I’ll be honest — I picked up this bass mostly out of curiosity. You see a Danelectro sitting in a shop and your brain immediately files it under “retro prop.” Something for the wall, maybe a novelty for a bedroom player. I’ve been playing for 20 years. I had my assumptions.
I was wrong.
The Brand Nobody Really Talks About
Danelectro has been around since 1947. Nathan Daniel started the company in New York, building affordable instruments for working musicians who couldn’t afford the boutique stuff. These weren’t precision instruments — Masonite bodies, vinyl coverings, sold through Sears catalogs. And yet somehow, they ended up on some of the most iconic recordings ever made.
Jimmy Page used a Danelectro on “Kashmir.” Those lipstick tube pickups — chrome cylinders that look like they were borrowed from a vintage vanity mirror — became one of the most recognizable sounds in rock. Elvis’s session players had them. Robert Smith. The list goes on. For decades, Danelectro was the working musician’s secret weapon: cheap to buy, impossible to replicate.
The 59DC Double Cutaway design is the one people recognize. That teardrop silhouette, the plastic-covered body, the chrome accents. It looks like something from a 1959 science fiction film. Which, honestly, it kind of is — and that’s exactly the point.
What It Actually Sounds Like
The semi-hollow Masonite construction gives this bass a resonance you genuinely don’t expect from something this light. It’s not punchy the way a Stingray is punchy. It’s not warm the way a P-Bass is warm. It’s something else entirely — open, old-school, with this woody character that sits in a mix differently than anything else.
With a pick, this bass is incredible. That’s the big revelation. The attack gets a woody, almost acoustic quality on top of a solid low end that reminds me of classic Motown session recordings. Tight, punchy, with that almost upright-like character on the attack. You play it with a pick on the bridge pickup and suddenly you understand why these basses ended up on so many records from that era.
Fingerstyle is also great. Softer, rounder, but still with that unique character. The lipstick pickups don’t have the output of a jazz bass or a humbucker — they’re sensitive and clear. What you play is exactly what you get. No coloring, no compression from hot pickups. Pure and honest.
And slap? I didn’t expect this one. The semi-hollow body gives the slap tone an almost percussive, hollow quality. It’s not for a modern funk gig where you need Stingray-level snap — but for something more textural, more experimental, it genuinely works. I found myself playing phrases I’d never play on my usual basses.
The Build — What You’re Actually Getting
The 59DC is not a $2,000 instrument and it doesn’t pretend to be. Masonite body, bolt-on neck, functional tuners. It’s a working-class bass with a working-class price tag.
But it holds up. I’ve seen cheaper basses fall apart in two years. This one doesn’t. The modern reissues are well-made for the money. One thing you’ll notice immediately — it’s very light. Almost alarmingly light compared to a mahogany body bass. After a three-hour rehearsal, your shoulder will seriously thank you.
The slim neck profile is comfortable and fast. I had a student once who was completely stuck in a rut — same phrases, same tone, same everything for two years. I handed him this Danelectro during a lesson. Within ten minutes he was playing differently. Sometimes an unusual instrument breaks habits that years of practice can’t touch. This bass has that quality.
If you need a workhorse for every gig — maybe look elsewhere. But if you want something that fills a sonic space nothing else in your collection does, the 59DC belongs in your hands.
FAQ
Is the Danelectro 59DC bass good for beginners?
Yes, actually. It’s lightweight, the neck is comfortable, and it’s forgiving to play. The price point is accessible. The only caveat is that the lipstick pickups have lower output than most modern basses — so if you’re plugging into a practice amp, turn the gain up a bit.
What music styles is the Danelectro bass best for?
Classic rock, blues, indie, and anything where you want a vintage character. With a pick it shines on anything with a Motown or old-school rock flavor. Fingerstyle works for jazz and soft funk. It’s not your first choice for metal or modern slap-heavy R&B.
How does the lipstick pickup sound compared to a Jazz Bass pickup?
Thinner and clearer, with less output. A Jazz Bass has more bite and presence. The lipstick pickup has a more vintage, open character — less mid-range grunt, more air. Both are great, just for different things.
Is Danelectro still making instruments today?
Yes. Danelectro went through several ownership changes and stopped production for a period in the 70s and 80s, but came back in the 90s. Today they produce reissues of the classic designs including the 59DC. Same aesthetic, improved hardware.
Can you slap on a Danelectro bass?
You can, and it sounds interesting — hollow and percussive, unlike anything else. It won’t replace a Stingray for slap, but if you want a unique slap tone for recording, this bass delivers something genuinely different.
The Danelectro 59DC is genuinely one of the most overlooked basses for certain styles. That hollow body with the lipstick pickups gives you a sound that no modern solid-body can replicate — thin, slightly nasal, with a natural compression that comes from the resonating chamber. For anything blues-adjacent or vintage rock, it just works.
The build quality on modern reissues is obviously not the same as the originals from the late 50s. But they’ve kept what matters — the pickup design, the body shape, the short scale. Short scale basses are underrated for players with smaller hands or anyone who plays for three hours straight and needs their fretting hand to survive the night.
If you’ve only played modern basses, the 59DC will feel like a different instrument. That’s not a flaw. That’s the point.
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