Vincent (Vinnie) Bell will go down in musical history as the inventor of the "watery" guitar sound that was a big fad in instrumental recordings of the late 1960s. He was a session guitar player and issued several recordings using prominently his sound created by his own invented instruments.
Bell invented a number of electric guitar models for Danelectro, Coral, and other companies. He designed perhaps the first electric 12-string guitar, and invented the electric sitar in 1967.
This is a working prototype of a Silvertone/Danelectro Model #1449 guitar with stand that was conceived, built, and painted by Vincent Bell in late 1961 in the Danelectro Factory. The sole purpose of research and development included testing neck pitch and neck relief designs, testing neck materials, and many other of Bell's design concepts. In that period. these tests resulted directly in the development of Danelectro's innovative ‘Neck Tilt’ design, left un-patented by Danelectro, and as a result, later patented by Leo Fender as the "Micro-Tilt". The guitar served as a test instrument for seven years until 1969 when the Neptune, N.J. Danelectro factory closed down for good. Vincent Bell took this ‘Neck Jig’ home with him where it resided in his basement for the next 39 years until 2008.
Unique to the guitar is the absence of the steel truss rods present in all Danelectro built instruments. This lack of a truss rod accommodated the bolts that threaded directly into the back of the neck right through to the fingerboard. It was purposely built this way by Vincent Bell. No headstock logo was ever applied and no serial number assigned. No strap buttons were ever installed and therefore no strap button holes were ever drilled. There is also no "Neck-Tilt" slug in the neck heel. The pick-guard mounting screw nearest the input-jack was never installed/drilled either. This was not a regular production guitar pulled off the line but was built specifically by Vincent Bell for the intended purpose...R&D testing. It is however, a fully functioning instrument. The jig attached to the neck can be removed, as well as the guitar detached from the stand .
A unique piece from one of the most unique guitar inventors.
