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OK guys, here we go again - need some info on a Silvertone, & some Danos

EllenGtrGrl

By EllenGtrGrl
in Electric Guitars

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EllenGtrGrl Newbie

EllenGtrGrl

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While doing an infrequent perusal of Craigslist, I found a listing for this guitar, which is being sold semi-locally:

 

3nb3k83p75Td5P15R9a33ad8b2264352e137f.jp

 

It's a Silvertone 1420, which is basically a variation of a Harmony H46. Harmony made them for Silvertone/Sears in the early 60s. The guy's asking $400 for it. I e-mailed him, and he still has it. The only problem is, that I can't find much info on these. I found a YouTube Demo of an H46, it sounded pretty good in a raw sort of way. But, I read a thread on The Gear Page, that said these guitars, really are more suited to blues and jazz. So, I have conflicting info. The Silvertone looks cool, and is hollow (and I like hollowbody guitars), but I don't want another one-trick pony, that's only good for playing stuff by some obscure blues player called Blind Lemon Chitlin.

 

By the same token, I can pick up Dano U2 (with the metal bridge - not the rosewood one), for about $200, locally, and I may have a line on some Dano U1s for under $200. All of these guitars ooze mojo, and IMO, will do jazz, and raw sounding Indie rock pretty well. The problem is, is the Silvertone/Harmony worth $400, and is it better than the Danos?

 

Please post away on this issue.

 

Thanks,

Ellen

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DriveBy Newbie

DriveBy

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I bought one of those for 250 a couple of years ago. While they are fun to play, I think 400 is a bit much. I'd go for the Dano at that price.

Actually, as depressed as the economy is right now you might be able to find a vintage Dano for 400.

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EllenGtrGrl Newbie

EllenGtrGrl

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I bought one of those for 250 a couple of years ago. While they are fun to play, I think 400 is a bit much. I'd go for the Dano at that price.

 

 

U1 or U2? I've had Danos in the past, and they were fun guitars, but I'd be getting one more for the different sound factor. Also, I didn't realize that $400 was overpriced for the Harmonys.

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A_Gitarman Newbie

A_Gitarman

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If it's anything like my '64 Silvertone (AKA Harmony Bobkat), the neck will be VERY thick & it'll have rather small frets (think smaller than vintage Fender) & a fairly flat radius. My only complaint about the rosewood bridge setup, other than a lack of adjust-ability for intonation, is that there's no way for the guitar to have a proper string ground, so it tends to be a little noisy. It has held up well over the past 55+ years, though :idk:

 

Mine has the same pickups (DeArmond) as those the one you've posted above & they are pretty highly regarded for their unique-ness (sort of a fat single-coil/ almost P90 vibe). Mine has great action & plays nicely:

 

1402253686_edfcb89ca5_o.jpg

 

FWIW, I think that the price he's asking for the one above isn't out of the ordinary for those things.

 

[edit] whoops, the one you're asking about has the 'other' pickups :p

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DriveBy Newbie

DriveBy

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U2 definitely. Under normal circumstances, I guess 400 wouldn't be outrageous, but the economy put the smash on prices for stuff like that. If you are patient you can find one cheaper than that. Offer him 300 and see what he says.

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A_Gitarman Newbie

A_Gitarman

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If it's like my Harmony H47, will be a short scale & probably the smallest neck you've ever played on a guitar. I'd give $400 in a heartbeat for that Silvertone as long as it's playable.

 

 

Yeah... short-scale. I forgot to mention that.

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EllenGtrGrl Newbie

EllenGtrGrl

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I just did a completed items search on the bay, they had one that sold for $351. Maybe, 400 is an ok price. I'd still rather have the Dano though.

 

 

Maybe I should look into another Harmony - Like a Rocket. Still, the Danos are cool. I can ttest to that personally. I just wonder if the U1 might not be a little less twangy, and therefore rawer sounding, than the U2.

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guitarcapo Newbie

guitarcapo

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I had a Silvertone similar to that one for a while. It got great tone from those foil Rowe pickups but:

 

Not much sustain. Part of this is the rosewood bridge. Part is the short scale length. Part is the hollow construction. At the end of the day it thumps out lead in a raw bluesy way but it doesn't shimmer and sustain.

 

i.e.: Not very "Indie"

 

The scale length is very short. This might be a plus to you but it always felt like a toy in my hands. Also YOURS has no adjustable truss rod...which means you better make sure it isn't twisted or warped because they can be a pain to straighten otherwise.

 

Personally I'd go with the Dano...especially if it has an adjustable truss rod. If it's an old one and not a reissue RUN and grab it because they sell for around $500 these days on Ebay.

 

Here's the demo I did selling mine on Ebay. Notice I mostly showed of the bluesy lead wanking and rocking stuff:

 

[YOUTUBE]FHOYBbxKFJE[/YOUTUBE]

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Jim_Soloway Newbie

Jim_Soloway

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I'd pass on both. The vintage Silvertones that are a read score are the ones made by Danelectro not the ones made by Harmony. And while I loved the vintage Dano's, the modern re-issues just really don't do it for me at all. Yes, they're more stable and have a better bridge, but they just completely missed the tone. Original Danos have a really unique sound with a great chimey high end. The repros don't have it at all.

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Ralph onion Newbie

Ralph onion

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I went thru this Dano Silvertone thing a few years ago, the guitar with the amp in the case etc. Mine wouldnt stay in tune and they were very cheaply made but they are electric guitars with their own unique sound. Bitchy bad ass gut bucket sound that I love. I am talking mid 50's models. I got a little more money out of them when I sold them but definately not a regular gigging guitar, IMHO. I bought a Squier Bullet for the kid that mows my yard for 119.00 and I was blown away by the quality and sound of it, no {censored}.

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Jim_Soloway Newbie

Jim_Soloway

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I went thru this Dano Silvertone thing a few years ago, the guitar with the amp in the case etc. Mine wouldnt stay in tune and they were very cheaply made but they are electric guitars with their own unique sound. Bitchy bad ass gut bucket sound that I love. I am talking mid 50's models. I got a little more money out of them when I sold them but definately not a regular gigging guitar, IMHO. I bought a Squier Bullet for the kid that mows my yard for 119.00 and I was blown away by the quality and sound of it, no {censored}.

 

 

If you don't care about keeping them completely original, those Danos are actually pretty easy to keep in tune. Just put on some quality tuners and replace the aluminum nut with a well crafted bone nut. It's really amazing how much difference that makes.

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