Danelectro Model 6026 Deluxe Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1960)

Danelectro  Model 6026 Deluxe Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar  (1960)
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Item # 9809
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Danelectro Model 6026 Deluxe Model Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1960), made in Neptune, NJ, serial # 3020, white lacquer with vinyl siding finish, masonite and pine body, poplar neck with rosewood fingerboard, original brown tolex hard shell case.

This striking white beauty is one of the rarest and coolest of all vintage Danelectros, an original "Deluxe" Model 6026. This was the company's fancier guitar model introduced at the end of the 1950's, available in white or walnut finish with one, two or three lipstick pickups. This 1960 two-pickup Model 6027 Deluxe listed at $120 (plus case) when new, a stone bargain even by the standards of the day. Despite this the Deluxe is rarely seen, apparently outsold by the more affordable "Standard" model (at all of $20.00 less) by a huge margin. While still cataloged into the mid 1960s they seem to have been rarely made at all after the first couple of years.

Built on the same basic double-cutaway body and neck as the celebrated Standard U-2 "Jimmy Page" model, the Deluxe offered fancier cosmetics and trim. "Enduring beauty added to the famous Danelectro quality" enthused the 1959 catalog. The white finish top ("Baked", according to the literature) has a contrasting dressed-away Masonite edge and walnut-topped glued-on pickguard, with the regular white vinyl siding used on all Dannos. The white lacquer finished neck has the standard dot-inlaid rosewood fingerboard, with a matching "Coke bottle" headstock mounting unusual individual Waverly tuners with decorative casings seen only in this era.

The two-pickup Deluxe features the somewhat eccentric "feather touch" electronics circuit developed for the Longhorn Guitarlin. This has two concentric volume pots pre-wired for tonal effect with on/off "flipper" controls on the top. There is no actual tone control, with tonal shadings achieved by carefully blending the pickups. While Nathan Daniel seems to have favored this arrangement, over the years many players have preferred the "Standard" layout with a selector switch and concentric tone-and-volume setup, and many of these were rewired long ago. This one remains original and unaltered and is a great playing and sounding, seldom seen piece of Neptune cool; the nicest example of this model we have ever seen.
 
Overall length is 38 7/8 in. (98.7 cm.), 13 1/4 in. (33.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 3/4 in. (629 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).

This guitar remains very nice overall with only the lightest wear and some small finish dings and chips. The finish shows some small chips and dings, the largest on the treble side of the neck heel. The screened logo on the headstock has rubbed away somewhat at the ends, and the painted wooden flipper controls show some small chips and flakes. The instrument has no modifications, or indeed apparently much use -- even the often missing wooden "flipper" controls are intact and working. This is an exceptionally good playing old Danelectro complete with the original deluxe brown HSC. Excellent Condition.