This is the big brother to the Silvertone 1448, vintage 1964-67. Construction is basically the same, but with a full-scale neck, two pickups, and a much better amp. For a lot of details, see the 1448 page. This guitar is in excellent condition for being almost sixty years old, and apart from cleaning and re-stringing, it needed nothing.
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Danelectro is my favorite type of guitar, simply for the genius of their unorthodox, inexpensive, yet highly effective designs. I love the tone of old-growth masonite. If you are looking for details, the Pro-1 Bass is the most complete build documentation.
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Here is a selection of items you could get from the Sears catalog, once upon a time.
More: From the Sears Catalog ...
Here are six variations of Danelectro's "Amp-in-Case" guitar - three vintage, two modern, and one hand-made.
More: Variations on a Theme ...
Masonite is the classic Danelectro body material. Vintage Danelectros are Masonite over a poplar core, modern ones substitute plywood for poplar, which is actually better and cheaper. Masonite is available in 1/8" and 3/16" thicknesses. For luthiery, 1/8" is preferable, but 3/16" can also be used, especially if a slightly thicker and heavier body is desired.
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The classic Danelectro bridge is a study in simplicity. A chromed brass plate*, drilled and notched, with a rosewood sliver for a saddle.
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When two pickups are wired in series, the output of one is connected to the ground of the other. The outputs are directly additive, there is no loading effect as with parallel wiring. You get noticeably more output, and usually a much fuller sound. Two pickups may be wired in series with a standard [ON-OFF-ON] switch, available at any hardware store.
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These are factory instruments that I either significantly modified, restored or refurbished.
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I got all the electrics reconnected on the Kubickish bass. The switch at the lower-right has 13 connections coming and going; luckily I drew a diagram of the whole thing before I took it apart. The switch controls the mode of the pickups - coils in series or parallel. There is also active bass and treble controls, with a passive backup mode.
More: Finally put this back together ...
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