Danelectro Revamps Retro Tone with the All-New Dan O Cool Baritone Guitar
Retro tone gets a modern boost. Read our full review of the Danelectro Dan O Cool Baritone, featuring hot lipstick pickups, 1950s style, and deep twang for $649.
Danelectro has officially expanded its legendary lineup with the release of the Dan O Cool Baritone, a lightweight, semi-hollow electric guitar designed to bring deep, jangly, mid-century retro vibes to a brand new generation of players.
Priced competitively at $649, this new release masterfully bridges the gap between Danelectro’s classic 1950s "Shorthorn" aesthetics and modern performance standards. F
eaturing high-output "hot" lipstick pickups and unmistakable jet-age design touches, the Dan O Cool Baritone promises a distinct sonic punch that moves effortlessly from glassy indie pop to rowdy blues-rock.
High-Output Twang Meets Universal Comfort
The defining characteristic of the Dan O Cool Baritone is its unique electronic layout. While traditional mid-century Danelectros are famous for their low-output, chimey tone, the Dan O Cool features pairs of iconic single-coil lipstick pickups that have been rewound for extra power.
The neck position is tuned 20% hotter than vintage specs, while the bridge pickup gets a 30% boost. This added heat gives guitarists the extra grit needed to push a tube amplifier into natural overdrive while maintaining the tight, crystalline string definition baritones are famous for.
Double-Cut
The instrument relies on a double-cut semi-hollow spruce body capped with hardboard, keeping it incredibly lightweight and structurally resonant.
Players will find a comfortable, universally appealing C-shaped maple neck paired with a 24-fret rosewood fingerboard. Its longer scale length is perfectly optimized to handle lower tunings (typically tuned B-to-B or A-to-A) with ideal string tension, ensuring the low notes never feel loose or muddy.
A Rich History of Low-End Innovation
To truly appreciate the Dan O Cool, you have to look at Danelectro's unique history. Founded in 1947 by Nathan Daniel, the company built a reputation for creating quirky, highly accessible instruments using unconventional materials like plywood and Masonite.
Crucially, Danelectro actually invented the baritone guitar in 1956. By offering an instrument that sat perfectly between a standard electric guitar and an electric bass, they changed the landscape of modern recording. "Tic-tac bass" lines became a staple of classic Nashville country music, while legendary players like Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Glen Campbell, and more recently, Nels Cline of Wilco, turned to the iconic "Dano" sound to cut through dense studio mixes.
The Dan O Cool honors this legacy by dressing the guitar in authentic 1950s colors, a rare U3 pickguard, retro gold control knobs, Tolexed sides, an aluminum nut, and chrome sealed-back tuners with skate key pegs.
Specs & Features At A Glance
- Body Type: Shorthorn-style, hardboard-capped semi-hollow spruce
- Pickups: '50s-style Lipstick single-coils (20% hotter neck, 30% hotter bridge)
- Neck Profile: Comfortable "C" shape maple with a 14-inch radius rosewood fingerboard
- Hardware: Vintage-accurate aluminum nut, wood-saddled bridge, skate key tuners, and gold plastic knobs
- Price: $649/£699/€729
Where To Buy
Available at Andertons Available at Guitar Center Available at Sweetwater Available at Thomann
The Verdict & Score
Score: 8.3 / 10
The Verdict: The Danelectro Dan O Cool Baritone is an absolute steal for $649. It perfectly captures the quirky, authentic curb appeal of the 1950s while fixing the primary complaint of vintage models: weak pickup output.
It’s highly playable, visually striking, and offers an inspiring, deep-toned alternative for writers and stage performers alike.
Perfect for anyone looking for a baritone with a retro style and sound, but a hotter, more modern pickup output.
Alternative baritone guitar options include the recent Gretsch CVT and Jet models, which have a similar vintage aesthetic and affordable price point.
- +Authentic 1950s retro styling with practical modern upgrades
- +Hot lipstick pickups (20% neck, 30% bridge boost) deliver punchy output without losing clarity
- +Lightweight semi-hollow construction for comfort and resonance
- +Excellent value at $649
- +Visually striking and inspiring design
- +Ideal baritone alternative to vintage Danelectros with weaker pickups
- −Single-coil lipstick pickups may not suit high-gain metal players seeking humbucking tone
- −Vintage-inspired aesthetic won't appeal to modern minimalist design preferences
How is a baritone guitar tuned compared to a regular guitar?
A baritone guitar has a longer neck and is traditionally tuned a perfect fourth lower (B-E-A-D-F#-B) or a perfect fifth lower (A-D-G-C-E-A). It uses heavier strings to allow you to play in lower registers while using the exact same chord shapes and fingerings you use on a standard guitar.
What are "lipstick" pickups?
Lipstick pickups are a signature Danelectro innovation. Originally, Nathan Daniel literally bought surplus chrome lipstick tubes from cosmetics manufacturers to house the guitar's pickup magnets and wiring. They are known for a clean, bright, and "jangly" tone.
Is this guitar good for heavy metal music?
While modern metal guitarists use down-tuned guitars, the Dan O Cool Baritone is voiced more for indie, surf rock, blues, pop, and classic rock. Its hot lipstick single-coils can get rowdy and handle overdrive beautifully, but high-gain modern metal players may still prefer an instrument with humbucking pickups. Danelectro More Danelectro #Danelectro #Dan O Cool #baritone guitar
