Danelectro Shorthorn
| Danelectro Shorthorn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Manufacturer | Danelectro |
| Period | Original: 1959 to 1969, Reissued in the Late-1990s and 2007. |
| Construction | |
| Body type | Hardboard top and bottom with plywood frame;hollow body. |
| Neck joint | Bolt-on |
| Scale | 25" |
| Woods | |
| Body | Basswood |
| Neck | Maple |
| Fretboard | Rosewood, 21 frets. |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Chrome-plated steel with adjustable rosewood saddle |
| Pickup(s) | Lipstick pickups. (Original style brass tube with chrome plating.) |
| Colors available | |
| Limo Black, Burgundy, Keen Green, Blue | |
The Danelectro Shorthorn line of guitars are a dual cutaway hollow bodied design, made of Masonite and poplar. The original models were introduced in 1959 to replace the U model guitars, and were in production until the closure of the Danelectro company in 1969.
There has been multiple re-issues of this line? of guitars, the first of which being the 59DC sold between 1998 and 2001, and then as the 59 Dano in 2007. The Shorthorn range comes in one, two and three pickup models, and has the "Coke Bottle Style" classic headstock, hollowed body cavity, and a seal shaped pick guard with two double stacked concentric knobs.
One noteworthy Danelectro 59 DC resides at the famed Manny's Music Store in New York City; the guitar had been painted a light yellow, along with other brightly painted instruments, for a promotional photo; afterwards the guitar served as the official demo model for which to try out an amplifier or effect pedal. Consequently, the yellow Danelectro has been played by dozens of well-known and notable guitarists - including Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Eric Clapton, and others - who enjoyed the sound of the guitar to the point that some attempted to buy the not-for-sale guitar. The guitar, which eventually broke in half at the neck, is displayed in a glass case at Manny's, together with the (impossible to prove) claim that it may have been played by more musicians than any other electric guitar.[citation needed]
Notable Players
Syd Barrett from the early Pink Floyd usually played this guitar before switching to Fender Telecasters, and also Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin used this model of guitar on live performances of "Kashmir", "In My Time of Dying", "Black Mountain Side", and "White Summer". When Eric Clapton was with Blind Faith he used this model with a psychedelic paint job.