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theRocco
12-01-2008, 07:50 PM
I'm thinking of getting the new 2008 Danelectro long scale bass, in the red burst:

http://images.lilypix.com/albums/userpics/10028/Danelectro_long_scale_bass.jpg

I play guitar but want a cool bass around to record with and maybe even some jams.

Man, that neck does look very LOOONG!

Has anyone got one yet? Can you comment on this, or even the short scale version?

Bass was my first instrument--but as a teenager and that was a long time ago!

This bass looks very cool and sounds great, listen to the clip:

http://www.danguitars.com/user/'63_LSBass.mp3 (http://www.danguitars.com/user/%2763_LSBass.mp3)

Here are the specs:

Body Plywood frame w/pressed-wood top and back
Neck Maple
Fingerboard Rosewood
Pickups Danelectro single-coil lipstick
Controls Volume, tone
Nut Aluminum
Scale 34" (Long Scale); 30" (Short Scale)
Weight 6.5 lbs (Long Scale); 6.5 lbs (Short Scale)
Made in China
Warranty One year limited


I guess that makes the long scale at 34" the same as a Fender P?

Reviews are saying guitar players will like the short scale, but slappers like the long; also some added finger and pick noise on the short scale due to lessened string tension: here what BassPlayer mag had to say:


Plugged in, the Dano ’63s sounded solid and rootsy, with earthy fundamentals and jangly highs. Each bass had an impressively clear tone that was detailed, thick, and flexible. This is attributable, at least in part, to the unique lipstick-tube pickups, one of Danelectro’s gifts to the world. Designed by Danelectro founder Nathan Daniel, the pickups’ coils were originally fitted inside tubes sourced from a lipstick tube manufacturer. Besides looking extremely cool, the tubes provide some shielding. The new Dano single-coils no longer use actual lipstick tubes, but they’ve been redesigned to be closer in spec to the originals than the previous reissues.


Testing the Dano Long Scale and Short Scale together presented a unique opportunity to try instruments that are identical, save scale length. Interestingly, they sounded similar, but the Short Scale sounded a bit darker and had a little more fundamental, while the Long Scale sounded almost twangy and slightly richer in harmonic overtones. The most noticeable difference was feel. Digging in with a pick or fingers was a little easier on the Long Scale, as the Short Scale’s lower string tension made it more sensitive to fret noise from hard picking or plucking.


So, it's between the long scale (or short scale) Danelectro 63 or

the Epi Jack Casady (but never seems to be in stock, so a wait time) but what a cool hollowbody bass!

or look around for a vintage Kay--I hear these old bases with the single D'Armond pickup record really well.

theRocco
12-02-2008, 05:23 PM
No ideas, folks?

I'm getting one of the Danelectro 63 basses--either the Long or Short Scale, so if anyone can chime in with comments about 34" vs. 30" scale please do so.

I really like that demo clip of the Long Scale, great punch and twang, so I'll probably go for that, unless the short scale has enough twang and not just the fundamentals.

The only clip I have found of the Short Scale is on youtube, played by a 6 year old girl, and in her hands that short scale still looks pretty long!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8_69JCd0rU

The Golden Boy
12-03-2008, 02:37 PM
The only Dano I've owned was a SS Longhorn. I've played several others of the newer and some of the older ones. I can only remember them being SS. I ended up giving my Dano to my stepson, it was a decent bass, but it was just too "polite." I understand a lot of that has to do with the pickups and there are different pickups that supposedly really change the character of the instrument.

As far as the difference in 34-30" scale length... I hate to say use the search function- but if you go to search and advanced search and choose my name and just do this forum, I've participated in a bunch of discussions of scale length here.

While none of that is Dano specific- what a SS bass can do is limited because of the length of the string.

theRocco
12-03-2008, 03:06 PM
Thanks, I found the "big thread" on SS/LS:

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=408622

Interesting read!

I think for me it's more a question of comfort for the part-time bass playing I'll do in choosing SS over LS.

But I do like what I hear in that LS Danelectro 63 demo clip (above)--but the other clip on youtube with the vintage Dano Long Horn (SS) has great tone too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RRFLJ-0OCw

theRocco
12-04-2008, 05:05 PM
I got the Long Scale, coming in a few days--thanks for the tips!

Now I need an easy to use Drum Machine to practice with!

The Golden Boy
12-07-2008, 04:58 PM
That should be really cool and give you a bunch of tonal options!!

walterw
12-07-2008, 09:52 PM
i was going to say that the only issue with the long is how it would hang on a strap. you might need to relocate the strap button to the very tip of the upper horn to keep the neck from diving so much. in that case, a dunlop straplock system will make the strap stand off a little from the body, which can also help slightly.

some old versions i've seen had the concentric volume-tone arrangement, which unlike on a jazz bass had some real advantages. since dano pickups are wired in series instead of parallel, turning down the tone on one pickup left the other still bright. by killing the highs on one pickup, you now had your upper frequencies being translated by just the other coil, while the lows still benefitted from the bass boost of both coils. a very cool sound.

jorgenegeland
12-09-2008, 05:29 AM
I've been considering this as a backup for my Jaguar bass. Extremely different in tone, but still. It seems like a good bass for old school tones.