1958 Danelectro-made Silvertone U2 Electric Guitar (Part 2)

I originally worked on this guitar back in 2017 when I set it up and lightly-modded it for its owner to use as a Nashville-strung instrument. It's now back for resale (he found that he was only picking-up his acoustic that was setup for Nashville-strung use and this was collecting dust) and I've restrung it "normal" and it's now killer. I liked it before with the Nashville thing going on, but I really love a good U2 doing what it's supposed to do.

What are they supposed to do, though? Listen to the video! Those lipstick pickups are their own thing and none of the modern interpretations really do them justice -- they have a plainspoken evenness to the sound that grabs the strings like you're playing an acoustic. If you play one of these clean you can just chug along on chords like you're playing an acoustic guitar. It's the oddest experience if you're a seasoned electric player and a welcome one if you're mostly an acoustic guy chording for a band. The top-end is chimey and bell-like, though, so you can get some neat retro-country, retro-pop vibes going played clean as well.

That said, if you hit them with some dirt and drive that's where these things sound most at home. That turns the guitar into a garage-rock machine right-fast and gives the instrument a rootsy, sort-of bluesy, sort-of honky-tonky vibe.

The interesting Danelectro wiring means that the pickup selector switch has a "built-in boost" because in either of the single-pickup positions (neck or bridge) the pickups have lower output but in the middle the pickups are "added" in series wiring which gives a volume boost and pushes the amp a bit harder. This middle-position Danelectro sound on a U2 is what I have in my mind when I think of that classic Dano sound. It's a little more aggressive and punchy than either pickup on its own and when I install modern lipstick-style pickups on newer guitars for myself, I often opt for the humbucker-sized double-coil units because they're wired in series as well and have a tone closer to this mid-position switch setting.

What else is interesting? When I worked on this before, I modified the original bridge (don't worry, it can be modded back to "stock" easily -- but why?) with an added-on backplate (cut from old chrome steel) that allows for the use of six, '60s-style, individually-adjustable, Telecaster-style saddles. This means it's easy to get the guitar in tune with different string sets and it's also easy to make micro-adjustments in the setup for your playing-style. It also gives the instrument a slightly-steelier tone (compared to the normal, one-piece, rosewood saddle) and more sustain. I think that's all-plus in my book. The original saddles are neat but not very practical. This is practical and looks retro, too.

As per normal, this has the usual Danelectro U2 construction -- masonite top and back over pine-and-poplar ribs and blocking. This makes it a "semihollow" build and the nice, simple overtones and overall fundamental sound is due to that.

Repairs included: (previously) a fret level/dress, new bone nut, bridge modification/saddles mod, cleaning, setup. Currently, I've restrung it, set it up again, and replaced the worn-out original jack with a new Switchcraft one.

Body wood: pine and poplar ribs/rims and centerblock with masonite top/back

Bridge: steel plate, chrome, added adjustable saddles

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: poplar

Pickups: 2x original Danelectro lipstick

Action height at 12th fret: 1/16" overall (fast)
String gauges: 46w-10 lights

Neck shape: medium C

Board radius: flatter/~16"

Truss rod: non-adjustable (2 steel rods)

Neck relief: very light relief at pitch (~1/64" bass, hair above ~1/64" treble)

Fret style: medium-wider

Scale length: 25"

Nut width: 1 5/8"

Body width: 13 1/4"

Body depth: 1 5/8"

Weight: 6 lbs 5 oz

Condition notes: replaced nut, replaced pickguard, modified bridge, replaced jack, replaced strap button (at heel). Otherwise it's original. There's plenty of minor wear throughout but overall it's looking good! The back of the neck is worn a lot and speaks to its years of heavy use. I leveled and dressed the frets previously but at tension the neck adds a touch of relief mostly on the treble side. It's not more than the average old Strat or Tele neck's off-from-true but I like to be thorough. Action is fast and easy. The 3-way switch crackles a little when used but these are a hard part to get and so I think we can live with it. I've not yet played a Dano that doesn't do this even after being sprayed-out with cleaner. The original tuners are also not the best but they work fine.