NGD:Mid 60’s Silvertone 1450L

[Rambozo96]

Been on the search for an old Danelectro guitar ever since a coworker sent me one that belonged to his dad for me to sort the electronics and I remember really liking how the pickups had a top end sparkle that’s hard to describe but seems present on many lower output pickups I’ve tried but being it was a family heirloom I couldn’t get them to sell it to me unfortunately. Found this one on marketplace and was able to convince them to ship it to Texas.

 

[GGJaguar]

Those lipstick tube pickups sound great. Congrats!

 

[Guildedagain]

I just scored another Silvertone with lipsticks, a slightly modded Firefly, body by Kawaii and shipped back to Neptune for assembly. The tone is crazy good. The body has a lam spruce top, the grain wouldn't be out of place on a Strad violin, extra extra beautiful, and the burst is something to admire. Also very interesting the melding of a Japan body and USA neck, Danelectro had been bought out by MCA in 1966, then the Corals started, production was stopping in Jersey, the plant would be all closed just two years later, unthinkable considering how nice the guitars were and so low priced, but the Japanese competition killed all of the budget USA brands like Harmony, Kay in time, a rather short time.

 

[Rambozo96]

I just scored another Silvertone with lipsticks, a slightly modded Firefly, body by Kawaii and shipped back to Neptune for assembly. The tone is crazy good. The body has a lam spruce top, the grain wouldn't be out of place on a Strad violin, extra extra beautiful, and the burst is something to admire. Also very interesting the melding of a Japan body and USA neck, Danelectro had been boght out by MCA in 1966, then the Corals started, production was stopping in Jersey, the plant would be all closed just two years later, unthinkable considering how nice the guitars were and so low priced, but the Japanese competion killed all of the budget USA brands like Harmony, Kay in time, a rather short time.

I always wanted to try one of those out seeing Coral was supposed to be a “pro” series of guitars that was endorsed heavily by Vincent Bell I guess in order to shake the stigma of department store guitars. But you’re right the competition from the East was fierce to the point where the budget minded guitar manufacturers dropped like flies with Kay/Valco being the first casualty in 67-68’, Danelectro in 69’ and Harmony in 1974-76’ish.

 

[Rambozo96]

And despite the common reports of these guitars playing poorly the only ones I ran into that I had difficulties playing or where outright unplayable was the low rent cheapest electric offerings and crappy $20 parlor acoustics that reportedly had mile high action but at this stage of the game as with most acoustic guitars from that era have a neck angle issue that occurred so it would be unfair to judge them after time physics and the elements did a number on them. My Harmony Rocket’s played great, my Kay Speed Demon plays nice but has a thuddy low E I need to fix, and my Danelectro made Silvertone looks like something someone built in their garage but is insanely playable even with the stock bridge. And if you look on the butt end of the guitar there is a notch cut out which makes it great for playing in the classical position. Could be a coincidence but Nathan Daniel was a smart cookie with design so I believe it was very intentional.

 

[Guildedagain]

At that time, the Japan stuff had shifted from cool 60's innovation to just mainly a lot of copy guitars, and then they started getting good, Ibanez the most prominent destroyer of the American market brands...

This is the Dano/Kawai.

Having lived with it a bit, I can't speak highly enough of the Kawai body build construction, the acoustic tone is the best I've ever had from this type of guitar, it's really lively.

Plugged in, it's a mind blower, got a lot of bass, so much... and then the bite down at the bridge pickup is so extreme that even the tubbiest of fuzzes is usable, and by the same token, pedals that are too shrill works just fine on the bass pickup only, quite a guitar.

 

[Walter Broes]

Ooo, I used to have one just like that and still regret selling it! Killer neck pickup sound, like a strat with some more beef to it. Bigger neck than the typical masonite danos too.

 

[Guildedagain]

Yes, the neck has very good string spacing, wide, easy to go up and down the scales in A/B/C/D/E/F/G/Em/Am/Dm etc at the nut.

Nut width is somewhat meaningless.

I like to take an old wood and brass caliper and measure the outside of the strings, and then move it from guitar to guitar to see the differences.

I've made some interesting discoveries like this. Danelectro and Silvertone guitars from the same era do not have the same string spacing, it's narrower on the more professional Dano than on the student Silvertones. My Silvertone amp case guitar has wider string spacing than the Jimmy Page model, if you can call it that ;]

 

[Canard]

I have never found anything so cool in this area, but once at a garage sale, I found a large brown envelope containing all the Silvertone cardboard box enclosures of this era of Silvertone guitars. Among other things, it included an EP-sized instructional record with a folded up single sheet of paper, double-sided, guitar lesson and chord chart. I can't remember now which minor Jazz guitarist did the record.

I asked after the guitar that would have come with the stuff. The seller dimly recalled that it might have been one of their kids's guitars, long, long, ago. Long gone.

I paid 25 cents for the envelope and it contents, which would have otherwise gone into the garbage at the end of the garage sale. I put it up on Craigslst for $15. It didn't last a day. The buyer, a Silvertone collector, was so excited to get the stuff. He showed me some pics of his collection on his phone. One looked very much like the beauty at the top of this thread.

 

[Canard]

I found the record on Discogs:

Tony Bradan - Basic Guitar Lessons

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the Vinyl release of "Basic Guitar Lessons" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

 

[Guildedagain]

I think that prob came with the amp in case guitars.

 

[Rambozo96]

I think that prob came with the amp in case guitars.

Man I been trying to find the 6V6 based one. They had two versions with some being series filament based designs with no isolation transformer.

 

[Default]

I have the 6v6 version. It's awaiting it's turn in the bench rotation.

 

[Rambozo96]

I have the 6v6 version. It's awaiting it's turn in the bench rotation.

Would you be willing to sell it at this time?

 

[Default]

It's disassembled, atm.

 

[79D25MMan]

The old Silvertone/Danos are sweet! I have a 3/4 scale 1961 U-1. The small scale, light construction, and single pickup makes for a very unique and comfortable combination. Sometimes simpler is just better! Even with the single, low ohm reading lipstick pickup, the versatility of the guitar never ceases to amaze me! Great guitars, shame (for us players) that they've skyrocketed in value as of the last decade or so, but I understand why!
-Sam