1959-69 Danelectro Shorthorn Standard #3021

Danelectro is an American guitar company founded in 1947 by the genius Nathan “Nat” Daniel noted for his unique designs which contributed significantly to guitar history, including but not limited to:

• Lipstick pickups (Image #6, 7) - The 3021 was notable for its "Lipstick" pickups, so named because they were made them using actual lipstick tubes, bought from a cosmetics manufacturer. The coil was wrapped around an alnico 6 bar magnet, and then wrapped in tape before being inserted into the tube and produced the lowest cost guitar pickup in the industry. . This bobbin-less pickup type is called “air coil.”  The pickups had a 3-conductor wiring, which is the beginning and end of the coil, plus a separate ground.  Their innovative design makes them still highly sought-after by guitarists today, who love their distinctive sound as well as their “cool” appearance  
• Stacked pots (Image #7) - Using stacked pots was another Danelectro first. The Fender Jazz Bass also used stacked pots from 1960–1962, but Daniel did this some years earlier. This configuration uses less space, offering two independent controls in the space of one pot. We still find a lot of stacked pots today in the bass world.
• Series, instead of parallel, pickup wiring  - Most Danelectro guitars combine the pickups in series rather than in parallel, which is part of their unique sound that can be described as fat, loud, and beefy in the middle position. This was decades before other companies started to offer such a feature, too
• Unique pot resistances like 100k for volume and 1M for tone - A 100k audio volume pot will give you very good control over its whole rotation but will dampen some high end in a passive wiring. On the other hand, a 1M pot will give you close to zero control over its rotation, but there is a lot of high end present. The lipstick pickups have a very jangly tone, full of high end, so they chose 100k to benefit from the perfect control range and wanted to compensate for the high end by using 1M pots for the tone control.
• Different tone caps for bridge and neck pickups - Instead of using the “smaller” cap for the neck pickup to keep some high-end chime intact when rolling back the tone, he did it exactly the other way around. You can often find 0.01 uF caps for the bridge and 0.047 uF for the neck pickup, resulting in a super-dark and woolly tone when closing the tone pot for the neck pickup.

 

The Danelectro Shorthorn Model 3021 (Jimmy Page's model), was a semi-hollowbody electric guitar with 2 Single-coil "Lipstick" pickups was introduced in 1959 and made until 1969, when Danelectro closed due to financial struggles under the Music Corporation of America (MCA).

 

Danelectro was revived in the late 1990s by the Evets Corporation, which reissued the Shorthorn under various names, including models based on the 3021.  Reissues differ slightly in construction (e.g., Chinese or Korean manufacturing, updated bridges).

• 1998–2001 (First Reissue): The 59DC (two-pickup model, akin to the 3021) was reissued, made in Korea, with the classic “Coke Bottle” headstock (Image #8) and concentric "Stacked" knobs (Image #7). Production ran from 1998 to 2001, but sales slowed, and guitars were discontinued by 2004 to focus on effects pedals
• 2007–2009 (Second Reissue): The 59 Dano (2007) and 59-DC (2009) were Chinese-made reissues of the 3021, featuring an asymmetric headstock and standard (non-stacked) tone/volume knobs
• 2014–Present (Modern Reissues): The ’59M NOS and DC59 (inspired by the 3021, often called the “Jimmy Page model”) were introduced in 2014 and continue in limited production.  Modern reissues are Korean-made, with upgrades like Badass-style bridges (as on Page’s 3021) and finishes like Black Sparkle

 

Rory Gallagher's 1960 Danelectro 3021 Shorthorn sold in 2024 for $26,000 (Image #2)

 

Jimmy Page's 1961 Danelectro Model 3021 DC-2 Double Pickup (Image #3, 4, 5)

• Jimmy's guitar was made in 1961, and features a Black semi-hollow body; tempered Masonite top and back, poplar core, and sides, poplar neck, rosewood fingerboard, vinyl side covering; 25 in. scale; bolt-on neck with dot inlays; black “Coke bottle” headstock (Image #8) with silkscreened silver Danelectro logo; two single-coil "Lipstick" pickups (Image #6, 7), three-way selector switch, two concentric volume/tone controls with black and white plastic "Stacked" knobs (Image #7) , nickel tuning machines, white "Seal shaped" Masonite pickguard; and a stock fixed, top-loading bridge with a rosewood base and a single metal saddle (Image #2, 7) 
• A Leo Quan Badass bridge replaced the stock bridge in 1982  and is on the guitar today (Image #3)
• Jimmy bought this guitar sometime in mid 60s and used it for his early studio work, the Yardbirds, and with Zeppelin
• It was first used on stage on “White Summer” with the Yardbird in 1967 tuned to DADGAD (aka Celtic tuning)
• Jimmy used this guitar with Led Zeppelin in early to mid 70s on “When The Levee Breaks” and “In My Time Of Dying”
• After the release of Physical Graffiti in 1975 he started using the guitar on “Kashmir” – which is the song this guitar is mostly known for
• Jimmy's guitar still owned by Page and was on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY from 2014 to 2019

The Mach Five guitar is a 2021 Danelectro ’59M NOS+ Reissue  SN 086814

Danelectro’s most famous guitar, now with new pickups which retains the character of the original NOS pickups but with better highs, punchier mids, and solid lows.  This guitar also replicates the distinguishing features of Jimmy Page's 1961 model including:

• Black semi-hollow body
• 25 in. scale
• Bolt-on neck with dot inlays
• Black “Coke bottle” headstock with Danelectro logo (Image #1, 8)
• 2 single-coil "Lipstick" pickups (Image #1, 6, 7)
• 3-way selector switch,
• 2 concentric volume/tone controls with black and white plastic "Stacked" knobs (Image #1, 7)
• White "Seal shaped" pickguard
• "Badass" style bridge (Image #1, 3)

1. The Mach Five guitar
2. Rory Gallagher's 1960 Danelectro 3021 with stock bridge
3. Jimmy Page's 1961 Danelectro 3021 with replacement badass bridge
4. Jimmy Page playing his Danelectro
5. Jimmy Page magazine cover
6. "Lipstick" pickups
7. "Lipstick" pickups, "Stacked controls" & original rosewood bridge
8. "Coke bottle" headstock
9.  Danelectro 1 pager

Led Zeppelin - Kashmir (Live at Knebworth 1979) (Official Video)

• The guitar (Page) plays in 6/8 tempo, while the drums (Bonham) play in 4/4. That's why the beat sounds "off". Genius! It makes the song "drag along" in a different way. Normal drummers would probably play in the same tempo as the guitarist - but Bonham isn't most drummers.

Led Zeppelin - In My Time of Dying - 1975 Earls Court

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks (Official Audio)

Led Zeppelin - White Summer - Royal Albert Hall (January 9, 1970)

Led Zeppelin - White Summer/Black Mountain Side Knebworth 1979

Black Mountain Side (Remaster)

Danelectro: A Short History

Jimmy Page's Guitars: A Short History

KASHMIR chords -Jimmy Page, Jack White, & Edge