Old Danelectro Tube Amp

Joe Yednasty · From: CA

I just obtained an old Danelectro tube amp from an elderly friend that just had it sitting in the house for years. The actual name of this type of amp is Danelectro Artist Series D Model 78A. I'm having trouble finding information on this amp and would appreciate it if fellow forum members could provide me with some. I know its old, rare, and has potential (haven't played it yet).

Here are some pics of the amp.

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"Eskimo" Joe Yednasty

Emmons P/P S-10
Peavey Session 500

Ralph Mooney Fan

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Sorry, can't tell you anything but wow, what beautiful condition. Congratulations. Actually, the one thing I can tell you is that you want a competent tech to go over it before you fire it up, tempting as it may be. As old as it is and as long as it's been sitting, it's got caps that need to be checked/changed.

Ron · From: Hermiston, Oregon

I dont know anything about that one but I have a old Silvertone Danoletcric guitar with the amp in the case and it sounds great. The new guitars sound just like the old ones.

Papa Joe Pollick · From: Swanton, Ohio

That's one fine lookin amp Joe.
Got a friend who has a mod.75 Dano,from sometime back in the 60's.He left it with me for a month to play around with.I near cried when he took it back.Best sounding amp for lap steel that I've ever heard.Reverb kinda sucked though.
My first two amps were Danos.Small one with a single 10" speaker and a huge monster with two 15" speakers.I'll wager that the big one would sound good with a steel.I wasn't playing steel at the time.. PJ

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

Joe, that one looks a bit different from the Danos I've seen - it honestly looks more like a Magnatone from the back view. I wonder if Dano had Magna Electronics make some of their amps for them? It wouldn't surprise me at all, and many of the Magnatones of the 50's and early 60's are not recorded anywhere on the web either.

Either way, it's likely a great sounding old amp - but DON'T turn it on!!! Either have someone look it over, or do it yourself if you know how - if it's ben sitting for years the filter caps must be replaced before even flipping the switch, or you could cook them and the power transformer in seconds. It's a firecracker waiting to blow - all vintage amps that are found like this need to be serviced for safety (of you and the amp) before taking a chance and even checking to see if it turns on.

It also should have a 3-prong cord installed and properly grounded if you plan on playing it.

These amps don't have huge collectable value, but often sound as good as some of the tweed and brown Fenders that command high prices. Definitely a keeper.

Mark Durante · From: St. Pete Beach FL

Danelectro made amps for other brands, not the other way around. An amp that old very well might need some work but I wouldn't be afraid to turn it on and check it out. Looks to be in great condition.
Danelectro made many of the Airline and Silvertone amps along with other brand names.

[This message was edited by Mark Durante on 19 November 2006 at 07:55 PM.]

Jay Fagerlie · From: Lotus, California, USA

Joe,
That is indeed a Dano. I have never seen one branded Dano, they were usually marked Airline. I had the 2-12 version, complete with two output transformers driven by a quad of 6L6's.
This thing will sound GREAT on lap steel.
Be carefull-if it's anything like the one I had, the cabinet is made of pressed paper, don't get it wet!!!
Have fun with it.
Jay

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

"Danelectro made amps for other brands, not the other way around. An amp that old very well might need some work but I wouldn't be afraid to turn it on and check it out."

Dano did make amps for others, but there was so much cross-pollination back in those days I still wouldn't be surprised to see a Magna relationship somewhere. But noticing the "Airlne" post, it does look like some Airlines as well. The back panel, though, is almost identical in design to a Magnatone I traded to a buddy about a year ago.

I absolutely disagee with the practice of turning a long-stored amp on, and any qualified amp tech will tell you the same thing. Electrolytics crystallize when they are not activated over a long period of time, and things can go bad in seconds - sometimes far too fast for you to turn it off before critical damage. There have been plenty of guys who have kept old tweed amps in a closet for a couple decades, realized vintage amps were popular again, and have decided to play theirs...only to have it smoke in seconds. Run juice through a hardened electrolytic and you can often say goodbye to your power transformer.

This a reason why knowledgable vintage amp collectors and players turn on every amp they have for a few minutes every few months. It keeps the caps from going bad. I rotate mine so they all get used.

And that amp, if it's never been serviced, isn't even in THAT category - the caps are far beyond their service life if they've never been replaced. They should absolutely be replaced before plugging it in - you're taking a chance, and in this case with a hard-to-replace power transformer plus a bunch of other parts.

It's just an unwise decision to blindly turn on old amps, and I just hate to see them ruined due to haste and curiosity. You CAN get lucky and have one work...but why take a chance when you have an opportunity to simply do it the right way?

[This message was edited by Jim Sliff on 19 November 2006 at 09:21 AM.]

Papa Joe Pollick · From: Swanton, Ohio

What Jim said.It happened to me.Got a lead on a 62 Fender concert that I had been wanting for a long time.When I got to the guys house he pulled it out of the closet saying it had not been used in years,but worked good.Asking $200,firm.He flipped the switch and all hell broke lose.Very loud hum.Bought it for $75 hoping it was only caps.I got lucky,the PT was not hurt.
Same story on a Gibson GA 15 RVT.Bought that one for $4.
Like Jim and others have said,a cap job is a must.PJ

David Doggett · Posted 19 Nov 2006 12:42 pm

That looks very similar to a Danelectro Challenger from the same era. I have a Silvertone 1433, which is a version of the Challenger with a 15" speaker. These are considered some of the best of the Danelectro/Silvertone amps of that era. The one with a 12" speaker (1432?) is considered one of the best harmonica amps of all time. Some people compare them to Fender tweeds, but to me they sound nothing like that. The Danelectro/Silvertones have less power, but have their own beautiful sound. It is very compressed, very warm, and with very rich tube harmonics. They make great lap steel or blues guitar amps. Do like everyone says and have it serviced before you use it. And handle it with care. The pressed paper cabinets are very flimsy, and easily damaged in moving and shipping. Before shipping one, take the speaker out and brace the cabinet inside and out.

Mark Durante · From: St. Pete Beach FL

Joe,
Let us know how it sounds after you get it serviced

and fire it up

Joe Yednasty · From: CA

To satisfy everyone's curiosity, this amp functions with all its original parts and sounds great. For anyone interested, this amp will be for sale on craigslist and ebay tonight. Its hard for me to part with such a classic piece but I know it belongs in the hands of a specialist. Its been in mint condition for 40 years and I don't want to be the reason for any decline at this stage of the game. Great warm tone, very much like the original Fender tweeds.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

OOooooo...nice vintage (mid '50s) Series "D"! AS i RECALL, there were 3 amps in the "D" series; "Artist", "Maestro", and "Leader". This amp went on to be the DM-25 in the '60s, and was good for about 20-25 watts. I had one in the 2-12 version Airline amp, which I believe was their Model 1452. The old round-fronts like yours are very collectible, and usually bring $500 or more in that kind of shape. Not very powerful, and not a lot of treble - a 12-watt Princeton will blow it away in sheer volume. But it has an old, soft, tubey sound you can't get from a Fender.

The plexi nameplates are usually missing, as they got broken very easily (another plus for yours).

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

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