The Dano Longhorn has all the sounds of the old version - the pickups are still the best for recording, as many record producers who have insisted I use one on their sessions will attest. The new version is more like a "proper" guitar - it is heavier and more substaintially built than the old model, and so loses one of the best features - it's lightness. The copperburt colour now covers more of the body and so the 'fade into white' finish has gone. My recent purchase was fitted with what feel to be 45-105 strings which I personally feel are a bit too much for the small neck and I would change to a gauge lighter. The Danelectro Longhorn is still a must-have in the bass guitar armoury, if you specifically want a short-scale bass. However, I already have a Danelectro Hodad which is a long-scale bass with lipstick tube pickups and that is the one I'm playing more. So my advice would be if you want a short-scale bass get a Longhorn. If you want the great Danelelctro sound buy one of the long scale basses fitted with the same 'lipstick tube' pickups.