A 1965 Danelectro Vincent Bell Twelve-String "Bellzouki"

1965 Danelectro Bellzouki 'Vincent Bell' 12 String Model 7020

This original 1965, four-point 'Teardrop shaped twelve-string electric Bellzouki weighs just 6.40 lbs. "Solid Center" construction consisting of Masonite top and back on a pine frame. On the bass-side of the top is the silver plastic "Bellzouki / Vincent Bell" logo. The body is 13 1/2 wide and 1 5/8 inches deep. One-piece maple neck with a Brazilian rosewood headstock with a nut width of just over 1 3/4 inches, a scale length of 25 1/2 inches and a thin-to-medium profile. Slab Brazilian rosewood fretboard with an aluminium nut, 21 medium-jumbo frets, white dot position markers and silver side-dot markers. 'Scooped-V' shaped headstock with horizontal silver plastic "Danelectro. Six-on-a-side strip tuners with white plastic oval buttons. Bolt-on neck with three-bolts and micro-adjustment. Two Danelectro 'Lipstick' tube single-coil pickups, height adjustable from the bottom, with outputs of 3.27k and 3.35k. Five controls (two volume, two tone, one master volume) plus three-way pickup selector switch (on treble-side of body). Brown plastic control knobs with ribbed sides and metal tops. Two specific shaped tortoiseshell pickguards with metal rivets. Four-way adjustable chrome-plated brass bridge with Brazilian rosewood saddle. Serial number "3075" stamped in black on underside of neck. There is some very light playing wear and the instrument has recently been professionally re-fretted with the correct gauge fret-wire by our luthier Scott Lentz. Overall this rare Bellzouki is in exceptionally fine (9.00) condition. Housed in the original three-latch shaped, mottled black and cream softshell case with blue felt lining (8.75).

"Vincent Bell himself played a Danelectro Bellzouki on Bob Dylan's 1976 Desire album. The first group to use the Bellzouki was Jimmy Gilner and the Fireballs. Peter Gordon [the American experimental composer and musician) also acquired his before they were available to the public. The Jan & Dean song "Anaheim" had parts specifically written for both a Danelectro Bellzouki and a Danelectro six string bass. Duane Eddy accompanied by James Burton played a Danelectro Bellzouki on the song "Buckaroo" from the "Twang Thang" Duane Eddy Anthology." (Doug Tulloch. Neptune Bound. The Ultimate Danelectro Guitar Guide, pp. 132-135).