The late 1970’s was a great time for the guitar scene. Many new brands were starting to be unveiled, such as the Dean electric guitar. 1976, to be exact, was when Dean electric guitars were released to the world and a new tradition of quality and sexy guitar instruments began.
One of the most notable models is the ML and the number of these variations is endless. From the endless variations of the ML you can pretty much put together a guitar that will suit any genre of music and have a killer graphic to go with it. The late great Dimebag Darrell (formerly of Pantera and Damage Plan) made the ML popular among the mainstream metalheads, as this was his favorite axe he would tour with. A slight variation of this guitar was the Dean Razorback, which Dime created.
Dean is known for their high-end guitars that come with a to be expected higher price tag. But there is a lower priced model that doesn’t come at the detriment of quality: the Dean evo xm electric guitar. This is a mahogany body that is sort of a tele/les paul hybrid looking guitar. This combined with a bolt-on maple neck makes it ideal for playing through a mid-tone sounding amp. My Vetta, with its built in models, was perfect with the evo xm. I especially liked playing the neck pickup with the amp turned to mild overdrive. The Dean evo xm sustained a warm blues tone that was very nice. The bridge pickup wasn’t quite up to my standard but could be easily swapped out for one that is a little more crisp and clear. Being made overseas is really the only reason for the lower price tag because the quality and sound is top notch. It’s a great all around and versatile guitar for entry-level players on a moderate budget.
Because of the heavy metal image of this brand, one forgets about the tradition of a Dean acoustic electric guitar. I’m a huge fan of the Performer series and have one lined up for my collection later this year. A classic combo of spruce and mahogany gives this guitar a traditional unplugged tone but once plugged in they achieve a beautiful large hall sound that works with Metallica classics such as The Unforgiven and Nothing Else Matters. A great feature is the built-in electronic tuner for tuning on the fly. Every guitar should have one of these.
The Dean hardtail electric guitar gets away from the rawness and edge of some of the heavy metal models they’re known for. This baby is pure class, with its select choices of wood and the sterling silver inlay at the 12th fret. Dean USA pickups are the stock choice and I have to say they are outstanding together. I was able to achieve almost any tone possible with a slight tone or volume adjustment while playing each pickup single or together. It doesn’t scream high gain distortion but that’s not what it’s built for. This is one classy guitar and is well worth the price tag.
When the Dean electric guitar company went out of business in the mid 1990’s, the heavy guitar world was stripped of an iconic brand whose then instruments became collector’s items. With their return to the business in the early 2000’s, we were once again blessed by a company that was back and better than ever.