Danny Spitz - Custom Jackson Dinky Rhodes
What is there to say about Danny: underrated by the critics, under appreciated by Jackson (he did sell alot of guitars for them) and very missed by TRUE Anthrax fans. This is the case that when your lead guitarist (Danny) and you lead singer (Joey Belladonna) are not in the band any more, you should rename the band out of respect for them and the past successful records. As one of the founding members in 1981, Danny went on to be with the band up until 1993 when he did some of the guitar work on the album "The Sound of White Noise". It is at this point that the die hard Anthrax guys loose the love for the music that they were and still are making. Anthrax became more main stream and lost the "thrash" or "speed metal" following. This theory would fall under an AC DC with or post-Bon Scott or a Iron Maiden with or pre-Dickenson.
Danny got this guitar after his studio and practice space burnt to the ground (with 95% of all of the cool old school Jackson's that he had owned). That is where the turtles guitar is - so ever one can stop looking. The fire was right before the "Persistence Of Time" album. He had two or three korina V's made for him. In one of the pictures you will see Danny with the guitar on one of the "Rock Star Cards". It was also used on the "Got The Time" Video. While on tour the guitar was knocked against something and cracked the head stock. The head stock was never off of the guitar, just more of a fracture that was repaired by his tech.
This guitar was made especially for Danny. It has a much smaller fret gauge, modeled after an older Gibson feel. The neck has been left as an oil finish as well. The body and neck are made of korina. The body shape is what is referred to as a "Dinky Rhoads". The wings are about an inch and a half shorter then a normal Rhoads. This was actually Danny's idea to make them smaller. Danny did it so that the guitar would look normal in size instead of giant on him since he is not as tall as Robin Crosby (who made some of his guitars larger to fit his height). The Dinky Rhoads is now a production model called the Extreme Rhoads. It would of been nice for Jackson to have given some credit to Danny for all of his years of loyalty (I am sure the credit would be worth more to him then the four or five free guitars a year). Thanks again Jackson.
I purchased this guitar directly from Danny, through a mutual friend of ours. I was lucky enough to get a signed letter, backstage passes that he used on the Persistence tour, his strap, and the set of stings that he used for the last few shows on the tour. I also was also sent a great boot leg of the one of the P.O.T. shows that he used her in (but I can always use more if you have them?).
Picture of the Rock Star card with Danny and this guitar
Picture of some of Danny's guitar's in a Young Guitar
magazine (I still need a copy of this one if you have it?)