WOW- Dean got the neck-thru Superstrat Right!

[guitarforceone]

Re: WOW- Dean got the neck-thru Superstrat Right!

Nice Z man. I have an ML Select in that same color, and another ML Select in Cherryburst. I could not believe it when I opened the case and saw these things. Just like you say...they look every bit as nice as their USA counterparts. Mine look like they ought to cost $1500 easily. And I didn't find anything at all wrong with the construction on mine. They look and feel just as solid as any other guitar I own.

Elliott is not interested in cheap gimmicks, either. He is very responsive to what his customers want. If we are complaining about something on the Dean Forum he'll email you personally or call you to find out what he can do to correct the problem. He has called me on 3 different occasions to help me with minor problems. In one case he sent me a brand new guitar because I didn't like the way one played. This new one had been set up perfectly and is now my #1 axe. Having the owner of the company go this far out of his way to make customers happy is unheard of in my experience. Even though I love Jackson/Charvel, I'll remain a loyal Dean fan partly because of their attention to even the most minor of problems. They really care about the people who buy their products.
Dana <~~~

[It's All In My H3ad]

Re: WOW- Dean got the neck-thru Superstrat Right!

The new Dean guitar looks tight. The only thing I don't like is that the word "Dean" covers almost the whole headstock.

[Talan]

Re: WOW- Dean got the neck-thru Superstrat Right!

Neck-thru, mahogany, fully bound and under $500. I think that this accomplishes what Dean wanted, what Dean fans wanted. Dean isn't going to take over the superstrat world, but looks to be a nice guitar made by a great company.

As Dana stated, Dean customer service is second to none. I myself discussed the two Hardtails with Dean Zelinsky prior to buying. He didn't know me prior to the discussions but responded to e-mails instantly and throughly. Dean Z. and Elliot (Dean owner) get personally involved with their customers. I love Jackson Guitars and wish that they were as customer responsive.

As for import Schecters being better than USA Deans, just try a Dean Hardtail! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Greg Crowe]

Re: WOW- Dean got the neck-thru Superstrat Right!

Originally posted by markpb:
although I'd take an import Schecter over a USA Dean if I had to make a choice.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Uh............. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

........... never mind.

[2Loud2Old]

Re: WOW- Dean got the neck-thru Superstrat Right!

Originally posted by markpb:
It looks like a Cort or a Schecter or one of the other fringe imports, although I'd take an import Schecter over a USA Dean if I had to make a choice.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Now thats just plain wacky, that is. [img]graemlins/bs.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/brow.gif[/img]

[markb]

Re: WOW- Dean got the neck-thru Superstrat Right!

They don't bring Deans up here anymore, so I can't try a Dean Hardtail. I have tried Deans in the past and they were just weak Gibson ripoffs. Including that model that is um, an interesting cross between a Les Paul and an Explorer -> [img]graemlins/puke.gif[/img] . Dean disappeared from lack of interest years ago. They obviously have noticed the hordes of guitar collecting going on now (age demographics) and have decided try again. They seem to be doing the same thing as Gibson - dressing all their guitars up in Babyboomerburst flametops and pitching them as "classics" [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] Yawn. I'm surprised they appeal to anyone here. They don't appeal to too many other people, and it's not because nobody's heard of them. But.....I can't try a new Dean at the moment as I said before. The points I made above are true I think but I'll reserve further judgement until I try a new one.

[Greg Crowe]

Re: WOW- Dean got the neck-thru Superstrat Right!

You obviously have never played an original 77-84 USA Custom Dean Guitar. I've said it before and I'll say it again...... if Dean had put original Floyd Rose trems on their guitars back in the early 80's, I NEVER would have picked up a Kramer, Charvel or Jackson ever. The neck profile, the rounded binding, the nut width, the ebony board, the solid mahogany construction....... it's all unique and the quality puts Gibson to shame. No guitar manufacturer was in that league until Grover Jackson Jackson started building neck-thru customs with binding-over-frets...... and still the quality in woods wasn't there.

[BigDaddyD]

Re: WOW- Dean got the neck-thru Superstrat Right!

Mark,

What a dumb statement. For your information, Dean did not dissapear due to a lack of interest. Dean got disgusted with the guitar industry during the hairband/Kramer era and sold his company to produce high end furniture. He once said that the guitar industry at the time had become more of "how cheap of a guitar can I attach to a Floyd Rose" then of an artistic statement. He wanted to produce beautiful, quality instruments with options that players wanted...and he did. When everyone was play crap, floyd equipped guitars, his heart was no longer in it. That is why he built furniture. His furniture was beautiful and it challenged his artistic side. Now that he is involved again, they focus on quality guitars at ALL price points. I have not heard a negative thing about their imports. Also, Dean guitars were never lame Gibson ripoffs. They were originally, better made, Gibson influenced guitars. Gibson didn't even offer all of the features that Dean did in his heyday.

[ June 11, 2003, 08:06 AM: Message edited by: BigDaddyD ]

[Talan]

Re: WOW- Dean got the neck-thru Superstrat Right!

I find it amusing when someone who has no current or past knowledge of a company, feels confident in making incorrect and uneducated statements.

Quote from a Dean Z. interview:
"We were no strangers to figured maple tops at Dean. We were one of, if not the first, guitar manufacturer to bring back the flame maple top in the late 70's. Gibson did not make a flame top guitar at that time and only brought it back because of the success companies like Dean were experiencing. In addition, the new Dean had to embody everything I knew not only to make the finest quality guitar, but utilize design techniques I knew would make the new Dean out sustain any other guitar on the market. That is why the Hardtail has an offset cutaway with a molded in heal creating a larger marriage between the neck and body. Most guitar designers do not understand how much involvement the neck plays in the sustainability of a guitar and how critical the neck joint becomes. As a guitar designer, you go for optimum sustain. That is why I added features like our custom Caddy tailpiece that connects the strings to the body with a mass of steel."

This comes from linked interview:
Dean Z article

Tim

[Black Mariah]

Re: WOW- Dean got the neck-thru Superstrat Right!

[img]graemlins/sleep.gif[/img]

Veneers are cheap. The DX1's are mahogany too. You can get a neckthrough Kramer from MusicYo for $300 (which isn't a bad deal at all, BTW. A friend of mine got one used for about $150 and they don't suck as much as they should). It doesn't take much to CNC an arched top. I'm not seeing this as a cheaper SL3, it's looking like a more expensive Kramer. I don't doubt that Dean can deliver quality, I just doubt it's that big of a deal.

[Disco Dave]

Re: WOW- Dean got the neck-thru Superstrat Right!

Doesn't Jackson put veneers on their USa Selects though?

[markb]

Re: WOW- Dean got the neck-thru Superstrat Right!

Hey what can I say? Where I come from Dean was one of the companies that everyone always ridiculed, like Tokai and Kramer. Tokai and Dean beacause they were clones (and they are) and Kramer because they had so many different companies building their guitars for them. Also, I know many people who associate Dean guitars with ZZ Top's comedy schtick, and nothing more. The Deans that I have played were no better or worse than their Gibson counterparts. And the excuse that he was disgusted with the guitar industry/floyd rose/hair bands etc. etc. translates roughly as "no one is buying my guitars". The new Deans I'd like to give one a spin. Maybe there's something to them. But I look at their current marketing and I see the same old thing: Gibson "inspired" Boomerburst guitars with slogans like "Time Capsule Series".

[Trypp Powell]

Re: WOW- Dean got the neck-thru Superstrat Right!

I've found the imported Deans to be big in the dollar/performance category so seeing what appears to be a good, relatively inexepensive Soloist copy is pretty exciting for me.

I'm sure its better than the Ibanez stuff out there, plus, all of my guitars wouldn't say Jackson on them.

[Venomboy]

Re: WOW- Dean got the neck-thru Superstrat Right!

I played about 15 USA Deans at NAMM this year and they are extremely well built guitars... I played every V, ML, Z and a bunch of EVO's and Hardtails. I was very impressed with the quality and consistency of feel and craftsmanship. The 79 series Korean imports play a like a dream too...in fact they don't FEEL much different than the USA models but they do use cheaper components. I played a 79 V the other day at a store and it still felt good. I have 3 USA BC Rich's and I'd say the Deans feel different but just as good.

Some Dean guitars may be very close or knockoffs of Gibsons, but for the price they can't be beat...even the USA models. And considering that their customer service is superb, I would buy a Dean over a Gibson any day. $3000 for a Les Paul or $1200-1500 for a USA Dean...hmmm...easy choice for me.

[markb]

Re: WOW- Dean got the neck-thru Superstrat Right!

Greg C. - I reread your post about never having played an original Dean 77-84. Nope, yer right I haven't. However I have heard many complaints about late 70's early 80's Gibson quality, so if Dean was trying to present a better alternative then that would make more sense to me. That is before my time as a player. I get the feeling that Dean appeal was somewhat localized to the southern U.S., were they not widely available? I think it's easy to see what Dean could easily look like to many people,if they couldn't play one: clones. I did play two of them years ago and wasn't blown away, but whatever. Dean is Dean. They have always been a company I did not have a high regard for, and seeing a picture of an import Dean with a Jackson headstock my reaction was give me a f*cking break. If I see a new U.S. Dean I'll give it a go.