Building a Danelectro style Guitar body
The Danelectro sound is achieved primarily by body design and the lipstick pickups that they used. Materials were very basic. The body being made from Masonite (Hardboard as we know it in the UK) and pine framing, latterly thick plywood. The necks were fairly standard, Maple with Rosewood but with a solid , non adjustable steel rod reinforcement. The pickups used lipstick cases with a pickup coil/magnet installed inside and a bracket bolted on. These give the classic thin sixties tone and where wired in series(switchable) if a thicker, fatter sound was required.
Our RETROVIBE Classic, featured as a free plan, uses the traditional Dano attributes to get the sixties look and sound, but, with a little more refinement.
Below are some pictures of the building sequence of a RETROVIBE LONESTAR B baritone guitar. This has a larger body than the Classic whilst maintaining the general shape and 'Cats Eye' sound hole design. It has a 30" scale length and features a Bigsby style trem.
Our RETROVIBE Classic, featured as a free plan, uses the traditional Dano attributes to get the sixties look and sound, but, with a little more refinement.
Below are some pictures of the building sequence of a RETROVIBE LONESTAR B baritone guitar. This has a larger body than the Classic whilst maintaining the general shape and 'Cats Eye' sound hole design. It has a 30" scale length and features a Bigsby style trem.
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The main shape is cut from 18mm ply, two laminations. These are glued together to make a 36mm thick frame. Hard board is then glued in place top and bottom. A channel is routed around the edge to accommodate the 6 x 2 mm binding. Binding is taped in place and super glue fed in to the edges to fix it. Generous amounts!. The neck pocket,pickup cavities and sound hole are then routed out.
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Below, the finished guitar. 30" Scale, b flat tuning-a six string bass really, or as one observer said "A very particular guitar".
But that is just what we do at John Anthony Guitars!!
But that is just what we do at John Anthony Guitars!!
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The original Danelectro guitars and bass had a pine frame made up in pieces, typically as shown above, with Masonite top and bottom.
Modest materials featured throughout in order to keep the price down. The necks had the 'Dual Rod no warp' system, two 1/4 x 3/8" steel rods spaced either side of the centre line of the neck and inlayed under the fretboard. Plans available- The Danelectro '59 DC JAG Retrovibe Bass. RB1 - Photos below. |
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