For novices or beginners of guitar repair: I can think of no other guitars easier to work on than these ST1400 series Danelectros. If you feel reasonably skilled with simple tools and materials, I would suggest not being afraid at all to clean them up and / or refurbish them. It only takes attention to details, and nominal research on the internet if / when you might encounter something you're not sure of. Stewart McDonald's website has just about any material, parts and FREE INFO AND INSTRUCTIONS for cleaning up and / or repairing guitars. For Guitar Techs and Folks more skilled at guitar repair: GO FOR IT; You probably already know that it's most rewarding to work on and bring new appearance and life to these ST1400 series guitars .....and an absolute joy to play them, as no other guitar comes even close to being comparable to lipstick tubed Danelectros. If you haven't already, you might want to read my "Gospel of the Holy Cow" account of my rediscovering Danelectros via the ST1400 series. NOTICE: AMPLIFIERS CAN AND DO KILL UNQUALIFIED LIVING THINGS THAT VENTURE INSIDE THEM. A person MUST know what they are doing before they venture into an amplifier in any manner whatsoever. Simple audio amplifiers are quite simple devices and are not difficult to learn from a number of good books about their mechanics and servicing them. Stewart McDonalds is again a great source for top shelf technical and learning books. ~~~~~~~ Please read my info on purchasing used amplifiers. |
------- oOo ------- ~~~ Contact Me ~~~ See page 1 for the two 1448 sets prices. |
ll Page 1; Guitar ll Page 2; Guitar ll Page 3; Amp Case ll Page 4; Amp Case ll Page 5; Amp Case ll Page 6; Amp Case ll Issues ll Index ll |
CONDITION ABBREVIATIONS: NOS = New; Old Stock. M = Mint. NM = Near Mint. Ex = Excellent. VG = Very Good. G = Good P = Poor Percentage ratings are for the percent of remaining original material, also reflecting the percentage of original material not remaining. ------------ oOo ------------ GUITAR: VG / 95% condition after cleanup. Potential for EX with minimal work. Body is EX with minor nicks, scratches and wear; Heavy scratch behind bridge. Neck is EX with 2 minor nicks on back / mid-way along center. Headstock has normal minor nicks and wear along edges, with 1" string scratch on it's face. Headstock face logo is EX. Frets are EX with minimal wear along the first 5 frets, and the rest almost untouched. Guitar hardware is EX. Side vinyl tape binding is drity from not being cleaned; Will clean up nicely. Pickguard is cracked into; An easy replacement or nominal repair for a good craftsman. 1966 1Meg tone pot is missing; Knob is present. Pot / cap electronics and faraday cage appear to be NM. Tuners are Danelectro "skate keys" in NM condition. Dead "Sneeze" mold in various places; Will clean up nicely. Some non original screws securing pickguard. Guitar has sat in it's case for a long time and needs cleaning up. ------------ oOo ------------ AMP-CASE: Amplifier will be EX / 95% condition after cleanup. Chassis MODEL # 185.10010. Amp volume pot number is 1376448; Made the 48th week of 1964. Original Silvertone tubes. Volume knob is period-EX. Speaker is original and EX. Case is overall EX. Case exterior has nominal case rash, minimal light scratches, nominal normal corners / edges wear, and nominal small snag tabs. Surface corrosion on external case hardware. Will clean up to nice period patina. Approx 1/2" break in grill cloth. A good amp tech can repair this break, as can a good Upholsterer or Luggage Repairman or good Craftsman. ------------ oOo ------------ INFO ABOUT THIS 1448 SET: This guitar has sat packed away in my storage awaiting it's turn for my work bench, in a long line of guitars I've refurbished and continue to do. Due to regular and continuing inquiries about Silvertone Danelectro Guitar & Amp-case sets, I figured I'd pull and unpack these two 1448 sets I found "hidden" away in my storage of old guitars, and at least let Folks know I have them for their own refurbishing and/or clean-up, or hire me to refurbish them, or simply wait their turn in line for me to refurbish them and place them for sale refurbished (not much to clean up and refurbish on either of these sets). Please note that I will also take the best parts of the two sets to make a best set and a lessor set, and adjust the prices upward and downward commensurately (probably refurbishing the lessor set myself ...which I really enjoy doing, ...if someone else doesn't discover these and do it themselves or have it done). Although this matching 1448 set has sat a long time even before I warehoused it in 1993, and thus needs a good cleanup (disassembled clean-up if I do it), ...it has very few substantial issues; And these Silvertone Danelectro sets are quite easy and most enjoyable to refurbish, even if by disassembly. Here is a 1449 set (and other guitars) I've refurbished and/or cleaned up, along with schematics and allot of useful information. NOTICE: I will clean up and refurbish any of these guitars and/or amp-cases for an additional $150 each plus the cost of any parts that I might not have on hand. I do expert work; You could send me a filthy beat up guitar and when you get it back it will seem like it's not the same guitar. But a reasonably good craftsman can also do this work on ST1400 series Silvertones quite easily. See page 1 for the two 1448 sets mix-match prices. |
1963 Silvertone Danelectro 1448; Set #1 of 2. With Matching amp in case Info and issues noticed upon this set's brief inspection: (Plus some additional helpful info I felt motivated to make time to add while I'm making these pages): |
CONDITION ABBREVIATIONS: NOS = New; Old Stock. M = Mint. NM = Near Mint. Ex = Excellent. VG = Very Good. G = Good P = Poor Percentage ratings are for the percent of remaining original material, also reflecting the percentage of original material not remaining. ------------ oOo ------------ GUITAR: VG / 95% condition after cleanup. Potential for EX with minimal work. Body is EX with minor nicks, scratches and wear; Heavy scratch behind bridge. Neck is EX with 2 minor nicks on back / mid-way along center. Headstock has normal minor nicks and wear along edges, with 1" string scratch on it's face. Headstock face logo is EX. Frets are EX with minimal wear along the first 5 frets, and the rest almost untouched. Guitar hardware is EX. Side vinyl tape binding is drity from not being cleaned; Will clean up nicely. Pickguard is cracked into; An easy replacement or nominal repair for a good craftsman. 1966 1Meg tone pot is missing; Knob is present. Pot / cap electronics and faraday cage appear to be NM. Tuners are Danelectro "skate keys" in NM condition. Dead "Sneeze" mold in various places; Will clean up nicely. Some non original screws securing pickguard. Guitar has sat in it's case for a long time and needs cleaning up. ------------ oOo ------------ AMP-CASE: Amplifier will be EX / 95% condition after cleanup. Chassis MODEL # 185.10010. Amp volume pot number is 1376448; Made the 48th week of 1964. Original Silvertone tubes. Volume knob is period-EX. Speaker is original and EX. Case is overall EX. Case exterior has nominal case rash, minimal light scratches, nominal normal corners / edges wear, and nominal small snag tabs. Surface corrosion on external case hardware. Will clean up to nice period patina. Approx 1/2" break in grill cloth. A good amp tech can repair this break, as can a good Upholsterer or Luggage Repairman or good Craftsman. ------------ oOo ------------ INFO ABOUT THIS 1448 SET: This guitar has sat packed away in my storage awaiting it's turn for my work bench, in a long line of guitars I've refurbished and continue to do. Due to regular and continuing inquiries about Silvertone Danelectro Guitar & Amp-case sets, I figured I'd pull and unpack these two 1448 sets I found "hidden" away in my storage of old guitars, and at least let Folks know I have them for their own refurbishing and/or clean-up, or hire me to refurbish them, or simply wait their turn in line for me to refurbish them and place them for sale refurbished (not much to clean up and refurbish on either of these sets). Please note that I will also take the best parts of the two sets to make a best set and a lessor set, and adjust the prices upward and downward commensurately (probably refurbishing the lessor set myself ...which I really enjoy doing, ...if someone else doesn't discover these and do it themselves or have it done). Although this matching 1448 set has sat a long time even before I warehoused it in 1993, and thus needs a good cleanup (disassembled clean-up if I do it), ...it has very few substantial issues; And these Silvertone Danelectro sets are quite easy and most enjoyable to refurbish, even if by disassembly. Here is a 1449 set (and other guitars) I've refurbished and/or cleaned up, along with schematics and allot of useful information. NOTICE: I will clean up and refurbish any of these guitars and/or amp-cases for an additional $150 each plus the cost of any parts that I might not have on hand. I do expert work; You could send me a filthy beat up guitar and when you get it back it will seem like it's not the same guitar. But a reasonably good craftsman can also do this work on ST1400 series Silvertones quite easily. See page 1 for the two 1448 sets mix-match prices. |
ll Page 1; Guitar ll Page 2; Guitar ll Page 3; Amp Case ll Page 4; Amp Case ll Page 5; Amp Case ll Page 6; Amp Case ll Issues ll Index ll |
------- oOo ------- ~~~ Contact Me ~~~ See page 1 for the two 1448 sets prices. |
EXAMPLES OF A 1449 CLEAN-UP AND REFURBISHMENT: |
The pickguard was crack-broken and poorly repaired much like the 1448 guitar of this Issues page report. These crack-breaks occur because someone wants to remove the pickguard to get inside but doesn't realize that the pots faraday shielding cage most often gets hung up under the body top and the pickguard / farday cage has to be carefully moved into a position it will slide out, by manipulating the SWITCH / KNOBS / JACK end of the pickguard to free the faraday cage up to come out very easily; While bending the other end aggresively will break the pickguard at that narrow point that further has hole for the switch to make that span vulnerable to over-stressing it. |
Here is the 1449 pickguard repaired, as well as a disassembly cleaning and refurbishment done. The 1448 pickguard will repair and look just as good by first scrubbing it clean: Gouge the cracks open enough to hold paint, then break the previous bad repair, place the pickguard onto a 1' square of wax paper placed on a dead-flat work surface, glue the break back together with clear epoxy glue leaving the gouges open for the painting step, then mask off the cracks area to receive the paint, and paint the cracks with multiple coats of white epoxy appliance spray paint (aerosol cans will work just fine) (read the can's label for multiple coats data) until the cracks are filled. Then sand the paint covered cracks down level with the original paint. Let the cracks epoxy paint dry in the sun for 2 days. Now wipe the pickguard top down with a rag dampened with iquid sandpaper (available at any hardware store), then mask off the edges and paint the entire pickguard with 3 coats of the epoxy appliance paint. VOILA .....like new ! |
Here the typical dirty vinyl side tape can be seen on the 1449. |
Here the 1449's vinyl side tape has been cleaned up. |
Here's another shot of the vinyl side tape cleaned up. |
These vinyl tapes bindings are quite easy to clean up. I use 1 tablespoon of gel dishwashing machine soap diluted in 2 cups of hot water and allowed to cool to body temperature before using. I scrub the solution upon the tape with a toothbrush, and keep a generously-damp clean rag or sponge regularly rinsed well, to wipe off the cleaner regularly while it's wet as I go along, rinsing well regularly with the rag or sponge no matter what cleaner I use. A solution of Oxy Clean and water is also a good cleaner for this tape (read the Oxy Clean label for a moderate strength solution). A mild solution of Dawn dishwashing liquid in water will also work but require a bit more scrubbing. NOTICE: if the vinyl tape is worn through as is common in a spot or two along the lower bouts from rubbing on the case, .....then the cleaner solution and rinse rag / sponge MUST NOT be any wetter than damp, because the raw wood body frame under the tape can soak up wetness and swell up, and raw masonite edges of the top and/or bottom will swell if allowed to get wet for more than a minute or so. If such worn through spots are quite dirty then you can first damp-scrub the bare-wood or masonite area with the toothbrush dampened with the cleaning solution, wiped off with the damp rag / sponge, and then while still damp seal the wood or masonite with a good quality EXTERIOR water-base white wood glue THINNED WITH WATER into a paint consistency; Allowing a first coat to dry for about an hour before applying a second coat. After the second coat dries OVERNIGHT, you can then scrub around that worn area more aggressively because the wood glue sealer now protects the masonite from sucking in any of the cleaner or rinse. Breaks and abrasions in the vinyl tape can be repaired by repainting the area with vinyl uphostery repair "paint" to duplicate the tape where it's worn down or worn off, ....painting in the tape's texture with a small pointed artist brush when the previous flat coat(s) have gotten tacky. Even this black "stain" (shown below) caused from rubbing up against the amp-case's interior wall, ....will clean up quite nicely with a toothbrush / soap scrub, and if a slight black pigment stain remains it will most likely go right away with an additional Oxy Clean scrub as said further above: |
Here is another 1448 that was previously quite dirty and abused prior to cleanup: |
NOTICE: DO NOT try to clean these white paper knob inserts; They WILL disentegrate. You can remove old filthy original inserts and make new replacement copies by cutting them from the white heavy paper of spiral notebook covers which are the same color and paper gauge as the originals. With the new paper inserts still not installed, you can use a razor knife / blade to cut the red (or black) pointer lines from red vinyl tape pressed firmly down onto a china plate, and then carefully remove the new red line from the china plate and carefully place it onto a water-thinned coat of EXTERIOR water based white wood glue painted onto the paper inserts; But place the inserts onto a 10" or-so square of wax paper so the inserts won't accidently get stuck to your working surface. Be sure you turn the knobs all the way up and align the red line facing forward like shown in this pic. A second top coat of the thinned glue should be applied after the base coat has dried overnight with the new red line on it. The inserts shown here are replacements I made, and rubbed a tiny bit of brown water color onto their centers before applying the ffinal coat of thinned-glue, to duplicate the normal finger "grease" that is on all but the most untouched Silvertone Danelectros. |
Compare the 1449 with the 1448 of this Issues report page: |
Knob taped to rear screw so it won't get lost. ------- These screws are not original nor original type; But dead-on original types can be found at most decent hardware stores and certainly at fasterner stores; They are not normal pickguard screws, but are chromed steel #8x3/8" flat-domed phillips head wood screws (buy stainless ones ....they'll look identical and last forever without corroding). |
For novices or beginners of guitar repair: I can think of no other guitars easier to work on than these ST1400 series Danelectros. If you feel reasonably skilled with simple tools and materials, I would suggest not being afraid at all to clean them up and / or refurbish them. It only takes attention to details, and nominal research on the internet if / when you might encounter something you're not sure of. Stewart McDonald's website has just about any material, parts and FREE INFO AND INSTRUCTIONS for cleaning up and / or repairing guitars. For Guitar Techs and Folks more skilled at guitar repair: GO FOR IT; You probably already know that it's most rewarding to work on and bring new appearance and life to these ST1400 series guitars .....and an absolute joy to play them, as no other guitar comes even close to being comparable to lipstick tubed Danelectros. If you haven't already, you might want to read my "Gospel of the Holy Cow" account of my rediscovering Danelectros via the ST1400 series. NOTICE: AMPLIFIERS CAN AND DO KILL UNQUALIFIED LIVING THINGS THAT VENTURE INSIDE THEM. A person MUST know what they are doing before they venture into an amplifier in any manner whatsoever. Simple audio amplifiers are quite simple devices and are not difficult to learn from a number of good books about their mechanics and servicing them. Stewart McDonalds is again a great source for top shelf technical and learning books. ~~~~~~~ Please read my info on purchasing used amplifiers. |
