[SOLVED!] Are Dean Guitars Good: Unveiling the Truth + Expert Buying Tips

When looking for a good guitar, you may consider a lot of models from various brands like Martin, Taylor, Epiphone, Gibson, and so on. Guitar manufacturers have a guitar for different budget ranges. Unless you are sold out to buying an Epiphone or a Squier, there are still a lot of guitars from other manufacturers around the world.

Speaking of guitar manufacturers, there’s one name that has been asked about a lot of times over the internet, the Dean Guitars. Are Dean Guitars good? Well, it depends. If you make a quick roundabout on the internet, you’ll see mixed reviews. Some are great, some are unpleasant. Some share their best experience with a particular Dean guitar, while others lash out their nightmares. But, this is pretty much the same for all guitar makers.

For you to understand Dean Guitars better, this article presents all the good and bad things people talk about the brand. People share their experiences, but it doesn’t necessarily mean your reality. So, it’s still better to check out and try the guitar if you like one of Dean’s models.

What is Dean Guitars?

Commonly known as Dean, Dean Guitars is an American maker of stringed instruments since 1977. With more than four decades of experience, Dean Guitars has found its place in the guitar industry. It has over 100 guitar luthiers and techs, no wonder it has several guitars lines already. Aside from guitars, they also make banjos, ukuleles, basses, amplifiers, accessories, guitar pickups, and more.

If we look back the history, Dean guitars are used and enjoyed by music bands and artists. This company has been trusted by musicians like Elliot Easton of the Cars, Kerry Livgren of Kansas, and Uli Jon Roth of Scorpions, to name a few. For those who are into metal, grabbing a Dean guitar changes the impression of you, but will it be all? Let’s find it out.

Common Complaints

Starting with the good things seems to be the norm, so let’s change it and start with the negatives people say about Dean Guitars. Usually, guitars with cheaper price are associated with poor fretwork, low quality and very challenge to play. But, let’s see it with Dean guitars.

Poor Quality Control:

If not with the complaints of overall quality, some Dean guitars have negative reviews on the minor things like the fretwork, action, and poor finish. For example, the Soltero has great fretwork, but has a spot of black under the clearcoat. Low-end guitars and Dime models are cheap, but of not-so-good quality.

On the Headstocks:

Some guitarists don’t want the design of the V headstocks because they seem big and ridiculous. However, some players also love the big V headstocks but don’t want the narrowed design upgrade around the 80s.

Guitar Shape:

If you are really into metal, you’ll like the shape of the guitars. However, that’s not true for all. They have weird designs. And, since they are not the standard guitar shape, you need a custom case for it, which costs extra cash.

As you may have observed from the complaints, it seems that the quality control of the company is really a hit-and-miss. They may have good fretwork, but have a bad finish. They may have good painting, but bad wiring. Or good pickups, but they have bad things like the cheap nuts or weak bridge.

Common Praises

A good amount of guitar players also shares the benefits they get from Dean guitars. Older models seem to be more welcomed than newer models. However, it’s still very important to take all the information with a pinch of salt. After all, your playing preferences might be different from theirs.

Aesthetics:

Players who are used to getting a dreadnought or a solid-body guitar will surely feel awkward when he gets a USA Dimebag or USA Michael Schenker. It’s undeniable that Dean’s finishes are awesome, they are cool and great for onstage performances. Still, some skeptics claimed that Dean is only working on the looks but not on the quality of the guitar.

Feel:

A lot of players find some high-end models to be very playable. The neck is perfect, which makes it easier to play. The neck-through construction is very reliable, as well.

Sound:

Some high-end Dean guitars can sound even better than a Les Paul Custom. You might want to check the Cadillac. It also doesn’t have any neck drive and it’s nicely balanced. Dean guitars are great to reproduce rock, blues and country music. Why don’t you check out this YouTube video: 

Price:

No one complained about Dean guitars priced higher than they should be. While people say, you always get what you pay for, with Dean guitars, it’s like you’ll get more than what you paid for. However, you can’t say that unless you’ll check and try the guitar.

Expert Buying Tips

Every guitar manufacturer has a crap product from anyone’s perspective. Hence, if you don’t want to be among the people who complained about buying useless Dean guitars, you should try it before buying. If you are eyeing for cheaper models, it’s important to know if you can customize the product. Somehow, if parts are of quality and it only needs professional setup, then, it’s a worthy buy. Otherwise, find another guitar.

Conclusion

Dean Guitars is an expert in making guitars. The luthiers and guitar tech of the company know what they are doing. However, the main reason why people are still asking about its reliability it’s because sometimes it’s a problem with their quality control.

For low-end models, they have small problems like a bad nut, scratches or poor wiring. Yet, for high-end models, you’ll get a flawless construction with better sound quality. However, it varies from player to player. But, in totality, Dean Guitars are good, otherwise, they wouldn’t last this long.