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An old friend has a baritone/standard six double neck. It’s not heavy , slightly awkward (like any double neck). And he didn’t break the bank buying it. He’s got a nice collection of vintage Silvertones , including a couple made by Danelectro.

Used to watch Shindig on TV , Delaney Bramlett was the bass player and used a Longhorn. The shape was noticeably unique. I had no idea they were an entry level instrument , I just assumed they cost what the Rickenbackers and Gretsches did. There were never any Danos around in Eastern Canada , just rebadged Silvertones. So when the reissues first came out I realized what the Longhorns were , and wanted one. I didn’t think I’d become a Dano guy. It completely changed my concept of just what it was that made an instrument a good one. I kinda became known as a cheap bass , nice amp guy.

Just new vintage , not the good old vintage.

The Dano LaBellas are slightly stiffer than Thomastiks , but just slightly. They also fit Gibson basses that have a 3point bridge , or a Hipshot 3point replacement. I love TIs on long scale instruments but prefer something stiffer on the short scale ones. Today I mostly play shortscales , although I still have the usual assortment of classics. Try leaving the existing rounds on for a while , my experience was that they just kept sounding better as they got older. Mine are truly dead now , but I do like them. I picked up my Longhorn , new , for just $200 , on a blowout sale back around 2000. Probably one of the best gear buys I’ve made. And I’m always amazed at the condition it’s in today. No major dents or dings , and It’s done a lot of falls. For years whenever I’d buy a new bass I’d play enough gigs with it to break even , and then go right back to the Longhorn. Band mates were always happy to see the new bass retire and the Dano make a full time return. I always described them as fun to play , and still find that fun when I pick it up.

The necks can be substantial , and prone to diving. But if you spend enough time to get accustomed to them they’re comfy enough. I saw a picture someone posted of one that had been modded , and then wanted to try one myself. I dropped in a Tbird pickup. I’ll probably change the pots , not crazy about the taper. Will probably drop in ultralite tuners. I’m not in a rush.

An old friend in the states described his as sounding like a Jazz Bass on steroids.

I’d love to find a vintage batwing Harmony H22 , but they’ve become sought after in blues circles. Before the reissue they could be found quite cheap. Not so much today. I’ve had my eye out for one for some time now , and I’m sure I’ll eventually find one. There was a later version with a double cutaway , but the earlier single cuts are the ones .

… and if you can grab one of the late 90’s Korean Longhorns … grab it. The first runs were made in the Shinko Factory in Korea , they are said to be the best of the bunch. Production moved to China for quite a while , but is now back in Korea. But the Shinkos are the ones.

I was an old Pbass guy that got into Rics , and picked up a Longhorn. At first I did not like the short scale. I started using the Dano more and more , and it became my main bass for around fifteen or more years. I still don’t understand quite how it happened , but I’m ok with it. I still can’t decide if they’re funky looking or dog ugly. Liked the Longhorn enough to pick up a Dolphin Nose 56 and a shortscale DC. The Longhorn remains my favourite. I tried a longscale 63 but didn’t care for it. Sold it. If you want to put flats on , LaBella make a light gauge shortscale Dano set. You might prefer a slightly stiffer string. I left the factory rounds on mine and noticed that it kept sounding better as the strings aged. They’re still on the Longhorn. It was an early one made around 98. I have the Dano LaBellas on the Dolphin nose and regular LaBellas on the DC. Leave the wooden bridge on. They give it much of that woody tone. I replaced the adjustable bridge on my DC with a wooden one. There is a sweet spot where the intonation is fine. It’s not hard to locate. They don’t have the greatest tuners , but they work. When Nathan Daniel designed them he cut every corner he could to make them cheap. Another thing I noticed with the Longhorn was that it was incredibly stable , and I did not have to make any of the seasonal truss rod adjustments my Fenders required. They are also tough as nails. You can drop it , knock it over , whatever … it’s not going to break. Don’t think it’s fragile because of the light weight. They really are fun little things to play. I was surprised to see pictures of the ruby one at NAMM with the binding and f holes. I’m still pretty happy with my little black one. Enjoy! They’re great little basses.

Despite the light weight Danos are as tough as nails. They are not delicate at all. And not that easy to smash.

I love these little things!

I haven’t seen too much that’s interesting from the various NAMM reports , but the ruby Dano Longhorn with the f hole and binding looks good. I’ll be watching for availability and price.

“Nobody apart from the wealthy is going to buy pro-level stuff straight off the bat.“ I’ve both seen and found some great deals buying lightly used gear. Oh I’ve paid the full price of admission for some things , but more often than not look for a good price on preowned. And helped quite a few others buying used . Including some newbies. I’d rather buy something once than go through the upgrade.

You can sometimes find a GK MB200 for a good used price. Another great little amp. I used one with an Ampeg 210AV for some years. edit … bought both used and found them at good prices.

It’s interesting to watch a good player construct something when they don’t know the song. However there are times a complete wreck is inevitable.

I use a PhilJones C2 cab for practice but it’s really only suitable for low volume practice. It is very good for that. I recently picked up a Barefaced One10 and it will get surprisingly loud. I picked it up for rehearsals , with a moderately loud drummer. And it does that wonderfully. They both are pricey , but good.

The only time I’ve gone any time without gigging was when everything was shut down because of the pandemic. And being retired gives me much more practice time than I had before. I’m thankful to put in the time.

I keep fresh rounds on a couple but have flats on most. TI’s were my favourite but I’m mostly playing shortscales now and prefer a stiffer string on a smaller bass , mostly settled on LaBellas there. Spiros on my upright.

I’ve been in the house band for a Sunday jam for over twenty five years now in my favourite blues dive downtown. I let people use my gear and have never suffered any incidents. Some nights I’ll do the entire night , but most nights have some friends sitting in. Someone said that on a good Sunday night you have both extremes. There’s a little misery , and some great playing. All levels , all ages. It can be my most enjoyable night of the week. Whenever I get tossed something I’ve never played I do make note and learn the parts later. As long as somebody knows the tune we’re generally on. It is surprising to note how several players using the same gear , same settings , will all sound very different.

I wound up buying a Monique preamp to do that. It was pricey , but no regrets.

They’re on the high side but not exorbitant , they are hand made in Italy… And the user reviews I’ve read glow. (Edit) I have a friend in the US that’s looking at their Capo preamp.

I almost picked up a MicroTube amp a little while ago. They’re beautiful amps. I’m already well amped , and caught myself just in time. I use the e500 as a practice amp and love spinning the knobs and creating presets. Darkgass fan here.

Healthy recovery , Hipchip.

Great moments in advertising. “ Rinse and repeat” they doubled sales after adding those three lines to the package. My other favourite was “diet” TV dinners. They put a banner on the package saying “Diet” and “Now 1/3 the calories”. They simply cut the portion by 1/3 and charged the same price.

They are indeed!