NAMM 2010 – Danelectro 50th Anniversary Guitars
By MNJ
| Posted in Music Technology
Danelectro Double Cutaway 1959 Reissue guitars with original factory specs were unveiled at NAMM at the weekend. The four models are based on the ’59 model shape but faithfully reproduce the original guitar made in the late 1950s.
These double cutaway guitars all feature a poplar and masonite body with original spec textured tape edging, a bolt-on poplar neck with rosewood fingerboard and three in-line open back machine heads. They are all equipped with the lipstick tube pickups that have always been a major feature with Danos as well as the concentric tone and volume pots.
First off is the DC59O-CU in Copper finish. It’s classed ‘O’ spec, has a rosewood bridge saddle and Kluson style tuners.
Second in line is the DC59O-WH in White finish. This guitar is also ‘O’ spec and features gold hardware, a rosewood bridge saddle, Kluson style tuners and dual concentric pots.
Next up is the DC59O-PSY in a hand painted Psychedelic finish. It features a rosewood bridge saddle, Kluson Style tuners and single knurled alloy dome rotary pots.
Last is the DC59M-BLK in Black which is classed as ‘M’ – or modified – spec. It features a Badass bridge/tailpiece with fully adjustable saddles, Kluson style tuners and dual concentric pots.
There are some very famous names who have used Danelectros down the years. John Enwistle was one of the first name bass players to use the Longhorn Bass. The story goes that due to the scarcity of spare strings at the time that fitted the Danelectro Longhorns, when he broke one he simply went out and bought a new bass! Jimmy Page used a modified 59-DC double cutaway model in his session days and in concert with Led Zeppelin, notably on songs like In My Time of Dying, Babe I’m Gonna Leave You and occasionally Kashmir. It’s the new Anniversay DC59M, with its Badass bridge, which is the nearest replica to the one Page used. In Eric Clapton’s time with Blind Faith, he’s pictured with a double cutaway psychedelic Dano and its the new DC59O-PSY which aims – unofficially – to emulate his original. There’s a rare picture of a certain James Marshall Hendrix posing with a Danelectro, as well as Elvis – in US Army uniform – plus Rory Gallagher and Phil Lynott.
The story about how the lipstick tube pickups came about is an interesting one. The pickups were designed by Nathan Daniel, the founder of Danelectro, and they were a typical design of an alnico magnet wrapped with copper wire. He couldn’t decide on a design for the cover but he had heard of a cosmetics company who had surplus unused lipstick tubes so he puchased a quantity. The pickup was then simply fitted inside the two halves of the tube and the rest is history.
The Danelectro 50th Anniversay Guitars sees a return of the classics that were involved, albeit in a small way, in some significant moments in rock history.
Tags: danelectro, danelectro 59dc, dc59m-blk, dc59o-cu, dc59o-psy, dc59o-wh
Syd Barret from Pink Floyd’s early daze also played a DC-59!
Alex