Danelectro 59X
O
f all the companies
that benefi tted from
the Black Keys/White
Stripes-fuelled pawn-
shop guitar surge, we’d
wager Danelectro was near the
top. Its electric range has always
been off -the-wall, but its low
prices and unique build and sound
have seen a raft of new models
surface in recent years. Now the
59X sees the company give its
most iconic outline – and old
favourite of a certain Jimmy
Page – a new lease of life.
First things fi rst: this is a bit
of a dog’s dinner in the looks
department. That angled,
humbucker-sized single coil,
coupled with the slash across the
end of the fretboard, looks a little
rough and ready. Why Dano didn’t
just stick a matching Lipstick
single coil up there, we’ll never
know. Still, we’ve no complaints
about the Lipstick humbucker in
the bridge, which is coil-splittable
via the tone knob.
The actual build quality is hard
to fault, however, with no fi nish or
setup imperfections to speak of.
It’s the best put-together Dano
we’ve seen for some time. The
wraparound bridge provides solid
tuning stability, although a hefty
rout behind reminds you the 59X is
also available with a Wilkinson
vibrato (the 59XT, £649).
But forget the looks: we implore
you to play this guitar. LP players
will feel right at home with the
gloss-fi nished neck, and the
comfortable 25” scale length
means this could quickly become
your go-to pick-up-and-play
electric. The neck pickup has a fat
single-coil response, with a sweet
compression when you dig in, the
slanted pickup position resulting
in a more even string response.
The bridge humbucker,
meanwhile, has all the top-end
sparkle and jangle of Lipsticks,
but with the added heft of ’bucker
output, all without getting woolly.
It’s a hugely addictive voice, while
the coil-split lowers the output
and thins out the sound, but
retains that Lipstick punch.
There’s great clarity with gain,
too: that distinctive high end,
combined with Danelectro’s
idiosyncratic semi-hollow
construction, makes every note in
a chord sing. There is some treble
loss when winding down the
volume knob, but that’s hardly
uncommon at this price point.
Regardless, the 59X will handle
just about any genre – whether
you’re a fan of classic-rock, blues,
post-rock or indie, you’ll fi nd
something here to please your ear.
Given its suitability for big riff s
and solos, it’s frustrating that
Dano still refuses to update the
59’s greatest shortcoming: its
upper-fret access. You might as
well forget about playing past the
18th fret - those shallow cutaways
and the chunky heel are total rock-
blockers. However, if you believe
the old Tommy Tedesco saying
“There’s no money above the 5th
fret”, there are some phenomenal
tones to be had here.
Michael Astley-Brown
THERE’S CLARITY WITH GAIN;
THAT DISTINCTIVE HIGH END
DANELECTRO 59X
Does X mark the spot for this
revamped semi-hollow?
£579
AT A GLANCE
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SuMMarY
Photography: Olly Cur tis
REVIEW
95
SEPTEMBER 2018 ToTal GuiTar
SEPTEMBER 2018
ToTal GuiTar
AT A GLANCE
BODY: Composite/
plywood with
centre block
NECK: Maple
SCALE: 635mm (25”)
FINGERBOARD:
Rosewood
FRETS: 21
PICKUPS: 1x Lipstick
humbucker (bridge),
1x vintage-style single
coil (neck)
CONTROLS: 1x volume,
1x tone (w/ push/pull
coil-split), 3-way
pickup selector switch
HARDWARE:
Wraparound
bridge – nickel
LEFT-HANDED: No
CASE: No
FINISH: Black
(reviewed), Dark Red,
Dark Blue, Cream
CONTACT: JHS
0113 286 5381
danelectro.com
1
CONSTRUCTION
Don’t bother asking
about tone wood: Dano
lists the 59X’s body
build as ‘composite/
plywood construction’.
Thankfully, it doesn’t
dampen the superb
plugged-in sounds
2
PICKUPS
There’s a certain
top-end magic that only
Lipstick pickups can tap
into, and the 59X has
some of the best yet,
courtesy of that
humbucker
3
CUTAWAYS
If you can call them
that, that is. Come on,
Dano, deepen those
grooves – what’s the
point in having 21 frets
if you can’t actually
reach them all?
1
2
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TGR310.gear_dano.indd 95 16/08/2018 17:47