1990s Danelectro U-2 Reissue Semihollow Electric Guitar

I get deja vu every time I see one of these Korean-made, reissue '90s Danelectro U-2s in the shop as I've setup and sold a lot of them over the years. This one's got the cool "rounded-over" edge at the fretboard extension/heel area which makes playing up there a little cozier. It also has series wiring in the middle position of the switch so you get that nice, thicker, boosted sound from it in that position like you get on old Danos. When I've played Danos, I would hang on the neck or bridge positions for chord-strumming and switch into that position for lead and fill work.

Unlike the vintage Danelectros, the "framing" for the bodies on these is usually plywood rather than blocks of poplar and pine. The neck is also maple with an adjustable truss rod (Fender-style) rather than poplar with two big old non-adjustable rods. The top and back of the body are still Masonite and while the tone is very similar to vintage Danelectros it's not spot-on. Part of that is the pickups being new and better-made (heh heh) and the other part is that the small differences between the bodies and necks vs. vintage add-up. To me these sound like a cleaner, more-modern interpretation. That's not a bad thing -- it's just a little different in the same way a modern American Strat is very similar to an old Strat but has improvements that change the feel and sound a bit.

So, that said, who can argue with these guitars? They're lightweight, play great after setup, and sound engaging, too. They're a great "move on over" instrument for acoustic guitar players as the pickups respond well to acoustic-style picking techniques and are transparent and clean enough to give pedal-users a nice clean palette to work with.

Repairs included: a quick cleaning and a setup -- I had adjusted this previously for its owner but he traded this in to me recently. Previously I'd compensated the bridge saddle, too.


Body wood: ply ribs and blocking, Masonite top/back

Bridge: rosewood saddle (comp'd for 3-plain, 3-wound) on steel plate

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: maple

Pickups: 2x lipstick-style single coils


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

Neck shape: slim C

Board radius: 12"

Truss rod: adjustable

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: medium-wider


Scale length: 25"

Nut width: 1 5/8"

Body width: 13 3/8"

Body depth: 1 5/8"

Weight: 6 lbs 9 oz


Condition notes: it's all-original and in great shape with just average minor usewear throughout -- light scratching and scuffs. the clear pickguard has yellowed in an oh-so-cool way.


It comes with: no case, sorry!














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