of writing it has only surfaced on Thomann.

Keep your eyes on Danelectro for more information.

The pedal isn’t the first reprisal of a Danelectro golden oldie this year, thanks to the return of the Big Sitar, and the arrival of the Nichols 66 – a reissue of the first-ever fuzz pedal that brand owner Steve Ridinger designed.

Jason Becker has gifted young shred sensation Maya Neelakantan one of his guitars after a “very emotional” meeting.

Lauded as the “future of heavy metal” by Testament vocalist Chuck Billy after joining the thrash heavyweights on stage last month, the 11-year-old metal sensation has experienced a whirlwind couple of years.

She first made a remarkable impression on the guitar world in late 2022 when she posted a video of herself covering Tool’s 7empest online, at just nine years old. The video caught the attention of Adam Jones, who sent the starlet his signature Gibson guitar in recognition of her talents. Maya then proceeded to dazzle on the Silverburst six-string with even more Tool covers.

Following a guitar-meets-sitar take of Master of Puppets that paid homage to her heritage – on a Dave Mustaine signature V no less – Neelakantan’s stock has continued to rise this year, and most recently delivered a couple of roof-raising performances on America’s Got Talent.

In a fresh Instagram post, Neelakantan revealed she recently visited Jason Becker. The Cacophony virtuoso has been living with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), which means he now has to communicate via eye movements his family translates.

Becker hasn’t let his medical circumstances stop him from pursuing his passions. He’s previously spoken to Guitar World about the challenges of writing songs with just his eyes, and earlier this year an A-list cast was assembled to put the finishing touches on one of his old demos.

That indestructible determination to make the most out of a bad situation, as it did with Eddie Van Halen, has resonated deeply with Neelakantan.

“This experience has deeply touched my heart in a way I never expected,” she says. “Just with his eyes, I could see how happy he was when I met him. We talked for a while and during that time I could see how expressive he was. I then wanted to play some Carnatic music to him.”

A five-minute improv of the guitarist weaving through her favorite Raga scale on one of Becker's Telecasters ensued.

“When I was playing, I could feel how he was experiencing the music with me 100%. After I played, I could see how happy and smiling he was and I was so honored that I could play for him.”

Becker then told the young guitarist to take a Danelectro Sitar guitar off the wall and requested she play it for him. After a performance on the instrument, which she says “sounded unbelievable”, Becker insisted she take it home with her.

“I had goosebumps getting his blessings,” says Neelakantan. “This was an emotional [and] unforgettable day. He inspires me so much that even after all he’s been through, he still continues his passion and still creates music. I can’t explain how much that inspires me.”

The gift adds to the young guitarist’s growing collection that includes a rare Jeff Hanneman signature prototype, made shortly after the Slayer shredder's passing.

When I think back to the ’70s, the famously coined “Me” decade, it seems the only surefire way you could leave audiences awestruck was to strap on a doubleneck electric guitar.

You needed a doubleneck as the showstopper, the ultimate display of onstage one-upmanship. How else could Jimmy Page have handled The Song Remains the Same – or Don Felder executed Hotel California – without a doubleneck guitar in the picture?

But, lest I forget the obvious, this is not a guitar you sit on the couch with. It’s rather unwieldy, not to mention potentially too expensive for most of us. All that aside, I know, for many of you, your inner-rock star longs to own one or have the bragging rights to declare, “I play a doubleneck!”

Well, get ready, aspiring arena rockers; Danelectro delivers a doubleneck that’s not only reasonably priced but every bit as stunning in sound and function.

Danelectro’s patented short-horn, double-cutaway body style proves to be an advantageous contour for unencumbered playing in its redesign as a doubleneck. Furthermore, the guitar is surprisingly lightweight for a doubleneck, making it all the more appealing when you’re ready to break it out onstage. Plus, it looks timeless in its opulent, white pearl finish.

Danelectro doubles up on its time-tested recipe of semi-hollow construction, spruce body with hardboard top and back, feedback-resistant spruce center blocks, bolt-on maple necks and two aluminum nuts to invigorate this guitar’s lively response when strummed unplugged.

Even though I suggested it’s impractical, you can actually play it sitting down, thanks to its narrow 1 5/8-inch body depth that doesn’t make the doubleneck experience entirely awkward.

You’ll also need to get used to navigating between necks, manipulating controls and switches and playing deftly on the 6-string below the 12-string neck. But once you do, it’s quite exhilarating having two entirely different instruments at your disposal.

Setup out of the box becomes dead-on after a slight tweak of the truss rods to straighten the necks, and the uniformly slim neck profiles combined with the super-flat fretboard radii make chording and soloing an effortless journey on both necks.

Intonation is also spot-on by way of the fully adjustable diecast bridges where the strings are top-loaded for the 12-string, and string-through for the 6-string bridge for an extra snappy response.

The four Danelectro lipstick pickups with alnico V magnets (two pickups per side) sound phenomenal for their clear articulation and snappy snarl – especially in both bridge positions. The dual stacks of concentric volume (bottom) and tone (top) controls are wired to govern the bridge pickups for the first stack, while the second stack pilots only the rhythm pickups.

With that, you can set up different outputs and tonal shades between the 6- and 12-string sides, giving you colorful flexibility. Also, the three-way pickup selector is wired in series for the middle position, which adds low-end emphasis for a beefier sound, while scooping the mids and smoothing out the highs.

Here, the 12-string had the most “Ric-like” jangle. But for onstage, I set the 12-string for a softer chime and readying the 6-string side for full-gas output. Finally, a two-way switch activates either the 12-string or 6-string, but not both simultaneously (a minor bummer, but this can be modified).

Despite that, a doubleneck is a unicorn in the guitar world, and for its price, playability and tones, Danelectro’s Doubleneck is a magical beast to rein in. Be audacious and get one for yourself.

Specs

• PRICE: $899
• BODY: Shorthorn body style shape, spruce/plywood with hardboard top and back. Spruce center blocks
• BRIDGE: Fully adjustable 6- and 12-string bridges with intonatable saddles
• CONTROLS: 2 stacked volume/tone knobs, 3-way pickup selector switch and 2-way guitar selector switch
• FRETBOARD: Rosewood with dot inlays, 25” scale, 14” radius
• FRETS: 21 medium
• NUT: Two Aluminum with 1.65” nut width
• NECK: Maple bolt-on, C profile
• PICKUPS: Four 1950s vintage single-coils with Alnico V magnets and 70/30 brass/zinc alloy lipstick tubes
• FINISH: White Pearl
• CONTACT: Danelectro Guitars

Jared James Nichols might have been labeled as “one of the true guitar heroes of our generation” by Youtuber Music Is Win – AKA Tyler Larson – but that doesn’t mean he’s immune to the odd guitar gaffe. 

The blues rock ace recalled some of those gaffes in a recent interview hosted by Larson, during which he reflected on how a trip to Guitar Center when he was a youngster almost ended in utter disaster when he attempted to play a high-end electric guitar.

“I used to get dropped off by my mum and they knew I was coming, like, 'Oh it's that kid again,'” he recalls of his trips to the guitar store. “I think I was about 15, right when I first started playing. I would try every guitar on the wall – the good, the bad, the ugly. I had no problem grabbing expensive custom shops!” 

One day, a Flying V caught his eye on the very top rack of the store. He had to play it. 

“No one would help me after a while because they knew I wasn't gonna buy anything,” Nichols continues. “There was a small amp and I'm like, 'You know what, I'll just put a foot on the amp.'

“But I lost my footing with the guitar off the hook, had it come down on my other foot... I totally rolled my ankle and the Flying V hits the ground.”

The young guitarist feared the worst: “No one saw it. I get up thinking, 'I've probably broken the guitar, I'm gonna have to pay for it,' and I couldn't believe it – it was fine. I remember when my mum picked me up and I'm walking on one leg, she asked me what had happened and I said, ‘I don’t wanna talk about it.’” 

While it may have been one of his first musical mishaps, it wouldn't be his last – the guitarist was forced to cancel shows in 2021 after breaking his arm picking up a roadcase. 

Nichols does have plenty of fond guitar store memories, though. Before he was assaulted by the Flying V, Nichols took lessons at Cashmir Music in Mukwonago, Wisconsin, where he got his first guitar: a Washburn X Series. 

“I had the guitar for two weeks and it kept breaking strings and wouldn't stay in tune, so I went into the store for my lesson and looked on the wall and there was a Danelectro Hodad. I remember seeing Jimmy Page on How The West Was Won, so I see the guitar thinking, 'I'm never gonna be able to afford that.'” 

After watching him play the guitar for over an hour, and learning that he didn't have the money to buy his dream Danelectro, the store owner offered Nichols a deal. 

“'I tell you what,'” Nichols recalls him saying. “'We'll take your old guitar back, and if every time you come here for your lesson you take out the trash and clean up a little bit, you can have that guitar.’  

“I still thank him for that because that was a huge moment. When I got home and I had that guitar, it was up to me. It went from one night not wanting to play to just looking at [the guitar] like, 'That's how you make all the music; that's the key.'” 

In an increasingly digitized age, stories like these highlight the value and sense of community that physical guitar stores bring. 

Danelectro’s U-Series guitars of the ’50s and Shorthorn models of the late ’50s and ’60s are textbook examples of modern minimalist guitar design. 

Manufactured to be sold to the masses at the lowest prices possible (Danelectros typically sold for about $40 in the late ’50s, while a Fender Telecaster’s list price was about $200), they were built using low-cost materials and almost primitive construction that a high school student could duplicate in shop class, but they still managed to deliver excellent playability, compelling tones and cool looks.

Danelectro’s double-cutaway Shorthorn models are considered by many to be one of the best cheap electric guitars of all time. Constructed using a poplar or pine frame and center bridge block sandwiched in between 3/8-inch thick slabs of Masonite glued on the top and back, the body looked solid but was truly hollow. 

Only the Masonite top and back were painted, while the sides were covered with a glued-on strip of textured vinyl tape. The 21-fret neck was also built from poplar but the fingerboard was a slab of Brazilian rosewood – at least some sort of tonewood made it into the mix. 

Although the neck didn’t have an adjustable truss rod, it was solidly reinforced with two steel bars that kept the neck arrow straight even though it had a surprisingly wide and flat profile (a feature that later made Danelectro necks popular with shredders in the late ’70s and ’80s).

The bridge was nothing more than a flat piece of chrome-plated brass with notches cut out for anchoring ball end strings and holes for screwing the bridge to the center block. The saddle was a sliver of rosewood. Pickup design was as basic as it gets: 42 AWG wire coiled over an Alnico 6 bar magnet (no bobbin or polepieces) shoved into surplus chrome-plated lipstick tubes, hence the name “lipstick pickups.”

The only hints of sophistication were the sealed tuners (which Danelectro didn’t make themselves) and the concentric volume/tone knobs found on models with two or three pickups.

As primitive as they were, those lipstick tube pickups are a big part of a Danelectro guitar’s appeal. Providing about 3 to 4k ohms resistance, they are certainly low output but that results in brilliant clarity and delightfully metallic twang. The multi-pickup models use series wiring instead of parallel, which boosts the output, rolls off some treble and emphasizes mids when multiple pickups are engaged.

Danelectro’s triple pickup Shorthorn models (Deluxe 6036, 6037 and 6038) allowed users to engage any combination of two pickups (bridge/neck, bridge/middle, neck/middle) or all three pickups in series via the individual volume controls for each pickup, resulting in a variety of wicked aggressive tones.

Many online resources refer to Danelectro Shorthorn models from the ’50s and ’60s as DC-2, DC-3 (two- and three-pickup models, respectively) or even 59DC models, but these are actually model names adopted when Danelectro reissued the Shorthorn guitars, starting in the ’90s. 

The correct names for vintage examples have four digits, with the third digit referencing the number of pickups and the fourth digit referencing the finish color (1/black, 2/copper, 6/white, etc.).

The 3000 series were Standard models (including the single-pickup 3011 and 3012 and dual-pickup 3021 and 3022), while the 6000 series were Deluxe models (6026, 6038, etc.). Two models with vibrato tailpieces (the 4011 and 4021 in black only) were introduced in the mid-’60s.

Probably the most famous Danelectro Shorthorn and the reason for its continued popularity today is the black 3021 used by Jimmy Page on stage from the mid-’70s onward. Metallica recorded overdubs with a 4021 featuring a massive “batwing” or “duck foot” headstock in the studio on several of their ’90s albums.

Eric Clapton was seen sporting a Shorthorn with a psychedelic finish with Blind Faith, and Tom Verlaine often used a white triple-pickup Deluxe 6036 with Television in the ’70s. Thanks to the double-cutaway design’s easy access all the way up the neck, the Shorthorn was also often used by numerous blues slide players like Johnny Winter.

Danelectro has reissued its Big Sitar, based on the model first launched in the 1960s used by everyone from Metallica and Steve Howe to Steve Vai and Eddie Van Halen.

The Danelectro electric sitar pays homage to the sitar, the traditional South Asian instrument used in Hindustani classical music. It became popular in the West in the late 1950s and 1960s by artists such as Ravi Shankar, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones.

The new six-string Danelectro Big Sitar comes in White, Red, or Black Crackle finishes and retains the sitar's 13 sympathetic strings. It also has an angular body design with leg recess, which makes it easier to perform in a sitting position.

Other features that distinguish the new version from its 1960s counterpart are the string-sensitive Gotoh Sitar bridge and the trio of Danelectro’s flagship lipstick alnico pickups, which Danelectro asserts “deliver even more crystal clear highs with a warm open low-end, searing mids and that classic Dano chime.”

If you're dipping your toes in the sitar world for the first time, the Danelectro Big Sitar is played like a conventional six-string guitar. The 13 sympathetic strings can be played harp-style intermittently while strumming chords or playing lead lines. They can also be leveraged to add depth to the mix, as they can be controlled via individual volume and tone controls.

In addition to the modern upgrades and a $799 price tag, Danelectro promises that the new version “retains all the charm of the original 1960s classic design in all its vintage glory, with just a few modern upgrades.”

For more information about the Big Sitar, head to Danelectro.

Double-neck guitars can make one hell of a statement on stage, but they’re not known for their affordability. 

Thankfully, Danelectro has just unveiled a solution in the form of its classily-designed 6-12 Double Neck, which rings up at just $899. 

For context, the Gibson Custom EDS-1275 – which Jimmy Page has made synonymous with Stairway to Heaven – costs $7,999 (not to mention the recently unveiled, $50,000 Collectors' Edition Page signature version of the model...) Yet the vastly reduced price point doesn’t mean the guitar’s specs are second-rate.  

Danelectro cites the model as having “lightweight construction and exceptional playability,” and to the former point it features a semi-hollow spruce body frame and feedback-eliminating hardboard top wood, its weight has been greatly reduced, much to the joy of spines worldwide. 

Its two maple necks are bolt-on, and there are 21 frets across its rosewood fingerboards, with playability prioritized with 25" scale lengths and comfortable C-profile necks. 

Both of its bridges are fully adjustable, too, as Danelectro aims to make it a statement instrument suited to both the studio and the stage. 

Its four lipstick pickups – two for each side of the electric guitar’s coin – offer vintage-tinged tones to players. Danelectro says its bridge pickups are “your go-to for jangle and leads with focused bass, punchy midrange, and treble that’s spicy or sweet.” 

The active neck pickups, meanwhile, deliver a “low-frequency gristle that fills sonic space” so that it always cuts through the mix. 

The pickups are also wired a little differently. Series wiring in the middle position, instead of the parallel wiring found on most electric guitars, aims to beef up the tones the guitar offers, at the expense of top-end bite.    

Its controls include a three-way pickup switch and a two-way switch to alternate between the two guitars. Stacked volume and tone knobs are also in place to keep onstage adjustments simple.  

Its design is based on the Danelectro Dano 59, which is known for its short horn body style. Available in a limited edition White Pearl finish, chrome and black hardware complements the guitar's minimalist style and belies its price tag.    

Head over to Danelectro for more info on the budget-friendly double-neck build. 

What were you doing aged 14? Chances are it wasn’t quite what Steve Ridinger was up to, which was designing the circuitry of a fuzz-meets-distortion pedal, building the units, and selling them on. 

In 1966, Ridinger, current Danelectro boss and founder of Foxx Pedals, was living with his parents in Nichols Canyon, Los Angeles, where he came up with the circuit at the heart of this latest pedal release. 

Named the Liverpool Fuzz Tone (and selling 3,000 units at the time), the design has now resurfaced as the Nichols 1966 and joins the Eisenhower Fuzz and 3699 Fuzz, among others, in Dano’s range of vintage-based pedals with distressed enclosures.

A Volume knob sets the output volume, while a Tone knob offers a wide range of variation – but it’s the juxtaposition of the Fuzz and Drive knobs that dials in your sound. Leaving the Fuzz at zero, you can dial in varying degrees of soft-clipping overdrive with the Drive control, from just adding a little edge to your clean sound, through to gritty, breaking-up drive.

Simply turning up the Fuzz knob without the Drive doesn’t result in fuzz per se, although you can dial in some usable drive/distortion tones, especially if you engage the Mid Cut toggle switch with its midrange scoop – which emphasizes top- and bottom-end – and make use of the Tone knob to roll off bottom-end as you move it clockwise.

What’s obvious is that the Fuzz and Drive knobs are best used in conjunction, and that’s what really brings the pedal to life – think of it like the drive adding the edge that the fuzz needs, or the fuzz giving thickness and body to the drive. 

Between the two of them you can build in a wide range of raunchy distortion tones, all with good touch response and clean-up. But things get altogether more fuzz-like once the Fuzz knob is into its last quadrant. Advancing it further, combined with a chosen degree of Drive, you will get thick, sustaining fuzz.

Verdict

It’s good to see something fresh in dirt pedals – if an almost 60-year-old circuit could be described as such. The Nichols 1966 is a unique circuit and you’re sure to find it versatile. While its interactive knobs set you a task of dialing in your own sweet spot, there are plenty of those to be found for a variety of uses.  

Specs

• PRICE: $199 / £189
• ORIGIN: China
• TYPE: Fuzz/distortion pedal 
• FEATURES: True bypass
• CONTROLS: Volume, Tone, Fuzz, Drive, Stock/Mid Cut switch, Bypass footswitch
• CONNECTIONS: Standard input, standard output
• POWER: 9V DC adaptor (not supplied)
• DIMENSIONS: 59 (w) x 112 (d) x 55mm (h)
• CONTACT: Danelectro

Danelectro are synonymous with some of the coolest and most refreshing electric guitar designs out there, but its catalog also includes effects pedals – one of which is the all-new Nichols 66 fuzz unit.

The brainchild of Foxx Pedals founder and Danelectro owner Steve Ridinger, the Nichols 66 is a de facto reissue of the first pedal that Ridinger ever made, which originally had been affectionately dubbed “The Liverpool Fuzz Tone”.

Indeed, it was first conceived back when he was 14 years old, and owing to the fact no schematics were used as inspiration, it ended up being a wholly unique stompbox.

As Ridinger himself tells Guitar World at NAMM 2024, “I designed this, and there was no access to schematics, so I just had to figure it out. A few years ago I thought why don’t we try to do this again.

“The problem is, we didn’t have one, didn’t have a schematic, so we took some pictures from the effects database in Germany and from that we could figure out the circuit board.”

The Nichols 66 has already found favor among rock royalty, too, with Ridinger revealing he’s already received a seal of approval from Joe Perry, who apparently already has it on his ‘board.

Ridinger goes on, “The key to this is, the architecture is very different than any other pedal because it wasn’t based on anything else. And so even now we don't have a pedal that does what this one does. 

“The drive and fuzz controls are very interactive, and you have a great fuzz effect without any diode clipping, which means you can back down the guitar volume and it cleans up well.”

In practice, the Nichols 66 has parameters to tame its Fuzz and Drive effects, as well as standard Tone and Volume knobs. A Stock/Mid Cut toggle switch can also be found, opening up a wealth of other high-gain tones.

“It has a great story, but in the end, it’s a great pedal,” Ridinger concludes. “I think it’s something unique, and we’ll see what players do with it.

To find out more, head over to Danelectro.

At the moment, there are 25 Danelectro models to choose from. And sure, most of us musical snobs all love Danelectro’s ’59 DC and Longhorn bass because of their vintage pedigree. Even the more esoteric Sitar and Baritone models are equally adored for their affordable utility.

But let’s just say that hasn’t stopped Danelectro from building upon their storied past with newer models that are marked improvements over the originals. One of those models is the ’59 Triple Divine, which advances from their dual-pickup ’59 Divine by sporting a trio of Danelectro’s 1950s vintage lipstick pickups – among other player upgrades. 

Many artists, from Jimmy Page to Tom Petty, have employed Danelectros as a stark alternative to mainstream brands to great effect, and now, with the fantastic ’59 Triple Divine, I’m pretty sure you’ll start seeing this utterly cool, vintage-inspired electric guitar on more stages and in many studios. 

Once you get the ’59 Triple Divine in your hands, what’s abundantly clear is how rock solid it feels compared to previous Danelectro models. It has a firm, woody knock when strummed unplugged, and its out-of-the-box setup is dialed in properly for soloing or slide work. 

The review model came in an elegantly rich dark burgundy colorway (that looks a lot like Jeff Beck’s Oxblood Les Paul) with top and back creme binding that distinctly elevates its vintage vibe (there’s even a pickguard included if you wish to add even more vintage character). But if burgundy ain’t your thing, the guitar is also available in red, blue metallic and black finishes. 

The highlight is a trio of Danelectro’s 1950s vintage pickups with alnico VI magnets that are sand-blasted and housed in trés-chic lipstick tubes – the same kind of tubes Danelectro bought from Max Factor (the cosmetics giant) – made with a composite of 80/20 brass/zinc alloy. Moreover, the bridge pickup is overwound to be 20 percent hotter for added zing and the inclusion of a CRL 5-way pickup switch expands all tonal options, combined with the knurled volume and tone knobs.

What’s noticeable are hardware upgrades like Gotoh vintage button tuners (in creme) with a 15:1 gear ratio for pinpoint tuning stability, a bone nut and a fully adjustable diecast six-saddle bridge where the strings are top loaded, which all contribute to the Triple Divine’s improved intonation.

And true to Danelectro form, the short-horn double-cutaways and semi-hollow body design, bolt-on maple neck, and flat radius fingerboard with 21 smoothly-dressed frets remain intact.

The ’59 Triple Divine is the kind of guitar that makes you blurt out, “Yep, that’s it. This is great.” I just can’t find much fault, and frankly, there's so much to love about it. I could point out that the neck slightly overhangs where it bolts on at the neck pocket, but it’s not a structural issue or a flaw, it’s mostly the design and doesn’t affect the guitar at all. 

But overall, Danelectro got everything right in its steadfast build, with broken-in playability and a slightly taut string tension – which I believe contributes to its quick response. I also find the forward-angled lipstick pickups offer a pointed attack when faced with an overdriven amp and can be pushed for singing overtones if you drive them toward sustained feedback. 

For me, the “notched” (2 & 4) pickup settings offered the most jangle, easily churning out chiming highs and woody mids that make their presence known with loud and clean settings. It’s a serious player guitar, and there’s truly a “divine” element to this Danelectro – poised as an old guitar with a new soul. 

Specs

• PRICE: $799 / £719
• BODY: Spruce/plywood with hardboard top and back. Spruce center block
• BRIDGE: U3 with six intonatable saddles
• CONTROLS: Master volume and tone, five-way blade switch
• FRETBOARD: Rosewood with dot inlays, 25” scale, 14” radius
• FRETS: 21 medium
• NUT: Bone
• NECK: Maple bolt-on, C profile
• PICKUPS: Three 1950s vintage single-coils with sand-cast Alnico VI magnets and 80/20 brass/zinc alloy lipstick tubes
• TUNERS: Gotoh, 15:1 ratio
• FINISHES: Black, Blue Metallic, Dark Burgundy and Red
• CONTACT: Danelectro

Nepco Guitars has been forced to halt production of its V-shaped designs after it was issued a cease and desist letter by Gibson’s lawyers. 

You might recall we featured the Danelectro-inspired V-shaped guitar builds in a recent interview with Nepco player Julia Steiner (frontwoman of the excellent Ratboys) and Nepco builder/owner Ian Williams. 

Within weeks of the piece’s publication, Williams took to Instagram (on August 28) to inform customers that he’d since been contacted by Gibson’s intellectual property lawyers, Bates and Bates, and issued with the cease and desist order. 

The details of the letter have not been shared publicly, but it reportedly points out that Gibson holds the rights to both the V body shape and Flying V name. 

As Williams noted in his original post, this means “no more V-style body” builds from Nepco – including for those still on the waiting list – and the luthier has also agreed to remove images of the guitars from Instagram. 

“The whole situation is obviously disappointing, but it's due to my own negligence,” Williams tells Guitar World. 

“I’d been operating under the false notion that headstock shapes were the only trademark-able shape on a guitar, but had I done a little research I would’ve found that’s not the case. I respect Gibson’s desire to protect their intellectual property and am behaving as the cease and desist ordered.”

Setting aside the shape, the rest of the Nepco construction has more in common with the classic Danelectro build than that of Gibson’s iconic Flying V. 

“The essence of what makes it Danelectro to me is the fact that it's made out of a frame with a Masonite top and back,” Williams explained, back in August. “It's pretty hollow, it's got lipstick pickups, and the rosewood slab for a bridge saddle – and I'm doing all of that.”

Now the luthier says he plans to take that spec in a new direction, utilizing different shapes in the process. 

“The silver lining to the situation is that I’m being forced to do other things,” says Williams. “I’m excited to try a few new body styles and see what ideas seem to grab people’s attention.”

The first one on the list (and the one that Williams says shares “the most DNA with the old body shape”) comes in the form of the Nepco Astro – a fin-like design that recalls the guitar industry’s most space age design inspirations.

“I’ll be posting them unfinished, with the opportunity for anyone to purchase it and pick their own paint job,” Williams tells GW. “I’m excited to try this approach with a few different body shapes and give people the chance to grab something without a waiting period.” 

The first Astro only debuted yesterday (September 5), but sold “within about three seconds,” so you’ll need to be quick off the mark to bag future models.

However, the builder suggests there’s more on the way and also hints at some new hardware he’s been “slowly prototyping,” though we’ll have to wait to see what he’s got planned on that side. 

In the meantime, if you’re interested in seeing what Williams does next, head over to Nepco Guitars' Instagram page. And if you happen to have a Nepco V-style under your bed, well, hang on to it…

A Gibson representative was approached for comment for this piece but did not respond.

Chicago quartet Ratboys dropped their excellent single, It’s Alive, back in June. It’s a hooky, blast of crunching, jangling indie rock finery and a hell of a confident return. However, it was the video that stopped us in our tracks – or, at least, Ratboys’ track –as we were forced to literally pause the clip and take a closer look at the mystery electric guitar wielded by frontwoman Julia Steiner.

The bizarre yet undoubtedly beautiful instrument looked an awful lot like a lost Danelectro, but with V-style body. To our knowledge, no such Dano builds existed, but this really looked the part. We soon tracked down Nepco Guitars – a firm that was formed entirely around an inspired question: ‘What if Danelectro made Vs?’ 

The guitar industry is full of imitations of ‘classic’ models. That’s nothing new. What’s fascinating about Williams’ designs is that it’s not a cynical copy, but a ‘what if?’ – brought to life faithfully, with passion and knowledge.

That speaks to a trend that is more contemporary – the same spirit we’ve seen in Fender’s Parallel Universe range, or Josh Scott’s ‘lost’ Electro-Harmonix pedal, the Lizard Queen – where builders are taking inspiration from guitar history’s gaps. The things that could have been, but weren’t.

Like most people who spot these rare Vs in the wild, we had to know more, so we sat down with Steiner and Nepco’s builder/founder Ian Williams to get the story of Steiner’s V, their shared love of all things Dano and the details of these bizarre and beautiful designs.

“[It started because] Ratboys were playing a show in Des Moines at this venue called the Vaudeville Muse,” remembers Steiner. “I was playing my first electric guitar – a Danelectro DC-3 1998 – and I broke a string. In the classic generous DIY tradition, Ian from the other band, The Wheelers, offered to let me borrow his guitar to finish the set. 

“It just so happened to be the exact same as my guitar, a red Danelectro, except in the shape of a Flying V. And I was like, ‘What the fuck is this?’ After the set I found out that Ian had built it himself, and that it was the only one of its kind, so I was very honored to play it. Then we went our separate ways. But I never forgot about it.”

The connection was a lucky one. Williams – who has a background in guitar repairs – had already clocked Julia as a fellow Dano devotee.

“I remember when Julia got on stage, I was like, ‘Holy shit! There's another Danelectro here…’” he recalls. However, he’d taken a gamble of sorts, as the model Julia played was not just his first attempt at a Dano ‘V’ concept, but his first full build of any guitar.

“It was absolutely my first proof of concept and the first time [even] I had played it live,” says Williams. “It was made out of scraps of wood from old warehouse shelves at the shop I was working at and had a Squier neck on it, and a different pickguard. It was the absolute infancy version of these guitars.”

Williams says he started playing in ’98, right around the time the first Dano reissues landed, so his obsession with the brand dates back to his very beginnings on the guitar.

“At some point,” says Williams, “Working at a guitar shop, I saw a Flying V and I was like, ‘This is like a space age guitar from the ’50s, but everybody treats them like heavy metal guitars. Why are there no versions that lean into that retro vibe?’ And it all just kind of clicked. I just dove in and started doing it.”

That was eight years ago, and in the intervening period Williams has repeatedly honed his build, settling on the name Nepco, bringing in his friend Howard Lammey to work on the sparkle finishes, and creating HH, short-scale bass and 12-string options, alongside numerous other tweaks – all beautifully documented on the Nepco Instagram.

For years, Steiner had no idea Williams was building for others, but says it all came together when a fan and fellow Dano geek Raul Portillo (bassist with the band Knope) approached her at a show in Washington, D.C. in 2022 to enthuse about “this guy who built Dano-style Vs”.

Come Valentine’s Day 2023, Steiner and her partner (Ratboys co-guitarist Dave Sagan) were heading to Des Moines with her Fender Deville for “a very romantic getaway”, involving a visit to Williams’ shop.

“I knew that the one that I played felt really good, back in 2015,” says Julia. “And I knew that aesthetically, this was like the guitar of my dreams, but I wanted to go in person and see how it sounded and how it felt in my hands. 

“When we got to Ian’s studio in Des Moines that day, he had this Galaxy Black Sparkle guitar ready to go and it was perfect. It had that same kind of lightness and jangly-ness and sizzle – everything that I was hoping for.”

Steiner bought it on the spot and notes a big part of its appeal is the weight, which is one of the reasons she likes Danos in the first place. For his part, Williams says he’s tried to keep the spec as true to a real Danelectro as possible, though that’s not always easy.

“There's so many eras of Danelectro,” says Williams. “And, even within the ’50s and ’60s stuff, they were changing how they did things: how they made the frames, the woods they used. I feel like they were sort of flying by the seat of their pants with a lot of that stuff.

“But the essence of what makes it Danelectro to me is the fact that it's made out of a frame with a Masonite top and back. It's pretty hollow, it's got lipstick pickups, and the rosewood slab for a bridge saddle – and I'm doing all of that.”

In particular – as Steiner attests – Williams has focused on trying to make them as hollow as he can, to ensure that unplugged “thumpy, percussiveness” comes through. However, he hopes his personal quality control enables him to create something a little more consistent and refined.

“I'm really trying to keep the vibe of what makes those guitars what they are, while sort of giving them a little more attention to detail. They're not coming off an assembly line here and I can really tweak some of the stuff that I think could have been tweaked on a Danelectro – had they been able to.”

A case in point, says Williams, is the necks. He was able to pick up a haul of 30/40 Dano necks at the outset, but says “a bunch of them were crap, twisted, or had ugly spots in the wood” but fortunately “still left a ton of flexibility for how I wanted to finish them.” 

Those are now exhausted, with one of the last going on Julia’s Galaxy Black Sparkle V, and Williams is now making all his own necks, not to mention his own bridges and control knobs, thanks to supply issues.

The result, though, is an increasingly bespoke build that Steiner deems “the perfect evolution of where those late ’90s reissue guitars could go with better craftsmanship and more intentional engineering”.

Just like the aforementioned Lizard Queen, Williams’ love of all things Danelectro is genuine and his work is an evolution, not a rip-off. Dano was once the butt of jokes for the cork-sniffing end of the guitar community, but its designs have endured, with even the 1998 reissues becoming increasingly sought-after. 

“They were designed to be as cheap and efficient as possible,” says Williams. “It really feels like a guitar that's designed by an engineer to me, because it's like the straightest line between something they're trying to accomplish and the way to do it. And, in doing so, there's something beautifully simple about them. 

“The way that all the parts come together made a really unique-feeling and unique-sounding guitar, and it's really got a vibe about it that nobody else has really touched in the last 60 years.”

“They're just very accessible guitars,” adds Julia. “My 2018 59 was $450 new. They're very friendly to beginner guitar players in my opinion, and they’re friendly to all sorts of different types of pedals, too.”

Williams heartily agrees on the latter point, in particular: “There's something about those low-output pickups that really responds well to fuzz and drive and clean tones – there's just some sort of magic in there.”

The Nepco design might be a little more exclusive, but like its inspirational source material, is not shy and retiring in the looks department. Steiner says her V certainly gets a lot of attention on tour. 

“It's cool,” says Julia. “Guitar geeks – their eyes pop out of their heads in an excited way, just because it's such a unique blend of styles. But also for someone who's never played guitar and has only encountered a Flying V in movies or like, Metallica. I think it's pretty attention-grabbing, whether you play music or not.”

Williams says that was ultimately his hope – the thing that has run through that first 2015 ‘proof-of-concept’ to the more refined offerings of 2023. He’s now pondering some other shapes and says making his own necks opens up the possibilities in terms of basses and baritones, but that core ideal remains. 

“I wanted to make a Flying V that surprised people,” he reflects. “A guitar that could be that space-age design – like tail fins on a car or spaceship. Something that could sound, for lack of a better word, ratty and old – like the era of music that design is actually from. I want to give people a really great playing, durable, lightweight, bratty little guitar – and I think that's what I do.”

• For more information and to check out Williams’ builds, head to the Nepco Guitars Instagram. Ratboys release their new album The Window on August 25.

We last caught up with Danelectro back in 2020 with a pair of typically funky six-strings: the ‘shorthorn’ ’59 Divine and the single-cut ’57. Residing at the upper end of Dano price brackets, neither had that ‘impulse buy’ appeal that many readers will remember of the original reissues.

To be fair, though, the so-called Stock ’59, which is based on the original 1959 3021, kicks off the current range at more wallet-pleasing $459/£549 and features the classic two-pickup double-cut body with a long seal-shaped scratchplate, original-style wooden saddle, and four-way adjustable bridge. 

Now, while the ’59M NOS ($529/£619) – what most of us would call the ‘Jimmy Page model’, with its modded Badass adjustable wrapover bridge – is still available in the UK, it has been superseded by the ’59 NOS+ (at the same price) with NOS+ lipstick tube pickups.

“[It’s] based on a pickup we designed in 1998/’99,” Danelectro told us. “Around 2009 or so we discovered a bunch of these pickups in a warehouse in Korea. They were so popular, we soon ran out. We then engineered a new pickup close to the NOS ones, and named it the NOS+.” 

The latest additions are these ‘Blackout’ versions with black vinyl‑taped sides and a trio of colours: Purple Metalflake (as here), Black Metalflake and Green Envy.

The guitar is lightweight, with a Fender-width, thin-depthed neck and low frets. Thanks to a long body heel that extends to the 14th fret (plus Dano puts the strap button at its end), the potential for easy high-fret access of the famous double-cut body is diminished.

Our sample came with a slinky, in-tune setup and actually has a slightly hotter, brasher sound than a ’59 Divine we’d borrowed for reference. The stacked concentric volume/tone controls feel a bit cheap and it’s hard to move the lower, larger volume without also moving the smaller cream-topped tone control.

The switch, of course, gives us each pickup independently – the bridge is thin and bright, the almost mid-placed neck pickup a little fuller – but in the both-on centre position we get a series link, which is where the action lies. It’s an altogether bigger, beefier widescreen sound.

We added a couple of small washers under the top knob of each stack, which means the volume and tones can move independently, and with a bit of classic gain there is plenty of potential to subtly blend the gritty voice. Nothing quite sounds like a Dano, and this one sounds a treat.  

Specs

• PRICE: $529/£619
• ORIGIN: South Korea
• TYPE: Double-cutaway semi-solid electric
• BODY: Pine core with MDF top and backplates
• NECK: Maple, ‘C’ profile, bolt-on
• SCALE LENGTH: 635mm (25”)
• NUT/WIDTH: Aluminium/42.2mm
• FINGERBOARD: Rosewood, cream dot inlays, 356mm (14”) radius
• FRETS: 21, medium
• HARDWARE: Badass-style adjustable wrapover bridge (recessed into the body), unbranded Kluson-style tuners – nickel/chrome-plating
• STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 52.5mm
• ELECTRICS: 2x Danelectro NOS+ single coils, 3-way toggle pickup selector, stacked volume/tone controls for each pickup
• WEIGHT (kg/lb): 2.89/6.36
• OPTIONS: No
• RANGE OPTIONS: Dano Shorthorns start with the Stock ’59 , in 5 colours (£549)
• LEFT-HANDERS: A lefty 59M NOS+ is listed on the USA website
• FINISH: Purple Metalflake (as reviewed), Black Metalflake and Green Envy – all gloss poly with black vinyl taped sides
• CONTACT: Danelectro

NAMM 2023: With the use (and occasional smashing) of its instruments by younger rock stars like Phoebe Bridgers and Måneskin bass guitar player Victoria De Angelis, Danelectro has been having a bit of a revival in recent years.

Now, the company has unveiled a new spin on one of its most classic designs, an electric guitar it's dubbed the '59 Triple Divine.

Why 'triple', you ask? Well, this model simply adds a pickup to the company's classic, two-pickup '59 Divine design. You can hear the guitar in action below.

Information on the new model is still a bit skeletal as of press time, but we know that it features a Danelectro short-horn, double-cut, semi-hollow body and a bolt-on maple neck highlighted by a 21-fret, flat-radius fingerboard.

The aforementioned trio of Danelectro 1950’s vintage lipstick pickups – including an extra-hot bridge pickup – feature Alnico 6 sand-blasted magnets and 80/20 brass tubes, and can be adjusted by individual volume and tone knobs, and a CRL five-way pickup switch.

A chrome-finished, die-cast six-saddle bridge, bone nut and Gotoh 15:1 vintage tuners, meanwhile, round out the six-string's spec sheet.

The Danelectro '59 Triple Divine guitar is available now – in Red, Black, Blue Metallic and Dark Burgundy finishes – for $799, an even $100 above the asking price of the two-pickup '59 Divine.

Its release comes just over a month after the company reissued its similarly retro ‘56 Baritone and ‘59M NOS+ models with revived finishes and updated specs.

For more info on the guitar, visit Danelectro.

Danelectro has updated its electric guitar lineup for 2023, reviving some fresh colorways for its ‘59M NOS+ model and reissuing its stealthy ‘56 baritone guitar.

As far as guitar drops go, it’s fairly modest, with the two humble updates following the arrival of new-look Blackout iterations of the ‘59M NOS+ – which was unveiled in Black Metal Flake, Purple Metal Flake and Green Envy – and a revived Longhorn baritone model.

While on the subject of cosmetic overhauls, Danelectro has now added Sea Foam Green and Copper finishes to its ‘59 collection. A brief perusal of the Danelectro archives will reveal these two finishes have cropped up in the past, but it looks as though the cult classic company has revived them for ‘23.

New looks aside, the model retains its ‘59 heritage, meaning it features a Shorthorn-shaped body, which is joined by a bolt-on maple neck and 21-fret fingerboard.

The 25”-scale instrument also offers wraparound bridges and a set of NOS+ Lipstick pickups – updated versions of the original NOS single-coils which are said to deliver “better highs, punchier mids and solid lows”.

It’s joined by a slightly updated take on the ‘56 Baritone, which has been reintroduced in Black and Black Sparkle colorways. Swapping the six-a-side headstock for a six-in-a-line alternative, the 2023 ‘56 comes loaded with high output Lipstick pickups, a D-embossed pickguard and a fully adjustable bridge.

Build-wise, there’s nothing too surprising: a poplar body is paired with a Masonite top and back, as well as a maple neck that sits under a 24-fret pau ferro fingerboard.

In terms of price, the ‘56 Baritone is available from $668, while the '59M NOS+ Guitars is available from $590.

To find out more, head over to Danelectro.

One of George Harrison and the Beatles’ most influential contributions to the electric guitar actually didn’t involve an electric guitar at all. When Harrison first played an actual sitar on Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) on Rubber Soul, it inspired numerous other pop bands to incorporate the distinctive droning sounds of a sitar on their records as well. 

Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, for example, played a sitar on Paint It, Black, recorded in March 1966 a few months after the release of Rubber Soul in December 1965. However, the Beatles were not the first pop/rock band to experiment with sitar sounds – the Kinks featured one on See My Friends released in mid 1965, and the Yardbirds attempted to use one on Heart Full of Soul, hiring an actual sitar player before settling on Jeff Beck’s fuzz box simulation instead.

Unlike most of their British peers, the Beatles employed the sounds of a sitar several more times after that, including Love You To and Tomorrow Never Knows (Revolver), Within You Without You (Sgt. Pepper’s) and the single The Inner Light. [Note that the sitar in Tomorrow Never Knows was a short backwards recording; the drone was created by a tambura.] Hence, the Beatles deservedly take credit for popularizing the sitar in a pop music context.

During the mid-’60s, many guitarists wanted to copy the Beatles’ sitar sounds but few wanted to buy a real one and spend the time and effort it took to master it. Session guitarist Vinnie Bell and Nathan Daniel of Danelectro collaborated on an ingenious electric version, the Coral Vincent Bell Electric Sitar, introduced in 1967. 

The Coral Electric Sitar featured a clever “buzz” bridge design that provides a convincing imitation of a sitar’s distinctive character. It also featured a semi-hollow body and 13 “sympathetic” strings that seemed like a good idea but never really resonated effectively. 

Instead, the strings are more effectively played in a harp style. The original model featured three lipstick tube single-coil pickups (two for the six-string neck and one for the sympathetic strings), each with individual volume and tone knobs.

The Coral Electric Sitar has appeared on hundreds of notable records by an incredibly wide variety of artists since the late ’60s. R&B artists were among the first to embrace it, as heard on Stevie Wonder’s Signed Sealed Delivered, Freda Payne’s Band of Gold and numerous tracks by the Delfonics and Stylistics, including Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time? and You Make Me Feel Brand New, respectively. 

If you watched Reservation Dogs, you may have noticed electric sitar on Redbone’s 1974 hit Come and Get Your Love. Notable electric sitar rock songs from the Seventies include Denny Dias’ solo on Steely Dan’s Do It Again and Eddie Van Halen’s background overdub on the solos for Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love. It can even be heard on songs by Metallica (Wherever I May Roam) and Steve Vai (For the Love of God).

A handful of players have employed the electric sitar creatively for unusual tones and textures that go beyond the usual single-note melodic lines. Steve Howe’s chordal rhythm work on Close to the Edge and various other Yes songs is particularly notable, but Eddie Van Halen’s Primary (Van Halen III) is probably the most extreme example, recorded direct using only an MXR Dyna Comp.

“I tuned the sympathetic strings to the melody,” Van Halen said in 2013, “and I placed the sitar up against the Auratone monitors to get it to feed back where I needed it to. The Dyna Comp compresses the signal so heavily that it almost sounds like backwards guitar.”

Danelectro offers an affordable replica of the original Coral Vincent Bell model. For a few hundred bucks less, you can get the Danelectro Baby Sitar, which offers the same sitar-like buzzy tones but without the “sympathetic” strings.

Danelectro has introduced three new-look iterations of its ‘59M NOS+ electric guitar, which arrive in the form of the brand’s first Blackout models.

The new Blackout collection debuts the spotlight-stealing Black Metal Flake and Purple Metal Flake sparkle colorways, as well as the more tame Green Envy.

Despite the new looks and the new names, the guitars are effectively your standard ‘59M NOS+ models, which take inspiration from the company’s flagship body style. Features include a short-horn double-cut semi-hollow body, bolt-on maple neck and 21-fret fingerboard.

With each guitar pairing their flashy finishes with black pickguards – perhaps where the name Blackout came from – the models also sport 25” scale lengths and adjustable wraparound bridges.

In terms of electronics, the Blackout beauties retain the original ‘59M NOS+’s pair of Lipstick pickups that promise a suite of signature Danelectro twangs. The two pickups are dictated via a three-way selector switch, as well as stacked tone and volume controls.

The Blackout models take the total tally of ‘59M NOS+ styles currently available to seven, joining the Red Metalflake and Orange Metalflake models, as well as the 60th anniversary Deep Blue Metalflake and Silver Metalflake iterations.

They’re the latest release from Danelectro, which also recently revived its quirky Longhorn baritone guitar.

Danelectro’s new-look Blackout 59M NOS+ models are available to preorder now for $570 each.

Head over to Danelectro’s website to find out more.

With baritone guitars currently rapidly rising in popularity, Danelectro – the Godfather of the baritone design – has stamped its authority and heritage on the market by rebooting the uber-quirky Longhorn long-scale model.

It’s a reminder of the brand’s baritone pedigree, which has been in place since Danelectro produced one of the world’s first baritone electric guitars back in the ‘50s. Indeed, it is the retro Danelectro six-string Longhorn bass guitar – which informs and inspires the new model – that many say was the first mass-produced baritone.

History aside, Danelectro also has many contemporary baritones to its name – such as the Phoebe Bridgers-favorite Dano' 56 –  but it’s the all-new Longhorn that looks to remind guitar players of its timeless association with the design.

The revived Longhorn is available in two finishes – Copper Burst and Silver Burst – and is said to retain “all the charm” of its forebear while offering a range of “original and updated” features.

Such features include a chambered art deco body shape, which is joined to a bolt-on C-shape maple neck. Atop the neck sit 24 frets, a 14”-radius rosewood fretboard and dot inlays, with Danelectro’s classic “coke bottle” three-a-side headstock situated at the top.

Elsewhere, the hybrid 29.72” scale length sits the six-string on the spectrum somewhere between a standard baritone and short-scale bass, while the aluminum nut promises to provide an additional touch of twang.

Completing the spec sheet is a six-saddle bridge – which seeks to deliver robust tuning and intonation – and die-cast chrome tuners, as well as a pair of classic Lipstick single-coils, wired to stacked volume and stacked tone controls.

The Longhorn Baritone is available to preorder now for $569.

It’s yet to be put up on the company’s official website – though it can be found on some retailers such as Sweetwater – but keep your eyes peeled on Danelectro for further information.

The Longhorn is the latest entry into the rejuvenated baritone market, following the arrival of D’Angelico’s first-ever baritone offerings, Harley Benton’s budget JA-Baritone – inspired by Squier’s cult Vintage Modified Baritone Jazzmaster – and Squier’s Classic Vibe Baritone Custom Telecaster.

Solar has also thrown its hat in the ring with three of its own stealthy baritones.

The electric guitar Phoebe Bridgers used – and, more notably, smashed up – during her Saturday Night Live performance in February is up for auction.

Listed by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards, Bridgers' Danelectro Dano '56 baritone currently sits on a bid of $5,500, with bidding closing on April 11.

The guitar has quite clearly seen better days – a large chunk is missing from the lower bout of its body on the left side. The listing doesn't disclose if the electronics still function, however it still looks somewhat playable... ish.

The indie-rock phenom sparked controversy following her SNL performance of I Know the End – the closing track of her 2020 album, Punisher – with some labelling it “extra”, “disappointing” and an “unjustifiably awkward display of white privilege”.

Others leapt to her defense, noting that many male artists before her have smashed guitars and received considerably less criticism for their actions.

In true Phoebe Bridgers fashion, the singer-songwriter had no time for her critics, posting a photo of herself mid-guitar smash to Instagram with the caption: “Got some really great feedback from my performance! Next time I’ll just burn it and it will be more expensive.”

In an interview with Variety last month, Bridgers spoke again about the controversy surrounding the SNL incident.

“The fact that it made people so mad is kind of what’s punk rock about it,” she said. ”No thought whatsoever went into what it represented or meant: I’d never done it before, so might as well do it [on Saturday Night Live], where it’s gonna be immortalized.”

Bridgers was nominated for Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist at the 2021 GLAAD Media Awards alongside Orville Peck, Arca, Rina Sawayama and others. The award ultimately went to rapper Chika for her album, Industry Games.

To place a bid on the battered Danelectro Dano '56, head to Handbid.

After Phoebe Bridgers went full Pete Townshend and smashed up her electric guitar on the latest episode of Saturday Night Live, the indie-rock powerhouse shrugged off criticism and revealed she had previously received Danelectro's seal of approval.

Bridgers performed a two-song set on SNL at the weekend, ending her performance of I Know the End – which also played host to a killer solo from co-guitarist Harrison Whitford – by smashing up her Danelectro Dano '56 baritone guitar.

Sparks literally began to fly as Bridgers brought the Dano '56 down on top of a floor monitor, which seemed to take more damage than the guitar itself. 

In fact, the electric seemed to escape the ordeal relatively unscathed. The same can't be said for the monitor, which took the brunt of the damage.

No actual monitors were harmed in the making of the performance, however, as Bridgers revealed: "they made me a fake one to break".

After her performance, Bridgers took to twitter to reveal that she had informed Danelectro of her Kurt Cobain-inspired intentions, and that she received the "go ahead" from the guitar maker to set the stage alight with her antics.

In response to those who (for some reason) did not approve of her guitar-smashing, Bridgers said: "I told Danelectro I was going to do it and they wished me luck and told me they're hard to break."

A number of Twitter users leapt to Bridgers' defense, with Phoebe herself retweeting a string of humorous tweets that laughed off negative criticism.

Popular internet personality Drew Gooden tweeted: "I am so disappointed in Phoebe. There are millions of hungry kids out there who would have loved to eat that guitar. And now no one can eat it. I can't stop crying."

In a slightly tamer performance, Bridgers also offered up a live rendition of Kyoto earlier in the program wielding her oh-so-pointy BC Rich Warlock, which the indie-rock star recently used in a surprise live performance at Red Rock's Unpaused.

Not long after her appearance on SNL, Bridgers' most recent album Punisher re-entered the top 20 on iTunes in the US.

When The Beatles' George Harrison and The Rolling Stones' Brian Jones first brought the sounds of the sitar to Western rock music with Norwegian Wood and Paint it Black, respectively, it had guitarists everywhere wondering how they could create similar sounds without having to learn the famously difficult sitar themselves. 

In stepped Danelectro, who streamlined the instrument into a six-stringer guitarists wouldn't have trouble finding their way around – an instrument that has, more than half a century later, been rebooted as the Baby Sitar.

Now, thanks to Sweetwater, the already-affordable Baby Sitar can be had for a ridiculous $200 off – bringing its price crashing down from $599 to $399.

Though the Baby Sitar's gourd-shaped body, white decorated Curly Cue scratchplate and “thermometer-shape’” headstock might be intimidating to guitarists with more traditional tastes, its high gloss neck – with a super-playable, 21-fret rosewood fingerboard – will set any navigational fears at ease. 

The instrument's Gotoh “buzz bridge” is responsible for bringing out its sitar tones, which it does – with the assistance of a single Danelectro lipstick pickup and single volume/tone controls – with great panache. The “buzz bridge” is adjustable to allow for the amount of required sitar effect, and also features scalloped grooves for each string. 

Additionally, the Baby Sitar's vintage style chrome tuners and precision-cut aluminum nut prove how well-built and dependable it is, and that it's more than just a gimmick you might use for a song or two.

Time is fast running out on the discount on this stellar instrument though, so be sure to stop by Sweetwater and grab it while it's still available for cheap!

While you're at it, of course, be sure to also check out our guide to the best Sweetwater Black Friday deals for more 'should I get my eyes checked?' guitar gear sales.

While there are probably enough tomes written on the big brands from the 50s and 60s to fill a small library, Danelectro and the guitars and amps that the company made – also under both the Silvertone and Airline brand names – are far less documented. 

Thankfully, Doug Tulloch’s Neptune Bound: The Ultimate Danelectro Guitar Guide, originally published in 2008 by Centerstream Publications, is the bible for anyone interested in the unique story of Danelectro, ourselves included. And as we paraphrase elsewhere in this feature, it’s quite a story. 

While repros of many original models have been in circulation since 1998 – a far longer period than Danelectro originally made guitars – it seems we still can’t get enough of these unique designs.

Every year, the Dano owners release a trickle of new designs and it’s about time someone started to document these! Our review duo was launched back at the start of 2020, along with the more Mosrite-inspired ’66 12 String, some left-handed models and that latest incarnation of the ‘Page’ ’59M NOS+ with an expanded choice of colours.

But both of our new guitars here look rather familiar, don’t they? Let’s take a closer look.

’57 Guitar

Nat Daniel’s take on the affordable production electric guitar was not a million miles away from what Leo Fender was creating on the other side of the continent: a single-cutaway, slab-bodied electric with a 21-fret bolt-on neck and two single-coil pickups. 

The ‘peanut’ shape we see here is slightly larger than the Telecaster: 457mm (18 inches) long, 367mm (13.25 inches) wide and 41mm (1.6 inches) deep compared with the Telecaster (whose measurements are closer to 400mm/15.75 inches long, 324mm/12.77 inches wide and 45mm/1.8 inches deep). 

The design went through a couple of incarnations, beginning in 1954, before it found its stride as the U series of 1955 introducing the famous Masonite-topped, semi-solid body construction. 

Our ’57 is effectively based on the 1957 U-2 (there was a single-pickup U-1 and triple-pickup U-3 plus a U-2 six-string bass that was introduced in 1956) and in basic style isn’t very different from numerous contemporary models we’ve seen over the past two decades.

As per the original we have the distinct ‘Coke bottle’ headstock and the clear plastic ‘D’ logo’d pickguard. Exactly what body materials Danelectro uses today isn’t offered up on the company’s website, although the top and back are definitely some kind of compressed wood, approximately 3.5mm thick, which looks more like MDF than hardboard or the original Masonite.

“Masonite is, of course, a brand name for pressed wood,” says Evets’ Steve Ridinger. “I think today many people call that material MDF. For our guitars we use a much more dense type of pressed wood than what might be commonly called MDF. The benefit of the hardboard material is it increases body resonance.

”In a guitar like a Strat, you have the pickup in a cavity so it largely just picks up the sound from the strings. But in Danelectro guitars with the hardboard, there are many sound reflections inside the mostly hollow body: sound is bouncing off the back and front inner surfaces of the guitar body, and the pickup is receiving all of that reflected sound.”

The frame here is a soft, creamy coloured wood that could be one of a number of timbers and is different from the plywood of earlier reissues. It’s pretty hollow, although the sides are kept quite thick and there’s still a large wood block underneath the bridge.

“We switched from the plywood frame to a spruce frame in the middle of last year,” continues Steve. “There are two benefits to this solid-wood spruce frame. Firstly, better tone. Spruce is, of course, a tonewood and the glue in the plywood layers tends to impede sound vibration. Secondly, there’s less chance of the frame chipping in spots where the wood is thin – namely, the neck pocket.”

Today’s Dano necks are much more conventional than the original design: maple with a two-way adjustable truss rod and a pau ferro fingerboard. Back in the day, Danelectro used Brazilian rosewood for the fingerboard – imagine that!

But it’s not a slavish reissue. The famous aluminium nut, for example, is replaced here with nicely cut bone. That original ‘four-way adjustable’ bridge (up, down, forward and back) with its Brazilian rosewood saddle is updated with the more contemporary Danelectro design that has adjustable metal saddles.

It still mounts in the same fashion as the originals: it sits above the face of the guitar resting on two height-adjustable screws at the front and is held in place by the single screw that mounts through the back of bridge into the body.

The saddles look like solid versions of Fender’s pressed steel Strat types with a central locking bolt and two screws for individual height adjustment. Rather oddly, the very nice Gotoh Deluxe three-on-a strip tuners and their cream buttons are aged while everything else looks brand-new.

’59 Divine

Thanks to Jimmy Page, the double-cutaway ‘shorthorn’ design will be burned into every guitarist’s psyche for evermore. And judging by the number of shorthorn models currently offered, it’s easily the most popular.

Modelled on the top-of-the line 1959 Deluxe (originally the model 6026), construction here is identical to the ’57 – shape aside, of course – although here the gloss cream finish covers top, back and sides and we have a brown binding to the top and back edges.

Another difference, certainly on the other two ’59 Divine colour options (Dark Walnut and Flame Maple), are wood veneers on the top and back. The same ‘Coke bottle’ headstock is retained.

The pickguard would originally have been white or walnut-painted Masonite that was glued to the top but here it’s a rather sharp-edged brown opaque plastic that’s screwed to the top.

Danelectro used a different number of screws to secure the necks on its various models back in the day and that’s reflected here with five screws on the ’57 and four on the ’59, which more likely would have had three screws in a straight line back in the 1950s.

Both necks sit on a similar length heel platform that’s slightly thinner in width than the neck on the ’59 and quite a lot narrower on the ’57 on the treble side – this was originally where the upper strap button would have been placed.

Today, that button sits at the tip of the heel. Another thing separating the two models is the actual placement of the single-coil pickups, even though both use two single coils.

The centre of the ’57’s bridge pickup sits approximately 35mm in front of the bridge; the neck single coil is 135mm away. The ’59’s pickups are slanted so the treble side sits closer to the bridge than the bass side: 26mm to 32mm for the bridge pickup and 113mm to 120mm for the neck.

This placement means that you’d expect a little more treble cut on the ’59’s bridge pickup and less depth on its almost mid-placed ‘neck’ pickup. Conversely, we’d expect the ’57’s bridge pickup to have less treble while the neck pickup should be a little deeper sounding. We’ll see.

Feel & Sounds

Both guitars weigh in the same and are nicely light, too – they hang well from a strap, though. The extended heel stops directly under the 14th fret and houses the upper strap button, and despite the guitars’ differing outlines, the heel’s position means fluid upper-position fretwork is somewhat compromised on the ’59, and slightly more so on the ’57.

If you like slim necks, you’ll feel at home here and we could be describing a contemporary shred-friendly design. 1st fret depth on both is 19.9mm, filling out a little by the 10th to 22mm.

In profile we have a flattish ‘C’ without the shoulder of a D shape, which is combined with a pretty flat fingerboard radius that we measured at 392mm (16 inches), not the quoted 356mm (14 inches).

This slightly unusual feel is enhanced by a medium width wire that is a little on the low side (around 2.67mm by 1mm), and you can’t help thinking a slightly higher wire with just a slightly rounder fingerboard would elevate these further.

Mind you, both are set up nicely and intonation is very good – unlike some originals we’ve played over the years. Scale length, by the way, is 635mm (25 inches), the same as PRS.

Quite possibly the last guitar you’d want to take out on a long covers or function gig, the Danelectro sound shoots for character, which frankly both of these models have in abundance. We discuss the new Vintage 50s single-coil pickups elsewhere in this feature but our first impressions are that the output is low and bass is light.

The ’57 sounds a little thicker at the bridge, more clouded at the neck, and there’s quite an open midrange. In the mixed pickup position, due to the series wiring, the volume leaps, thickening the mids a little but still with a punchy clarity that reminds us of Supro’s Vistatone single coil: sparkle, some balls and quite a gnarly grind.

For many, this is the Dano sound and you can use the volume and tone stacks to subtly shade what you’re hearing. Obviously in the same camp, the ’59 sounds just a little spikier at the bridge, the neck has more clarity (not surprisingly bearing in mind its position) and the series mix sounds marginally more focused.

Through a clean amp with lashings of reverb and some tremolo, you’re in a David Lynch film soundtrack with either model: hugely evocative. Add a little hair and the quite dynamic voice breaks up nicely. Kicking in various overdrives and fuzzes helps to beef up the sound but the general bass-light character, as well as the bright attack, is really quite distinct.

While these very 50s/60s sounds are probably the main appeal, plug into a seemingly inappropriate and gusty gained Marshall-y voice and the sound is pretty spectacular: grimy, punky, and Stooges garage-rock in spades.

The stacked volume/tone controls take some getting used to and the ’59’s pointer knobs especially feel a bit Toy Town; it’s easy for that pointer knob to catch the raised indicator of the lower tone knob so both volume and tone move together.

It’s also plain confusing that the ’59’s functions are reversed. The ’57’s controls do feel better behaved. Even if we could, we’re not sure we’d head to a stage with the ’59 as is. Well, not unless we had some gaffer tape handy.

The actual tapers are okay, though, especially the range of the tone. As set, the neck pickups on both are louder than the bridge but on the ’59 especially it gives three distinct levels as well as sounds: bridge, neck, both.

Verdict

With the huge amount of choice in the lower-end of the guitar market, Dano’s original budget value seems rather compromised. These are the highest priced original-style Danos by quite a margin but that is reflected by the new Vintage 50s Lipstick pickups, the body construction, the bone nut and Gotoh tuners. 

It would be quite hard to say these two Danos are the ‘best’ of the contemporary models we’ve played and heard over the past couple of decades. 

With so many different versions of – broadly speaking – the same thing since that first 1998 repro U-2, it’s a bit of a blur. Still, these are very tidy ‘improved’ versions and both have oodles of original Dano character. Sonically, the ’57 here is a significant improvement over our U-2, which is at least a decade old.

Certainly if you’re chasing a retro voice, be it early electric blues (Danos and Silvertones were always loved for slide, too) or something with a trashier edge, you’ll find it here. But then as Jimmy Page proved, you can certainly make a Kashmir-sized racket with one of these. Every home should have one!

Specifications

Danelectro ’57 Guitar

• PRICE: $599/£799
• ORIGIN: South Korea
• TYPE: Single-cutaway semi-hollow electric
• BODY: Composite top and back over solid-wood frame
• NECK: Maple, C profi le, bolt-on
• SCALE LENGTH: 635 mm (25”)
• NUT/WIDTH: Bone/42mm
• FINGERBOARD: Pau ferro, small white dot inlays, 356mm (14”) radius
• FRETS: 21, medium
• HARDWARE: Hardtail U3 bridge with adjustable saddles, 3-on-a-plate Gotoh Deluxe tuners (aged)
• STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 54mm
• ELECTRICS: Twin Alnico 6 Vintage 50s single-coil lipstick pickups, 3-way toggle, stacked volume/tone for each pickup
• WEIGHT (kg/lb): 2.7/5.94
• OPTIONS: None
• RANGE OPTIONS: The only other single-cut Dano is the ’56 Baritone (£629)
• LEFT-HANDERS: Not this model but lefty versions of the ’59M NOS+ (‘Page’ model), Vintage 12 String and Baritone are available
• FINISHES: Limo Black (as reviewed), Jade Green – both with cream coloured vinyl sides

Danelectro ’59 Divine

• PRICE: $699/£899
• ORIGIN: South Korea
• TYPE: Double-cutaway semi-hollow electric
• BODY: Composite top and back over solid-wood frame
• NECK: Maple, C profile bolt-on
• SCALE LENGTH: 635 mm (25”)
• NUT/WIDTH: Bone/42.69mm
• FINGERBOARD: Pau ferro, small white dot inlays, 356mm (14”) radius
• FRETS: 21, medium
• HARDWARE: Hardtail U3 bridge with adjustable saddles, 3-on-a-plate Gotoh Deluxe tuners
• STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 54mm
• ELECTRICS: Twin Alnico 6 Vintage 50s single coil lipstick pickups, 3-way toggle, stacked volume/tone with pointer knobs for each pickup
• WEIGHT (kg/lb): 2.7/5.94 
• OPTIONS: None
• RANGE OPTIONS: Shorthorn designs include the ‘modded’ ’59M NOS+ (from £599). The Stock ’59 is the closest to original spec double-cut (£489)
• LEFT-HANDERS: See ’57 Guitar
• FINISHES: Fresh Cream (as reviewed) Dark Walnut, Flame Maple – all with cream coloured sides

Danelectro has revealed details of its new short-scale bass guitar model, the '59DC – the company reckons it's a "halfway house" between an electric guitar and a full-scale bass.

Available in Black Metalflake, Copper and Vintage Cream finishes, the '59DC's chief features include that 29.75" scale length; a semi-hollow, double-cutaway shorthorn body shape; and Danelectro's own high-output Alnico Lipstick pickups – which can be controlled via its single volume and tone controls and three-way selector switch.

The model also features a C-shaped neck profile with a bolt-on design, and a 24-fret fingerboard.

The bass also boasts milestone visual touches that celebrate the company's legacy, including its 'coke-bottle' headstock and seal-shaped scratchplate.

Modern additions include vintage-style smooth-geared tuners, a precision-cut aluminum nut and a fully adjustable bridge.

The '59DC is available soon for $539. For more information, head to Danelectro.

For anyone looking to nail the sitar sounds central to rock classics like the Rolling Stones’ Paint It, Black and the Beatles’ Norwegian Wood, feast your eyes on Danelectro’s newly reissued Baby Sitar.

Originally launched in 1968, the model made it possible for electric guitar players to replicate sitar tones without having to learn to play an entirely new stringed instrument.

The new version features a gourd-shaped body finished in an all-over Vintage Aqua, with a white decorated Curly Cue scratchplate and “thermometer-shape’” headstock.

The secret to the guitar’s authentic sitar tones is the Gotoh “buzz bridge,” which features scalloped grooves for each string and is adjustable to allow for the amount of required sitar effect. 

There’s also a single Danelectro lipstick pickup, single volume/tone controls, high gloss neck, smooth 21 fret rosewood fingerboard, vintage style chrome tuners and a precision-cut aluminum nut. 

For more information, head to Danelectro.

Back in 2010, Danelectro released the Snark clip-on tuner, which to date has sold over 25 million units. You might wonder how such a commercially successful tool could be improved. The company believes it has the answer – enter the Silver Snark.

Featuring newly designed – yes – Hyper Snark tuning software technology, the Silver Snark delivers "spot-on, pin-point, precision accuracy at super-fast, lightning speed". It's designed with ultra-sensitivity, enabling it to detect even minor changes in pitch on lower-register instruments like baritone guitars or multi-string basses.

The Silver Snark is lightweight yet robust, with hard vulcanized rubber collar joints – the same material used in car tires.

Danelectro also claims the tuner is resistant to solvents and impervious to moderate heat and cold. Its LCD screen is designed to be seen in low light settings and stage scenarios, as well as in the glare of bright lights.

The Silver Snark is available now for $16.99. For more information, head to Silver Snark.

When it came to electric guitars, Jimi Hendrix, as we all know, played more than just Strats and Flying Vs. Particularly early on in his career he used a host of other models, including a Fender Duo-Sonic when he backed up the Isley Brothers and a Jazzmaster with Little Richard.

Among the most mythical, and unusual, of his early instruments, however, is the single-lipstick-pickup Danelectro Shorthorn “Betty Jean” seen in the image above.

The guitar, commonly thought of a U-1, but also identified as a 1958 Danelectro Shorthorn 3012, was purchased by Hendrix while he was dating a woman named Betty Jean Morgan, which led him to name the Dano after her and emblazon it with her name.

The guitar was Hendrix’s main axe during his time in the US Army, and he also used it for his first jams with Billy Cox and earliest post-service gigs.

He eventually traded the Danelectro for an Ibanez Rhythm Maker at Collins Music store in Clarksville, Tennessee. After that, Betty Jean never reappeared. It has never come up for sale or auction, and seemed to vanish for good.

Hendrix’s old bandmate Billy Cox, however, has an idea of what became of Billy Jean. In an interview recently presented on NAMM’s Remembering Jimi Hendrix podcast, Cox recounted the last days of the famous guitar:

“He had a Danelectro that had ‘Betty Jean’ on it,” Cox said. “And I was told, ‘If you ever found that guitar in Nashville it’d be worth five millions dollars.’ I found it where it was. He had pawned it to the guy who owned the Del Morocco [a Nashville club that Hendrix had played in the early ‘60s] for about $150, something like that. And he kept it because Jimi didn’t pay him back. He kept it at his house, and about four years later that house burnt down.

Cox went on to say that at one point he went looking for Betty Jean. “I sometimes thought it was at Collins Music store where we sometimes did our business in Clarksville. We looked up in the attic, we looked down in the garage, in the basement, for a whole Saturday. I had bib overalls on, never found it.”

Then, he continued, “it dawned on me. It was possible…I had talked to some people and they said, ‘Yeah, it was at Uncle Teddy’s house and that house burned down.’”

This week, it was announced that Hendrix’s infamous 1970 Maui concerts are to be documented in a new film and live album, Music, Money, Madness... Jimi Hendrix In Maui.

The aim of Danelectro’s ‘vintage’ pedal range, complete with its distressed housings, is to revive the sounds of certain ‘lost’ pedals. 

So far, with The Breakdown and The Eisenhower Fuzz, the new additions haven’t named specific pedals, instead dropping broad hints as to which long-lost classics are being emulated, which leaves the sleuthing to us. That policy seems to have changed with the latest in the series. 

Danelectro owner Steve Ridinger created the FOXX pedal line in the 70s, and the first of these newbies resurrects what is that company’s best-known pedal, the Tone Machine octave fuzz. 

It’s now named the 3699 fUZZ, 3699 being the numbers that represent the letters FOXX on a vintage telephone dial.

We last looked at an official reissue of a FOXX Tone Machine in 2005 when the brand was revived in its original battery-only flock-covered form. 

This one, though, puts practicality to the fore in a pedalboard-friendly enclosure with crucial modern accoutrements and an added footswitch for the octave effect (previously on a toggle switch). There’s also a toggle-switched mid-boost so you have the option of filling out the original’s more hollowed-out tone with punchy heft.

Gain-selected NOS transistors have apparently been used to best reproduce the original’s robustly versatile fuzz sound, which can be finely focused here with a wide-ranging tone knob that moves clockwise from thick and sludgy, adding more top-end texture through to an aggressive rasp fest that really cuts through.

The octave here has been rejigged to be more prominent than the original, which might not suit purists seeking the ghostly presence of an upper harmonic, but it does open up a whole extra practical (and footswitchable) range of tones.

Specs

• PRICE: $199 / £189
• ORIGIN: China
• TYPE: Fuzz pedal with Octave effect
• FEATURES: True bypass
• CONTROLS: Volume, Tone, Fuzz, Stock/Mid Boost switch, Octave footswitch, Bypass footswitch
• CONNECTIONS: Standard input, standard output
• POWER: 9V battery or 9V DC adaptor (not supplied)
• DIMENSIONS: 60 (w) x 113 (d) x 58mm (h) 9
• CONTACT: Danelectro

Danelectro has launched a new 12-string version of its ’66 electric guitar model.

The new Reissue ‘66-12 semi-hollow 12-string guitar boasts a double cutaway reverse alder body with an alder center block, “German-carved” bevelled edge and single f-hole.

There’s also a C-shaped bolt-on maple neck and 22-fret pau ferro fingerboard.

Pickups are a Danelectro coil-tapped dual lipstick humbucker at the bridge and an angled full-range P-90-style single-coil with large housing at the neck.

Other features include chrome master volume and master chrome tone controls with ‘D’ motif and three-way selector switch, vintage style die-cast machine heads, fully adjustable bridge and precision-cut 12 slot graphite nut.

The ‘66-12 is offered in a choice of transparent 3 Tone Burst or Black high gloss finish for $899.

For more information, head to Danelectro.

Danelectro has announced the single-cutaway reissue Danelectro ‘57 in two new high gloss finishes, Jade Green and Limo Black. 

Designed to recall the company’s original '50s-era U2 electric guitar, the Danelectro ‘57 sports a solid spruce-framed body, bolt-on maple neck and pau ferro fingerboard.

Vintage aesthetic touches include a clear see-through scratchplate with ‘D’ motif and perimeter strip, coke-bottle headstock, three-aside vintage machine heads with aged cream buttons, cream truss rod cover and cream vinyl body edging.  

Pickups are a pair of Vintage 50’s Lipstick single coils, controlled via cream “television type” stacked volume and tone knobs and a three-way selector switch.

Additionally, the ’57 is equipped with a fully-adjustable six-point chrome bridge.

The Danelectro ‘57 is available for $599. For more information, head to Danelectro.

Ol' l’ Bill Shakespeare once famously wrote, “To thine own self be true.” The meaning of this quote, as first spoken by Polonius to Laertes, has been debated endlessly, but perhaps someone at the Danelectro woodshop has fathomed it. 

Take a look at the Danelectro line-up of this or any other year and you would be hard pushed to find a manufacturer with a better sense of what it is all about, what its guitars should look like, how they should sound. 

This month’s test is a three-way shoot-out between a '64XT doublecut with tremolo, a sparkly 60th Anniversary DC 59M NOS+ and a 12-string shorthorn 59X12. Each sports a ‘Coke bottle’ headstock and a vibe that’s 100 percent genuine retro Americana. Danelectro is often cursed with bad adjectives, such as ‘quirky’, which doesn’t really work because it fails to take the Dano magic seriously enough. 

The Dano magic is important because it gets at something fundamental about the electric guitar. Maybe it’s about being cool. It is definitely rock ’n’ roll. These Danelectro electrics all have it. They’ve got the vibe. “To thine own self be true.” Couldn’t have put it better, Bill. Now, Laertes, where’d we put that fuzz box...

Danelectro DC 59M NOS+ 

The 60th Anniversary DC59M comes in a choice of silver or blue MetalFlake finishes, which might be too disco for some, even for birthday celebrations. But then those people could always plump for the DC59M NOS+, which comes in black to best serve their fantasy that they’re actually Jimmy Page, the tune is Kashmir, and they’re standing atop the stage in some Midwestern enormodome.

Whatever, it’s all a matter of taste. Either way you’ll get the famous Danelectro construction, Masonite on the top and bottom with inside frame that gives the DC59M a lightweight homemade feel.

When you pick it up and plug it in, it soon gets serious. This guitar might be fun with a price to match, but there are few rock ’n’ roll contexts, professional, amateur or somewhere in between, where it doesn’t make perfect sense. This is ready for the studio or stage.

There are a pair of NOS+ (New Old Stock) Lipstick singlecoil pickups in the bridge and neck positions that really nail vintage rock tone. They are pleasingly quiet, work well with some dynamic overdrive or fuzz, and are tonally well-balanced, with solid lows, plenty of midrange punch and a real snap to the high end. The aluminium nut must help transfer some of that brightness.

There’s a three-way selector and two stacked controls with the inner white control handling tone and the outer black control handling volume. It’s a neat touch visually, but can get in the way when playing, especially with the volume taper requiring a fairly wide turn of the knob for swells and so on.

There’s a noticeable spike in volume in the middle position, too. But these foibles are soon forgotten, such is the playing experience.

The maple neck is bolted onto the body with a blocky heel and yet is so svelte that it accommodates noodling anywhere on the fretboard. This will handle blues, rock, grunge, country, punk... Dial in a little slapback tape echo, some spring reverb, and you’ve got rockabilly twang that’s thicker than pomade. It is is truly a rock ’n’ roll machine.

Danelectro 59X12 12-String

Transplanting the 64XT’s pickup and switching configuration to the Shorthorn doublecut body of the 59 models, the 59X12 has a reassuringly familiar setup, all the better for investigating its octave-forward 12-string voice. 

An electric 12-string guitar is by its very nature a strange beast. In recent times we’ve seen Fender’s Electric XII resurrected, complete with cartoon headstock and split-coils. The 59X12 offers something different. The bridge humbucker has a thicker, punchier voice. As with all these Danos, there is plenty of treble, that brightness again enhanced by the aluminium nut.

You can be as fastidious as you like with the tuning and intonation and yet when you dig in there’s that natural chorusing effect; when using with any sort of overdrive it is a heady mix. Shoegaze players would love layering gain and some fuzz over the top and letting the harmonic overtones work their magic.

On single-note rockabilly lines, the 59X12 sounds incredible with some slapback echo and reverb, the overtones contributing to the rumble, but it’s when you’ve got this running clean and letting those notes collide and bleed into each other that it comes into its own. Engage the coil-tap and you can go full-on jangle a la the Byrds. You could lose hours messing around with that oversized neck singlecoil, and that’s before engaging the pedalboard.

There’s a psychedelic quality to electric 12-strings before adding effects, but stepping on an old orange box phaser and you start to worry less about the odd bum note and more about that acid flashback taking hold. It can feel a little neck heavy; there is a lot of metal on that headstock, but again that Dano slimline bolt-on neck is so easy to get to grips with.

If we had other gripes it would be that the controls being a little hard to grip for engaging the coil-tap. But this is certainly no deal-breaker. At this price, the 59X12 presents good value, and it’s seriously tempting to have it as an option to complement your six-strings. All studios should have one. All players should make its acquaintance at some point in their lives.

Danelectro '64XT

When it is time for something completely different, it might well be time for Danelectro’s ’64XT. Rocking a sort of reverse doublecut Mosrite body shape, with a big oversized singlecoil off set at an angle in the neck position, and a double Lipstick humbucker in the bridge, the ’64XT exists way outside the Strat/Tele/off set continuum.

It has a vintage pawnshop look, old-school tone, but it has the modern player in mind. This is a hugely tweakable, high-functioning electric dressed to look like an oddball. The coil-tap on the tone control offers a singlecoil voicing of the dual Lipstick humbucker, with all the lively mid-high twang that entails. 

In its natural humbucker mode, you’ll find plenty of chewy attitude, not necessarily super-hot but with enough hair to tease some gnarly breakup from your amp. It partners overdrive well, loves fuzz, and if you like to play in the styles of Ron Asheton or Johnny Ramone you’ll find all the power you need.

But what of more subtle tones? That’s where the tone controls and neck pickup comes into its own. With the tone control’s taper offering a wide sweep you can get some really cool nasally tones when overdriven, and warm spangly cleans that work really well for blues and rock ’n’ roll, inviting experimentation with time-based effects.

With a guitar that doesn’t look like it fits in anywhere, that invitation is open-ended for those players looking to take their sound into bold new directions. Roll back the treble and you can do jazz if that’s your bag, too, and the neck, slim as per the DC59M, has all the zip you need for fast, note-heavy runs.

The Wilkinson tremolo is perhaps a little modern, where a vintage two-point version would have been more appropriate. It’s not quite like watching Happy Days and seeing the Fonz wearing an Apple Watch but it’s kind of anachronistic. It is, however, stable, well engineered, and gives up plenty of wobble without throwing the whole shebang out of tune.

Final verdict

We’ve got ubiquitous Coke bottle headstocks, Masonite builds and bolt-on maple necks with the most rudimentary of heel joints throughout. The South Korean factory has lost nothing in translation in bringing a real feel of American rock ’n’ roll to the collection. How to choose? 

Well, first, there is an obvious outlier, the 59XT12. It is a specialist instrument, perhaps too weird form the majority of players to consider for their number-one guitar. We love having an electric 12-string with both singlecoil and humbucker voicings in the bridge; allied to the neck pickup, there is a lot of room to play with. 

This setup suits the ‘64XT well, too. And this is the one if you are looking to cover all bases, if you’re searching for a sound and need the thicker growl from humbucking pickups, and of course a tremolo. Danelectro say it’s the best-sounding guitar they’ve got. Maybe they're right.

But it is hard to see past the 60th Anniversary DC69M.  The NOS+ pickups are incredible, with a voice that belies their size, and this is exactly the kind of guitar that does not hide anything from the player, the kind that makes you a player better – and it will handle rock of all ages. 

As with all Danelectro models, if you see one you like, grab it, because they often switch up their lineup. That’s a bummer. But these are priced to facilitate impulse purchases, and with rock ’n’ roll guitars it’s alway best to go with your gut.

Best all-rounder: Danelectro DC59M NOS+

5 out of 5

Best for '60s psych: Danelectro 59X12

4 out of 5

Best for rock: Danelectro '64XT

4.5 out of 5

Specs

Danelectro DC59M NOS+

• PRICE: $469 / £529 street
• BODY: Masonite with poplar frame
• NECK: Maple, bolt-on
• FINGERBOARD: Pau ferro
• FRETS: 21
• SCALE: 25”
• PICKUPS: 2x Danelectro NOS+ Lipstick singlecoils (neck and bridge)
• CONTROLS: 2x stacked volume and tone
• SWITCHING: 3-position toggle
• HARDWARE: Fully adjustable wraparound bridge, vintage-style tuners
• FINISH: Deep Blue MetalFlake [as reviewed], Silver MetalFlake
• CONTACT: Danelectro Guitars

Danelectro '59x12

• PRICE: $499 / £455 street
• BODY: Chambered Masonite with centre block and spruce frame
• NECK: Maple, bolt-on
• FINGERBOARD: Pau ferro
• FRETS: 21
• SCALE: 24.5”
• PICKUPS: 1x Danelectro Dual Lipstick humbucker (bridge), Danelectro vintage-style large housing singlecoil (neck)
• CONTROLS: 1x volume, 1x tone with push-pull coil-tap for bridge pickup
• SWITCHING: 3-position toggle
• HARDWARE: Fully adjustable 12-string vintage-style tuners
• FINISH: Blood Red [as reviewed], Vintage Cream, Black

Danelectro '64XT

• PRICE: $499 / £522 street
• BODY: Chambered Masonite with centre block and spruce frame
• NECK: Maple, bolt-on
• FINGERBOARD: Pau ferro
• FRETS: 21
• SCALE: 24.5”
• PICKUPS: 1x Danelectro Dual Lipstick humbucker (bridge), Danelectro vintage-style large housing singlecoil (neck)
• CONTROLS: 1x volume, 1x tone with push-pull coil-tap for bridge pickup
• SWITCHING: 3-position toggle
• HARDWARE: Wilkinson floating tremolo, vintage-style tuners
• FINISH: 3-Tone Sunburst [as reviewed], Gloss Black, Vintage Cream, Blood Red, Dark Aqua, Black

Danelectro has introduced the ‘59M NOS+ electric guitar in fresh Red and Orange Metalflake finishes, celebrating the flagship model‘s 60th anniversary.

In addition to the new all-over finish (matching headstock sparkle included), the new model sports NOS+ lipstick pickups for “enhanced highs, punchier mids and solid lows.”

Other features include a short-horn double-cutaway lightweight Masonite body, Coke-bottle headstock and fully adjustable recessed bridge.

There’s also a white "seal" shaped designed scratchplate, dual-concentric volume and tone controls and a three-way selector switch.

The ‘59M NOS+ Metalflake is available for $499 at Danelectro, and follows the recent launch of the Ice Gray-finished ‘64XT.

Danelectro has released its ‘64XT electric guitar in a new, and rather arresting, Ice Gray “all-over” finish.  

In addition to the striking color, which covers the body, neck and “Coke bottle” headstock, the vintage-shaped ‘64XT features an offset, reversed double-cutaway chambered body with a black marble pickguard.

There’s also a large single coil pickup angled at the neck, and a dual humbucking lipstick pickup at the bridge installed at the opposite angle, with coil tapping facilities via the master tone control.

Other features include a fully adjustable Wilkinson vibrato, precision-cut graphite nut, geared machine heads and master volume and master tone controls and three-way selector switch.

The ‘64XT is offered for $549. For more information, head to Danelectro.

Danelectro has announced the 59 Divine electric guitar, which sports a double cutaway, short-horn body designed to pay homage to the company’s Deluxe model originally released in 1959.

The Divine boasts a solid spruce body, 21-fret rosewood fingerboard, fully adjustable bridge, precision-cut bone nut and Gotoh vintage 15:1 tuners.

The reissue is also upgraded with a pair of Vintage 50’s single-coil lipstick pickups with original USA wiring.

Finishes are a choice of Dark Walnut, Flame Maple or Fresh Cream top and back, set off with front and back cream body bindings, cream/brown stacked pointer volume and tone controls and a cream headstock.  

The 59 Divine is available now for $699 - for more information, head to Danelectro.

Everyone loves a 12-string. Well… except guitar players. Whoa, calm down! Don’t bite my head off just yet! What I’m saying is, typically, a 12-string isn’t a player’s first choice in an electric guitar. 

Yes, a 12-string guitar sounds amazing and we love it for many reasons, but mostly for the chorusy shimmer produced by its double-octave and unison-tuned strings, and how it also can bring intense earnestness to a cheesy song. But let’s face it: a 12-string is often regarded as a utility guitar for the studio or kind of a showstopper live instrument when you really want to impress (Hotel California, anyone?). 

However, I’m going to stop giving this instrument backhanded compliments because I really do love an electric 12-string, but have never had the urge to own one - until now. Danelectro, who continually refresh their very hip instruments, used their popular 59XT guitar as the platform to introduce the 59X12, an affordable and widely versatile electric 12-string.

The 59X12 is solid and well-built with the ultra-cool short-horn body style of their original ’59DC. It features a semi-hollow body design to reduce weight and add resonance, a maple neck with a pau ferro fingerboard, a fully adjustable hardtail bridge, master volume and tone, and a three-way switch. 

What sets the 59X12 apart is its full-range lipstick humbucker (that has push-pull coil-split accessed by the tone control) in the bridge, and a reverse-angled P-90 neck pickup. The wealth of electrified 12-string tones are staggering - with the lipstick humbucker able to reproduce that early R.E.M. and Tom Petty style of jangle with astonishing conviction, or the bright bell-like chime on Mr. Tambourine Man.

The guitar loudly rings out chords with firm clarity and sounds remarkably full. You can also get surprisingly close to acoustic-electric tones when both pickups are active and engaging the coil-split. Add to that its low action and you have no excuse not to play the Eagles’ biggest hit for your fans.

STREET PRICE: $499
MANUFACTURER: Danelectro, danelectro.com

NAMM 2020: Danelectro is making big strides in the pedal arena once more this year with the launch of three stompboxes boasting highly sought-after circuits.

The 3699 Fuzz, Back Talk Reverse Delay and Roebuck Distortion are all based on classic designs: the Foxx Tone Machine (previously seen under the Dano badge as the French Toast); Dano’s own revered Back Talk; and the Ibanez MT10 MOSFET Distortion, respectively.

Dano president Steve Ridinger was the man behind the original Foxx Tone Machine, so it’s fitting to see him revamp the circuit for the present day; the 3699 promises a more pronounced, footswitchable octave, a “warmer” tone, and a mid-boost toggle, the latter of which is a particularly welcome addition.

The Back Talk, meanwhile, recreates Dano’s classic ’90s effect, with a tape-like reverse delay that’s not quite like any other.

Finally, the Roebuck promises hugely versatile MOSFET tones, courtesy of a three-band EQ and three-way clipping mode switch.

The pedals were first revealed in JHS Pedals’ must-see interview with Dano president Steve Ridinger, which you can watch below.

All three will be available in the coming months, priced at $199 apiece - that's notably higher than Danelectro’s previous pedals, but these new incarnations do come with relic’d metal enclosures, metal jacks and true-bypass switching.

There’s no info on Danelectro’s official site yet, so you’ll have to visit Sweetwater for more on these for now.

Back in May, the guitar world was rocked by the revelation that tone icon Mark Knopfler had switched to Kemper Profiling Amps for tour dates in support of new album Down The Road Wherever - and now we have more details on the gear that’s populating the rest of his rig.

In a conversation with Guitar Player, longtime Knopf tech Glen Saggers dished the dirt on the Dire Straits legend’s electric guitars, tunings, strings and just how those Kempers were set up.

“For the recording of Down the Road Wherever, we used three signature Stratocasters, along with Mark’s vintage Strats,” Saggers reveals.

“He also relied on his custom Pensa guitars, his signature Les Pauls, a Grosh Electrajet and a Danelectro 59 DC tuned to open C and set up for slide.

“All electric guitars are strung with D’Addario XL110s, except for one Strat, which is strung with D’Addario XL115, and the Danelectro, which is strung with D’Addario EJ21.

“On tour, we’re using Kemper Profilers. We carry two, the main unit and a backup, and both are powered via a Furman Power Conditioner to avoid power spikes. Mark’s amps were profiled at British Grove studios over a period of months, and then those profiles were refined during band rehearsals.”

Those string gauges are particularly pertinent, since Knopfler had previously told Guitar Player that they affect the way he writes.

“Even a different string gauge can create something completely different,” he mused.

“Very often I’ve found that if I’m playing something with very heavy strings, I’m not bending them, and it leaves room for something else to happen.”

Danelectro has introduced a trio of new electric guitar models—the 60th Anniversary DC59M, the DC59X12 12-string and the DG64XT, a modern adaptation of the off-set, reversed double cutaway from the Fifties.

The 60th Anniversary DC59M boasts a double-cutaway Shorthorn shape, two NOS+ lipstick pickups, two stacked tone and volume controls, a three-way pickup selector, 25″ scale length, 21 frets and a fully adjustable wraparound bridge.

The 60th Anniversary DC59M is available in Deep Blue Metalflake and Silver Metalflake finishes at a street price of $469.

Danelectro calls the DC59X12 its “best sounding 12-string ever.” The guitar features a double-cutaway Shorthorn shape, 25″ scale length, 21 frets, a fully adjustable 12-string bridge, a dual humbucking Lipstick pickup and vintage-style large-housing single-coil neck pickup, master volume and master tone with a push pull switch to split the bridge pickup and a 3-way pickup selector.

The DC59X12 is available in Black, Cream and Dark Red finishes at a street price of $499.

The DG64XT boasts a reversed double cutaway offset horn shape, 24.5″ scale length, 22 frets, a Wilkinson vibrato bridge, a dual humbucking lipstick bridge pickup and vintage-style large-housing single-coil neck pickup, master volume and master tone with a push-pull switch to split the bridge pickup and a three-way pickup switch.

The DG64XT is available in Black, Vintage Cream or 3-tone Sunburst at a street price of $499.

For more information, head to Danelectro.

In this new clip, GW Tech Editor Paul Riario checks out the Eisenhower Fuzz and Breakdown pedals from Danelectro. You can watch the video above. 

The first two of a promised line of vintage pedals, the Eisenhower Fuzz and Breakdown both feature silent true bypass switching.

The Eisenhower Fuzz is said to be based on "one of the greatest octave fuzz pedals ever," but adds gain and EQ controls to the mix. The pedal also features a flat-sculpt toggle for the purpose of adding bass and dropping mids.

The Breakdown features a six-position selector that attenuates the input to the pedal. The first three are designed to be constantly left on, while the latter three hit the input of the amp hard for break-up tones.

The Eisenhower Fuzz and The Breakdown are available now for $149 apiece.

To find out more, head on over to danelectro.com.

Danelectro has unveiled its new Eisenhower Fuzz and The Breakdown overdrive pedals.

The first two of a promised line of vintage pedals, the Eisenhower Fuzz and Breakdown both feature silent true bypass switching.

The Eisenhower Fuzz is said to be based on "one of the greatest octave fuzz pedals ever," but adds gain and EQ controls to the mix. The pedal also features a flat-sculpt toggle for the purpose of adding bass and dropping mids.

The Breakdown features a six-position selector that attenuates the input to the pedal. The first three are designed to be constantly left on, while the latter three hit the input of the amp hard for break-up tones.

The Danelectro Eisenhower Fuzz and The Breakdown overdrive are available now for $149 apiece.

For more info on the pedals, head on over to danelectro.com.

So, it seems Kylie Jenner — part of the inescapable fame-chasing Kardashian Empire — will soon become a billionaire with her wildly successful cosmetics company. What does that have to do with this review? Well, nothing (I’m just frustrated I didn’t buy stock here). But, it reminds me that Danelectro is capitalizing on their esteemed brand with a wealth of new pedals — called Billionaire by Danelectro — that not only sound pretty damn good, but also offer a lot of bang for the buck. I decided for this review, I’d take out the Big Spender Spinning Speaker pedal for a whirl.

The Big Spender is a rotary speaker effect in a compact and rugged die-cast housing, and is true-bypass. Each control on the pedal is perfectly conceived to offer the most amount of versatility for the Leslie-type effect. Unity gain on the volume knob begins at nine o’clock, and as you increase it, it can either clean boost the signal or clip into overdrive. The treble knob doesn’t alter your tone but as you turn it up, it brings in noticeable sparkle. The speed control sets the fast and slow range of the spin, and in combination with the ramp footswitch, it gradually accelerates or decelerates from where you set the speed. It takes roughly ten seconds for the effect to ramp up from slow to fast and vice versa, indicated by an LED that blinks from green (slowest) to red (fastest) until it flashes solid where the effect remains. The pedal runs on a 9V battery or can be powered by a 9-volt AC adapter.

For a rotary speaker effect, I have to say the Big Spender is neither fat sounding, nor juicy, but it is incredibly clear with lots of shimmer, which makes the Leslie-like effect actually stand out. It nails some glossy keyboard textures, along with warbly vibrato. I also found that setting the speed knob at ten o’clock, the Big Spender has a pleasing slow speed chorus that sounds like a double-tracked guitar. Another nifty trick is you can tap the footswitch twice, from a fast speed to ramp up to an even faster speed to get Leslie organ stabs.

STREET PRICE: $79
MANUFACTURER: Billionaire by Danelectro, billionairetone.com

Danelectro has unveiled its new ’66T and ’59X guitars. The new axes add Wilkinson tremolos and coil-splittable humbuckers to classic designs.

The Danelectro '66 is now available as the '66T (pictured above). The guitar features Wilkinson vibrato, as well as a vintage-style single coil in the neck and a twin lipstick humbucker in the bridge. That humbucker is coil-splittable via a push/pull tone control.

The ’66T’s semi-hollow body comes equipped with a solid centre-block. The guitar is available in Transparent Orange, Transparent Blue, Gloss Black and 3 Tone Sunburst finishes, and is also available in identical, baritone form as the ’66BT Baritone.

The '59X adds an offset, high-output humbucker-sized single-coil neck pickup, plus a lipstick humbucker in the bridge, to Danelectro's iconic '59 design.

The '59X's humbucker can be split via a push/pull tone control, and a tremolo option is available as the ’59XT.

The '59X is available in Cream, Dark Blue, Dark Red and Black finishes, while the '59XT is available in Gloss Black, Aqua, Burgundy and Silver finishes.

The Danelectro ’59X ($449), ’59XT ($499), ’66T ($749) and ’66BT ($799) are all available now.

For more info on the guitars, head on over to danelectro.com.

Danelectro has unveiled its new Cash Cow overdrive pedal. The latest offering from Danelectro's Billionaire series, the Cash Cow aims to produce the sound of a 100-watt amp stack from a pedal.

The pedal features all-metal construction, a soft-touch true bypass footswitch and a 9V power supply operation. Its tones run the gamut from oversaturated to classic.

You can watch a demo of the pedal below.

The Danelectro Cash Cow overdrive pedal is available now for $79. For more info, head on over to billionairetone.com.

When it comes to guitars with the perfect combination of cool styling, righteous tones and amazing value, Danelectro has been the guitar industry’s shining city on the hill since 1954. That’s truer today than ever before, as Danelectro’s current products offer an alluring combination of vintage appeal and modern high-performance upgrades that make Dano guitars incredibly versatile.

Danelectro’s new ’59XT is the perfect example of where the company stands today, as the model offers the classic shorthorn double-cutaway semi-hollowbody design, a wider tonal palette courtesy of its pickup configuration and a rock-solid Wilkinson tremolo. (Danelectro also offers the ’59X without the Wilkinson tremolo for all you hardtail purists out there.)

FEATURES
Like the Danelectro guitars of yesteryear, the ’59XT features a Masonite top and back, and the body has hollow inner chambers. Tonewood snobs may scoff, but in a blind listening test I doubt that most would notice and probably would prefer the Dano’s tone because it’s rich, thick, dynamic and musical. The neck has 21 jumbo frets with a shallow, rounded profile, and the neck’s profile itself is a shallow C shape that plays fast and comfortably. Classic features include the signature three-on-a-side Coke bottle headstock shape and die-cast chrome master volume and master tone knobs.

The pickups consist of a high-output single-coil P90 at the neck position and a pair of iconic Dano lipstick tube pickups placed side-by-side in a humbucking configuration at the bridge position. Both pickups are also angled, with the neck P90’s bass polepieces angled closer to the bridge while the bridge lipstick humbucker is angled with the treble string portion closer the bridge. The humbucking pickup also has a split coil function that is activated by pulling up on the master tone knob. The Wilkinson tremolo is floating, so users can raise or drop pitch.

PERFORMANCE
In terms of tone, the Danelectro ’59XT is an aggressive rock and roll beast. The P90 and lipstick humbucker roar with a vicious snarl that emphasizes delicious upper midrange frequencies that slice through a mix without sounding shrill or harsh. The hollow body is somewhat sensitive to high-gain amp settings and will produce feedback, but actually this guitar’s tonal sweetspot is a moderate amount of gain that provides the string attack with ample snap, spank and zing. The Wilkinson tremolo has a vintage-style non-locking design with all of the expected tonal benefits, but even the most aggressive whammy action won’t knock the strings out of tune.

STREET PRICE: $499
MANUFACTURER: Danelectro, danelectro.com

• The side-by-side lipstick humbucker bridge pickup provides classic Dano single-coil tones, thanks to a coil-split function activated by pulling up on the master tone knob.
• A floating Wilkinson tremolo allows players to perform modern rising-pitch or deep-diving whammy tricks while delivering rich, expressive tone—and without going out of tune.

THE BOTTOM LINE
If you love the timeless classic looks of a vintage Danelectro guitar but need more versatile modern performance as well as the most aggressive tones known to mankind, the ’59XT is the ax for you.

• Explore our pick of the best electric guitars under $500
• ...and the best beginner electric guitars

The electric sitar is often considered a novelty instrument that’s useful only for corny Indian music simulations, but songs like Steely Dan’s “Do It Again” and Van Halen’s “Primary” prove it can be a very inspiring alternative to the usual six-string solution. The reason more guitarists haven’t explored the sonic possibilities of the electric sitar is that original Sixties examples are rare and expensive, and newer reissues cost more than most guitarists want to pay for something that probably won’t be their main ax.

Enter Danelectro’s Baby Sitar, which is based on the Danelectro Sitar from the late Sixties, which the company offered as a lower-cost alternative to the Vinnie Bell Coral Sitar.

FEATURES
The Baby Sitar is almost identical to the 1967-69 version, with the same round, gourd-shaped body, single lipstick-tube pickup and “thermometer”-shape headstock. It also lacks the sympathetic strings found on the Coral sitar (which don’t really work as true sympathetic strings) and has a “buzz” bridge (now made by Gotoh), which is the source of the buzzing, sitar-like sound. However, this version also lacks the aluminum leg rest that supports the instrument when it’s played in a sitting position. Controls consist of volume and tone, and the neck has a 25-inch scale and 21 frets.

PERFORMANCE
The compact body shape may make the Baby Sitar “junior” sized, but the instrument is really a full-size guitar. It has six strings and is played just like a regular guitar, although for authentic sitar effects players may need to work on their string bending techniques and study a few exotic scales. The buzz bridge makes the attack more percussive and notes don’t sustain very long, but that’s the nature of sitar-like tone. With distortion and some effects, the Baby Sitar stimulates exploration of new sounds that go well beyond Ravi Shankar territory.

STREET PRICE: $499
MANUFACTURER: Danelectro, danelectro.com

THE BOTTOM LINE
Whether you want to simulate authentic sitar tones or stimulate exploration of an entirely new tonal territory, the Danelectro Baby Sitar provides an affordable ticket to an exotic wonderland.

Here are two videos of Guitar World's Damian Fanelli playing the Beatles' "Love You To" on his Danelectro Baby Sitar—first alone (just the intro), then with his band, the Blue Meanies (the full song). Enjoy!