DANELECTRO ’64XT
‘Rite out of left field
When it is time for something completely different, it might well be time for Danelectro’s ’64XT. Rocking a sort of reverse doublecut Mosrite body shape, with a big oversized singlecoil offset at an angle in the neck position, and a double Lipstick humbucker in the bridge, the ’64XT exists way outside the Strat/tele/offset 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 offers a singlecoil voicing of the dual Lipstick humbucker, with all the lively mid-high twang that entails. In its natural humbucker mode, you’ll find 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 find 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 offering 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 effects.
With a guitar that doesn’t look like it fits 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, noteheavy 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 offers plenty of wobble without throwing the whole shebang out of tune.
THIS IS A HUGELY TWEAKABLE, HIGH-FUNCTIONING ELECTRIC DRESSED TO LOOK LIKE AN ODDBALL
We’ve got ubiquitous Coke bottle headstocks, Masonite builds and bolt-on maple necks with the most rudimentary of heel joints throughout. The South Korean factory has lost nothing in translation in bringing a real feel of American rock ’n’ roll to the collection. How to choose? Well, first, there is an obvious outlier, the 59XT12. It is a specialist instrument, perhaps too weird for the majority of players to consider for their number-one guitar. We love having an electric 12-string with both singlecoil and humbucker voicings in the bridge; allied to the neck pickup, there is a lot of room to play with. This setup suits the ‘64XT well, too. And this is the one if you are looking to cover all bases, if you’re searching for a sound and need the thicker growl from humbucking pickups, and of course a tremolo. Danelectro say it’s the best-sounding guitar they’ve got. Maybe. But it is hard to see past the 60th
Anniversary DC69M. The NOS+ pickups are incredible, with a voice that belies their size, and this is exactly the kind of guitar that does not hide anything from the player, the kind that makes you a player better – and it will handle rock of all ages. As with all Danelectro models, if you see one you like, grab it, because they often switch up their lineup. That’s a bummer. But these are priced to facilitate impulse purchases, and with rock ’n’ roll guitars it’s alway best to go with your gut.