Danko used various basses throughout his career. He played a mid-sixties sunburst Fender Jazz Bass on the 1966 World Tour with Bob Dylan, and on the recording of "Music from Big Pink" and "The Band", as well as early live shows by The Band, including Woodstock and the Isle of Wight Festival. In late 1969, the Band was given some equipment by Ampeg, which included a fretted Ampeg AEB, a fretless Ampeg AMUB and an Ampeg "Baby Bass", a fiberglass-made electric upright bass. The fretless AMUB, modified with jazz pickups, was his bass of choice for the next years to come, and can be heard prominently on "Stage Fright" and "Cahoots", and was used live, as can be seen in the film Festival Express also in video footage included in the "Live at the Academy of Music 1971" release. This fretless bass was sold on eBay from a private collection in early 2012 for US$35,000.00. He was also seen performing with Fender Precision Basses and he also owned four Gibson Rippers, and would change out the pickups to experiment with different tones. Photos and video show him often playing a blonde one and also a sunburst, which was featured in "The Last Waltz".