New Dano Longhorns

[patman]

especially sitting down

[Chris P.]

Thanks again folks.

Since I started playing bass, I was attracted to the Longhorn. But al my former band members thought it was fookin' ugly. And I agree;) But now it's time, I guess....

[Blazer]

I wish I could get my grubby hands on an eighties Hondo Longhorn, they were made at the Matsumoku plant and featured active electronics and Dimarzio model P pickups. They are without a doubt some of the coolest eighties re-think of a classic.

Here's one next to a geniune Dano, the long scale neck apparent.


An even rarer double neck

[Dave W]

I played a Hondo Longhorn  in a store about 5 years ago. It had the style but it was solidbody, heavy and even more unbalanced than a Dano Longhorn. Did they make a hollowbody version?

[Dave W]

Something else I've just noticed, the "new" Dano shapes -- the second reissues -- are gone from the company's website and are now replaced by a "Dano 63" series: guitar, baritone and long and short scale basses.

http://danelectro.com/bass_ls_aqua.html
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product?sku=516194

No more Longhorns?

[Chris P.]

It's strange: All the distributors offer them, but theywhere never on the site the last couple of years... Only the Dano 63. The same with the rectangular model if I'm correct.

[Bernardduur]

I'll make a copy of the wiring diagram so you can all decide if it is in series or in parallel

[patman]

Don't know for sure, but I think Danos are only made in limited runs, and when they're sold, they're gone till the next run...my guess is that they are licensed out to a Korean jobber...

[rahock]

Don't know for sure, but I think Danos are only made in limited runs, and when they're sold, they're gone till the next run...my guess is that they are licensed out to a Korean jobber...

Maybe there's a masonite shortage
Rick

[Dave W]

Maybe there's a masonite shortage
Rick

Yeah, that must be it. A worldwide shortage of wood chips. 

[Chris P.]

 

[JimmyBond8]

Lol, somewhere a Rainforest breathes a sigh of relief. 

They did the big reissue in '99 of the DC, U1, U2, U3, Convertible, & Longhorns. Then they added the Hodad & Mod line in somewhere after that ('00-01). Then I think the company that had/has the right to produce Danos changed hands/bankrupted/something. The next time new reissues showed up was '06, with the Longhorn with the adjustable saddle bridge and then the Dano Pro, and Dano '59 guitars the next year. Now they're issuing the Dano '63.

My guess is they're doing limited runs to increase the popularity or demand. I dunno. =)
I'm not as big a fan of the newer ('06-) reissues, not because of the hardware changes, but the lack of matching neck and headstock paintjob. I think it made the newer reissues less reminiscent of their older brethren (Minus the Dano 63', since they were shooting for the Silvertone vibe).

Also, for anyone interested, http://www.danguitars.com is a good site that has a lot of history of the Danelectro/Silvertone company and has a lot of great pics. Plus they buy and resale the Reissues and parts to upgrade/repair them.

[Dave W]

AFAIK there was no change in the company or any bankruptcy. The reissues (and all the pedals) have been done by Evets Corp. all along.

There was a legal dispute between Evets and Jerry Jones over the rights to the body shapes. IIRC Evets claimed they bought the Danelectro name from the bankrupt succesor to the original company, but Jerry Jones was making his Dano-style reissues before that.

Nat Daniel sold the company in the late 60s. If Evets had bought a successor company that was still operating and had been making the guitars all along, there would have been no question who had a claim on the body shapes. But that's not how it happened. Evets had no connection to the old company. When Jerry Jones started up in the late 80s, any trademarks of the old company had been abandoned.

So there was a time when Evets was not making any guitar and bass reissues. But now they are, and Jerry Jones is making his original series again, so I guess the legal dispute is over.