Danelectro DC59M NOS+

TOTAL GUITAR OCTOBER 2019
104
BODY: Chambered
Masonite with
centre block and
spruce frame
NECK: Maple,
bolt-on
FINGERBOARD:
Pau ferro
FRETS: 21
SCALE: 24.5”
PICKUPS: 1x
Danelectro Dual
Lipstick humbucker
(bridge), Danelectro
vintage-style large
housing singlecoil
(neck)
CONTROLS: 1x
volume, 1x tone with
push-pull coil-tap for
bridge pickup
SW ITCHING:
3-position toggle
HARDWARE:
Wilkinson
floating tremolo,
vintage-style tuners
FINISH: 3-Tone
Sunburst [as
reviewed],
Gloss Black
CONTACT:
danelectro.com/
0113 286 5381
AT A GLANCE
W
hen it is time for
something completely
diff erent, it might well be
time for Danelectro’s
’64XT. Rocking a sort of
reverse doublecut Mosrite body shape,
with a big oversized singlecoil off set at
an angle in the neck position, and a
double Lipstick humbucker in the
bridge, the ’64XT exists way outside
the Strat/Tele/off set continuum.
It has a vintage pawnshop look,
old-school tone, but in a sense it has
the modern player in mind. This is a
hugely tweakable, high-functioning
electric dressed to look like an oddball.
The coil-tap on the tone control off ers
a singlecoil voicing of the dual Lipstick
humbucker, with all the lively
mid-high twang that entails. In its
natural humbucker mode, you’ll fi nd
plenty of chewy attitude, not
necessarily super-hot but with enough
hair to get some gnarly breakup from
your amp. It partners overdrive well,
loves fuzz, and if you like to play in the
styles of Ron Asheton or Johnny
Ramone you’ll fi nd all the power you
need. But what of more subtle tones?
That’s where the tone controls and
neck pickup comes into its own. The
positioning might dull some of its
brightness but with the tone control’s
taper off ering a wide sweep you can get
some really cool nasally tones when
overdriven, and warm spangly cleans
that work really well for blues and
rock ’n’ roll, inviting experimentation
with time-based eff ects.
With a guitar that doesn’t look like it
fi ts in anywhere, that invitation is
open-ended for those players looking
to take their sound into bold new
directions. Roll back the treble and you
can do jazz if that’s your bag, too, and
the neck, slim as per the DC59M, has
all the zip you need for fast, note-
heavy runs.
The Wilkinson tremolo is perhaps
a little modern, where a vintage
two-point version would have been
more appropriate. It’s not quite like
watching Happy Days and seeing the
Fonz wearing an Apple Watch but it’s
kind of anachronistic. It is, however,
stable, well engineered, and off ers
plenty of wobble without throwing the
whole shebang out of tune.
DANELECTRO
’64XT
‘Rite out of left field
THIS IS A HUGELY TWEAKABLE,
HIGH-FUNCTIONING ELECTRIC
DRESSED TO LOOK LIKE AN ODDBALL
£729
Kick back and
experiment with
the wide range
of tone on offer
TGR329.gear_test.indd 104 03/02/2020 11:36