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I used to be a regular Pbass kinda guy , and then started using Rics. When the first Dano reissues appeared I was excited because I had always wanted a Longhorn , but they were not common around here. So I was happy to see the reissues. The only problem was I wasn’t crazy about the short scale. I got one , and it was fun , incredibly light , and surprisingly versatile. The next thing I knew it had become my main bass. I don’t quite understand just how that happened , but I’ve come to accept it. Danos are weird little things , Nathan Daniel wanted to make cheap playable instruments that anyone could afford. He cut every imaginable corner to keep the costs down. These originals were made in the Neptune NJ factory , by New Jersey housewives with little to zero woodworking experience. They did ok. The reissues were surprisingly true to the originals , except they had adjustable truss rods , Daniel felt the adjustable truss rod was the weakest part of guitar design. He used two steel T shaped rods that were not going to shift. They did a great job of re-engineering the legendary lipstick pickups. And they made the body using a wooden frame and glueing Masonite to it. Genius! I’m still not sure if the Longhorn is cool as heck , or butt ugly. And I’m ok with that too.

There is a sweet spot for that wooden bridge where the intonation is fine. Those wooden bridges sound better than the adjustable metal ones do. With those early reissues you have to remove the neck to adjust the trussrod , it’s a good thing they tend to be stable , I’ve only adjusted mine once in twenty four years. edit … I’d bet someone removed the tape before you got it. I’m pretty sure it left Korea with tape.

They were made in various factories , it started in Korea with the Shinko factory in 98 ,I think they moved to another factory before moving to China , and now they’re back in Korea. So they’re all over the map. That first batch from the Shinko factory are said to be the best , and they do fetch a premium price. My Longhorn is a Shinko , my Dolphin is Chinese (I think) and my most recent DC is Korean. The Longhorn is easily the best sounding one. Oh the others sound good , but that Shinko is a beauty.

My Longhorn has twenty four year old strings , and they still sound great. It’s got one deep, rich, woody thump. I remember it could be seriously twangy with the bridge pickup back when the strings were fresh. I’ve got fairly recent LaBella flats on my other two Dano shortscales , a 59DC and a 56 Dolphin nose. I have a set of LaBella flats on standby in case I lose a winding or break a string.

I’m usually ok , but my lower back flares up every once in a while. Lightweight modern cabs and heads help. Playing a Dano does too. Mine was initially triggered carrying a monster tv down a flight of stairs about a dozen years ago. It just flares up every once in a while.

I don’t know about the two saddle bridge having compromised intonation , I’ve always managed to adjust the two saddle bridge on a 51 reissue without drama. And without intonation issues. Heck , I have several Dano basses with the wooden popsicle stick bridge and there is a sweet spot for that where the intonation is fine … with a two octave neck. In fact I replaced the metal adjustable bridge on a short scale 59DC with a popsicle stick because the wooden bridge sounds better. I grew up with Pbass bridges , and always felt the traditional Fender bent bridge was genius , but the other ones do work.

Danelectro short scale basses have two octave necks.

Miles’tone , you’ve got to do what you have to do. And it can be a money pit owning a home. We have an older house and have done windows, doors , floors and roofs. I suppose the furnace will be next. I hope your fortunes will turn around and allow you some luxury.

Some of the older SWR stuff contains parts that are no longer available , so may be difficult for some repairs. I recently picked up a little Headlite. Everything works as it should , and they’re said to be very reliable. But should something go it might be difficult to repair.

I wish there was a shortscale Epi pro version.

Lovely group.

I bought the C2 while we were mid Covid lockdown , bought it new from the States, and probably paid too much for it. But … I use it every day. And my wife , who doesn’t care for big black boxes, absolutely loves the cute little red one. So at the end of the day I’m quite pleased with it.

I use a C2 at home for low volume practice. A bit pricey , but lovely sounding cab , not gig suitable by itself.

It’s what he’s using in most early Spencer Davis clips and pics.

John Hall has long been retired from running the Rickenbacker factory and is living in the UK. His son Ben is at the wheel and has been doing some interesting things. There have been some major changes to Ric basses since Ben has been there. And people often think Rickenbacker is a big factory and compare it to Gibson or Fender. It’s a fraction of the size. It is not a big factory, and they have a substantial backlog of orders to fill. So everything coming off the production line has been long sold. For some reason it’s the Fender aficionados that seem to have the harshest criticism for Ric basses. I appreciate both , but if I had to choose between the two, I’d choose the Ric. With flatwound strings , and the cap on the bridge pickup bypassed. Nice thump.

I love a nice Ric , and spent years looking for one here in Nova Scotia before the internet. Finally found a 4001 in Toronto about 25 years ago. It was my main bass for some years , I still get a little weak in the knees when I look at it. And four years ago a set neck 4000 came my way. Mostly play short scales these days , but I still love a nice Ric. And prefer the older ones.

… that’s hilarious

Monique does not disappoint. The Berg is a very clean, modern , transparent , hifi amp , Monique turns that into a thick , warm , old school tube thump. And doesn’t weigh ninety five pounds. The Forte provides some serious slam. I’m a believer.

My rig from last night , photo from home. Lightweight , a ton of headroom , and thick warm tone. Berg HDN 210, Forte amp and Monique preamp.

Great review! I’ve been thinking of one since they came out , but really have too much stuff.

I’d be active in the Marketplace if I was closer. I’m over the local kijiji like stink. Found some serious bargains over the years.

Welcome Kate!

There’s a lot of love for those little Acinonyx basses. Welcome , Peter!

The first time I was really happy with my bass sound was when I started using a GK RB 400. And I continued using it for years. I finally decided to try other things and bought a used GenzBenz Streamliner. Tube preamp , it was versatile and had some serious slam. When I was using the GK heads it was pretty much set and forget. I had found a happy place . But with the Liner I started tweaking the amp more , and was trying to get a better handle on tone. And I was discovering that different amps could be quite different. And that I could quickly access various voicing with the Liner. I bought some Bergantino cabs and was floored by them. Loved the cabs enough to buy a Forte amp , a simple modern transparent hifi amp , and loved it. With the Forte I’d simply dial it in and forget it again. Simplicity. A great sounding amp. And then managed to pick up a Monique preamp. I had been reading about them for years and wanted to give one a try. I had hoped to find one last year , one finally came to me this year. I use the effect in and bypass the Forte’s tone stack , and I’ve gone from clean , transparent , modern hifi to thick , warm , old school tube goodness , with some slam. I absolutely love what it does. So my changes have been mostly searching for tone. I have a curious mind. And I love checking out amps. At the moment I’m in a happy place with my stage sound. And I realize it could all change tomorrow. I might pick up a dedicated back end for Monique like the Demeter Minnie , but the Forte works well. I might pick up an Aguilar TH 500 for home use , I do love their SL 112 cabs. It would be a handsome looking thing , but I’m pretty well equipped as it is. I’m kind of nerdy about amps. In fact I signed up here to hear about amps and cabs that are common in the UK and Europe , but rarely found here in Canada. edit I mostly play mid sized rooms in town , so I load the car , set it up , play , tear it down and drive it home. No big star , just a working , blue collar musician. I have a nice , modern , lightweight , modular rig. Back in the day I used an Ampeg fridge. And although I loved that I’ve got no desire to haul one of those things around again. I like the advances they’ve made in amp and cab design.

Thank god for modern lightweight cabs and heads.