Dean '79's...

[chrisolson]

It looks like you have done your homework which I figured you had. You have been around these parts longer than me. The Epi's I played I hated the binding and I don't remember that on the Dean. I also like the Zebra pups. I do remember how big the body was and how thin it was. It seamed thinner than a Explorer to me. But I could be wrong. I have been before.

Yeah, they are a bit thinner, but with the massive size of some of those models...they better be!!!

[satch0922]

I have the hardtail '79 ML and love it. You can't beat the Dean set neck guitars for the money. The necks are REALLY fast, the guitar is well balanced and a blast to play.

[chrisolson]

Just a follow up...

I can't say enough good things about these guitars. I did get the Caddy and ML (both in Blueburst) - what GREAT looking guitars!! I'll admit it's going to take me a bit to get used to that headstock as I didn't like it in the past, but it's growing on me... Top notch quality for an import. The only place corners seemed to be cut was on the bridge, but that's pretty much standard fare... I guess the pickups are a bit lackluster too, but they don't sound bad - not bad enough to replace at this point anyway. They take a bit of getting used to (the shape/headstock/layout), but they are a TREAT to play. I have a '79 Blueburst "Z" on order, which should be coming in a week or two. I'm pretty excited about that! After I get that and get it paid for, the "V" will be next. Probably something with a Floyd after that - a limited ML or something. Maybe even the CFH/DFH - although it's made in China, so I'll probably wait a little bit to see if the Chinese models hold together over the long haul.

Any other Dean guys out there? I gotta say I really like their forum too...

[Shawn Lutz]

There's no comparison on the Chinese vs. Korean -- the Koreans were WAYYYY better!!

Thats good to know cause I purchased a BC Rich Mockingbird Special X and it was made in Ko-rear :ROTF: Seems like a lot of guitar for the price, arch-top mahogany neck-thru, 1/2 in AAA quilted maple top, binding, ebony board etc...I hope it is built well, probably get it in next week sometime.

[slash-ed]

Are you sure? Last I heard all production BC Rich's had been shifted to China, except for some series made in Europe (prob in Czech I guess), I forget the name.

[dangerous_dave]

They are perfectly balanced guitars. I think the dean korean imports are great guitars. Hey even Dime was playing them when he was waiting for his USAs from Dean.

However, stay away from the chinese ones, build quality is like shit! poor fret work, mystery woods, dodgy electrics. The chinese ones include cfh, some of the razorbacks and the dixie rebel.

[Shawn Lutz]

Are you sure? Last I heard all production BC Rich's had been shifted to China, except for some series made in Europe (prob in Czech I guess), I forget the name.

the 2007 models I've seen had a Made in Korea sticker on the back of the headstock so I dunno. You can blow up some ebay auctions photos that show the sticker that says Made in Korea on em. I hope its not made in China :ROTF:

[satch0922]

They are perfectly balanced guitars. I think the dean korean imports are great guitars. Hey even Dime was playing them when he was waiting for his USAs from Dean.

However, stay away from the chinese ones, build quality is like shit! poor fret work, mystery woods, dodgy electrics. The chinese ones include cfh, some of the razorbacks and the dixie rebel.

Dave is correct. The Korean Deans are awesome. I had a Chinese Schenker V for about 1 day...what a POS. I am a huge Dean fan though. I have an ML, 4 Icons, 1 Hardtail and 1 Classical.

[chrisolson]

...and I thought Jacksons were addicting!! I've got a "special place" for Bluebursts right now...

[guitarzan2]

I've had them all. In comparison, you can hardly tell the difference between my Korean Dime-O-Flame and the Chinese Dean From Hell. In fact, I thought for the longest time that my DFH was Korean. I was shocked to hell when I found out it was made in China because it was every bit as good if not better than the Korean Dime-O-Flame. The Chinese bolt-ons are pretty craptacular but those DFH's are really, really good. I now have a real USA Dean From Hell and to tell you the truth, it's not much better than the Chinese guitar and looks identical. The Chinese DFH really is that good.

[slash-ed]

the 2007 models I've seen had a Made in Korea sticker on the back of the headstock so I dunno. You can blow up some ebay auctions photos that show the sticker that says Made in Korea on em. I hope its not made in China :ROTF:

Ah ok. Guess I was wrong then. Please post pics and a review when you get it! I'm a big Mock fan myself, and would love to know how their revamped line up stands in terms of quality and fit and finish.

[straycat]

I had an 81 blueburst V and it was a fantastic guitar,82 Z,84 ML all USA Deans.I did buy a 2006 white gold V (Korean) and it was a fine guitar as well.
The 81 V had the best neck by far.

[slash-ed]

Little question - were the inlays on the white gold V pearl or -loid? I'm sure they say Pearl Block on the Dean website, but in most of the pics I've seen they look suspiciously like pearloid...

[dangerous_dave]

I own the chinese DFH aswell, I'm selling it soon to fund for a USA jackson, but the fret work on it is complete bollocks. Honestly, I have at least 7 frets that aren't properly stuck on the fret board and the neck pickup has crapped up on me twice, meaning I have had to have 2 new ones ordered from Bill Lewington (UK distributor). Luckily because I hadn't had it that long they did it for free.


The only problem I find with the Korean imports are the frets.

Get the frets changed to jumbo, get a pro dress them and it'll be like a USA!

[chrisolson]

Regarding the DFH form China: I played one at GC, and shortly after (30 seconds) played a Korean made MLF. There was NO comparison when it came to fretwork. The Korean made Dean was head and shoulders above the DFH. The frets were polished and the ends finished much better than the Chinese guitar. The DFH frets were grabby, unpolished, and had sharp ends. The fretboard itself on the Korean ML was a much nicer (darker) wood as well. As far as everything else, it was a toss-up. But the MLF was also $400 cheaper than the DFH, so to pay an extra $400 for a paint job on a guitar with questionable fretwork, well...let's just say I know which one I would buy.

With that said, the '79's are all Korean, so it really isn't even an issue!