Danelectro DC 59 Modified Hollow-Body – Affordable Classic With A Hollow Sound

Body And Neck:
Hardware:
Electronics:
Sound:
Value:

• Check Price on Amazon
• Check Price on Guitar Center
• Check Price on Musician's Friend

Danelectro is not as known for their guitars as some other brands are. With that said, they do have several quite memorable models. Danelectro 59M semi hollow is among the first which come to mind. What makes this guitar so special is the fact that you can get a great quality semi-hollow guitar for around $500. That's pretty rare.

Body and Neck

Semi hollow and hollow guitars are held in a completely different regard. They are more complicated and require much more attention to detail during the manufacturing stage. As you would expect, this translates to higher cost. So when Danelectro revamped one of their most popular models ever, with a body made of spruce combined with a solid maple neck, it was rather surprising.

Affordable and semi-hollow were terms you just couldn't fit into the same sentence. That has changed. Danelectro 59M features a vintage style body shape and a design theme which hasn't changed much compared to the classic.

Electronics

What makes a vintage guitar truly special are partially the things we already covered, however the choice of pickups plays a significant role as well. Danelectro chose to keep things as old school as possible, thus providing a set of two '56 Lipstick pickups with this bad boy.

This pair is wired to a simple circuit which includes a single volume knob, a tone knob, and a pickup select switch. It's worth mentioning that these single coils are also sunken into the body of the guitar. Overall, these electronics are what give the '59M a good chunk of its character, and we love it.

Hardware

One great thing about simple semi-hollows is that you don't have to deal with complex hardware. Although having a tail piece and the rest of the package definitely has its charms, using a simple fixed bridge is always welcome. That's why Danelectro chose to install a quality wraparound bridge which is sunken into the body.

On the headstock, you will find a set of rather decent tuning machines which also belong to the vintage variety. In terms of performance, everything is more or less on point. The bridge and tuners retain both the intonation and tuning with ease, as long as you don't push the guitar outside of its comfort zone.

Sound

There is something about the sound of a semi-hollow guitar that is hard to describe, and even harder to replicate using a solid body. Since the quality of the sound box and its design play a significant role regarding the sound you will get, many questioned the capabilities of this affordable semi-hollow.

As it turns out, Danelectro nailed it and managed to give us a pretty refined tone. You definitely hear and feel its semi-hollow nature. While it's not as sensitive as some high-end models, Danelectro '59M is more than capable of giving you the level of finesse and expression you deserve. It's a versatile guitar, and one that packs a mean punch.

Conclusion

Danelectro 59M is a perfect representation of what this company is all about. It's affordable, well made, sounds great and simply feels solid when you pick it up. Those looking for an entry-level semi-hollow need to look no further.

For more info about the Danelectro DC 59 Modified Hollow-Body, click here.
For more electric guitars for less then 500$, click here.