ShortScale.org

In the future I want to put money towards on of these.
Thing's I'd like to know about them.
1. Asking price
2. Build Quality
3. Is it worth it?
4. Playability.
5. Is it common, uncommon, rare?
etc...
I think stewart and william had one of them on here.
and sterling morrison played one, and so did beck, and i think syd barret.

If these aren't worth it would you recommend a second hand Danelectro?
info, advice would greatly be appreciated.

Yeah They are great guitars.You can still find them on Ebay for about $400(with amp in case).

Build quality: very good

worth it : yes

Very playable but it is a short scale 23 1/2

Not common but nice examples show up on Ebay frequently.I bought the one below for around $350

syd barrett played a DC59 type dano, i think.

mine was a nice player, but the single pickup just wasn't any use to me. it was really loud though. there are a few on ebay US just now hovering around $350-400, with the amp-in-case included. they don't seem rare at all in america. will (duosonicboy) has one, he could probably tell you some useful things to look out for.

Just throwing in my 2 cents, but I think they're very cool guitars; Beck uses one quite a bit, as does Daniel Rossen from Grizzly Bear. I see them go on ebay and craigslist for anywhere between 3 and 5 hundred bucks depending on the condition of the guitar and the amp-in-case. They're suppose to play pretty well and be worth the price if you dig the sound.

Josh wrote:In the future I want to put money towards on of these.
Thing's I'd like to know about them.

1. Asking price: I got mine for $400 not too long ago. I've seen them around the $4~600 mark, although I've seen a few in the $1k+ range too, which seems nuts.

2. Build Quality: Pretty good. The neck is good. Of course the body is made of hardboard...The p/u is great though.

3. Is it worth it? Depends. I like mine.

4. Playability. Again depends. I use it for slide and chordy alt tuning stuff. It's not so hot for bending being a short scale n all.

5. Is it common, uncommon, rare? etc...: I've seen a few, but they're not that common.

The amp in case obviously doesn't have a power transformer, just a death cap. It's not grounded and the cap from 1965 was pretty much toast. I got a nasty belt off mine before I recapped it.

Dexter Romweber uses the single 1448 with the Flat duo Jet sand currently with the Dexter Romweber Duo.

Here is a clip:



and

HOW DID I MISS THIS FIRST TIME AROUND?!?!?! Stupid college...

ANYHOO:
1. Asking price - mine was $300 with case cause the nut needed work. $300 for a good example w/o case or $400 for a good one w/case.
2. Build Quality - eh. The neck is fantastic, the body tends to "settle" a bit overtime. Good overall, though - just hollow so they feel a bit less solid than a Fender or something. The side-tape tends to be the main thing that gets cruddy. Also, make sure the tuners work (and they work backwards).
3. Is it worth it? - Depends. I love Cat Power, so yes. Clean or with OD they sound really warm and sweet. I've never liked mine with heavy distortion, though I've gotten some cool sounds with a Fuzz Face.
4. Playability. - variable. Action is usually low, but I had a hard time adjusting to mine. The flat/wide neck and short scale threw me for some reason. Not for shredding, but you don't like that anyway. Intonation isn't perfect, but with some careful tweaking it gets surprisingly good.
5. Is it common, uncommon, rare? - pretty common - at least 10 on ebay at any time.

It's a beginner's guitar from the days before CNC machines - don't expect perfection. From a utility standpoint, though, they are great. Plus they look fantastic.

I love the 1448. I found mine in the used section at Guitar Center. They actually had two of them, each with the case, priced at $375. I got them to let me mix and match the guitars and cases, so I ended up getting the nicer of the two guitars, and the amp that actually worked for $325, along with a few packs of strings.

It's one of my favorite guitars and gets played quite a bit. Mine has really nice action, pretty decent intonation, and a surprisingly straight neck. I keep pretty heavy strings on it and it really sounds good with flatwounds. They definitely have a unique sound. Really nice clean and with fuzz.

Here's mine:

Will wrote:HOW DID I MISS THIS FIRST TIME AROUND?

http://shortscale.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30511

i assume you missed that one too?

they're probably one of the most common vintage guitars.

JoeRoszko wrote:I love the 1448. I found mine in the used section at Guitar Center. They actually had two of them, each with the case, priced at $375. I got them to let me mix and match the guitars and cases, so I ended up getting the nicer of the two guitars, and the amp that actually worked for $325, along with a few packs of strings.

It's one of my favorite guitars and gets played quite a bit. Mine has really nice action, pretty decent intonation, and a surprisingly straight neck. I keep pretty heavy strings on it and it really sounds good with flatwounds. They definitely have a unique sound. Really nice clean and with fuzz.

Here's mine:

Sweet guitar - and where is this Guitar Center that gave such a deal?

Roseville, MN. The sales guy said they'd been sitting there long enough that they just wanted to get rid of them. I was very tempted to get both and put one up on eBay, but I didn't have the money at the time.

You did good - love a good pawn shop score.

i really love the look of these guitars. anyone know another neck thats comparable? i know its really short, but like width wise. i'd like to know wether i should invest in one of these eventually.

JoeRoszko wrote:Roseville, MN.

That is where I grew up- mostly through grade school.

clarkbar wrote:i really love the look of these guitars. anyone know another neck thats comparable? i know its really short, but like width wise. i'd like to know wether i should invest in one of these eventually.

the necks are pretty manageable, they're not massively wide.