Hi Ted; another great video. FYI, Nat Daniel started making amplifiers as a teen in his room in his parents' house in the early 1930s. His first major client was the original Epiphone company. He built amplifiers for them until after WWII. At that point Epiphone wanted him to build exclusively for them and he wanted to be able to sell to other clients as well. This ended his relationship with Epiphone. Mr. Daniel was interviewed in the book I co-authored, "Epiphone: The House of Stathopoulo."
I was setting up my own guitar yesterday, and as I put on the fretboard protector, and gave the frets the once over with 1200 and 2000 grit sponges, I reflexively started saying “polishing…polishing..polishing”.
I almost never comment on any videos. HOWEVER, as a faithful watcher of Mr. Woodford's videos, I just want to say: Your videos are highly instructional, and I have gained an immense amount of knowledge. To the point that I have, for my own personal enjoyment and to the benefit of myself and a few close friends, been able to do (IMHO) exceptional work. All thanks to the education that Mr. Woodford has been so kind to deal out so freely. The videos are highly anticipated and greatly appreciated. THANK YOU!
There’s something so satisfying about making so many huge improvements… I wish I could see the customer’s face when he picks this up again for the first time 😂
I was thinking the same thing. Imagine you were playing shows on a guitar in this state and then it's transformed like this. Probably some of the best money they ever spent.
So much fuss over a Dano. I love it. I’ve had one of these and it has been perfect for nearly thirty years now, not a problem thus far, and is my most reliable guitar - says little to my others… loved watching this vid.
It's missing the bridge screw that stabilizes location of the wood. It goes into the bottom of the wood through the plate. Many old Danis had a neck angle screw on the back.
It's great seeing you do the same things my luthier does for me. I'm old and have played for a long time. I can do my own work but I get great results from someone I legitimately like and can spend my time doing other things that I enjoy.
Sundays wouldn't be Sundays without Mr Woodford talking us through a guitar repair or setup. Thank you for an entertaining and educational video. Even though I've been playing and building guitars for 50 years, I still usually learn something from one of Ted's videos.
I have one of these instruments from his era. I was yelling at the screen, yes there is a truss rod in there, and you will need a slight shim. glad to know I wasn’t nuts. I also found that if you replace the bridge with the newer all metal intonatable bridge, the guitar really comes to life.
Seriously, I'm an old bloke who started learning how to fix and setup guitars 4 years ago. I've only worked on a few hundred to date and I was horrified at everything that was wrong with that guitar after a so called setup ??? That bridge was a joke - even I could make a better one, and don't get me started on the state of the frets??? They were worse than the worst Chinese AliExpress piece of junk. I'd be ashamed to hand a guitar back in that condition to my worst enemy. Sheesh 💩💩💩
I wonder if the other shop is in a different climate zone. Assuming the other tech wasn’t out of his mind, humidity might account for the exaggeration?
@@rootvalue Highly possible. I once bought a cheap ass bass off of ebay. I was just looking for something to play at my winter home so I could leave all my good stuff at the summer house and I got a screaming deal on it. It shipped from Michigan to me in SW Florida. And let me tell you, HOLY BACKBOW BATMAN! Totally unplayable, buzzing and choking like crazy, it was BAD! But before leaving horrible feedback and demanding a refund, I backed off the truss rod about a full turn. That's all it took. She straightened right out, action height and relief were spot on and she played like a dream. I now have a 99 dollar bass with a better neck than my over 1k Fenders, LOL. Too bad it sounds like ass. Going to have to put some pickups in it at some point. It's worth it I think.
I have a couple of "valuable" guitars, but when playing bass, I always go back to my 3/4 length Danelectro Longhorn 1958 reissue. It is comfortable to play and it sounds so warm and good. It has the right feel, and as used guitars often do, it has the right mojo.
@SlaughteredDecay Subjective.. Mine is gorgeous, Misses loves it hanging on the wall too, as opposed to unseen in the rack. Are You saying my mrs has a screw loose? 🤣 I'll get back to you on that. 🤣🤣🤣
In my lifetime I’ve encountered a surprising number of quality cheap bass guitars. I suspect the bass can get by on tolerances that aren’t acceptable on a six string guitar I have an Ibanez P bass that was $200 new, 20 years ago, and I absolutely love playing that thing! Only upgrade was flat wound strings. I may upgrade it one day, but at this point I’m kinda proud it’s still in stock configuration and stays in tune and sounds like it should
@@honkytonkinson9787 My brother has a modern Silvertone brand PJ bass I conned a perma-baked stoner a black with white pickguard First Act POS hybrid of a Telecaster offset with Pickups of a Telecaster and Mashal 30 solid state amp to him for a Silvertone PJ bass where the only change he made was new strings in a round wound style he made go dead quicker by Vaseline and wiping off, before it had what we think were square wound crappy cheap strings from First Act. Sure, he had a bass amp, but it was one of those crappy beginner modern Silvertone Crate models made right when both companies failed at the time, Silvertone might be making again. Best trade in my life, his Johnson P bass died on him split in two from day one but could not return it from online, the bass was a sale item from Musician Friends, online so he needed a replacement. My brother still uses the Jonson case though.
I’d taken an acoustic with slightly high action for its first setup to a somewhat well known in the area music store(now closed) and I’m pretty sure all they did was change the strings. That was the moment I learned how to shave my own saddle and check neck relief
That's what happens when you go to someone who is givyou a really good price. You get what you pay for. And I would be willing to bet Ted is not a lot more expensive than what he paid the first tech.
Looks like the other shop let the new guy do this one. Probably do the boutique instruments personally, let the low experience guy do the student models.
Someone brought a Red Dan electro to one of our Bluegrass jams 15 years ago. I got to play a couple tunes on it! It was really fun, and sounded great! Thanks Ted!!
I bought one of these off a guy on Kijiji for $200cad a couple years ago. It the cream/blue burst and I love it! Its a PITA to do a string change, even with a capo, and I had to upgrade the tuners. Its a great sounding and fun guitar, but has its issues. Worst being the bridge, which dips in the middle, and needs to be hammered flat every few months. My saddle isn't flat shaped like this, but more wedge-shaped, like a hollow-ground blade.
These Danelectro "traditional" bridges are known for bending under string tension over the years... I should know, I own several really old Danelectros and Silvertones, one part solution is to insert a wooden block right under the bridge but most of my bridges have been replaced with modern upgrades... They still have the wooden saddles though... Although some of my guitars have better bridges... Great video...
I have one of these. I have made two mods. One is replacing the rosewood bridge with one I made myself out of a big brass door hinge. The brass makes it sing better. The other job was to replace the controls with a simple volume pot and a simple tone pot. I didn’t like the stacked arrangements, too messy for me.
I’m still the most excited when you release a new video. I don’t really get pumped for any other content. Love your work bro. Thank you for the massive effort you put in to keeping us entertained. God bless and Merry Christmas 🙏🏼🙏🏼
I like the vintage ones, but the only one I've worked on wouldn't intonate. It had a different style bridge that rested on two posts. Had to file a relief on the trebble side to get enough travel.
I paid $5 for the small, single pickup, Silvertone Danelectro. I think it was a 60s vintage. I love these guitars. You really can't go wrong with them. I have the dual pickup Silvertone and a reissue bass as well.
@@davidcollin1436, in the right hands, the Danelectro tone is priceless, it really cuts through the mix. David Lindley and Jimmy Page played them a lot. John Entwistle used a Danelectro bass for the original recording of "My Generation".
I have the very. same, guitar. Surf Bleu? I think the color is called - in my guitar rack, to my right. Played it for the first time in 1996 in a guy's studio, Got it for a song (SWIDT) after the studio closed down, in '03. I just got some new Grover tuners to replace the old ones with - had one strip out during a little garden jam, had to sideline the guitar for a few months until I got over my lazy and now I'm ready to play this vintage - sounding guitar, again. BTW, she's a chambered guitar; there is a square, empty space between those giant lipstick pickups, that give it its vintage sound.
I own several original Danos from the 1950s that would probably be worth something if I hadn’t altered them to make them into better tools. Every one of them has a graphtech nut and a Strat style hard tail bridge with graphtech saddles. And they all have also gotten Sperzel tuners. They are fabulous after these changes.
I bought my first damn electro, a 1958 U1 in ‘79 or ‘80 for $100 flat. Can’t beat that with a stick. I own 3+ a dano bass. I think the most expensive was $250.
Great video as ever, but even more analysis and explanation of all the interrelated things which affect the setup. Exceptional. One of your best. Well done.
หลายเดือนก่อน +1
Masonite - peg-board without the holes😁. Many interior doors are made of this, as well. Never had the chance to play one of these. Looks like it'd be a blast!
Jimmy Page gave my friend Shiela his Danelectro and signed it to her, Carl Perkins gave her his Peavey. I got to play both and photographed Carl's last gig along with Danny Gatton.
Great discussion about tuning. I’m an old hack player …a major milestone for me is being able to recognize when I’m out of tune. Recently got a Sonic Research tuning pedal and, in my opinion, they are a cut above. I now realize that not all tuners tell the same story even when set at 440.
I love my Dano DC3 Sparkle. I put a piezo under the Bridge with a separate jack and volume and there are 8 different tones from the 4 pickups. I once had a 12 string Dano that Got traded ,wish I had it back. Great action and intonation.
The construction of the reissues was different than the originals, although it’s changed over the years. Reissues had a plywood frame under the Masonite and had an adjustable maple neck with a truss rod. The originals had a pine frame under the Masonite and a poplar neck with two aluminum stabilizing bars, making the necks extremely stable.
Congratulations for living in a stable climate. Some of us live in places that go from rain forest jungle swamp to arctic desert in an hour. No neck is safe.
Thanks Ted! Way back in my teens we had much disdain for these as they sounded as cheap as they were, but now, musicians treat that as just another sonic choice 😊 Of course there are so many pedals and modelers now that almost anything can sound "killer" in the hands of a good player ...Nasty Crunch...love it 😊
Remember the fender bullet ends strings? Might be advantageous for that style of bridge. Are the pickups in series? I kinda remember that being a thing. Used to have a silvertone 1448. Loved that but the scale length was short!
Interesting stuff. I own a 90s single pickup, I frets were so bad I just redid them and now it's much better. Seems it was otherwise identical to this one except the bridge wood was thick and the correct shape, I still had to fix the intonation. I have a much newer '59 built in the last few years, it has an adjustable bridge (Fender style), nicer finish, nicer neck profile, 14" radius, better tuners, and something different about the pickups too.
Great stuff Ted! The whole time I watched this, I thought about your mention that the owner had taken it to a different “luthier”, before he brought it to you’ That thing was more out of adjustment than any guitar I’ve ever owned or worked on. Holy cow, I don’t know what that other guy actually did, but it’s embarrassing to think there are people out there, who call themselves luthiers and do such clueless work. Crazy.
Much like the self proclaimed “pastors” out there, whether a luthier has any actual skills or experience is in the hands of the person doing the hiring 🤷♂.
Agreed 100% - I've been repairing guitars as a retirement hobby for a few years now, and I would never call myself a luthier - I fix guitars that's all, and I have an experienced friend who I hand anything beyond my limited skills over to, as he is amazing. Utterly shameless work.
These were sold at a music store here,,,I wanted so much to get one for my daughter,,,,all pastel colors,,paper edge,..they sold out these reissues,,...never saw them again,,,it left an impression on me,,too look for one ever since.......pat
I know Ted doesn’t fancy himself a great player, but as a newbie terrible player I wish I could watch his left fretting hand too. I love the videos and have gone back to watch every one. ❤
Dan Erlewine had put a video up on Stemac's channel on how to negate the issue on these with the bridge plate starting to bow. His fix was to add a bushing below the front center of the bridge plate and an ABR-style bridge adjuster screw from what I remember. I have a reissue Dano that has the same problem, and I've been considering going down that route to try to fix it. Though I've also considered just going to the Jeff Senn DRB2 replacement bridge, as the one that came with my guitar has adjustment saddles, but the range is pretty terrible on them and I can't get things intonated quite correct.
J.W. Jones made the best reissues. I have an original Dan electro that I loaned to my friend and have not seen in 25 years so I guess he is enjoying it. But I have some of the Jones models a fabulous 12 string and a wonderful baritone/6 string bass. If you want a six string bass, just take the neck off the baritone and put on the six string base neck. They are absolutely wonderful guitars!
Is it me, or did Ted upgrade his camera? Looked uber sharp on my little screen. The man so effortlessly adjusts the action with shims and removable neck adjustment, weird bridge replacement and gets it spot on!
Put a dab of fish glue on those screw threads. Roland Boss used to put fish glue on small screws and small screw threads, as well as slider pot knobs to keep them from coming off. It's easy to remove them unlike stuff stuck on with LocTite. I swear it's just fish glue & red food dye. It is water soluable and it kind of has a very faint odor of clear isinglass fish glue. And it works GREAT, especially on those big squared off fader knobs. Some mininal low medium force prying and, "POP", they come right off. No dents no damage!!
It's nice to see a guitar that's in my budget getting some work. I've always kind of wanted one of the long horn basses, but only for the looks, and I know that three months later, it would never get played.
if I remember right (don't count on it, it was 30 years and a lot of weed ago, and several concussions...) these came out about the same time that the Kashmir riff was used by perv diddy, and the "no code" album came out, lots of folks were suddenly very interested in Page's tone... personally I found these reissues to be just about as useful and easy to play as the originals... they do one thing... they do it well but... not what I had any intention in using
I wouldn't really call the polishing thing a joke. Its just one or those things that has become familiar and catches people's fancy for whatever reason.
Ah man these remind me of the funky Danos that John Flansburg used in early They Might Be Giants videos. The first one I ever got to play I banged out Don't Let's Start and it sounded perfect
John did play a Danelectro Longhorn in the video for They'll Need a Crane, but normally he played a Coral Longhorn during the early years (the Danelectro's more up-scale cousin). Which he has since retired. John has described the Coral as feeling like it was made out of toothpicks, due to how lightly built the body was. He also played a Telecaster Custom quite a bit, which he still plays to this day off-and-on. I think most of their studio work at the time was on the Tele, not the Coral (or the Dano).
@IanDunbar1 yeah, the guitars in the recordings certainly had some kinda Dano jangle! I knew the Longhorn was a prop guitar for the videos, and I certainly don't blame him going for a tele for a little more solid feeling guitar
Oh Ted, nice french accent! Sounds more french that canadian by the the way. And thant you agine for making me discover "Not a luthier", another sight on luthery ;-)
Could you have counter sunk the pickup height screws so that they are flush with the back surface? That would prevent them from turning when rubbed against the player's body. However, perhaps the extra foam force in the cavity would also prevent the screw turning.
Ted, love your videos, especially the ones featuring more offbeat instruments like Danelectro!! I have to ask- do you know of any good resources for the pickup wiring on Dano U2s? I took mine for a repair when the switch broke and the guy definitely wired it back in parallel (when I believe they are supposed to be wired in series). I haven't been able to find much information on how to correct the wiring (and I believe they originally used something like an ON-OFF-ON switch)
You're right on the wiring. I'm needing one of those switches, but don't know where to look. If you have an email you could share (I know, sketchy on here), I could take a couple shots of the inside of my 1958' U-2's control cavity if it'd help you.
Some might know, and some might not,.....but Randy Rhoades ORIGINAL polka dot V built by Karl Sandoval was half Danolectro. Randy ask Karl if he could use a U2 neck for his V, as it feels more like a classical guitar neck.
Hi Ted; another great video. FYI, Nat Daniel started making amplifiers as a teen in his room in his parents' house in the early 1930s. His first major client was the original Epiphone company. He built amplifiers for them until after WWII. At that point Epiphone wanted him to build exclusively for them and he wanted to be able to sell to other clients as well. This ended his relationship with Epiphone. Mr. Daniel was interviewed in the book I co-authored, "Epiphone: The House of Stathopoulo."
Ted doesn’t read the comments. So, that in mind, beware of someone posing as Ted wanting to communicate with you on Telegram etc.
@@davidmacleod9313 But, that said, still interesting information from Ibfred8146.
✌️💜@@davidmacleod9313
I was setting up my own guitar yesterday, and as I put on the fretboard protector, and gave the frets the once over with 1200 and 2000 grit sponges, I reflexively started saying “polishing…polishing..polishing”.
I almost never comment on any videos. HOWEVER, as a faithful watcher of Mr. Woodford's videos, I just want to say: Your videos are highly instructional, and I have gained an immense amount of knowledge. To the point that I have, for my own personal enjoyment and to the benefit of myself and a few close friends, been able to do (IMHO) exceptional work. All thanks to the education that Mr. Woodford has been so kind to deal out so freely. The videos are highly anticipated and greatly appreciated. THANK YOU!
There’s something so satisfying about making so many huge improvements… I wish I could see the customer’s face when he picks this up again for the first time 😂
I was thinking the same thing. Imagine you were playing shows on a guitar in this state and then it's transformed like this. Probably some of the best money they ever spent.
So much fuss over a Dano. I love it. I’ve had one of these and it has been perfect for nearly thirty years now, not a problem thus far, and is my most reliable guitar - says little to my others… loved watching this vid.
It's missing the bridge screw that stabilizes location of the wood. It goes into the bottom of the wood through the plate. Many old Danis had a neck angle screw on the back.
It's great seeing you do the same things my luthier does for me.
I'm old and have played for a long time. I can do my own work but I get great results from someone I legitimately like and can spend my time doing other things that I enjoy.
No fretbuzz in the end ! Kudos my friend !!!
Sundays wouldn't be Sundays without Mr Woodford talking us through a guitar repair or setup. Thank you for an entertaining and educational video. Even though I've been playing and building guitars for 50 years, I still usually learn something from one of Ted's videos.
I have one of these instruments from his era. I was yelling at the screen, yes there is a truss rod in there, and you will need a slight shim. glad to know I wasn’t nuts. I also found that if you replace the bridge with the newer all metal intonatable bridge, the guitar really comes to life.
I was too 😂
So lovely to see such care and attention going into an instrument.
Holy cow! Tuned way down and the action's still that high. He's right, the other shop had no idea what they were doing.
Seriously, I'm an old bloke who started learning how to fix and setup guitars 4 years ago. I've only worked on a few hundred to date and I was horrified at everything that was wrong with that guitar after a so called setup ??? That bridge was a joke - even I could make a better one, and don't get me started on the state of the frets??? They were worse than the worst Chinese AliExpress piece of junk. I'd be ashamed to hand a guitar back in that condition to my worst enemy. Sheesh 💩💩💩
I wonder if the other shop is in a different climate zone. Assuming the other tech wasn’t out of his mind, humidity might account for the exaggeration?
@@rootvalue The lack of tension on the truss rod leads me to believe the worst
@@rootvalue Highly possible. I once bought a cheap ass bass off of ebay. I was just looking for something to play at my winter home so I could leave all my good stuff at the summer house and I got a screaming deal on it. It shipped from Michigan to me in SW Florida. And let me tell you, HOLY BACKBOW BATMAN! Totally unplayable, buzzing and choking like crazy, it was BAD! But before leaving horrible feedback and demanding a refund, I backed off the truss rod about a full turn. That's all it took. She straightened right out, action height and relief were spot on and she played like a dream. I now have a 99 dollar bass with a better neck than my over 1k Fenders, LOL. Too bad it sounds like ass. Going to have to put some pickups in it at some point. It's worth it I think.
@@rootvalue Wouldn't excuse file marks on the frets. They didn't care, did they?
I have a couple of "valuable" guitars, but when playing bass, I always go back to my 3/4 length Danelectro Longhorn 1958 reissue. It is comfortable to play and it sounds so warm and good. It has the right feel, and as used guitars often do, it has the right mojo.
I have the Hondo II copy. Always brings attention from folk. I rarely get to the 84th fret though.
I love my Longhorn too. I mean, it is kinda ugly but the playability and sound is really great 😂
@SlaughteredDecay Subjective..
Mine is gorgeous, Misses loves it hanging on the wall too, as opposed to unseen in the rack.
Are You saying my mrs has a screw loose? 🤣
I'll get back to you on that. 🤣🤣🤣
In my lifetime I’ve encountered a surprising number of quality cheap bass guitars. I suspect the bass can get by on tolerances that aren’t acceptable on a six string guitar
I have an Ibanez P bass that was $200 new, 20 years ago, and I absolutely love playing that thing! Only upgrade was flat wound strings. I may upgrade it one day, but at this point I’m kinda proud it’s still in stock configuration and stays in tune and sounds like it should
@@honkytonkinson9787 My brother has a modern Silvertone brand PJ bass I conned a perma-baked stoner a black with white pickguard First Act POS hybrid of a Telecaster offset with Pickups of a Telecaster and Mashal 30 solid state amp to him for a Silvertone PJ bass where the only change he made was new strings in a round wound style he made go dead quicker by Vaseline and wiping off, before it had what we think were square wound crappy cheap strings from First Act. Sure, he had a bass amp, but it was one of those crappy beginner modern Silvertone Crate models made right when both companies failed at the time, Silvertone might be making again. Best trade in my life, his Johnson P bass died on him split in two from day one but could not return it from online, the bass was a sale item from Musician Friends, online so he needed a replacement. My brother still uses the Jonson case though.
It was tuned to drop C#, basically the same tuning from Heart Shaped Box
I know Ted won't bash the other guy's work so I'm gonna do it for him. Whatever the client paid for the previous setup, it was way too much.
I’d taken an acoustic with slightly high action for its first setup to a somewhat well known in the area music store(now closed) and I’m pretty sure all they did was change the strings. That was the moment I learned how to shave my own saddle and check neck relief
Dunno what you mean Ted never steps back from slating other repairers
That's what happens when you go to someone who is givyou a really good price. You get what you pay for. And I would be willing to bet Ted is not a lot more expensive than what he paid the first tech.
Came to say the same thing...
Looks like the other shop let the new guy do this one. Probably do the boutique instruments personally, let the low experience guy do the student models.
Not only do I have a Danelectro U2 in this colour, but as I watch this video I realise I am wearing a matching shirt to Ted’s….. spooky ….😮
Someone brought a Red Dan electro to one of our Bluegrass jams 15 years ago. I got to play a couple tunes on it! It was really fun, and sounded great! Thanks Ted!!
Merci beaucoup Ted!
I bought one of these off a guy on Kijiji for $200cad a couple years ago. It the cream/blue burst and I love it! Its a PITA to do a string change, even with a capo, and I had to upgrade the tuners. Its a great sounding and fun guitar, but has its issues. Worst being the bridge, which dips in the middle, and needs to be hammered flat every few months. My saddle isn't flat shaped like this, but more wedge-shaped, like a hollow-ground blade.
These Danelectro "traditional" bridges are known for bending under string tension over the years...
I should know, I own several really old Danelectros and Silvertones, one part solution is to insert a wooden block right under the bridge but most of my bridges have been replaced with modern upgrades...
They still have the wooden saddles though... Although some of my guitars have better bridges...
Great video...
Your expert craftsmanship never ceases to amaze and inspire me!
I have one of these. I have made two mods. One is replacing the rosewood bridge with one I made myself out of a big brass door hinge. The brass makes it sing better.
The other job was to replace the controls with a simple volume pot and a simple tone pot.
I didn’t like the stacked arrangements, too messy for me.
I’m still the most excited when you release a new video. I don’t really get pumped for any other content. Love your work bro. Thank you for the massive effort you put in to keeping us entertained. God bless and Merry Christmas 🙏🏼🙏🏼
I have a Dano 12 string and I love it! They are the kind of quirky that appeals to me!
You've turned that into one sweet little Dan electro👍
I gigged one for years. I loved it
I like the vintage ones, but the only one I've worked on wouldn't intonate. It had a different style bridge that rested on two posts. Had to file a relief on the trebble side to get enough travel.
Enough space under to fly a Gee-Bee.
Jeff senn makes a tele style replacement bridge using 3 brass saddles for these guitars. It's a really nice alternative
I’ve always wanted one of those for the studio. They’re so easy to play. Awesome vid!
I paid $5 for the small, single pickup, Silvertone Danelectro. I think it was a 60s vintage. I love these guitars. You really can't go wrong with them. I have the dual pickup Silvertone and a reissue bass as well.
Worth hundreds now
@@davidcollin1436, in the right hands, the Danelectro tone is priceless, it really cuts through the mix. David Lindley and Jimmy Page played them a lot. John Entwistle used a Danelectro bass for the original recording of "My Generation".
Wow, the sound at the end! What a cool guitar. Best it has ever been, I'm sure.
You do such a thorough job - respect.
That bridge saddle was art, Ted. Thanks for another great vid.
I have the very. same, guitar. Surf Bleu? I think the color is called - in my guitar rack, to my right. Played it for the first time in 1996 in a guy's studio, Got it for a song (SWIDT) after the studio closed down, in '03. I just got some new Grover tuners to replace the old ones with - had one strip out during a little garden jam, had to sideline the guitar for a few months until I got over my lazy and now I'm ready to play this vintage - sounding guitar, again. BTW, she's a chambered guitar; there is a square, empty space between those giant lipstick pickups, that give it its vintage sound.
I own several original Danos from the 1950s that would probably be worth something if I hadn’t altered them to make them into better tools. Every one of them has a graphtech nut and a Strat style hard tail bridge with graphtech saddles. And they all have also gotten Sperzel tuners. They are fabulous after these changes.
I got em before the charged vintage prices for them. Great to customize as far as I’m concerned.
I bought my first damn electro, a 1958 U1 in ‘79 or ‘80 for $100 flat. Can’t beat that with a stick.
I own 3+ a dano bass. I think the most expensive was $250.
Amazing work! No doubt plays better then when it left the factory
Great video as ever, but even more analysis and explanation of all the interrelated things which affect the setup. Exceptional. One of your best. Well done.
Masonite - peg-board without the holes😁. Many interior doors are made of this, as well.
Never had the chance to play one of these. Looks like it'd be a blast!
Nothing else sounds like them.
I can't keep my bedroom door in tune but the action is definitely flat 😂
@@comfortablynumb9342 New strings will help!
I love, love, love this guitar and the color!
Learn so much by watching your videos, your the man!
Cool guitar, cool fixes to it too. Thanks for continuing to make these videos :)
Jimmy Page gave my friend Shiela his Danelectro and signed it to her, Carl Perkins gave her his Peavey. I got to play both and photographed Carl's last gig along with Danny Gatton.
Which guitar will you give Sheila?
I’ve always been interested in the U2. Fascinating video - thanks!
Great discussion about tuning. I’m an old hack player …a major milestone for me is being able to recognize when I’m out of tune. Recently got a Sonic Research tuning pedal and, in my opinion, they are a cut above. I now realize that not all tuners tell the same story even when set at 440.
'Polishing, polishing, polishing' isn't a joke. It's the chant I do to clear my reading glasses and it works perfectly.
Does that make it a “mantra”?
21:13 incredible before and after.
Great video! Nice save of a "not optimally designed" guitar. I love your work.
I love my U2, low output pickups, but really unique sound and a great player. Very light too!
The pickguard has been changed. The '90's reissues had a clear pickguard with a D logo on it.
True. I have one.
Really enjoyed this episode .
I love my Dano DC3 Sparkle. I put a piezo under the Bridge with a separate jack and volume and there are 8 different tones from the 4 pickups. I once had a 12 string Dano that Got traded ,wish I had it back. Great action and intonation.
Excellent video as always. Thank you.
The construction of the reissues was different than the originals, although it’s changed over the years. Reissues had a plywood frame under the Masonite and had an adjustable maple neck with a truss rod. The originals had a pine frame under the Masonite and a poplar neck with two aluminum stabilizing bars, making the necks extremely stable.
I had a Silvertone with the amp in the case. I foolishly pawned it around 1980. I sure wish I still had it. It was a good guitar.
Must have got a bad one. My 90s u2 is amazing. Never needed so much as a truss rod tweak.
Congratulations for living in a stable climate. Some of us live in places that go from rain forest jungle swamp to arctic desert in an hour. No neck is safe.
When these reissues first came out guitar shops were packed full of them. I remember picking one up and being shocked by how light it was.
The old original ones are light also. The original 2 pick up models are absolute killers.
I absolutely love my Danelectro '59 (Jimmy Page model). One of the most comfortable necks I have ever played. Sounds incredible, even unplugged.
Thanks Ted! Way back in my teens we had much disdain for these as they sounded as cheap as they were, but now, musicians treat that as just another sonic choice 😊 Of course there are so many pedals and modelers now that almost anything can sound "killer" in the hands of a good player ...Nasty Crunch...love it 😊
Most relaxing channel on youtube
Remember the fender bullet ends strings? Might be advantageous for that style of bridge. Are the pickups in series? I kinda remember that being a thing. Used to have a silvertone 1448. Loved that but the scale length was short!
Interesting stuff. I own a 90s single pickup, I frets were so bad I just redid them and now it's much better. Seems it was otherwise identical to this one except the bridge wood was thick and the correct shape, I still had to fix the intonation.
I have a much newer '59 built in the last few years, it has an adjustable bridge (Fender style), nicer finish, nicer neck profile, 14" radius, better tuners, and something different about the pickups too.
Those stacked pots are great for making swooping sounds using the tone controls with both pick ups on.
Great stuff Ted! The whole time I watched this, I thought about your mention that the owner had taken it to a different “luthier”, before he brought it to you’
That thing was more out of adjustment than any guitar I’ve ever owned or worked on. Holy cow, I don’t know what that other guy actually did, but it’s embarrassing to think there are people out there, who call themselves luthiers and do such clueless work. Crazy.
Much like the self proclaimed “pastors” out there, whether a luthier has any actual skills or experience is in the hands of the person doing the hiring 🤷♂.
Agreed 100% - I've been repairing guitars as a retirement hobby for a few years now, and I would never call myself a luthier - I fix guitars that's all, and I have an experienced friend who I hand anything beyond my limited skills over to, as he is amazing. Utterly shameless work.
@ very cool!
These were sold at a music store here,,,I wanted so much to get one for my daughter,,,,all pastel colors,,paper edge,..they sold out these reissues,,...never saw them again,,,it left an impression on me,,too look for one ever since.......pat
Excellent work as always Ted
I know Ted doesn’t fancy himself a great player, but as a newbie terrible player I wish I could watch his left fretting hand too. I love the videos and have gone back to watch every one. ❤
Dano's are cool and great playing had one of the re issue acoustic electric single pick up .
Dan Erlewine had put a video up on Stemac's channel on how to negate the issue on these with the bridge plate starting to bow. His fix was to add a bushing below the front center of the bridge plate and an ABR-style bridge adjuster screw from what I remember.
I have a reissue Dano that has the same problem, and I've been considering going down that route to try to fix it. Though I've also considered just going to the Jeff Senn DRB2 replacement bridge, as the one that came with my guitar has adjustment saddles, but the range is pretty terrible on them and I can't get things intonated quite correct.
I have a Silvertone 1448 that has the same bridge and saddle. Mine is fairly well intonated, but it is nice to see how to make it even better.
J.W. Jones made the best reissues. I have an original Dan electro that I loaned to my friend and have not seen in 25 years so I guess he is enjoying it. But I have some of the Jones models a fabulous 12 string and a wonderful baritone/6 string bass. If you want a six string bass, just take the neck off the baritone and put on the six string base neck. They are absolutely wonderful guitars!
Is it me, or did Ted upgrade his camera? Looked uber sharp on my little screen. The man so effortlessly adjusts the action with shims and removable neck adjustment, weird bridge replacement and gets it spot on!
Put a dab of fish glue on those screw threads. Roland Boss used to put fish glue on small screws and small screw threads, as well as slider pot knobs to keep them from coming off. It's easy to remove them unlike stuff stuck on with LocTite. I swear it's just fish glue & red food dye. It is water soluable and it kind of has a very faint odor of clear isinglass fish glue. And it works GREAT, especially on those big squared off fader knobs. Some mininal low medium force prying and, "POP", they come right off. No dents no damage!!
Loctite make an adjustable version (purple). It doesn’t set solid and make things hard to remove.
It's nice to see a guitar that's in my budget getting some work. I've always kind of wanted one of the long horn basses, but only for the looks, and I know that three months later, it would never get played.
polissage, polissage, polissage!
if I remember right (don't count on it, it was 30 years and a lot of weed ago, and several concussions...) these came out about the same time that the Kashmir riff was used by perv diddy, and the "no code" album came out, lots of folks were suddenly very interested in Page's tone... personally I found these reissues to be just about as useful and easy to play as the originals... they do one thing... they do it well but... not what I had any intention in using
Is it just tension that holds the saddle in place? It looks like there was supposed to be a fastener in the center.
I wouldn't really call the polishing thing a joke. Its just one or those things that has become familiar and catches people's fancy for whatever reason.
I have a friend who’s a prominent musician in the central Ohio area who uses exclusively a danelectro, really neat sounds he gets out of that
Plz don’t ever stop making videos
Very Cool!
Oh I love that thing.
Ah man these remind me of the funky Danos that John Flansburg used in early They Might Be Giants videos. The first one I ever got to play I banged out Don't Let's Start and it sounded perfect
John did play a Danelectro Longhorn in the video for They'll Need a Crane, but normally he played a Coral Longhorn during the early years (the Danelectro's more up-scale cousin). Which he has since retired. John has described the Coral as feeling like it was made out of toothpicks, due to how lightly built the body was.
He also played a Telecaster Custom quite a bit, which he still plays to this day off-and-on. I think most of their studio work at the time was on the Tele, not the Coral (or the Dano).
@IanDunbar1 yeah, the guitars in the recordings certainly had some kinda Dano jangle! I knew the Longhorn was a prop guitar for the videos, and I certainly don't blame him going for a tele for a little more solid feeling guitar
Ted is a man that knows his business. That was a lot of work for basic Dano
Perfect for The Edge…
As a Dan, I want to thank you for this episode. The title reminds me that I’ve been hearing that catch phrase from people I like all my life.
Oh Ted, nice french accent! Sounds more french that canadian by the the way. And thant you agine for making me discover "Not a luthier", another sight on luthery ;-)
18:07 this isn't the kind of WOOD working channel I was expecting!
Man that should make the dude happy. Nice job. Thanks for posting Ted
Genius.
Could you have counter sunk the pickup height screws so that they are flush with the back surface? That would prevent them from turning when rubbed against the player's body. However, perhaps the extra foam force in the cavity would also prevent the screw turning.
Wonderfull.. this is golden
how you made the saddle is what my stock saddle looked like. I wonder if the previous shop sanded it more flat.
Masterclass
Ted, love your videos, especially the ones featuring more offbeat instruments like Danelectro!! I have to ask- do you know of any good resources for the pickup wiring on Dano U2s? I took mine for a repair when the switch broke and the guy definitely wired it back in parallel (when I believe they are supposed to be wired in series). I haven't been able to find much information on how to correct the wiring (and I believe they originally used something like an ON-OFF-ON switch)
You're right on the wiring. I'm needing one of those switches, but don't know where to look. If you have an email you could share (I know, sketchy on here), I could take a couple shots of the inside of my 1958' U-2's control cavity if it'd help you.
Looks like Robin Hoods Bow !!!!
Merci beaucoup!
Some might know, and some might not,.....but Randy Rhoades ORIGINAL polka dot V built by Karl Sandoval was half Danolectro. Randy ask Karl if he could use a U2 neck for his V, as it feels more like a classical guitar neck.
The latest Ted talk…..peace at last 😊
“Befoulment”... if it wasn’t a word before, it is now.😊