Menu
Hi. I had a Dano Hodad with tremelo for about a year and then traded it for
a Fender MIM Strat. I liked the Hodad a lot and I agree with all of the
positive things that have been said about it, but I also had an issue with
it, which is the neck joint. Just like on most cheap guitars from the '60s,
there's really not much holding the neck onto the body. Compare the Dano
Hodad with a Fender Jaguar. On the Jaguar, the neck fits into a substantial
pocket of thick, solid wood, on the Hodad, it's a comparatively thin piece
of wood and not much of a pocket. When I bought the Hodad, the action was
fantastic all the way up the neck, but it slowly started raising. I realized
that it wasn't the neck that was bending or warping, it was the thin body
wood. Using the Bigsby-style tremelo puts a lot of stress on the neck pocket
and I feel that the Hodad doesn't have a substantial-enough pocket for this.
Anyway, don't be dissuaded by my solitary issue with the Hodad. I loved the
flat radius of the neck and the pickup tone. Besides, I eventually traded
that strat for a second Jaguar and I admit to having had regrets over
selling the Dano!
Now, to tie Mosrite in with this discussion, I mentioned my second Jaguar.
Until two weeks ago, I only had 2 guitars: a white MIJ Jaguar and a sunburst
CIJ Jaguar. Last year, I put Seymour Duncan pickups in the beat-up white Jag
and it sounds incredible. Consequently, I never played the sunburst Jag,
which was in good shape, and it just sat in my closet. I've been wanting to
buy a Mosrite for a long time and I finally decided to do it. So, I had to
pick one of the guitars to sell. Although my white Jag is beat-up, I've had
it the longest, taken it apart a million times, have cool stickers on it and
love how it sounds with the Seymour Duncan pickups. I know it inside and out
and have strong affection for it (at least as strong as you can have for a
guitar). So, two weeks ago, I sold the sunburst Jag on eBay.
Then, last week, I bought a '72 Mosrite on eBay. It's similar to the
Ventures Mosrite, but was made when Semi Mosely bought the Mosrite name back
and was after the Ventures stopped endorsing the guitar. So, it doesn't say
"The Ventures" on it. In '74/'75, the Mosrite necks got chunkier, but in
'72, when this one was made, the necks were thinner than ever before and
just a little wider. It should fit my hands perfectly! I should be getting
it on Tuesday or Wednesday. I'll let you know how it works out. I suspect
that the Jaguar will always be my favorite guitar, but the Mosrite has such
a different sound from the Jaguar, it will be a lot of fun.
Tom
www.oberlin.edu/staff/thinders/ (new address)
wobc.org (Tsunami Soul Show, Thursdays, 6-8 p.m., EST)
> >
> > I am wondering about the Hodad.
> > >
> > > Harmony Central gear reviews aren't the gospel, but the
> > reviews for
> > the Hodad were mostly very positive.
> > > Is it really a decent guitar, or were the reviewers all
> > on the
> > Danelectro payroll?
