Danelectro Announces the Red Hot Longhorn Bass
One of the basses that caught our attention at the NAMM Show this year was the Danelectro Red Hot Longhorn Bass, and now we have more details about it.
“First introduced in 1958, Danelectro’s classic Longhorn body shape and short-scale neck is revered for its distinctive sound, heard on countless recordings,” the company states. “The newest Longhorn carries on this proud tradition but adds some modern touches.”
The semi-hollow bass sports an F-hole and is finished in “red hot” on the top, with the back and sides in black. Its maple neck has a short 29.75-inch scale, a rosewood fretboard, and 24 frets.
For pickups, the Red Hot Longhorn has a pair of Danelectro 50’s pickups with a CRL pickup selector. Other features include a traditional bridge with a single adjustable rosewood saddle and black die-cast knobs.
The Danelectro Red Hot Longhorn Bass will be shipping soon with a street price of $599.
Danelectro Red Hot Longhorn Bass Specs:
| Construction: | Bolt-on |
| Scale: | 29.75″ |
| Body: | Spruce with Binding |
| Neck: | Maple |
| Neck Shape: | C |
| Fretboard: | Rosewood |
| Nut: | Aluminum |
| Nut Width: | 1.65″ |
| Frets: | 24 |
| Inlays: | Dot |
| Pickups: | Danelectro 50s with CRL Pickup Selector |
| Bridge: | Traditional bridge with a single adjustable rosewood saddle |
| Tuners: | 2+2 |
| Knobs: | Black Die-Cast |
| Finish: | Red Hot |
Had a Longhorn and I loved it’s looks, it’s simplicity, it’s extreme lightness, and the lovely tones it produced!. But I’m mostly a seated player and that curved body always hit my leg the wrong way and it would slide off either forward or backward. That lower curve in the Longhorn’s body is indeed beautiful (IMO), but I found it made the bass very uncomfortable for me to play. So I sold it, regretfully…….
Thanks for your comment. I’ve also been interested in the Longhorn due to its funky looks, but I’ve never known someone who actually owned one.
Other things that bothered me (that might not trouble others) were the Dano Longhorn’s wider width at the nut, and (especially) the very sharp edges of it’s neck. If I had kept it I definitely would’ve considered sanding down those edges some! ~It’s an interesting BG tho; very, very lightweight (mine was less than 6 lbs!) and nice sounding… And if one played mostly standing with a strap, then that reverse curve on the bottom of it’s body might not be bothersome at all…..