1960s Silvertone (Danelectro) 1457 Semihollow Electric Guitar w/Amp-in-Case 5x 1x8" Amp
Overview: This is a squeaky-clean pair of machines -- a killer Danelectro-made 1457 guitar with fresh work done to it and its stablemate amp-in-case 5w 1x8" tube amp (with tremolo and footswitch) that's also been completely gone-through by our local tech Dave Fenity. It's completely healthy and ready to roar.
I'm a confirmed Dano fanboy and I find these 1457 models to be the comfiest way to get a Dano U2 sound and feel into your hands as the body shape of a U2 tends to slip off my knee (this is a personal thing -- it happens with Les Pauls, too). This shape, by contrast, and despite its gonzo looks -- fits into my lap a lot like a Strat and "hugs" my body when I'm sitting with it. An improvement for me and the outrageous looks are up my street, too...
The sound of "both pickups on in series" (middle position) is one of my favorite guitar sounds of all time -- clean and clear but robust -- so it can give a little push to your amp's front-end compared to any lipstick pickups run in parallel or on their own. I switch to the "singles only" positions on a guitar like this mostly for acoustic-style strumming or volume-drop backup duties when I use a guitar like this "out on the town."
The necks on these are quick and easy and very stable (due to two giant steel, non-adjustable truss rods) to boot and due to the body construction, they're lightweight overall as well.
As far as the amp goes, it's now in excellent health (to the tune of ~$250 of repairs) and sounds tremendous -- a bit like a slightly-more-relaxed Champ but with built-in tremolo, a little less woof in the bass, and a little more upper-mids kerrang in there. Your mileage may vary depending on how you have the case placed, however, when using it. First-off -- one should always have the case open at least a little bit to let heat build-up escape. Second, it's best to place these in an area where you can make use of a room's wall and floor to get extra bass response. As I recall, the old owner's manual for these suggested the case open a little bit and the amp left standing in a corner of the room. Or maybe that's my owner's manual suggestion -- as it works really well that way.
Repairs included: The guitar got a level/dress of the frets, mild cleaning, a ground reattached in the wiring, compensation added to the saddle, and setup work. The amp had most of its old caps replaced and one tube replaced (all of this was out of spec) and a new, 3-prong cable installed for safety's sake.
- Weight: 6 lbs 3 oz
- Scale length: 25"
- Nut width: 1 5/8"
- Neck shape: medium C
- Board radius: 20"
- Depth at first fret: .81"
- Depth at seventh fret: .87"
- Body width: 13"
- Body depth: 1 5/8"
- Body wood: poplar/pine blocking with masonite top/back
- Bridge: original steel base with (freshly-compensated) rosewood saddle
- Fretboard: rosewood
- Neck wood: poplar
- Pickups: 2x original single coils
- Action height at 12th fret: 1/16” overall (fast, spot-on)
- String gauges: 46w-10 nickel, plain G
- Truss rod: non-adjustable
- Neck relief: straight
- Fret style: wider/medium-lower height
Condition notes: Both the guitar and the amp-in-case are in excellent shape with only minor wear here and there throughout. The guitar is completely original save for replacement strap buttons. The amp is mostly original but all of its filter caps and its "cap tube" are replacements.
It comes with: It has the amp-in-case, of course! (pictures to follow shortly, as-of 3/24/26)
Consignor tag: LMER
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