Dano-style bass for kids

[henkstroem]

I teach bass among a multitude of jobs. I have a Gretsch junior jet bass for kids, but it is too heavy for most children under twelve.

Kids love Hofners, but they are a wee bit fragile, and did not trust my club bass with them many times. Danelectros are hard to come by, reissues are solid body (=heavy?), so decided to build a prototype of my own.

Stole ideas from both mr Daniel and mr Fender. Really like Sears Silvertones for necks and finishes. Black paint with sparkles that are the sawdust from cutting the nut. Fender bridges are superior, as is the 7 1/2” radius (holds tune when kids play short scales). Fender neck plate and control plate. Musicmaster wiring.

Best bass pickup ever would be the eBay chinese ”acoustic guitar rail pickup”. It’s like a cross between lipstick and p bass. Bought it for the Gretsch when it’s original died, and now have two more to use on projects.

My features are rubber foot so it won’t fall when placed against a wall (which kids do all the time) and textile tape sides so it doesn’t slip. The rotosound flats probably cost more than the rest of the bass, got them from a friend who wanted to help me with this project.

Next, two months of field testing and then perhaps a refined model. Scale is 28 1/2”.

[henkstroem]

Cut the wood for two. Assumed most things would go wrong with the first one so good to have a spare.

[henkstroem]

Had a dano bridge, and thought I would need two, so built another one. The are almost a hundred dollars now, wont pay that. But as often happens, a cheap Fender-clone was better so this was all in vain.

As a Fender fanboy, had to make a neck stamp.

[Bacchus]

Love the idea of a rubber foot.

I think about this a lot, as I teach guitar to 400 different children across a two week timetable. Things get trashed (except for Roland Cubes, which I'm yet to encounter a dead one of). I try to think of ways that I would cut out non-essential features to make things more durable. I'd nearly prefer a guitar without any controls for what I do, and some way for bridges to not fall apart (precise intonation isn't so important).

I've nearly considered taking the tulip pegs off the tuners so that they can only be tuned by using a screwdriver.

[henkstroem]

Textile tape cost one euro. Will be enough for 30 basses. Painted a friends tele black years ago, leftovers were spent here. Neck is finished with shellac that was left from a chair renovation I did.

[henkstroem]

It is almost as short as the 1448 which is itself tiny, and a guitar. And smaller.

[henkstroem]

Heres the feet and the controls. Tone is very tight so they dont do stuff with it. I plan on playing country tic tac with this so might need the tone. It sounds very much like a dano baritone, which it kinda is.

[henkstroem]

Love the idea of a rubber foot.

I think about this a lot, as I teach guitar to 400 different children across a two week timetable. Things get trashed (except for Roland Cubes, which I'm yet to encounter a dead one of). I try to think of ways that I would cut out non-essential features to make things more durable. I'd nearly prefer a guitar without any controls for what I do, and some way for bridges to not fall apart (precise intonation isn't so important).

I've nearly considered taking the tulip pegs off the tuners so that they can only be tuned by using a screwdriver.

Thanks for your kind words. Bypassing controls I have done sometimes. Tremolo bridges and multiple microphones are disasters waiting to happen.

A young teacher once told me he’d ordered two twelve string acoustics and cheap strat copies for his school. I both cried and laughed inside.

[plopswagon]

That’s cool, it reminds me of Bill Wyman’s modified Tuxedo Bass

[Bacchus]

Well, in favour of the strat, they are easy to fix, and easier to cannibalise together. And that presents teachable moments. I spend a fair bit of of my break and lunchtimes teaching other guitar nerds how to take apart and fix strats.

[Doog]

So sick!

[NickS]

Well, in favour of the strat, they are easy to fix, and easier to cannibalise together. And that presents teachable moments. I spend a fair bit of of my break and lunchtimes teaching other guitar nerds how to take apart and fix strats.

[henkstroem]

Well, in favour of the strat, they are easy to fix, and easier to cannibalise together. And that presents teachable moments. I spend a fair bit of of my break and lunchtimes teaching other guitar nerds how to take apart and fix strats.

Yes, and they have a cool factor among some teens. I prefer teles myself, but the strat has a mystical aura of modernity. As a teen pupil put it to me when I had a affinity strat to work (and they only had a tele there before it), ”nice to have a modern guitar here to try”.

[henkstroem]

That’s cool, it reminds me of Bill Wyman’s modified Tuxedo Bass

Never seen that, cool. Now off to google who built it…

[henkstroem]

So sick!

Thank you