Danelectro 59X12 Red Burst 12-String Guitar
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The Danelectro 59X12 Red Burst brings the unmistakable shimmer of twelve strings to a guitar with genuine vintage personality. Its double-cutaway Shorthorn body, distinctive headstock and glossy red finish recall the adventurous electric guitar designs of the 1960s.
Yet the 59X12 is more than a nostalgic instrument. A semi-hollow body, adjustable bridge and unusual pickup combination give it a surprisingly flexible musical character.
Twelve-string electrics can produce beautiful sounds, but they also demand a little more patience and attention than an ordinary six-string guitar.
What You Should Know Before Buying
Twelve strings change the playing experience
The most important difference is the arrangement of six paired string courses rather than six individual strings.
On the lower four courses, each standard string is accompanied by a thinner string tuned an octave higher. The two highest courses use matching pitches.
This produces the bright, layered sound associated with classic twelve-string recordings, but it also changes how the instrument responds beneath your fingers.
Chords can sound wonderfully full and shimmering, while individual notes carry an additional octave texture.
However, accurate fretting becomes more demanding. Players must press two strings cleanly rather than one, making uneven finger pressure and poor technique more noticeable.
Complex chords, wide stretches and fast lead passages may also require adjustment.
Tuning takes additional patience
Twelve tuning machines mean twice as many strings to check before playing.
The paired strings need to remain accurately tuned relative to each other, otherwise the characteristic shimmer can become an unpleasant wavering sound.
Temperature changes, new strings and frequent playing can all require small adjustments.
Although tuning becomes more familiar with practice, it rarely feels as immediate as checking a conventional six-string electric.
Players who regularly change between alternate tunings should consider the extra work involved.
The 59X12 has a fixed bridge rather than a tremolo, which removes one potential complication, but its additional strings still demand careful attention.
Restringing is a bigger job
A complete string change takes longer than on a standard electric guitar.
Each course contains two strings with different positions and, in most cases, different gauges. Careful organisation is important to avoid winding a string onto the wrong tuning machine.
The headstock is also more crowded, making clean string installation particularly important.
Twelve-string sets may require a different purchasing routine from ordinary electric strings, and the extra strings mean more material to replace.
A careful restring and setup can make a substantial difference to tuning stability and playing comfort.
For musicians who want a more straightforward six-string setup in an unconventional instrument, our Traveler Guitar Ultra-Light Electric guide explores a very different approach.
Bridge adjustment matters
The 59X12 uses a fully adjustable twelve-string hardtail bridge, an important feature for an instrument with octave-paired courses.
Correct intonation helps the guitar sound balanced when moving from open chords to notes farther along the neck.
However, twelve-string intonation is more complicated than adjusting six ordinary strings. Different gauges and paired notes make accurate setup particularly important.
A poorly adjusted instrument may sound acceptable when playing open chords yet become noticeably out of tune higher up the fingerboard.
The bridge offers useful adjustment, but that does not mean a perfect setup happens automatically.
Anyone unfamiliar with twelve-string maintenance may benefit from professional setup assistance.
The neck will not suit everyone
Danelectro uses a maple neck, 25-inch scale length and 21-fret fingerboard with a relatively flat 14-inch radius.
The scale is slightly shorter than the traditional 25.5-inch Fender measurement, although string gauge and the additional string tension influence the overall feel.
The fingerboard provides a reasonably spacious playing surface, which is helpful when fretting paired strings.
Nevertheless, guitarists accustomed to very narrow necks or exceptionally light string tension may need time to adjust.
The 21-fret arrangement also means fewer upper-register notes than guitars with 22 or 24 frets.
For traditional rhythm playing, that may be unimportant. For technical lead players, it could be a genuine restriction.
The pickup combination is unusual
The bridge position uses a dual Lipstick-style humbucker, while the neck features a vintage-inspired large-housing single-coil pickup.
A three-way selector provides familiar pickup choices, with a push-pull tone control allowing the bridge humbucker to be split.
This arrangement offers more tonal flexibility than a conventional pair of identical pickups.
However, splitting a humbucker changes its output and response. It does not necessarily recreate the precise sound of a traditional single-coil guitar.
The neck single-coil may also introduce electrical hum in certain environments.
Players should not assume every pickup combination will deliver the same volume or noise performance.
The GTRS P800 Smart Electric Guitar provides an alternative for musicians more interested in digital sound shaping than traditional pickup combinations.
Semi-hollow construction brings compromises
The Danelectro’s semi-hollow body contributes to its distinctive design and acoustic response.
Its Shorthorn outline also looks particularly attractive in Red Burst, with the glossy finish highlighting the unusual body shape.
However, semi-hollow construction can respond differently to loud amplification and substantial distortion.
At high volume, unwanted feedback may become more noticeable depending on amplifier positioning, gain settings and the playing environment.
The body is also built using laminated materials rather than the solid carved construction some guitarists expect from more conventional instruments.
That is part of Danelectro’s design approach, not necessarily a construction defect.
Our Ibanez Artcore AS73 Semi-Hollow Guitar guide explores another interpretation of semi-hollow electric guitar construction.
Check the case and included accessories
Independent coverage of the 59X12 indicates that a case or gig bag has not always been supplied as standard.
Buyers should therefore confirm exactly what their particular listing includes.
An appropriate twelve-string case is important for protecting the longer headstock and crowded tuning arrangement during transport.
The glossy finish can also show fingerprints, surface scratches and ordinary handling marks.
As with any electric guitar, careful storage and regular cleaning help maintain its appearance.
Who Should Probably Avoid This Product?
Guitarists looking for a single instrument to cover every musical style may find the twelve-string format restrictive.
Fast technical playing, aggressive string bending and complicated lead passages generally feel less straightforward than on a conventional six-string.
Beginners may also find the additional tuning and fretting demands distracting while developing basic technique.
Musicians who frequently use alternate tunings, demand very high fret access or rely on extreme tremolo effects should consider other instruments.
The 59X12 is designed around a particular sound and playing experience rather than maximum simplicity.
Who Will Benefit Most?
The Danelectro 59X12 particularly appeals to musicians who love shimmering rhythm guitars, atmospheric arrangements and vintage-inspired tones.
Its paired strings can add extraordinary richness to clean chords, arpeggios and melodic passages.
The Lipstick-style humbucker and neck single-coil provide contrasting sounds, while the adjustable bridge and fixed-tailpiece arrangement offer practical advantages for maintaining a twelve-string instrument.
Its retro body shape, chrome hardware and Red Burst finish give it unmistakable visual personality.
For songwriters, recording musicians and players interested in expanding their tonal palette, a twelve-string electric can add something genuinely different without replacing an existing six-string guitar.
Explore our wider Electric Guitars guides for more instruments with distinctive construction, playing characteristics and musical possibilities.
The Danelectro 59X12 Red Burst combines nostalgic styling with a sound that remains wonderfully distinctive. Its greatest attraction is the rich, chiming texture of twelve electric strings, provided the player appreciates the additional tuning, setup and maintenance involved.
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