Here is an excellent example of a a vintage 1960 Danelectro / Silvertone model 1444 Bass Electric Guitar in Black finish. The bass is 100% original and in solid, excellent condition. This bass was produced at the original Danelectro factory in Chicago Illinois U.S.A. in 1960. This is the earlier version with the individual Kluson Deluxe left-handed style tuners! The bass is really solid with no cracks, breaks, Deflections, or repairs... It has been professionally set up and it needs nothing-it is ready to go.
The body is the familiar single cutaway design with enclosed hollow center and white surround. The Black finish has that awesome gloss that just screams "Space Age"...In fact, the whole guitar has that vibe-it is the KING of Retro. The finish has typical line scratches and handling evidence here and there-see photos. It displays very nicely-especially for its age. The backside has a few touchup spots in the center-see photos. The white surround is in very good condition. The top is nice and flat-looks really nice. The clear pickguard is in very good condition. The neck joint is a good fitment and the neck angle is great.
The neck is smooth and straight with no deflection. The neck has a nice vintage C shape profile and measures 1.68" wide at the nut. The neck depth measures .785" at the 1st fret and .900" at the 12th fret. The tuners are the original Kluson Deluxe left-handed versions that they started this model with (later changed to a crappy strip-style one-piece cheap-o unit)... They function smoothly and the bass holds tune perfectly. The headstock displays nicely. The original plaque-style logo is missing which gives everyone the opportunity to argue whether it is a Danelectro or a Silvertone (YAY!). The rosewood fingerboard is clean and smooth with a nice soft feel. The frets have been professionally leveled, crowned and polished and appear like-new condition-see photos. The action is set low for a ridiculously easy playing experience. The string height at the first fret measures .010" and the height at the 12th fret measures .085" ... The bass plays super nice and easy up and down the fingerboard. There are no dead spots or annoying clacks anywhere. The resonance is surprising and adds a nice feel to the playing experience.
The original lipstick pickup has an excellent signal and that nice warm mellow tone we all know and love. It reads 3.22 ohms which is very typical for these Alnico 6 magnet units. It has the nice bright, bell-like characteristic associated with these pickups. The controls all function smoothly and quietly. The original wiring harness is in excellent condition. The original CTS potentiometers date to the 43rd week of 1960. The bridge is clean and the original wood saddle is solid.
The bass is lots of fun to play-it is also extremely comfortable. It only weighs 5.92 lbs so it is extremely lightweight. The short scale fingerboard allows for a nice compact package and coupled with the lightweight it makes this bass an amazing unit for travel or gigging. The original hardcase is in great condition and is included, of course.
