What it is and what it was built for
The Danelectro 59 DC is a reissue of the Shorthorn, the dual cutaway hollow bodied guitar Danelectro introduced in 1959 to replace its U model guitars. The original models stayed in production until the company closed in 1969. The 59DC was one of the first two reissues of the line, sold with two pickups between 1998 and 2001, next to the three pickup DC-3.
How it works, in terms a player would use
The Shorthorn design is a hollow body of Masonite and poplar with two cutaways. Its headstock has the Coke bottle style outline, the pickguard is seal shaped, and tone and volume sit on two concentric stacked knobs. The range comes in one, two and three pickup versions, and the 59DC is the two pickup one.
What it does better than anything else
It gives a player the Shorthorn layout of the 1959 guitar without hunting down an original. The stacked knobs and the Coke bottle headstock are the classic features of the line, and the 2007 to 2009 reissues dropped both.
What it does badly
The reissues did not all stay true to the original. The Chinese made series of 2007 to 2009 changed to an asymmetric headstock and standard knobs instead of stacked ones. A 59DC with two pickups also leaves out the third pickup that the DC-3 offered.
What people made with it
A guitar called a Danelectro 59 DC sits at Sam Ash Music on West 48th Street in New York City, the former Manny’s Music. Nothing on record dates it, so it may or may not be one of the 1998 reissues. It was painted light yellow for a promotional photo, then became the shop’s demo guitar for trying amplifiers and effects pedals. Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton are among the players said to have tried it. It eventually broke in half at the neck and is now in a glass case. The line itself was played by Syd Barrett of early Pink Floyd, and Jimmy Page used it live in 1975 and from 1979 to 1980.
Who should use it, and who should not
Anyone who wants the 1959 Shorthorn design in a two pickup reissue. Not someone who wants three pickups, or standard non-stacked knobs, which came with the 2007 to 2009 Chinese made run.
Is it worth your time
Yes, if the Shorthorn layout is what you are after: dual cutaways, a hollow Masonite and poplar body and stacked knobs. Check which reissue you are buying, because the headstock and the knobs changed from one series to the next.
