Silvertone Classic 1449 Electric Guitar Reissue, anyone here have experience with these?

[Danoman]

These Silvertone 1449 reissues came out a few years ago, i was wondering if anyone here had any experience with them? I did do a search on here, and couldn't find anything. How do they sound, and play? thanks in advance!

[WRGKMC]

They were made by Dan Electro. You could do better just buying a Dan-o unless you just want that the look of that fugly headstock.

 

I never got the attraction to Silvertone myself. I used to look at the Sears Christmas catalog back in the 60's as a young kid and wanted one of the electrics. Years later when I actually came across one, I was glad I never got one. I took my $50 and bought a used Vox with onboard electronics instead. They were very cheap guitars and you'd find hundreds of them at flea markets being sold for $5~10. I used to buy them, fix them up then try and double my money but finding buyers (suckers) was near impossible.

 

Age doesn't equate to quality. Junk guitars built in the 60's are still junk guitars today. Silvertones weren't as bad as some of the mail order instruments, but still, few professional musicians embarrassed themselves using them. I suppose fads change and junk is cool now. You get some old guys with find childhood memories collecting them.

 

The vintage tube amps were allot better but I's have to question a persons judgment spending big money on a vintage Silvertone other then to turn a profit. Once you've owned one you simply scratch you head and question why you thought it might be cool to own one.

 

Maybe the reissues are better. Its still a Dan electro build with a clunky neck however. I'd simply find a good price on a Dan-o if I wanted that that Masonite pressed cardboard body tone.

[Verne Andru]

As noted above, the original Silvertone's like that model were made by Danelectro. I too salivated over the Sears Christmas catalogs for a 2 pickup Silvertone 1449 with Amp-in-case.

 

The originals were made with lipstick pickups in a semi-hollow build - plywood frame with Masonite top and bottom. Tape was used around the edge to hide the plywood.

 

The re-issue version the OP references is not a semi-hollow. These new Silvertone's appeared a few years ago and are solid bodies - basswood if I remember correctly.

 

Danelectro was revived back in the late 1990's and has been doing more vintage correct re-issues like this one:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]n31869966[/ATTACH]

 

It is masonite over a plywood frame with lipsticks, like the originals. Unlike the originals the neck has an adjustable truss-rod and the bridge has individually adjustable saddles.

 

As far as headstock designs go, while I like the look of the Silvertone, the string pull is way bad. You want as straight a pull from bridge to machine as possible and the Danelectro "coke bottle" headstock, like above, is a much better design.

 

I never did get an original Silvertone, but I did get one of the Danelectro's like I've pictured. It's a much better guitar than it's '64 counter part and I too am glad I waited for the reissue. I nice set of Alnico lipsticks in a semi-hollow counter-top body has a super-sweet tone you can't get any other way.

[Verne Andru]

To add that there were a few "famous" players with Dano's - Hendrix started on one, Clapton's psychedelic painted Dano is famous, Mik Jagger played a 1449 and Jimmy Page always did a solo set with his Dano as well as using it on Cashmere and a few other notable Zep tunes.

[GAS Man]

I haven't played that particular model, but I did buy and own the other 3 electric models they reissued and I do believe they are worth the price of admission.

 

I wouldn't necessarily jump to posting Danelectro references because these RI Silvertones are quite a bit different from the original Slivertones or the original or RI Danelectros. Reason why? They are using solid mahogany bodies. But to my ear, that actually gives them more utility.

(also added truss rods and better bridges & tuning keys)

 

I've been tempted to purchase the model you put up above, largely because it's such an iconic retro look, but I did already get the Silvertone 1303/U2, which is very similar except a different shape; and I tend to prefer it over the two similar Danelectro Reissues I also have at home. The sound is deeper with the solid mahogany bodies, but they don't loose that lipstick pickup quality to their tone. So don't expect that semi-hollow/masonite sound of a Dano, but as I previously mentioned, I think that gives the guitar a bit wider niche or application. Still jangly, still bluesy, but better sustain and a bit deeper tone.

 

My fave is the 1478 hands down. The 1423 has some cool features to it, but it's the only one that I'd say sounds a bit muddy (especially if you roll the volume knobs off more than a hair). I think I should eventually find some after market p'ups for it if it's ever going to be true love for me with the 1423. But at least it looks like the axe Brian Adams carries in his original "Summer Of '69 music video" and I'm sure it plays better.

 

But I do have quite a bit of fondness for the 1478. It has this edgy presence to it that exudes "iconic cheap garage band guitar tone from the '60s" kind of vibe to it.

 

The only issue I have with the lipstick p'up models (1449 & 1303/U2) is that it's hard to get the usual electric guitar pickup balance where you want the bridge to be slightly louder than the neck pickup. Instead it's the opposite, i.e. the neck pickups tend to be louder. There's some pickup height adjustment available, but if you loosen the screws too much on the back of the guitar, the upward p'up travel stops and the screws just get loose. Maybe some spacers under the p'ups could help. But otherwise, I really like the neck tone from the 1303 and the neck + bridge tone is also quite good since the bridge p'up flavors the neck p'up's tone with some more jangle and presence. But I just don't find them to be that rewarding if I'm playing with the bridge pickup alone. But that does not deter me from enjoying the lipstick retro guitars, since 2 selector positions (N or N+B) of the pickups is sufficient to make them good valued tone machines - IMHO.

 

 

http://www.silvertoneclassic.com/reissue-guitars/

 

[Bucksstudent]

I had one of the coveted 90's Korean Danes, and my Uncle has a newer one. They feel identical in terms of weight and quality. I hated the bridge.

 

Oh, and Page used his for weird tunings and slide. I use my Epiphone Special II for the same purpose because I don't want to on my higher tiered axes.

[badpenguin]

The new Silvertones have NOTHING to do with Danelectro, They don't feel the same, play the same, or even sound the same. Someone bought the name, and are producing guitars under that name. The ones from Korea are made by Samick. the Danos, I believe were WMI.

That being said, the reissues look like the originals. that's about it. They are solid, compared to the aforementioned Masonite/plywood construction, they have maple necks with a trussrod, a adjustable bridge, and are light years away in better construction. They don't sound, feel or play like the originals in any way. They play like any other Korea, now Chinese, guitar that you find. There is nothing special about them.

[GAS Man]

There is nothing special about them.

 

My post pretty much said the same thing, but I do differ on that last statement. Considering you can get most of these models for a bit more or less than 3 bills, they are worth the price of admission IMO due to their unique visual and sonic vibes. The tone is indeed altered with the solid bodies, but I'd say in a way that makes them generally better. A general statement, I know, but I think I'd mostly prefer a masonite Dano over these Silvertones if I were playing some raucous open slide guitar playing where I wanted that edge of feedback tone from the masonite build design.

 

I have a lot of guitars to grab, but really, I've kept my 3 Silvertones out in rotation ever since they've arrived. Just something fun about them.

 

 

 

 

[badpenguin]

I may have misspoke Gas. When you have owned the originals that these were copied from, the reissues aren't worth it. they are OK guitars in their own right, but compared to the originals, they don't hold a candle to the tone or the vibe.

it's like the original reissues of the Dano longhorn guitars done by Hondo in the 80's. Looked the same, but...... were so different, they didn't sell to the market they were shooting for. Now they are collectable for themselves, and not what they copied.

[GAS Man]

Yeah, I don't really don't disagree with anything you're saying there. "OK" is to me an adequate rating for them. But they do have a vibe to them that in my book makes them possibly a bit more interesting than a lower end MIM Fender or lower end MIC Epiphone. As I mentioned above, I like the 1478 the best. The rest one could indeed live their lives without picking one up. I've noticed some posted suggested comments about replacing the 1478's pickups with Lollar Gold Foil pickups to get them closer to the vintage tones, but that just seems a bit too much like gilding an Indonesian lily. And speaking of which, I've had better luck with Indonesian than Chinese made guitars. But I would put these Silvertones into a similar "unique/vibe" category as if one were considering buying the Squier Surfcaster.

[Danoman]

Thanks everyone for your responses, and input. If I should happen to grab one of these I'll be sure to post some pics, and offer my opinion after I've played it a while.

[Danoman]

Well, I finally pulled the trigger on a black metal flake 1449 tonight! I'll post some pics when she arrives.

[GAS Man]

I look forward to hearing your review. The black metal flake would have been my color choice too. I actually still have one in my Amazon cart. I saw the price drop down for a day or two to close to 3 bills flat, but I didn't jump quick enough. I'm just running out of space in my home for more wood.

[GAS Man]

P.S. Do take a look at the pickup screws on the back when you get yours. I find it useful to raise the bridge pickup. It won't come up much, but I just find it helps balance out the tone by making the bridge p'up a little louder. But let your ears be the judge.

[jtr654]

I have a original one from the 60's. Great 1st guitar.

 

[Danoman]

My Silvertone came in today, and I gotta say I'm pretty impressed with this guitar. The fret ends are nice and smoothe. It was setup and ready to play. I like the sound, very similar to the Danelectros I own. I had a Danelectro 63 for a bit, and while it was a nice guitar i kinda missed the look of the larger Silvertone headstock... The Silvertone is full scale, and has stacked volume, and tone knobs. The Dano is short scale, and has a single volume, and tone knob. I prefer the Silvertone 1449 over the Danelectro 63.