Danelectro Dead on 58 Longhorn

[casapete]

Got serious GAS for a Dano Longhorn-the new 58 reissues look v.cool.

Just wondered what they are like, especially compared to the previous reissues etc.
(Only a couple of reviews so far on Harmony Central too.)

Any comments/thoughts/reviews appreciated - cheers.
Pete.

[razze06]

I bought one about two weeks ago, my first Danelectro.

I had just bought a squier deluxe active jazz, which didn't work for me in with the band. Went back to the shop (Red Dog Music in edinburgh), they accepted it back as a return, and out I walked with this creme-brulee coloured baby.

It looks very cool, and sounds very good to me. The pickups are very lively, with plenty of treble and low end. It sounds well defined in every configurations, no wooliness and really rich and warm when you roll back the trebles. So it sounds retro, but in a good-retro kind of way.

I find it a little awkward to play with a strap, as it tend to tilt out a little, but nothing unmanageable. It's a short scale bass and very light, and that helps with neck dive.
The Danos were meant to be simple, and they are. Some idiosyncrasies end up endearing it to me, like the pseudo-bakelite stacked vol and tone for each pickup, or the marine decking feel of the binding. Others, like the cheap guitar tuners, may well end up replaced.
The action on mine is quite high, but that suits me fine. Given the simplicity of the bridge, fine adjustments are probably impossible.

I played it in the house, and in one band practice. It proved really good in a (small) band setting, I was able to cut through a variety of mixes, really quite versatile for what it is. Maybe not the ideal choice for slapping, but excellent for most other things. And fun.


I hope this help, I really like it.

[casapete]

Great, thanks mate.

Any more comments welcome - GAK are currently doing these for £249, which seems like a good deal?

[razze06]

I got mine at £259 in the shop

[Stacker]

Got one of them in mind but anyone know the difference between these and the reissues from ten years back? Apart from the colour, that is?

Edited January 28, 2010 by Stacker

[faceman]

I used to own one of the original Korea reissue ones and I enjoyed playing it a lot, quite a Rickenbacker-ish tone with plenty of 'honk' and 'growl'. The newer reissues seem to have better pickups and less gloss on the body from what I can tell. Possibly better made too...check out these two YouTube videos to get an idea of what they can do.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKPUvcejSD0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKPUvcejSD0[/url] - how good does it sound in this one!
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3au3Zfluvk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3au3Zfluvk[/url]

Out of all the lower end basses, I think they are some of the best you can go for. I'm considering picking one up again, as a more portable bass...anyone with any actual experience of them?

[casapete]

AFAIK the main difference between the 90's models and the 58 seems to be the bridge-metal (and better?) on the 90's and a more authentic but
harder to intonate rosewood on the 58. Also the earlier ones didnt have the dual concentric knobs as I remember?
As pointed out above, the 58 is only available in 'copperburst' whereas the earlier reissues were offered in a few colours- blueburst, limo black and maroon etc (and did seem more of a glossy finish too).

Edited January 28, 2010 by casapete

[chris_b]

I had one for 6 months before my Precision and the feel, the sound, the look did nothing for me at all! It was borrowed and the day I brought my Precision and gave it back was my best bass day up to that point! I'd try one first, but you'll probably love it!!

[faceman]

The original 90s reissues, like the one I had, have the original wooden bridges that offer little adjustment (although this simplicity is part of the instrument), the later reissues had metal bridges that can be found on the internet if you want one. The 58s also have these wooden bridges.

Although for some reason, the previous owner stuck on a standard Fender Precision bridge that meant the strings were two miles of the fretboard and was slowly destroying the body!

Also check out this video of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performing 10th Avenue Freeze Out in 1975, with Gary Tallent playing his original Danelectro Longhorn, which sounds very sweet. The bass comes in at 0:11 and really drives the band along. They sound much better here than anywhere else

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAvolRT3sX4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAvolRT3sX4[/url]

EDIT - Adjustable bridge [url="http://www.danguitars.com/Parts.html"]http://www.danguitars.com/Parts.html[/url]

[skankdelvar]

FWIW, I recently saw (but did not play) 4 or 5 of these in different shops on Denmark St.

At least two of these Dead-On's had the treble side of the bridge wound right down and touching the body, with no room left for further adjustment. Worse still, on these 'iffy' guitars, the g-string action at the last fret was wildly high - [b]1 CM[/b] (!) or more - suggesting fairly serious neck angle issues. More like Dead-Off.

The other 2 or 3 I saw seemed OK-ish in this department, but I'd seriously suggest that anyone considering buying one should carefully examine their intended purchase in advance. Which puts a bit of a crimp in the idea of buying one off the net. Sorry Guys!

In a more YMMV sort of way, I didn't much like the satin 'faux-aged' finish on the body and the dull-satin-sheen lipstick pick-up cases.

Edited March 10, 2010 by skankdelvar