As for the 56-U2, Campion confidently stated, “Judging from the reaction of players and dealers at NAMM, we hit the mark.” It was nine guys writing orders and talking to dealers and players all day.”Īmong the notable visitors Campion cited were Skunk Baxter, Dick Dale, John Sebastian, and Tom Wheeler.Īt the same show, Danelectro introduced two more pedals- an echo device and a chromatic tuner. Several of the guys never left the booth for a bite to eat or even to visit the restroom. Literally the minute the doors opened, we were mobbed with dealers and players, and the pace never let up. Campion recounted how the Danelectro sales force “…prayed together in the booth and waited for the doors to open. The new 56-U2 made its debut at the January ’98 NAMM show in Los Angeles.
According to Soest, the bridge was critical to Danelectro instruments’ unique sound (see Steve Patt’s review, VG, September ’98). But it retains the plain, flat, three-screw bridge of its ancestor.
The final 56-U2 reissue differs from the original version in two important facets the neck features an adjustable truss rod, and the tuning keys are an enclosed-type for better stability. The overseas monitoring was the responsibility of Albert Garcia, who had experience in offshore guitar manufacturing. But he stayed busy with his repair shop in Orange and playing guitar in the retro-surf band The Torquays, which recently released its first album. “I kept worksheets on all of the originals, and the samples started coming in from Korea around Thanksgiving,” Soest said. But from the outset, production was planned for Korea. One rumor concerning the new guitars was they were going to be made in China, which was untrue, though likely originated because Danelectro pedals are made there. I started specing them out to come up with the most desirable features, which we wanted to apply to one model.”īetween instruments in Soest’s own collection and others borrowed by Soest and purchased by Evets, the guitar tech had about a dozen instruments to examine. That was the peak year as far as features, so they ran ads in VG and purchased guitars from collectors and private parties. “After some discussion, we decided the ’56 U-2 was the ultimate of the original U models. “Research actually started in the Spring of ’97,” Soest said. He has repaired and modified many original Danelectro guitars, and once converted the four-string bass portion of a Dano doubleneck into a six-string bass for the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. Soest’s expertise regarding creation of a true reissue (with better components) proved invaluable. One of the individuals they brought aboard to insure development of a quality instrument was guitar authority Steve “The Surfin’ Librarian” Soest. And a year after their introduction, Danelectro effects pedals had been voted effect pedal of the year in surveys by Music & Sound Retailer and Musical Merchandise Review.Īnd as its pedals steamrolled to sales success that year, the company was indeed pressing ahead with plans to introduce fretted instruments. “Our thinking was it would be enough of a shock to the market when Danelectro returns it would put everybody into cardiac arrest if we not only returned to the market, but started to make the guitars right away, too.”īut while the effects introduced in January ’97 were quite popular, “…hundreds of dealers and players asked us to bring back the guitars,” Campion said. Vintage Guitar recently spoke with Danelectro’s Michael Campion, who noted the company’s reasoning for introducing stompboxes first. While the Evets company had been associated with other musical products, the retro vibe associated with the Danelectro name offered a unique opportunity for Ridinger and his associates. The Evets corporation, headed by president Steve Ridinger, acquired the Danelectro trademark from New Jersey’s Anthony Marc in the mid ’90s.
#DANELECTRO GUITAR IDENTIFICATION PRO#
But this time the company’s offerings have been turning the heads of many a pro player, as well. Just as Danelectro guitars and amps were a staple of the entry-level market in the ’50s and ’60s (although the term didn’t exist then), new Danelectro products are also quite affordable. The introduction of effects pedals at the January ’97 NAMM show was the start of an impressive resurgence in interest in the brand name and its quality, utilitarian products.
0ne of the more recent buzzes in the guitar community has centered around the phenomenal success of products bearing the Danelectro brand name.