I actually LOVE my Hodad! In fact, I bought two sparkly blue ones because I like them so much. I used one on the recent Gremmies CD for a particular solo that I wanted a spanky tone on, and a DiPinto on everything else. And wouldn't ya know it, the thing that everyone says to me is how much they like the tone of that one solo that i used the Dano on.

The pickusp are NOT (repeat!) are not humbuckers. They're 2 lipsticks, wired in paralel, so you still get an independant single lipstick tone from them. They're also wired for 2 push/pull switchs: Series/paralel and phase in/out, which gives you crazy amounts of tonal variations. In fact, I liked this setup so much that when I built my custom Surf guitar, I went with the same dual lipstick push/pull configuration.

Since I play in a 3 piece band as the sole guitarist, I don't really have the issue of fighting with another guitarist in the mix. But, I also have the responsibility of having the "main" tone of the band, and with the rig I use, the Hodad sounds fantastic.

The only thing that keeps me from using the Hodads as my main gigging guitars is that they're a 25 scale, and that feels a tad short to me...I'm constantly moving the guitar around on my shoulder to readjust it, because it feels "smaller" than I'm used to. But in the studio, band practice, practice at home, writing, etc I use the Hodads 100% of the time. I love 'em!

"Beer: The cause of--and solution to--all of life's problems" Homer J. Simpson

Turnip: The pickups are NOT (repeat!) are not humbuckers. They're 2 lipsticks, wired in parallel...

Hmm...this is news to me. Parallel, huh? Are you sure about this? I think this demands further investigation. I had better get a beer and a screwdriver, in that order.

SSIV

Well, Los Straitjackets seem to be doing o.k. with them!

I have the DiPinto Galaxy with the 5 position switch. I personally like it...wide, thin neck, and a very "long" feel to it. When I'm doing fast double picking, I have plenty of room for my right hand to move around. The neck is angled on it, so you can lower those 2 middle pickups way down and you'll never hit them while picking.

Now, here's the thing: I've been fighting with the bridge pickup on mine for like 2 years. I just can't get my sound out of it, and I've tried different caps, different pots, etc. They sound fine clean, but i toss on a little gain for a few solos, and the minute you do that, that bridge pickup squeals like Ned Beatty in Deliverance. And, it's not as easy as just swapping the pickup out, because the string spacing is slightly wider than say, a Strat replacement pickup. I tired that, and I lost my high E string in the mix. So I put the original DiPinto pickup back in.

Now I'm using an EQ in the effects loop of the amp, and that seems to help. Overall, it's a great guitar...never goes out of tune on me live, (and I beat that tremolo like it owes me money) and feels nice and sturdy. So as long as you're not kicking on any distortion or gain, I'd recommend it.

"Beer: The cause of--and solution to--all of life's problems" Homer J. Simpson

Hi, Gramps,

The bridge is supposed to wiggle when you crank on the whammy bar....otherwise, you would be breaking strings. Jaguar and Jazzmaster bridges wiggle noticeably, too. On a Strat the whole assembly moves, so it doesn't look like it is wiggling.

Jack
aka WoodyJ

The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005)
The Hula Hounds (1996-current)
The X-Rays (1997-2004)
The Surge! (2004, 2011-2012)
Various non-surf bands that actually made money (1978-1990)

Whats the deal with Dan Electro? I mean, which one did Jimmy Page use? (Apparently Stairway to Heaven solo was his Dano) Is there a top shelf Dano? Also, I saw MOAM (clone) at amoeba records in sf (about 5-6 years ago)and they were using the 180$ model and it sounded awesome, but you cant get to the trussrod. was this the hodad? And finally, I was thinking of getting the 12 string just for shits and giggles...Anybody have one?

I used to have a Supro in 1963 , also an Airline and some Japanese one called a"Blackstone". Then Vietnam and no guitar for years and years, had a band in 1964 called the Royal Sportsman and another called the Delmonts in the ST. Clair Shores Michigan area.(Detroit)
Went back stage in 1988 in Kalamazoo Michigan with Don Wilson, Mel Taylor, Gerry McGee and the rest of the guys even taped an interview with them.
Still playing Surf Music. Do we ever grow up?

MikeyK
... it would squeal like a damned pig at stage volumes...was absolutely unusable...

Danelectro lipsticks can be microphonic...so squealing feedback can be an issue...also electrical shorts can sometimes cause noisy-ness and squeals...

-dp

I got a couple Danelectro's.....a guitar and a bass and i really like them both. Fat Dog in Berkeley,Ca. modified my guitar a little bit (brass bridge) and it stays in tune a lot better.

Drawing by John Seaburry of Psychotic Pineapple!

The TakeOffs
"Kauai's Only All-Instrumental Surf Band"
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-TakeOffs/312866840587

I was wondering which BBE booster you use for good results? Are you talking the blue full-spectrum Boosta Grande? Or the green high-frequency only 'Freq Boost' pedal? My intuition is that a high-frequency only booster would not mate well to lipsticks, but maybe I don't understand them?

Thanks.

I was talking about the Boosta Grande. If you are concerned about a treble spike, just use a graphic EQ. That'll boost your gain enough to compensate for the lipsticks, and you can push your mids or bottom if you want.

However, my lipstick guitars (3 at present count) take a treble boost fine! How else would I play "secret agent man" with this?

^wr:

those look like the new Danelectro "Pro" with the wacky space-age body...I wish they offered a 3-pickup Bigsby version of that ugly Tangerine one...I'd get it for sure!

-dp