At first glance, Danelectro’s Red Hot Longhorn looks pleasingly familiar – its shape is tried, true, and beloved in Vintageville. But once past its eye-catching finish and top binding, you’ll notice something very different – a soundhole.

Following tradition with a masonite (“Hardboard”) top and back, spruce sides, and maple neck, it checks boxes we equate with “classic.” While always entertaining and appreciated for their light weight, comfortable necks, and friendly tones, stalwart semi-hollow Danos like the Silvertone 1444 (with its “dolphin-nose” headstock) were never champions of sustain. Here, though, that bass-bout soundhole teams with the chamber beneath it to create a new experience.

While the famously bright/slightly hot lipstick-tube pickups helped vintage Danos evade inherent short-scale muddiness, the new Lipstick single-coils are wound for high-impedance/high-output. If you sometimes need aggressive tones, they’ll work for you, manipulated through master Volume and Tone knobs (which differ from the stacked pots of previous Longhorn reissues) and a three-way selector that functions traditionally. The die-cast knobs are finished in black to complement the body’s back and sides.

Plugged into a 200-watt solidstate amp with flat EQ running through a 2×10 cab, the Red Hot delivered on its design promises – with Volume dimed and Tone set middle, the neck pickup was warm and nicely round. Rolling the Tone knob sharpened or softened to suit the song/style. The bridge pickup noticeably brightened things, shading to Jazz Bass-growl, the Tone knob removing treble edge when desired. Very noticeable regardless of pickup choice is that great, round “piano tone” that bassists love, highlighted again by the semi-hollow body. On solidbodies, that’s the short-lived joy of fresh strings, but maybe the Red Hot will make it last.

The Longhorn’s short scale has been part of its allure since 1958. At 29.75″ and with 24 frets on rosewood, it does its part in creating the Red Hot’s warm, rounded tone. Speaking of, the neck’s C shape, 14″ fretboard radius, and 1.65″ width at the aluminum nut are middle-of-the-road comfortable, much like a vintage 1444 and comparable to many non-Fender basses. And while the wraparound bridge and rosewood saddle are not adjustable, action should remain true thanks to a dual-action truss rod.

This article originally appeared in VG’s August 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.