Danelectro Dan O. Mano Review: The Classic Dano Formula Gets More Muscle

P-90s on a Danelectro? On paper, that feels dangerously close to heresy. Lipstick pickups are such a fundamental part of the Dano sound that replacing them risks losing the very thing that makes these guitars special. Thankfully, the Dan O. Mano doesn’t do that. It still twangs with the best of them, but there’s a little more muscularity and mid-range punch on tap — essentially, a classic Danelectro with a bit more attitude.

The really interesting bit is how the pickups are wired. Rather than treating these P-90-style soapbars like a conventional two-pickup guitar, Danelectro has wired them in the same way as its traditional lipstick pickups. Select both and they run in series rather than parallel, so instead of thinning each other out, their outputs stack together. I measured the bridge and neck pickups at roughly 6k and 5.4k respectively, but switch to the middle position and that jumps to a much beefier 11.3k. Unsurprisingly, that setting has considerably more shove and will happily push the front end of an amp into overdrive.

There’s no unnecessary cleverness surrounding them either. You get a master volume, master tone and a three-way switch for bridge, both pickups in series, or neck. No push-pulls, no hidden modes, no fiddling around trying to remember what does what. Sometimes simple really is better.
Everything else is much more traditionally Danelectro. The Full Bell headstock gives the guitar a wonderfully ’50s look, and while I’m also a big fan of the slimmer Dano headstock, this one is tremendously eye-catching. The ’58-style Skate Key tuners are largely an aesthetic touch, but they work exactly as they should and kept the guitar rock solid in tune.

The slim maple neck is a bolt-on design with a fairly flat rosewood fretboard and 21 low-profile frets. These really are pretty small, vintage-feeling things, and if you’re a shredder who likes a lot of fret under your fingers, you may struggle with them. Personally, I tend to prefer something taller too, but for the sort of playing this guitar naturally lends itself to, they work nicely. The four-bolt neck joint also gives you plenty of contact between neck and body and feels reassuringly solid.

The body is the familiar Danelectro Short Horn shape with semi-hollow, centre-block construction, and this is where the retro styling really comes together. The vinyl-taped sides give it that unmistakable period look, while the Maroon finish on this particular guitar lands somewhere in that lovely deep burgundy-red territory. Other colours are available, but this is easily my favourite of the bunch.

There are a couple of pleasingly old-school details dotted around the guitar too. The strap button sits on the heel in traditional Danelectro fashion, which affects how the guitar hangs on a strap. I’d personally rather have it on the upper horn, but it does look very tidy where it is.

The bridge is another nice touch. You get the traditional rosewood saddle as standard, but Danelectro also includes an intonatable metal alternative. If you want to get your intonation absolutely dialled in — or simply prefer the tone of a metal saddle — you can make the swap without having to buy anything extra.

Ultimately, the Dan O. Mano works because it changes exactly enough. The P-90-style pickups give it a slightly tougher voice and that series middle position adds a surprising amount of muscle, but none of it comes at the expense of the twang and overall sonic character that make a Danelectro sound like a Danelectro. It feels less like somebody has reinvented the formula and more like they’ve simply turned the attitude up a notch.

And there’s one final thing: this guitar is ludicrously affordable. Exactly what you’ll pay will obviously depend on where and when you’re buying, but go and check the current price — I suspect you’ll be pleasantly surprised. For anyone who already loves the Dano thing but wants a little more mid-range punch and muscle, the Dan O. Mano is a very fine addition to the range.

Find out more about the Danelectro Dan O. Mano at Danelectro.com