Hey, these Deans sure look familiar!

[SweetPete]

http://www.deanguitars.com/custom.htm

[LesPaulCustom]

Re: Hey, these Deans sure look familiar!

[img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] Nah....you must be mistaken [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/refuse.gif[/img]

So, um...what are you trying to say lol? [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/poke.gif[/img]

[mm2002]

Re: Hey, these Deans sure look familiar!

Wow..those guitars are sweet. Dean always comes up with the most original designs!
[img]graemlins/bs.gif[/img]
Did they ever build anything original????

[ November 17, 2003, 07:58 PM: Message edited by: mm2002 ]

[Chasbo]

Re: Hey, these Deans sure look familiar!

I liked the line "Sleek new design" Which should have been quickly followed by "that isn't really new, just the latest bit of rip-off we have perpetrated"

Chuck

[Hotrod]

Re: Hey, these Deans sure look familiar!

I dunno, I've heard those play really well, though. I think a couple of board members have some. I've never had the opportunity to try but they might be kind of cool.

[RacerX]

Re: Hey, these Deans sure look familiar!

What's with the headstocks? Won't Fender fire up the lawyer machine? [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[Greg Crowe]

Re: Hey, these Deans sure look familiar!

The headstock design was discussed quite a bit before production. Dean's owner Elliott Rubinson asked me how I thought those guitars should be built. He ended up building them exactly! like I suggested. Notice those babies are solid MAHOGANY(like a Charvel 750XL) but neck-thru. The only thing he didn't do according to my suggestions was the use of the same JT-580LP trem Jackson uses. I hate that trem and suggested they not use it.

We kicked the headstock design around and I even sent a couple drawings of different type headstocks. In the end, it was decided that since Dean had already used that style headstock back in the 80's, that they'd stick with it. I specifically asked they not screw with the Jackson Soloist shape, keep it pretty much the same. Those things are pretty darn cool.

[zeegler]

Re: Hey, these Deans sure look familiar!

The headstock is to thick looking IMO. Yes, it resembles the J/C pointy, but it's not sleek enough. It looks cumbersome. Ponderous.

[shreddermon]

Re: Hey, these Deans sure look familiar!

Another cheesy ripoff of the Soloist. [img]graemlins/fart.gif[/img]

...But - why not? - everyone else has! [img]graemlins/eyes.gif[/img]

[ November 18, 2003, 09:44 AM: Message edited by: shreddermon ]

[lerxstcat]

Re: Hey, these Deans sure look familiar!

Well, Jackson/Charvel got their Dinky and Soloist shapes from the Strat and just slightly altered it - what's the diff?

Also, notice the Gibsony shape of Scott Ian's guitar? A cross between a Les Paul
DC and a Melody Maker. The ripoffs go in both directions. BTW, the ML IS an original Dean shape; it's not a Star because the V horns are symmetrical. Of
course Washburn ripped that off for Dimebag's series, but Dean invented it 10 years earlier.

[shreddermon]

Re: Hey, these Deans sure look familiar!

IMHO, there's a very important distinction between basing a body style on something that's been done previously, and flat out copying it. The Dinky/Soloist is an original design that was based on the strat body. i.e., The changes are significant enough that it's unique. Heck, Fender - in turn - copied the shape with their Showmaster guitars.

These Deans are basically copies.

[Hamner1]

Re: Hey, these Deans sure look familiar!

So what Greg is saying is that it was his idea to copy the soloist. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

I saw one of the neckthrus at my local music store and was a little caught off guard when I noticed it wasn't a Jackson. I still plugged it in and played it though. It played pretty good IMO.

[Inazone]

Re: Hey, these Deans sure look familiar!

I haven't had a chance to check out any new Deans, but if these psuedo-Soloists play as nice as my EVO Phantom from a couple years ago, I bet they're fantastic guitars. As it appears that Hamer is bastardizing the import Californian, it's nice to see that someone (other than Jackson) is building a good mid-level super-Strat. Jackson could learn a thing or two -- abalone or pearl inlay, neck binding and nice stock pickups (from what I remember) make Deans pretty sweet deals all around.

[raymo]

Re: Hey, these Deans sure look familiar!

I like how its not just, a sleak new design but a sleak NEW design [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] I thought about get'n one of their explorers, but I never did and probably never will [img]graemlins/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[2Loud2Old]

Re: Hey, these Deans sure look familiar!

Those are very nice guitars for the $$$.

The tops are fuggin fantastic.

As far as Dean explorers go, they kick Gibson's a$$.