Back in ‘58 Danelectro invented the Longhorn… triggering a stampede of sorts, as artists rushed to record with this funky new guitar. Hundreds of 60’s era records feature it signature sound. Think Link Wray and you’ve got the idea…
In 2006, Danelectro again turned its attention to one of its maddest guitar designs ever. And now there’s a bass, a baritone and this guitar, one of the company’s trailblazing designs which in fact was the brainchild of Duane Eddy back then.
Body construction is identical to the updated Dano 56-U2, with a laminate frame capped with Masonite (hardboard) top and back. Although the addition of a five-way pickup selector might hint at a certain Stratocaster-ish character, the combination of a shorter scale length and series ‘in-between’ positions makes for a different animal indeed. The addition of the middle Lipstick single-coil gives access to one of the most pleasing sounds in the Danelectro catalogue. Recalling the sound of a single pickup double-cutaway Dano as wielded by a certain Mr Page, the middle position on the five-way blade selector is a percussive, bright-yet-full voice which works very well indeed for rhythm guitar across a broad range of musical genres (with the possible exception of death metal).
Danelectro Longhorn
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In 2006, Danelectro again turned its attention to one of its maddest guitar designs ever. And now there’s a bass, a baritone and this guitar, one of the company’s trailblazing designs which in fact was the brainchild of Duane Eddy back then.
Body construction is identical to the updated Dano Pro, with a laminate frame capped with Masonite (hardboard) top and back. In terms of balance, it’s a little neck heavy, but in all honesty a Danelectro Longhorn is never going to excel in this area; a unique guitar such as this will inevitably require some concessions in practical terms… Although the addition of a five-way pickup selector might hint at a certain Stratocaster-ish character, the combination of a shorter scale length and series ‘in-between’ positions makes for a different animal indeed. The addition of the middle Lipstick single-coil gives access to one of the most pleasing sounds in the Danelectro catalogue. Recalling the sound of a single pickup double-cutaway Dano as wielded by a certain Mr Page, the middle position on the five-way blade selector is a percussive, bright-yet-full voice which works very well indeed for rhythm guitar across a broad range of musical genres (with the possible exception of death metal).
