By "beater" I mean fun,cheap guitar that you can put crap strings on and leave face down on the couch and not mind when your friends come over and play it...
Anyhow. I want to get a Danelectro as a beater. I'm not fan of the way the Hodad looks, Love the way the Silvertone models looks and inbetween is the u1 and u2...Which ones do you guys like the best and are there any BIG differences in sounds?

Nick

All new and most old Danelectros are beater guitars.

Hodads are horrible guitars.

See if you can't save the money on a beater guitar to put towards a better guitar/reverb unit/amp.

You can leave any guitar face down on the couch and you friends can play any guitar unless you have the worst friends ever.

If you wanted to spend a few more, I'd go with a vintage Danelectro. Or play a new one first and see if you like it, they just aren't the same and are just no fun to play, especially if you own the nice stuff. There is a vintage 1449 on ebay that I saw earlier today for 449, that might be the way to go.

It seems Danelectro are constantly re-issuing their models, with slightly different characteristics and built in different countries.

For instance, I believe the 2012 production is made in Korea and is supposed to have slightly hotter lipstick pickups than the previous batch (from China I think).

Plus some models are produced for a limited time, then discontinued, and then reissued a few years later (12 string model for instance).

This is all pretty confusing. As a result, sometimes two guitars of the same model but produced a few years apart may have more difference in sound than two different models from the same year.

I have played both a DC-2 and a '63 RI from a few years ago and couldn't find a big difference between the two. As beater guitars they are pretty cool, if a bit fragile. I'd expect most regular models to play and sound in the same ballpark, except the Hodad with the double lipsticks and the Bigsby, and the Dead On '67 (Hornet RI) since it's a solid wood model, not masonite.

There are other options to consider for a beater guitar: Xaviere, SX, Agile... Not as idiosyncratic as Danelectros though.

EDIT: Shawn beat me to it.

Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers.

Last edited: Jun 19, 2012 20:06:17

I've had my Hodad for a while, and like it a lot. Kind of looks like a cartoon guitar. The only other Dano I've played is the Dead On '67, and it just didn't feel right in my hands.

Why not get one of those Res-O-Glass bodies off the ebay and build yourself a guitar? That's what I'd like to try sometime.

ive always really wanted one of the convertible reissues, i think one would be perfect for what you want, single pickup, acoustic playability, really simple but cool looking at the same time

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I had a Dead On '67, also known as a Hornet, in an orangy sort of color. Super light and actually made from solid wood, I would guess bass wood. The surf band I was in considered it surfy indeed and the lipstick pickups had a bright tone that made it work well for rhythm playing. Paid $150 for it and not a scratch on it, sold it and wish I had it back.

I bought a Danelectro DE 59 a few weeks ago for 150 Euros! Complete in copper color incl. matching head. This is a great reissue!
I like the weight of it!
The last gig with Los Apollos I played the Danelectro the whole gig!
http://i865.photobucket.com/albums/ab215/surfer-666/Miscellaneous/CIMG1384.jpg
What a sound! BUT: For me just the middle position is very good! The bridge pickup alone is very thin sounding and less volume... (Maybe I will spend the guitar a better bridge PU), the neck pickup is good but I never play neck pickup...
So this guitar is great for at home playing too for sure. Nice looking and resonating body!
Highly recommended!

I bought one of those black Longhorns a few years ago and sold it rapidly. I didn`t liked the neck and the playability. And mine had a poor poor sound...

So get a Dano DE 59 from ths Reissue series and be happy!
They are very cheap now:
http://www.thomann.de/de/danelectro_1959_reissue_double_cutaway_co.htm

Twang cheers!

Ralf Kilauea

www.kilaueas.de

https://kilaueas.bandcamp.com/album/touch-my-alien

Oddly enough, the Longhorn Guitarlins are the ones you can get a chunk of cash for. I agree with Ralf that they aren't the most playable models. While they have that upper range for the mandolin sound, the frets are so close to together that it's useless unless you're playing slide

Shawn Martin
http://www.drummerman.net
http://www.youtube.com/GKacedrummerman
http://www.facebook.com/drumuitar

I've seen Jerry Jones Guitars occasionally go for cheap prices. They're basically well made Danelectros; I have an early Longhorn Bass of his ('91 I think), & with flatwound strings it's a killer recording Bass!
I'll second the Brownsvilles too; I loaded one up with Teisco pickups & it's a joy to play. Little on the quirky side, but quirky is always handy to have in the arsenal.

BTW, I have an original Dano Baritone; great sound & heaps of Mojo; just wish i could find a Trem to suit it. I always found it interesting that Glen Campbell used Carol Kaye's Fender Bass VI to record Galveston/Witcheta Lineman; yet when it came to getting his own six string Bass, he went with a Danelectro!