NGD: Danelectro Dano 63

[The Cooler King]

I just took advantage of a sudden price drop at Thomann in Germany (and also the fact that the Pound is performing well against the Euro right now) to pick up a Danelectro Dano 63 for a shade over £120 (about $190 US) delivered to London, as part of a bigger order. I was obviously buying sight unseen but at this price I felt it was worth a punt as I’ve wanted to try one of these out for a long while but haven’t been able to get my hands on one.

Curiously enough, it was only the Redburst version that dropped in price (to 153 Euro), all of the other colours remain at a still reasonable 173 Euro. But since it was the Redburst one that I wanted this worked out great for me.

Initial impressions:

It is much more solidly built than I expected. I was anticipating something like a high grade toy but this is actually a pretty well constructed instrument.

It looks even prettier in real life than it does in pictures.

Well set up, although the action is a little on the high side and, looking at the nut and bridge, I’m not sure how adjustable it will be. That said, it is still very playable. I suspect that the action is deliberately set this way to be just high enough that you could play slide without any adjustments, which is something I intend to try out.

The neck is very comfortable and the matte finish makes it easy to work up and down.

There were a couple of minor flaws:

- A tiny bit of excess glue at the 12th and 13th frets, which is only noticeable at certain angles.

- The main oddity was a slight protrusion along one edge of the pickguard, where it hadn’t been cut precisely, but I was able to smooth this off with a nail file. Unfortunately, I put a slight surface scratch in the finish while doing this Anyone smarter and less hasty than me would, of course, have removed the pickguard before filing. Thankfully the scratch is barely noticeable unless you go looking for it. Even so, pretty dumb!

The short neck initially felt really alien and I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to get used to it. But I actually adjusted very quickly and it feels quite natural now. Sure, upper fret access isn’t the most comfortable but still manageable. I can reach up to about the 15th fret without having to adjust my grip and I don’t play much above there anyway.

All in all, I’m really loving this guitar. For the price I paid it’s a no brainer, just ridiculous value for money. It has a nice resonance unplugged and although I haven’t really put it to the test when plugged in I was pleased with the sounds the pickups produced.

A not-so-great photo (I don’t have a decent camera, unfortunately):

[The Cooler King]

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post links to products in here. But in case anybody in the UK, or indeed the EU, wants to take advantage of the price drop, here's the link to the Redburst model:

http://www.thomann.de/gb/danelectro_...3_redburst.htm

I'm sure you can manage to find the other colours from there.

[cheapgtrs]

Love it:-)

[basher]

Oh, man. The Silvertone version of that was my very first electric guitar. I need to get one of those.

[NastyMojo]

Sweet!

[Loganloveguitar]

man I almost got a peach one once but I felt it would be too cheap and chincy feeling, which I guess is the point

[Reverbely]

I've had a peach one for two years or so and love it. The bridge pick up is great. I used to play it solely on the neck pickup or bridge but really like the middle setting with both on. It's a good fun guitar to pick up and play some jangly tunes.

[bossking7]

Looks great!

[The Cooler King]

Originally Posted by Loganloveguitar

man I almost got a peach one once but I felt it would be too cheap and chincy feeling

I really thought it would be cheap feeling too but, I gotta tell you, I'm pleasantly surprised by how well put together it is.

I mean, let's not kid ourselves, it's far from a premium instrument and it is very obviously constructed from cheap materials. However, as an overall product it looks, feels and plays much better than I'd expected, especially given the price point.

[Loganloveguitar]

Originally Posted by The Cooler King

I really thought it would be cheap feeling too but, I gotta tell you, I'm pleasantly surprised by how well put together it is.

I mean, let's not kid ourselves, it's far from a premium instrument and it is very obviously constructed from cheap materials. However, as an overall product it looks, feels and plays much better than I'd expected, especially given the price point.

oh good to hear, I might pick one of these up in the future for the pricetag they have on ebay , I still want a peach one lol

HNGD and glad you like it , what are the pickups like , like what guitar do they kind of sound like ?

[bo]

Danos by design perform well. They're just designed to be built at a low price point. I think they're brilliant. I have the baritone version of that one in gold. Good score!

[The Cooler King]

Originally Posted by Loganloveguitar

what are the pickups like , like what guitar do they kind of sound like ?

My other guitars are a Tele, a Strat and an SG. Of those, I guess it sounds, to my ears at least, most like the Tele. Although the Strat isn't a million miles off either. Position 4 on the strat is in the same ballpark as the Dano's middle position.

Really, though, it has its own sound, which I'd describe as quite open and chimey. You can certainly hear the hollowness in the way it resonates, but I mean that in a good way, sort of like an amplified resonator.

I'm really struggling to explain what I mean. This clip sounds pretty accurate for the clean sound (haven't tried it overdriven yet) so hopefully it will make more sense than I have

[idjster]

That's really beautiful, Cooler King! I've had my eye on a couple of Danelectros for a while and this is one of them. Congratulations!

[The Cooler King]

Thanks, guys, for all the congrats and supportive words.

To those of you who have been eyeing up one of these for awhile, like I had been, I'd urge you to check one out. I'm immensely happy with mine

[Flaneur]

That price is ridiculous. Danos are a pleasure everyone can afford. Killer for slide- and just flick the switch, for overdrive!

[Dan German]

I don't think I could be happy without a Danelectro or two around the house--congratulations on a great deal!

[spayne99]

Nice! I just had to let mine go on eBay to fund other stuff. I've got a Gretsch G5435 and a Tele, and the Dano had a sweet sound but wasn't getting much play. Really cool guitar.

[gypsyseven]

Congrats man, i would love to have that guitar in seafoam green....

[shorty1]

Now you just ruined my day.I have to get another Dano.

[twintwelve]

I love my Dano U-2! To adjust the brige, just run the screws on the bridge down into the body a bit--works fine!