Danelectro Dane D2B4 Owned by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco Model Solid Body Electric Bass Guitar (1967), made in Neptune, NJ, serial # 2017, white lacquer finish, hardwood body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original black hard shell case.
This 4-string "White Whale" is a lovely and rare product of the latter days of the original Dannelectro company of Neptune, New Jersey. The "Dane D series" were Danelectro branded versions of what in mid/late was re-branded as their "Vinnie Bell Professional" Coral-brand line, with Bell's name and some small upgrades but otherwise essentially the same.
After MCA bought Nathan Daniels' guitar and amp operation in 1966, they decided expand to offer more upscale instruments than their cheap but very successful Masonite-and-pine Danelectro creations. The resulting extensive Coral/Danelectro line comprised both hollowbody instruments (with bodies sourced from Japan) and solidbody basses and guitars with slim Fender-influenced contours made in the Neptune factory.
These newer instruments were in production for less than two years before MCA folded the entire operation in 1969 leaving thousands of parts unused, some of which still turn up today! Authentic, factory-assembled original models of either the Coral or Danelectro "Dane Series" lines are comparatively scarce today, at least compared to the earlier popular and more budget-oriented Masonite-and-pine Danelectro line.
The "Dane Series D2B4" bass is a short-scale 4 string solidbody bass with a number of interesting features; a 6-string bass was also offered, but is even rarer. The neck is made from a 24-fret Danelectro Longhorn blank with a single-sided headstock sporting the factory's "skate key" tuners, plastic Danelectro logo and aluminum nut. The body is offset in the Fender Jaguar mode but more stylized, tapered very thin at the rim. The pickguard is a fantastic-looking silver swirl 3-D plastic perfect for reflecting psychedelic lights, with a smaller raised fingerrest guard below the strings that is adjustable for height. The bridge is the standard rosewood saddle Danelectro unit.
The bass mounts 2 of the familiar Danelectro "lipstick" pickups, with an unusual control array on a sweeping chrome panel across the lower body. This consists of an individual volume knob for each pickup, a master volume and a bank of 4 slide switches. On this bass 3 of these activate the neck pickup in progressively darker preset modes, while the 4th adds the bridge pickup (preset in super twangy mode) to the mix. While this sounds like a quizzical setup it is actually quite versatile in action, offering a wide range of useful sounds especially when the pickups are blended.
This is a great playing, very comfortable bass with a more guitar like layout and feel than many since the bridge is in the middle of the body instead of the tail end. It offers a full 2-octave short scale neck on a light and handy body. The range of tones is considerable, from a fairly deep thump to a very bright twang comparable to Danelectro's 6-string basses. Given more time this might have become quite a popular design but as it stands is quite a rare find, particularly in its bold white finish. This is a superb sounding, easy playing instrument and a connoisseur's catch in a 1960's 4-string!
Overall length is 45 in. (114.3 cm.), 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 29 3/4 in. (756 mm.). Width of nut is 1 3/4 in. (44 mm.).
This bass remains nicely all original and fairly clean overall, with a number of finish chips, dings and scrapes on the body, neck and headstock. Many of these have been touched up, inexpertly but not too conspicuously. All fittings remain original except the plastic chrome headstock logo, which is a correct style repro. There is some scuffing and light corrosion to the metal hardware but nothing too serious. The neck is in excellent shape and the bass plays and sounds great. This is just a really cool piece of Danelectro history and a fine instrument to boot, just released from the Wilco loft where it has been living for the past couple of years. It comes complete in the original large Masonite hard shell case with the loft markings on the bottom end and a couple of "Wilco" and "Loft" marked picks. Excellent - Condition.
