Double-Down Danelectro Day

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JSett
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Double-Down Danelectro Day

Post by JSett » Fri Jan 28, 2022 6:34 am

This morning I set off at 5:30am to make the 250mile trip up to Eccles, near Manchester and back to collect these 4 Danelectros. They were very cheap so worth the runout in my eyes. The guy I bought them from was the guitarist from 60s band The Casuals. Anyway...

All 90s Korean reissues (the good ones), all in reasonable/good shape. All of them needing a setup (of course). The peach burst is for GaryPtaszek, the DC59 I've wanted one of ever since seeing a Jerry Jones version on the cover of Sleater-Kinneys 1997 "Dig Me Out" record. The Convertible was almost a bonus guitar and I feel I might love that one the most already - such a unique sound.

Here they are:

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Now, there is one major weird thing on one of them. The Convertible. There is the stains of the autographs of Ian Dury & The Blockheads on it :D :D

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...now, I love me a bit of Blockheads but can anyone suggest a way to get those off possibly? Any particular solvent or cleaner? I've tried Acetone, no luck, then toothpaste with an electric brush as a mild abrasive test, also no luck. That aside, it sounds fabulously cheap in all the right ways.

Breaking down the cost of all of these, including the gas to get there, they all owe me about £195 each, and I got cases with them too. Not bad these days as I've seen these go for £300-400 recently (which I think is too much).
Last edited by JSett on Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Double-Down Danelectro Day

Post by snarf » Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:31 am

nice haul! I was itching for a danelectro myself but ended up with a jerry jones longhorn bass 6. I feel like these were always overlooked because of how cheap they were. Few realized how unique and original they were!

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Re: Double-Down Danelectro Day

Post by LVC » Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:36 am

That Convertible :?
johnnysomersett wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 6:34 am
...now, I love me a bit of Blockheads but can anyone suggest a way to get those off possibly? Any particular solvent or cleaner?
I'd start with cleaning alcohol/90% ethanol as it's safe to use with poly finishes. It might not be 100% efficient though.
I haven't got as much experience with other alcohols such as isopropyl but I suppose they'd work too.

Diethyl ether is more efficient with marker ink but it's also riskier as it melts some plastics. I don't think I've ever tried more than a drop on a tissue for a guitar finish. Try it first in an inconspicuous area... Under the tailpiece?
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Re: Double-Down Danelectro Day

Post by JSett » Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:41 am

LVC wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:36 am
That Convertible :?
johnnysomersett wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 6:34 am
...now, I love me a bit of Blockheads but can anyone suggest a way to get those off possibly? Any particular solvent or cleaner?
I'd start with cleaning alcohol/90% ethanol as it's safe to use with poly finishes. It might not be 100% efficient though.
I haven't got as much experience with other alcohols such as isopropyl but I suppose they'd work too.

Diethyl ether is more efficient with marker ink but it's also riskier as it melts some plastics. I don't think I've ever tried more than a drop on a tissue for a guitar finish. Try it first in an inconspicuous area... Under the tailpiece?
I've just tried some Naphtha and that made no difference either. Isopropyl usually clouds poly from my experience (I had to buff a guitar back once after a small mishap with a bottle sploshing). It's almost like it's seeped into the paint. Nothing is even fading it. Which is frustrating
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Re: Double-Down Danelectro Day

Post by LVC » Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:42 am

BTW, it looks like the bridge is not original (although it's probably an upgrade)

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Re: Double-Down Danelectro Day

Post by JSett » Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:48 am

LVC wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:42 am
BTW, it looks like the bridge is not original (although it's probably an upgrade)

Image
Yeah the originals were just a fret hammered into a block of wood :D he said it got lost years ago and the compensated one is actually way better anyway - which I'm inclined to believe
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Re: Double-Down Danelectro Day

Post by fortytwo » Fri Jan 28, 2022 9:18 am

That Aqua Burst has a JJ compensated rosewood piece on there.

That is a really nice haul you got there, so getting up at 5.30 was worth it.

I totally regret selling my late 90's Camel Burst, that I put a new steel bridge, with the JJ compensated rosewood on, and had refretted.

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Re: Double-Down Danelectro Day

Post by JSett » Fri Jan 28, 2022 9:23 am

fortytwo wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 9:18 am
That Aqua Burst has a JJ compensated rosewood piece on there.
The DC59 has one too 👌🏻
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Re: Double-Down Danelectro Day

Post by marqueemoon » Fri Jan 28, 2022 10:23 am

Nice score. A 90’s reissue U1 is the most played guitar in my house because it lives on a stand in the living room 24/7. It doesn’t get abused, but it was so cheap it hardly matters if something happens to it, and it sounds ok unplugged without being too loud.

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Re: Double-Down Danelectro Day

Post by tequila_in_teacups » Fri Jan 28, 2022 10:35 am

Nice haul. I had one of those green burst U2s a while back. Lots of fun. Should’ve kept it.

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Re: Double-Down Danelectro Day

Post by zhivago » Fri Jan 28, 2022 1:21 pm

Very cool bunch of Danos there!

I've been real close to pulling the trigger on a few on ebay, but somehow never follow through...I should rectify that! :D
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Re: Double-Down Danelectro Day

Post by del » Fri Jan 28, 2022 1:34 pm

Excellent!
I have both a DC59 and a Convertible from that same era and they're tops!
The Convertible, in particular, is so very garage-y - it doesn't sound like any other guitar I've ever owned and it is just amazing when mixed with fuzz!
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Re: Double-Down Danelectro Day

Post by JSett » Fri Jan 28, 2022 1:53 pm

zhivago wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 1:21 pm
Very cool bunch of Danos there!

I've been real close to pulling the trigger on a few on ebay, but somehow never follow through...I should rectify that! :D
They're so cheap its almost a no-risk venture!
del wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 1:34 pm
Excellent!
I have both a DC59 and a Convertible from that same era and they're tops!
The Convertible, in particular, is so very garage-y - it doesn't sound like any other guitar I've ever owned and it is just amazing when mixed with fuzz!
I haven't had a chance since I got home to plug it in but I've tinkered with it acoustically and it's very unique
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Re: Double-Down Danelectro Day

Post by i love sharin foo » Fri Jan 28, 2022 3:20 pm

I bought an Aqua U2 reissue as soon as they came out in the late ‘90s. Called up Lark Street Music in New York and paid over the phone with a credit card. I sold it half a dozen years later. Now I have a baritone in the same color. Also MIK. They are really good guitars for the money. I’d like to buy another U2 one day. I’ve never minded the original bridges, but mine is collapsing a bit now, so I’ll probably upgrade it eventually.
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Re: Double-Down Danelectro Day

Post by marqueemoon » Fri Jan 28, 2022 3:35 pm

I have a 90’s MIK U2 as well. Great guitars. The tuners are kinda trash so they got swapped on mine.

I’ve considered the Senn bridge, but right now the bridge is ok. I’d also prefer a master volume/master tone setup, but not enough to do something about it.

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