Metal Guitarist Forums banner

Danelectro style Flying V

7K views 16 replies 12 participants last post by  man jerk 
#1 ·
I've always wanted a Danelectro in my arsenal just for that unique sound. Some dude on reddit buit this and has apparently built a bunch of other styles all with the actual Danelectro body construction. As most of you are aware of, I love flying V's probably more than I should but hey, at least I know what I like. :lol: I wish I could find more pics of this and dude's other builds.




Inb4 the h8.... Yes I like odd guitars. :fawk:
 
See less See more
2
#9 ·
Whoa! I built the Danelectro/V mashup shown above. I was looking at Google Images and boom, there it was, and lead me to this thread.

Let me correct a few things:
-I did not post this on Reddit. A guy that I know who was potentially manufacturing knobs for me did.
-While I do have an unhealthy number of Danelectros, the only ones I've built are the V.

The one shown here is my first prototype. Yes, I am building more, and am currently in the process of fine tuning things on prototype II before starting to sell these. What's going to be different?

1) The pick guard! No longer using the Rickenbacker/Mosrite inspired shape, and will be using something *distinctly* more Danelectro. I really want these guitars to look like they were designed by Danelectro in 1958 but never saw the light of day, and the new pick guard shape seals the deal for me. Don't want to show pictures until they are for sale, but any Danelectro fan will be happy.

2) The necks are going to be correct Danelectro necks. I bought a bunch of very unfinished Dano necks from GFS's factory buyout section before they were sold out of them. The thick poly they came covered in gets removed and they are finished in a very natural feeling Danish Oil that give them an instantly broken-in feel that I'm really happy with. Coke bottle headstocks, correct 25" scale. Fretboards will come standard with a 9.5" radius and frets that are very similar in size and shape to those on a Standard Strat. These fretboards start out flat though, so other radiuses and frets are always an option.

3) Though you can't tell from the picture, the body frame of Prototype I is made of MDF. It's way too heavy, is braced far too much, and makes for a too-rubbery neck. New frames are made from nicer birch plywood, and the necks are set in slightly deeper to provide for a much more stable guitar that weighs less and uses a much more Dano-correct amount of bracing. You can joke about the resonant qualities of masonite all you want, but those guitars sound the way they do for a reason!

These are all made by me, with my two hands and a few power tools. No CNC stuff, with the exception of the old stock Dano necks. All parts are Danelectro reproduction parts. They will not be available with an adjustable bridge. Why? Because the rosewood saddle is just fine, and part of how these guitars are supposed to sound! In case anyone didn't know, the saddle pivots and slides forward and backward, so it isn't just stuck in place. I'll compensate them if they need to be, but in all honesty, prototype 1 intonates perfectly on my Peterson strobe. I've compensated plenty of rosewood saddles in the past when the guitar gods aren't smiling as nicely upon a specific guitar and will make sure that any guitar I build is intonated appropriately. I suppose I could throw on one of the 6-saddle bridges if I can get ahold of any, but I will not use those wrap-around tail pieces.

I'm happy to talk about these and share progress if anyone wants to hit me up. I'll start an email list or something, I know I have a good handful of people interested in these. Cool to see it show up on a site that I was totally unaware of! I am ian at soundhole dot org .
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top