Pretty cool that they wrapped the pots in paper, they look remarkably clean! Also, I can't believe that bridge isn't bowed- most that I've played were bowed. Incredible that instruments designed with such inexpensive materials lasted 60 plus years, and sounded great every step of the way!
You can find a very nicely done overview of Danelectro guitars and this model in particular on the Bob's Tone Review channel. 5 Watt World also did a comprehensive history of Danelectro guitars. According to those guys, the necks are indeed made of poplar.
The aluminum nut isn't merely grooved or slotted for the strings, it's notched, and there's a lot of play where the strings pass through the notches. If you watch UA-cam videos of David Lindley playing one of these on stage with ElRayo-X, he has a capo directly over the nut, and I am guessing that perhaps he put something in each of the notches to fill up the excess space so that the capo will press down and hold the strings tightly in position for better intonation.
Hi,, this was my first guitar that I got for Christmas '65.. I still have it but it never did and still doesn't stay in tune, probably cause there is no truss rod? Have you heard of anyone installing one?
The owner used to eliminate waste by using everything including the metal shavings from the manufactured tuners. that was sprinkled on the guitars when they painted
Thanks for that... just bought one and was wondering how to date the 1448. Mine has plastic knob tuners so I know it's an earlier model than this one... maybe 62/63.
The amp in a case that came with the 2 pickup 1447 Danelectro was conceptually similar to a 5-watt Fender Champ circuit and actually had a power transformer, as well as a 6V6 tube for audio output and an 8" speaker. The 1448 amp that came with this single-pickup guitar put out about 2 watts at most with minimal headroom, and had a 5" or 6" speaker, and is indeed dangerous due to the lack of a power transformer. If anyone here owns one of these, I would strongly suggest you not playing it while standing barefoot or in stocking feet out on the lawn or on a concrete slab in your basement or garage. Likewise, don't touch an appliance, kitchen sink/faucet, or another amplifier, the metal parts of another plugged-in guitar, or even a microphone connected to a PA or mixer. The shock could prove fatal. At the very least, if someone really wants to play one of those transformerless amps it should be converted by an knowledgeable tech to a polarized power cord and the deathcap replaced with a fresh 1000 V rated XY safety capacitor. (I don't know if you can use a grounded cord on one of these in otherwise stock form without causing a lot of hum). In the best case scenario you would have an isolation transformer added in line between the power cord and the amplifier circuitry, as well as the addition of a polarized or (preferably) grounded cord, in which case the death capacitor won't be necessary and can simply be removed.
In 1965, if memory serves, I got a Sears Silvertone Danelectro red sparkle, two pickup electric guitar with the amp in the case for Christmas, my first electric guitar. I was pretty, it sounded pretty good, had a nice neck, but was built cheaply and didn't wear well. The amp was OK for practice, but not loud enough to play in a "garage band". The more I played it, the more the paint flaked until it looked like hell. I wound up repainting it, then traded it off for something. We were always embarrassed to be seen with Sears Silvertone, Wards Airline or other catalog guitars in the same company as the "better" guitars some of the guys in the group I later played with (I was on bass back during that) with my Airline bass and their Gretsch, Fender and Goya electric guitars with Vox and Fender amps. But, it was a place to start. It seems ridiculous to me to see them vaunted as worthy "vintage" guitars today when we thought of them as cheap junk when new!
Due not only to the lipstick pickups but the materials used, Danelectro guitars have a unique sound of their own. They have been used on stage and recordings by Jimmy Page, David Lindley and ElRayo-X, and the guitarist for Southern Culture on the Skids, to name a few. They are a valid tonal option for anyone looking for a different flavor than you get from the usual Fender and Gibson guitars, which is why Jerry Jones was building copies of them for years after Danelectro went out of business and before the Danelectro namebrand was bought and revived. I certainly wouldn't call them shred machines, and if that's the style you're into then I wouldn't expect you to be playing one of these, but their gritty and groinky sound can really cut through the mix in certain types of music. Check out the comprehensive history of Danelectro and these guitars in UA-cam videos from Bob's Tone Review and 5 Watt World. You can also find videos of multi-instrumentalist David Lindley, who plays hundreds of musical instruments from around the world, using a 2 pickup 1447 Danelectro (from the fancier amp-in-case combo) on stage with a full band including 2 drummers (granted, he isn't using the amp-in-case on stage, hes playing it through a Dumble!). PS, Danelectro didn't spend a lot of time setting up their instruments, and so individual instruments will vary and some may be quite difficult to play unless they've been gone through by someone who knows how to adjust them; but for that matter, you could say the same thing about Fender and Gibson over the last 3 or 4 decades. The chances of picking up a famous-name guitar right off the rack in the music store and having it be set up well and easily playable is 50-50 at best. Perhaps even worse, especially if you buy it via mail order.
I believe the necks are roasted maple......they roasted them to make them more rigid and that way along with the steel I-beam in the neck the necks would rarely ever bow......i have4 a 1962 and the neck is pretty straight
Pretty cool that they wrapped the pots in paper, they look remarkably clean! Also, I can't believe that bridge isn't bowed- most that I've played were bowed. Incredible that instruments designed with such inexpensive materials lasted 60 plus years, and sounded great every step of the way!
Seeing the innovation of this guitar makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
You can find a very nicely done overview of Danelectro guitars and this model in particular on the Bob's Tone Review channel. 5 Watt World also did a comprehensive history of Danelectro guitars. According to those guys, the necks are indeed made of poplar.
The 1448 amp had a hot chassis. An isolation transformer was added shortly thereafter and the model number was changed.
The aluminum nut isn't merely grooved or slotted for the strings, it's notched, and there's a lot of play where the strings pass through the notches. If you watch UA-cam videos of David Lindley playing one of these on stage with ElRayo-X, he has a capo directly over the nut, and I am guessing that perhaps he put something in each of the notches to fill up the excess space so that the capo will press down and hold the strings tightly in position for better intonation.
Hi,, this was my first guitar that I got for Christmas '65.. I still have it but it never did and still doesn't stay in tune, probably cause there is no truss rod? Have you heard of anyone installing one?
Can you play this semi hollow without an amp for practice? Can you hear it like other semi hollows? Is it loud enough? Thank you
The owner used to eliminate waste by using everything including the metal shavings from the manufactured tuners. that was sprinkled on the guitars when they painted
2044 means the 2nd month 4th week of 1964. Feb 24th 1964
Thanks for that... just bought one and was wondering how to date the 1448. Mine has plastic knob tuners so I know it's an earlier model than this one... maybe 62/63.
The amp in a case that came with the 2 pickup 1447 Danelectro was conceptually similar to a 5-watt Fender Champ circuit and actually had a power transformer, as well as a 6V6 tube for audio output and an 8" speaker. The 1448 amp that came with this single-pickup guitar put out about 2 watts at most with minimal headroom, and had a 5" or 6" speaker, and is indeed dangerous due to the lack of a power transformer. If anyone here owns one of these, I would strongly suggest you not playing it while standing barefoot or in stocking feet out on the lawn or on a concrete slab in your basement or garage. Likewise, don't touch an appliance, kitchen sink/faucet, or another amplifier, the metal parts of another plugged-in guitar, or even a microphone connected to a PA or mixer. The shock could prove fatal. At the very least, if someone really wants to play one of those transformerless amps it should be converted by an knowledgeable tech to a polarized power cord and the deathcap replaced with a fresh 1000 V rated XY safety capacitor. (I don't know if you can use a grounded cord on one of these in otherwise stock form without causing a lot of hum). In the best case scenario you would have an isolation transformer added in line between the power cord and the amplifier circuitry, as well as the addition of a polarized or (preferably) grounded cord, in which case the death capacitor won't be necessary and can simply be removed.
I got one,near mint,wish it had a full fretboard.Its just too darn cool,1962 POS
In 1965, if memory serves, I got a Sears Silvertone Danelectro red sparkle, two pickup electric guitar with the amp in the case for Christmas, my first electric guitar. I was pretty, it sounded pretty good, had a nice neck, but was built cheaply and didn't wear well. The amp was OK for practice, but not loud enough to play in a "garage band". The more I played it, the more the paint flaked until it looked like hell. I wound up repainting it, then traded it off for something. We were always embarrassed to be seen with Sears Silvertone, Wards Airline or other catalog guitars in the same company as the "better" guitars some of the guys in the group I later played with (I was on bass back during that) with my Airline bass and their Gretsch, Fender and Goya electric guitars with Vox and Fender amps. But, it was a place to start. It seems ridiculous to me to see them vaunted as worthy "vintage" guitars today when we thought of them as cheap junk when new!
Due not only to the lipstick pickups but the materials used, Danelectro guitars have a unique sound of their own. They have been used on stage and recordings by Jimmy Page, David Lindley and ElRayo-X, and the guitarist for Southern Culture on the Skids, to name a few. They are a valid tonal option for anyone looking for a different flavor than you get from the usual Fender and Gibson guitars, which is why Jerry Jones was building copies of them for years after Danelectro went out of business and before the Danelectro namebrand was bought and revived. I certainly wouldn't call them shred machines, and if that's the style you're into then I wouldn't expect you to be playing one of these, but their gritty and groinky sound can really cut through the mix in certain types of music. Check out the comprehensive history of Danelectro and these guitars in UA-cam videos from Bob's Tone Review and 5 Watt World. You can also find videos of multi-instrumentalist David Lindley, who plays hundreds of musical instruments from around the world, using a 2 pickup 1447 Danelectro (from the fancier amp-in-case combo) on stage with a full band including 2 drummers (granted, he isn't using the amp-in-case on stage, hes playing it through a Dumble!).
PS, Danelectro didn't spend a lot of time setting up their instruments, and so individual instruments will vary and some may be quite difficult to play unless they've been gone through by someone who knows how to adjust them; but for that matter, you could say the same thing about Fender and Gibson over the last 3 or 4 decades. The chances of picking up a famous-name guitar right off the rack in the music store and having it be set up well and easily playable is 50-50 at best. Perhaps even worse, especially if you buy it via mail order.
I believe the necks are roasted maple......they roasted them to make them more rigid and that way along with the steel I-beam in the neck the necks would rarely ever bow......i have4 a 1962 and the neck is pretty straight
Nice!!
painful to watch an antique get banged around on a bare benchtop
What type and size of bolt for the neck adjustment?