Danelectro 57

review
DANELECTRO ’57 GUITAR & ’59 DIVINE
102
GUITARIST OCTOBER 2020
Verdict
With the huge amount of choice in the
lower-end of the guitar market, Dano’s
original budget value seems rather
compromised. These are the highest priced
original-style Danos by quite a margin but
that is reflected by the new Vintage 50s
Lipstick pickups, the body construction,
the bone nut and Gotoh tuners.
It would be quite hard to say these two
Danos are the ‘best’ of the contemporary
models we’ve played and heard over the
past couple of decades. With so many
different versions of – broadly speaking –
the same thing since that first 1998 repro
U-2, it’s a bit of a blur. Still, these are very
tidy ‘improved’ versions and both have
oodles of original Dano character. Sonically,
the ’57 here is a significant improvement
over our U-2, which is at least a decade old.
Certainly if you’re chasing a retro voice,
be it early electric blues (Danos and
Silvertones were always loved for slide,
too) or something with a trashier edge,
you’ll find it here. But then as Jimmy Page
proved, you can certainly make a Kashmir-
sized racket with one of these. Every home
should have one!
PROS Smartly made version of the
original Deluxe model with quirks
included; improved pickup spec and
body materials; combined pickup
series sound is where the money lies
CONS Slightly highly priced;
no gigbag; those stacked pointer
control knobs won’t be for everyone
PROS Like the ’59 Divine, this is a
classy repro with solid-wood frame
and improvements such as the
pickups, bone nut and tuners; wide
tonal range and better knobs!
CONS Quite highly priced when
compared with other models;
no gigbag included
DANELECTRO
’59 DIVINE
PRICE: £899
ORIGIN: Korea
TYPE: Double-cutaway semi-hollow
electric
BODY: Composite top and back over
solid-wood frame
NECK: Maple, C profi le bolt-on
SCALE LENGTH: 635 mm (25”)
NUT/WIDTH: Bone/42.69mm
FINGERBOARD: Pau ferro, small
white dot inlays, 356mm (14”) radius
FRETS: 21, medium
HARDWARE: Hardtail U3 bridge with
adjustable saddles, 3-on-a-plate
Gotoh Deluxe tuners.
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 54mm
ELECTRICS: Twin Alnico 6 Vintage
50s single coil lipstick pickups, 3-way
toggle, stacked volume/tone with
pointer knobs for each pickup
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 2.7/5.94
OPTIONS: None
RANGE OPTIONS: Shorthorn
designs include the ‘modded’ ’59M
NOS+ (from £599). The Stock
’59 is the closest to original spec
double-cut (£489)
LEFT-HANDERS: See ’57 Guitar
FINISHES: Fresh Cream (as reviewed)
Dark Walnut, Flame Maple – all with
cream coloured sides
DANELECTRO
’57 GUITAR
PRICE: £799
ORIGIN: Korea
TYPE: Single-cutaway semi-hollow
electric
BODY: Composite top and back over
solid-wood frame
NECK: Maple, C profi le, bolt-on
SCALE LENGTH: 635 mm (25”)
NUT/WIDTH: Bone/42mm
FINGERBOARD: Pau ferro, small
white dot inlays, 356mm (14”) radius
FRETS: 21, medium
HARDWARE: Hardtail U3 bridge with
adjustable saddles, 3-on-a-plate
Gotoh Deluxe tuners (aged)
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 54mm
ELECTRICS: Twin Alnico 6 Vintage
50s single-coil lipstick pickups,
3-way toggle, stacked volume/tone
for each pickup
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 2.7/5.94
OPTIONS: None
RANGE OPTIONS: The only other
single-cut Dano is the ’56 Baritone
(£629)
LEFT-HANDERS: Not this model
but lefty versions of the ’59M NOS+
(‘Page’ model), Vintage 12 String and
Baritone are available
FINISHES: Limo Black (as reviewed),
Jade Green – both with cream
coloured vinyl sides
8
8
The ’57’s mixed pickup position
has sparkle, balls and quite a
gnarly grind: it’s ‘the’ Dano sound
7. This modern version
of Dano’s ‘four-way’
adjustable bridge has
individual metal saddles
that replace the original-
style bridge, which used
a one-piece rosewood
saddle with only
approximate intonation.
The thick back wall also
stops the bridge from
sinking: a common
problem on originals
and earlier reissues
7
GIT464.rev_dano.indd 102 03/09/2020 17:10