Thinking about a Danelectro style offset build (Hornet/1452 style) tips or suggestions?

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Thinking about a Danelectro style offset build (Hornet/1452 style) tips or suggestions?

Post by ToneFerDayz!!1! » Fri May 28, 2021 2:54 pm

So a friend of mine changed careers during the long lockdown here and recently became a carpenter with his own wood shop. After helping him with a few other things, we both decided it would be fun to try to make a guitar and I immediately thought of doing something Danelectro/Silvertone style— pine (or other) frame, center block, and then pressboard top and sides. I’m leaning towards trying to do a U2/DC-59 take on the Danelectro Hornet (25” scale, lipstick pickups, rosewood bridge), which has long been one of my favorite offsets but the reissues/vintage ones are nonexistent this side of the Atlantic.

So, a couple of questions are on my mind as we start this:

1) Are there any resources for finding templates of these old Dano guitars on the web? I could probably knock something together based on my Jazzmaster, but it’d save some time on the design if there was something pre-existing.

2) To Masonite or not Masonite? I know the originals were Masonite and I’m pretty sure most of the revived Danos are made with plywood nowadays. MDF is another option, but people seem to be pretty split on it. Some say it sounds dead, some say it’s better than ply or Masonite. Anyone have any experience or tips on this style of construction?

3) Finish options/binding tape. I’m still not sure how I want to finish the guitar, but I figure it’s be good to ask if people had difficulty with applying guitar finishes to the Masonite (or whatever)— I’ve heard it can be difficult to work with, but I’ve never really used it before. I’m also considering vinyl or other unusual finishes like old Euro guitars (and vintage Danos) used. I’ve also heard the binding tape Danelectro used has been discontinued, so are there any alternatives on the market?

And last but not least— sourcing a neck in the EU has become much harder post Brexit, so if anyone has any good resources for cheap, unfinished necks let me know.

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Re: Thinking about a Danelectro style offset build (Hornet/1452 style) tips or suggestions?

Post by epizootics » Fri May 28, 2021 9:25 pm

Danos seems to be coming back in fashion!

It sounds like a cool project. I posted something about this type of construction on this very board last week - viewtopic.php?f=8&t=119534

Masonite (Isorel over here in France) has its advantages, including its very low cost. But it is also very porous. I remember reading about a build on TDPRI where the builder said it suck up a LOT of finish. Depending on where you live, you might struggle to find it in the thickness you're looking for.

My own experience with MDF was pretty bad, but as I said, some people don't seem to mind it.

My feeling is that it won't make a whole lot of difference once the guitar is finished, so you might as well go with a material that is available in your area and is nice to work with. I don't think the vibes & feel of Danelectros have that much to do with the actual material used for the top & bottom. I'd say that the construction, pickups, scale length and bridge account for 95% of that.

Give me a shout if you don't find a template, I will happily make one for you!

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Re: Thinking about a Danelectro style offset build (Hornet/1452 style) tips or suggestions?

Post by Steadyriot. » Fri May 28, 2021 9:29 pm

I’ve been pondering a Dano build for a while too, so I hope I can help you with those questions:

1. There’s a few templates floating around, and a few of these guitars on here too. I’ll see if I can find one of those tracings, but I bet someone on here could trace one for you too. Scaling up a picture to lifesize is also pretty easy in all the modern photoshop-esque programs.

2. You could give Masonite a go, but I hear it can really swell up with the moisture from gluing. MDF is pretty much the same stuff IMHO and will probably give you less grief. Birch plywood would also be a good choice but less vintage acurate. It’ll be more sturdy and nicer to work with though, and after a few layers of finish nobody can tell.

3. There’s still sellers out there (ai believe allparts has it?) but I’d look into getting some textured fake leater or vinyl wallpaper. There’s stuff that looks pretty accurate. Tolex would be a good substitute too.

4 (neck) these float around on Aliexpress, but aren’t really hornet necks. I’d probably get a modern paddle neck and shape it to my liking. Those reissue Hornet necks probably pop up from time to time too on Ebay.

Oh and not to burst your bubble, but weren’t the Hornets made from solid poplar? ;)

Hope it helps!
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Re: Thinking about a Danelectro style offset build (Hornet/1452 style) tips or suggestions?

Post by epizootics » Fri May 28, 2021 9:54 pm

Steadyriot. wrote:
Fri May 28, 2021 9:29 pm
I’ve been pondering a Dano build for a while too, so I hope I can help you with those questions:

1. There’s a few templates floating around, and a few of these guitars on here too. I’ll see if I can find one of those tracings, but I bet someone on here could trace one for you too. Scaling up a picture to lifesize is also pretty easy in all the modern photoshop-esque programs.

2. You could give Masonite a go, but I hear it can really swell up with the moisture from gluing. MDF is pretty much the same stuff IMHO and will probably give you less grief. Birch plywood would also be a good choice but less vintage acurate. It’ll be more sturdy and nicer to work with though, and after a few layers of finish nobody can tell.

3. There’s still sellers out there (ai believe allparts has it?) but I’d look into getting some textured fake leater or vinyl wallpaper. There’s stuff that looks pretty accurate. Tolex would be a good substitute too.

4 (neck) these float around on Aliexpress, but aren’t really hornet necks. I’d probably get a modern paddle neck and shape it to my liking. Those reissue Hornet necks probably pop up from time to time too on Ebay.

Oh and not to burst your bubble, but weren’t the Hornets made from solid poplar? ;)

Hope it helps!
I was going to say just that - the wide roundover and absence of tape at the sides seem to indicate that those were made from solid wood.
That would kinda make the project even cooler though - you'd be building a Danelectro chimera of sorts!

Regarding the neck, finding one with a 25" scale and a paddle headstock is going to be a struggle. Most of the stuff on Aliexpress is either 25.5" or 24.75". The one thing that plays in your favor with those Chinese necks, though, is that they have a very flat radius, much like Danelectros.
If you're going down that route, something like that might do the trick: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1434448 ... 2f1ceRLe8w
24.75 is a quarter of an inch closer to 25" than 25.5", and you could simply saw off the extra bit of tenon at the heel with a Japanese saw. Make sure to contact the seller about actual measurements, though.

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Re: Thinking about a Danelectro style offset build (Hornet/1452 style) tips or suggestions?

Post by 1452L » Sat May 29, 2021 12:19 am

Yeah, I have a 1452 from 1968 and it’s not Masonite.

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Re: Thinking about a Danelectro style offset build (Hornet/1452 style) tips or suggestions?

Post by ToneFerDayz!!1! » Sat May 29, 2021 1:18 am

Thanks for the advice and suggestions, everyone! I'm excited about this because I've never really done a build from scratch before, just put together parts.
Steadyriot. wrote:
Fri May 28, 2021 9:29 pm
Oh and not to burst your bubble, but weren’t the Hornets made from solid poplar? ;)
Yeah, they were, or pine maybe? I had a great Silvertone branded one back in the early 2000s when I still lived in the States (stupidly sold it to buy a Mustang that I ended up hating), but they're hard to find here in Europe, plus I've always been intrigued by cheapo vintage semi-hollow guitar builds like the original U2 or the Resoglass Airlines. And lipstick pickups are pretty much my favorite pickup, so I think they'll translate well to the semi-hollow build. :ph34r: :w00t:

I might steer clear of MDF for health reasons and also because my friend who's helping with the build has lots of left over scraps of baltic birch from building a kitchen that he wants to get rid of.

So, essentially, I'm thinking of a body like this (minus the taper, of course):

Image

but with the more traditional semi-hollow Danelectro construction you'd find in a Dane/Hawk or Pro or U2 like this:

Image

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Re: Thinking about a Danelectro style offset build (Hornet/1452 style) tips or suggestions?

Post by LVC » Sat May 29, 2021 3:30 pm

ToneFerDayz!!1! wrote:
Sat May 29, 2021 1:18 am
Steadyriot. wrote:
Fri May 28, 2021 9:29 pm
Oh and not to burst your bubble, but weren’t the Hornets made from solid poplar? ;)
Yeah, they were, or pine maybe? I had a great Silvertone branded one back in the early 2000s when I still lived in the States (stupidly sold it to buy a Mustang that I ended up hating), but they're hard to find here in Europe, plus I've always been intrigued by cheapo vintage semi-hollow guitar builds like the original U2 or the Resoglass Airlines. And lipstick pickups are pretty much my favorite pickup, so I think they'll translate well to the semi-hollow build. :ph34r: :w00t:
I certainly don't want to be a killjoy and discourage you from a very cool project before you've even started it but... Danelectro have released a plywood-and-masonite version of the Hornet, called the '67 Dano, in 2019. It's still available at Thomann, and there are some on Reverb as well, from European sellers.

Image
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Re: Thinking about a Danelectro style offset build (Hornet/1452 style) tips or suggestions?

Post by ToneFerDayz!!1! » Sun May 30, 2021 10:11 am

LVC wrote:
Sat May 29, 2021 3:30 pm
ToneFerDayz!!1! wrote:
Sat May 29, 2021 1:18 am
Steadyriot. wrote:
Fri May 28, 2021 9:29 pm
Oh and not to burst your bubble, but weren’t the Hornets made from solid poplar? ;)
Yeah, they were, or pine maybe? I had a great Silvertone branded one back in the early 2000s when I still lived in the States (stupidly sold it to buy a Mustang that I ended up hating), but they're hard to find here in Europe, plus I've always been intrigued by cheapo vintage semi-hollow guitar builds like the original U2 or the Resoglass Airlines. And lipstick pickups are pretty much my favorite pickup, so I think they'll translate well to the semi-hollow build. :ph34r: :w00t:
I certainly don't want to be a killjoy and discourage you from a very cool project before you've even started it but... Danelectro have released a plywood-and-masonite version of the Hornet, called the '67 Dano, in 2019. It's still available at Thomann, and there are some on Reverb as well, from European sellers.

Image
I know about them, but this is more of a fun project to do with a friend. ;D Plus, I want to do some tweaks to get closer to the vintage Dano sound, I think.

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Re: Thinking about a Danelectro style offset build (Hornet/1452 style) tips or suggestions?

Post by LVC » Sun May 30, 2021 10:39 am

ToneFerDayz!!1! wrote:
Sun May 30, 2021 10:11 am
I know about them, but this is more of a fun project to do with a friend. ;D Plus, I want to do some tweaks to get closer to the vintage Dano sound, I think.
That makes perfect sense. :)
As someone who appreciates the rustic magic of Danos I'll be following this project with interest 8)
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