I've spent the past two years looking for the right guitar for every occasion. Well, almost every occasion. What I really needed was an ax I could play alternative country with and still crank some southern rock styled blues with at the same time.

Sure, I've got my heavily modified Strat ... complete with a switch to allow me to throw the bridge p/u in with the neck when I want a more 'humbucker' sound ... but it just don't 'twang' enough ... it is essentially a texas blues guitar.

I've got my Hamer Studio Archtop ... and what with it's beautifully wrapped Seymour Duncans, it screams like a banshee thru my hundred watt Marshall amp and 2x12 closed back cabinet ... but it sure as hell don't twang ...

Nope, what I was looking for was a guitar that twangs .. so off I went looking for a tele ... but after over a year of playing tele's and not finding one with the tone I need to get from running it thru a Marshall Valvestate, I had just about given up ...

Then along comes the Hodad ... a very interesting ax indeed ...

I was not a real Dan Electro fan to be honest ... most of the Dan Electro's I had seen were poorly constructed and used marginally low level parts ... buying a Dan would have meant an additional couple hundred bucks in hardware and parts to get to the level I needed it to be ...

The Hodad represents the "top of the line" from Dan Electro .. basically. Where the Hodad departs from the rest of the pack is in its' versatility and attention to some very important minor details ...

In the entry level $170 dollar model Dan's the neck is not adjustable .. on the Hodad it is ... that alone convinced me this was worth having ... if I can't make those every so often neck adjustments a guitar is no use to me ... it sticks me with using the set up and strings that come stock ... and that just don't get it ....

The price you see quoted on this page, incidentally, is the Hodad without the "bigsby" styled tail piece ... add a hundred for that extra feature and it's well worth it ... especially in order to get some of the sounds of the late fifties and early sixties or if you're playing around in the alt~country genre.

The Hodad pickups are another major plus ... I played this guitar through what is widely held as one of the best solid state amps ever made, the Roland Jazz Chorus ... these 'humbucker' styled p/u's are clean to a tea ... and even with throwing them in the single coil mode using the push/pull coil tap knob, the single coil sound was as clean as you could imagine ...add to the mix that the Hodad also comes with not only a coil tap but a push/pull knob to put the p/u's in or out of phase and you've got one of the most versatile guitars around.

The maple neck with the rosewood fingerboard has a slightly "Gibson-ish" feel ... top to back it fits comfortably ... while I prefer the 'soft V' of a good Tele or Strat, the neck dimensions on the Hodad make playing it very comfortable, especially not causing the hand deadness and cramping I've gotten from using Fender "C" necks for years ... it's not a chunky neck at all and the fingerboard action needs only to be moderately set up for those preferring to use 11's instead of the stock 10's it comes with.

Tonally this guitar is flat out amazing ... I was blown away by the broad range of tones I was able to easily contour ... the combination of a three way switch with excellent tone control and the inclusion of the coil tap and phase pots allowed me to move quickly and effortlessly between various styles of music from out and out blues rock to real twangy country pickin ... a true guitar for all occasions.

The tail piece is easy to reach and use .. and while it's not recommended for dive bombs and such, the tension and feel is more like what you'd get on a Gretch ...

The guitar's light weight allows it to be used all night long without tiring out the shoulders, and despite its' light weight, the sustain is surprisingly good.

The only negative I can list is the materials end ... I would wish only for a solid body construction with ash, or alder for the body instead of the hardboard and plywood that is used ... but then, if memory serves me, the Dan Electro I owned back in 1970 was constructed the same way. The only modification I'm planning on making at this point is installing new tuners ... probably Sperzle's if they are available for the headstock ...

The finish looks good ... the one I got is a metallic blue finish that looks great under the lights ...

This guitar does not come with a case from the factory as standard equipment, so plan on spending another $100 or so on a good hardshell case ...

By and large, the Hodad is a great investment ... easy to play, killer tone, decent construction and an excellent price make this guitar a better investment than an Epiphone SG or a cheap Squier Tele or Strat ... it's like having four guitars for less money than some more poorly made ones.

Recommended: Yes