1965 Danelectro Coral Deluxe Vintage Electric Bass Guitar Fiesta Red Full Scale

Up for sale, a 1965 Danelectro Coral Deluxe Bass in excellent condition and in perfect working order. This is an extremely rare custom color version of an already rare bass, and one of the only Danelectro basses to ever feature a full 34" scale. With its sleek, contoured Fiesta Red body, swirly psychedelic pickguard, and two-tone concentric Volume/Tone knobs, this is one very cool bass! The tone has quite an impressive range, from thick low end thump to more hollow tic-tac tones that still have girth and fundamental punch. The lipstick pickups deliver a sound that has plenty of chime, with slightly scooped mids and plenty of the all-important bass frequency response, with a swift attack thanks to the poplar body. This Coral bass was 100% made in the USA and unlike some Dano models, this Coral feels extremely solid and reliable for extensive gigging and studio work. Professionally setup and strung with 45-100 roundwound strings, this Coral Deluxe is as impressive tonally as it is visually.
In reference to the Coral name, this second major brand under Danelectro was introduced in 1966, after the sale of the company to MCA, who still retained the services and guidance of company founder Nathan Daniel. "Coral" was created as a way for Danelectro to diversify their distributors and offer unique models to individual shops, as opposed to almost purely dealing with companies like Sears, which had been the bread and butter of Danelectro in the past. The result was a line of eye-catching instruments that fully embodied the vibe of the latter half of the 1960s, and this particular Coral Deluxe bass was only available from 1967-68 in very small quantities.  
The mahogany neck has a wide and fairly slender profile, extremely reminiscent of a 1959-61 Fender Precision Bass. The neck profile has full shoulders as well, that gently slope back fairly quickly for a feel that's comfortable and fast. The nut width is a full 1 13/16", although with the string spacing it really feels like 1 3/4" and very manageable. The nut is a hard carved piece of bone as well, which improves sustain and overall tone. The original medium jumbo frets are intact and they have been recently dressed and crowned, with only faint wear beneath the D and G strings down near the nut, and no buzzing or dead spots. The headstock joint on Coral instruments is quite unique, in that an entire rosewood headstock is grafted onto the neck, and it's a particularly nice cut of rosewood too! The raised "Coral" logo is intact, and the "Deluxe Bass" silkscreened text is visible as well with only moderate fading. The original tuning machines are some of the nicest seen on any Danelectro instrument, turn very smoothly and hold pitch as they should.
All of the electronics work well, with dual lipstick pickups wired to individual stacked Volume/Tone knobs. The original CTS pots date the bass to mid '65, although given the dates of Coral production, it was probably one of the first to leave the factory in '66. Mallory "tropical fish" tone caps are also present for each pickup, and deliver a particularly sweet and musical sound. While the bridge pickup is undoubtedly stock, the neck pickup is an era correct, vintage Danelectro lipstick with matching output, but a bit less patina on the pickup cover, and a splice in the wiring from when it was installed. Both solid rosewood finger/thumb rests are intact, and what can be cooler than knobs that match your custom color finish? Lastly, the metal bridge cover is a replacement manufactured to the original shape, and a one-off piece, given that this bridge cover has never been reproduced en masse.
Cosmetically, this bass shows plenty of playwear from honest use, with plenty of nicks and dings around the contours of the slender Fiesta Red body and on the neck profile as well. The entire body has faint lacquer checking, and the color is still vibrant and bright with no touchups or overspray on the nitro lacquer. The chips in the finish down to the bare poplar are most prominent on the edge where the forearm crosses the top of the bass, and also south of the knobs on the lower edge. There is wear through the swirly pearloid pickguard in the pick path, and also moderate pitting and surface patina on the control plate. Few instruments show this kind of true relicing, and as is often the case, the result of a well played instrument is one that is very resonant and soulful. As rare as they come and one of few examples in this color produced, this Coral Deluxe Bass is a joy to play and a great vintage piece!