Dean Deceiver Electric Guitar For Sale (Jan 2023 Update)

I bought this guitar for my 6 year old daughter for her first guitar. I got the pink version, and it is VERY pink – brighter than it looks in the pictures. It's quite striking, and I kind of want to play it on stage just for aesthetic effect. It's a solid starter guitar. Nothing fancy sound-wise. Playability is good with a comfortable neck that plays smoothly. The sound is what you should expect in a low-cost guitar. Out of the box there was quite a bit of fret buzz, and even with some set-up, there is flat, buzzy sound to the guitar when not plugged in that makes it sound "cheapis." Plugged in, again, it sounds like what you should expect out of a starter electric. There is very little sustain – I'd say around 4 seconds of sustain, which might be a big deal if you want to play lead on this using it as performance guitar. I'm not using it for that, nor will my daughter. For a starter guitar, it's good. She's already learned a few chords. Her hands and arms are still far too small too really put this guitar to use, but I can see her growing nicely into the smaller scale neck, which should work well for her small frame. In other words, the fact that my daughter is too small is more a reflection of my daughter, rather than of the guitar. The guitar is a good size for a young learner. She squeeled when she opened it! She really loves the guitar and has played it every day since Christmas. If you're in the market for a starter guitar either for a child or adult, you won't go wrong with this. If you're an experienced or professional musician who's looking to perform on stage, I'd say this guitar doesn't really fit the bill, but then again, no guitar in this price range is really going to do that. For comparison, I played an Epiphone Les Paul for years that I liked better both feel and sound-wise, but an Epiphone is a little more expensive and certainly not as visually striking. So, in sum, for what it's worth, for me the guitar is "good enough," and my daughter LOVES itJason

Guitar is bright and the color is amazing! People love it, plays great on a clean/muff tone, but too much distortion is a bit much for either the strings, or the pickups themselves. Other than that I highly recommend for the price you can't go wrong. I couldn't stop looking at it the first couple days lolSlappyWhite

I picked this up on Veterans day for the great price!!! Its nuclear green is great, and it has a nice feel to the fret board. I'm using it with Rocksmith and for jamming!!! I like it, it tuned up quickly and held it very well even after a couple of days of temperature swings in the house.Dude

My wife asked what i wanted for Christmas. My response was "you can never go wrong with a guitar." She had received a sale flyer and decided to get it for me. it is not a guitar I would typically pick out based on the style but its growing on me. When it first arrived the action was a bit high but that is an easy fix. The Fret ends were a bit sharp but nothing a file from Stew mac didn't fix. I play in a garage band the tends to be on the Metal, hard rock side and this fits the bill. At this price I don't have to worry about nicks or scratches or spilled beer.I considered swapping out the pickups but it does the job just fine and I am going to keep it as is.As with any traditional style trem don't expect to Dive bomb it and stay in tune. I myself put 2 extra strings on it and locked it down. I would recommend it to a beginner or as a drag around and don't worry guitar.Chris T

Opened it just to inspect it. It's darker than the one shown in the picture. At first I was upset, but this color is really quite nice. It's more a deep mahogany color. Black pickups and knobs. The back of the neck is a neutral light color wood. It's in perfect shape. No nicks or scratches. Can't play it yet as it's my "gift" to me from my wife. Best way I figured I could avoid an argument was to tell her that she got me my christmas gift for under $100. It looks a lot more expensive than $100 too. She was surprised at the finish of the guitar. Very happy so far…2015.monit

The guitar itself looked cool. That was what I assumed when I went to the store. Then I bought it. I was stupid to not try it at the shop. Frets buzz, some sort of hard sound comes out, and even though I keep tuning to standard, it keeps flatting itself, which forced me to keep it at Drop A. This guitar's only good for actual practice; no amps no pedals no nothing except the guitar. I definitely recommend getting something a bit better, and there are lots within this guitar's price range, some even lower priced.Zephyr

I really don't have anything bad to say about this guitar. I own mostly all premium guitars and I wanted a floyd rose guitar..I picked this guitar in the shop and was very impressed. I tried a few other guitars but this guitar was just too excellent for the price. I brought it home and did a set up with 10s because that is what I like. The hardware seemed to be of good quality while working with it to set the guitar up. The pickups are pretty good too, I had a set of Bareknuckle Rebel Yells laying around…but I didn't feel the need to swap them at all. The roasted neck also feels good in the hand, it's chunky, it is NOT a wizard type neck, but it is definitely a great neck that I personally like! Overall this is a great buy! Playability, Stability and Tone….I mean that's what we want.Ernie

I tried this out at guitar center riverdale utah and holy smokes it reminded me of the Korean dean dime guitars! I own two of them so I know what I'm talking about. Tone is warm and the midrange is amazing . The floyd rose stays in tune . I did dive bombs and I had 0 problems . The only thing I noticed was the neck kind of clicked when I dived down on the bar but that's not uncommon. That happens when the nut very slightly moves and can be fixed. The action was fluid amazing. The color is neon . A very very good dean guitar .Kade

This guitar surprised me with the playability. The tone was bright and edgy in a good way for high gain. The pickups bring a lot to the table as well. There were two to choose from in the store and both were great. First off I picked up the guitar because the neck and the neck pickup….looked out of alignment…this made me take it off the rack and play it…I played it for 2 hours in store and another 2 at home….Tuning and setup stability was perfect….so I don't know what that is about….but the Guitar plays great and stays great. Don't know if they will all have this though. All in All I can say to give this guitar a try if you are looking for a Floyd Rose guitar. I'm glad I did.Ernie

This Acoustic guitar feels amazing and the sound is crystal clear. I would definitely recommend this awesome guitar! Light weight and stays in tune for a long time.Morey X

best guitar I've ever had. takes time to adjust to the body style but after you have any other guitar than this style it feels insufficient. the strings are close to the fret which is great if you slide up an down between frets a lot, the strings are d'addario which are kinda cheaply, but they last long and are great after you break them in a bit. I prefer playing this guitar over any epiphone or whatever. might wanna get a hardshell case if travelling, probably find a bass case cheaper than the actually case which is kinda costly.Oxide

I purchased this Dean ML based on my appreciation for Dime and simply because teenage me committed to owning one someday. I found a pic that I took with Dime which reminded me of being in the front row watching him jam away on his Dime Slime years ago. For me, this purchase was primarily motivated by nostalgia, expecting build quality to be sort of, ok. I have to say, this guitar exceeded my expectations. Slight disclaimer: I purchased this item knowing I would immediately upgrade most of the hardware and adjust things to make it more comfortable for my playing. 1) It is a fantastic base instrument. It plays fairly well as sold. This was my first experience with a Floyd Rose Special. Also, it will definitely be my last. I played it stock for about 2 weeks to get a good feel for it before changing anything. It’s a great playing guitar. 2) Every review I saw said that the finish was amazing and pictures just couldn’t do it justice. I agree. They did a great job on the neck and body of this guitar. It’s flawless. 3) Everything was to spec on mine. Action, truss rod, intonation, fret, bridge and pickup height, all perfect. My fretboard had a somewhat excessive amount of dye on it but nothing too crazy. The nut on mine was clearly cut too deep leaving the high e in permanent sitar mode with fret buzz. So, quality control could be an issue. For my needs this wasn’t a problem as I had already decided on replacing virtually all hardware with new parts that I had on hand from a project that I decided not to restore. 4) The pickups sound great. The Dime Slime nailed the Pantera tones, not surprising. I was surprised by the classic/southern rock and soloist tones I was able to get with minor eq adjustments. Clear and warm through the drive/distortion. It does jazz and country pretty well too. It has a very balanced sound to it which I was not expecting. I’ve played it on three different amps with the same results. Great. This is a great buy. A solid guitar as is. However, in my case, this guitar didn’t really come to life until I did what I did: OFR Hot Rod, brass block,springs, some shielding, etc. Now, what really irritates me is that it plays a lot better than a few of my guitars that were either at or almost double the cost of the Dime Slime. Get One!SantaRosaJoe

Not a V type of player. I like Wilco, the Pixies, the Smiths, Stone Roses, Courtney Barnett, etc. So when I saw Ryan Adams rocking a V by that other manufacturer that starts with G, I started thinking about the V body style. I liked this model because it was at the right price point and had the tradition V body style, if you don't think too much about the headstock. This guitar probably hasn't gotten any love because I don't see it as your typical Dime type guitar, and its not your typical vintage Flying V. The pickups are not high enough gain to get love from the shredders and the Headstock probably turns some people off. What I found is a pretty great guitar with some help. First, the action was high. I lowered the bridge significantly. The good news is that the frets are good I didn't run into any buzziness after lowering the action a little lower than I thought I could get away with. Next, the pickups needed adjustment. They were pretty low. I brought them up a little and found that the sound filled out and got chimey like it should. I adjusted the pole pieces to match the fretboard radius and viola! Most of these guitars have good pickups and don't need an immediate change. Folks, you need to learn how to properly adjust your guitar pickups! Then figure out if you need something different. PS adjust these pickups on a clean channel, you need to hear the guitar not distortion. Long story short, this is a great guitar. It shouldn't be your main axe, but its a great conversation piece that sounds better than it should. I feel like I discovered a diamond in the rough. P.S. The guitar is really light and comfortable to play with a strap.Fred

I purchased this Dean ML based on my appreciation for Dime and simply because teenage me committed to owning one someday. I found a pic that I took with Dime which reminded me of being in the front row watching him jam away on his Dime Slime years ago. For me, this purchase was primarily motivated by nostalgia, expecting build quality to be sort of, ok. I have to say, this guitar exceeded my expectations. Slight disclaimer: I purchased this item knowing I would immediately upgrade most of the hardware and adjust things to make it more comfortable for my playing. 1) It is a fantastic base instrument. It plays fairly well as sold. This was my first experience with a Floyd Rose Special. Also, it will definitely be my last. I played it stock for about 2 weeks to get a good feel for it before changing anything. It’s a great playing guitar. 2) Every review I saw said that the finish was amazing and pictures just couldn’t do it justice. I agree. They did a great job on the neck and body of this guitar. It’s flawless. 3) Everything was to spec on mine. Action, truss rod, intonation, fret, bridge and pickup height, all perfect. My fretboard had a somewhat excessive amount of dye on it but nothing too crazy. The nut on mine was clearly cut too deep leaving the high e in permanent sitar mode with fret buzz. So, quality control could be an issue. For my needs this wasn’t a problem as I had already decided on replacing virtually all hardware with new parts that I had on hand from a project that I decided not to restore. 4) The pickups sound great. The Dime Slime nailed the Pantera tones, not surprising. I was surprised by the classic/southern rock and soloist tones I was able to get with minor eq adjustments. Clear and warm through the drive/distortion. It does jazz and country pretty well too. It has a very balanced sound to it which I was not expecting. I’ve played it on three different amps with the same results. Great. This is a great buy. A solid guitar as is. However, in my case, this guitar didn’t really come to life until I did what I did: OFR Hot Rod, brass block,springs, some shielding, etc. Now, what really irritates me is that it plays a lot better than a few of my guitars that were either at or almost double the cost of the Dime Slime. Get One!SantaRosaJoe

Not a V type of player. I like Wilco, the Pixies, the Smiths, Stone Roses, Courtney Barnett, etc. So when I saw Ryan Adams rocking a V by that other manufacturer that starts with G, I started thinking about the V body style. I liked this model because it was at the right price point and had the tradition V body style, if you don't think too much about the headstock. This guitar probably hasn't gotten any love because I don't see it as your typical Dime type guitar, and its not your typical vintage Flying V. The pickups are not high enough gain to get love from the shredders and the Headstock probably turns some people off. What I found is a pretty great guitar with some help. First, the action was high. I lowered the bridge significantly. The good news is that the frets are good I didn't run into any buzziness after lowering the action a little lower than I thought I could get away with. Next, the pickups needed adjustment. They were pretty low. I brought them up a little and found that the sound filled out and got chimey like it should. I adjusted the pole pieces to match the fretboard radius and viola! Most of these guitars have good pickups and don't need an immediate change. Folks, you need to learn how to properly adjust your guitar pickups! Then figure out if you need something different. PS adjust these pickups on a clean channel, you need to hear the guitar not distortion. Long story short, this is a great guitar. It shouldn't be your main axe, but its a great conversation piece that sounds better than it should. I feel like I discovered a diamond in the rough. P.S. The guitar is really light and comfortable to play with a strap.Fred

I purchased this Dean ML based on my appreciation for Dime and simply because teenage me committed to owning one someday. I found a pic that I took with Dime which reminded me of being in the front row watching him jam away on his Dime Slime years ago. For me, this purchase was primarily motivated by nostalgia, expecting build quality to be sort of, ok. I have to say, this guitar exceeded my expectations. Slight disclaimer: I purchased this item knowing I would immediately upgrade most of the hardware and adjust things to make it more comfortable for my playing. 1) It is a fantastic base instrument. It plays fairly well as sold. This was my first experience with a Floyd Rose Special. Also, it will definitely be my last. I played it stock for about 2 weeks to get a good feel for it before changing anything. It’s a great playing guitar. 2) Every review I saw said that the finish was amazing and pictures just couldn’t do it justice. I agree. They did a great job on the neck and body of this guitar. It’s flawless. 3) Everything was to spec on mine. Action, truss rod, intonation, fret, bridge and pickup height, all perfect. My fretboard had a somewhat excessive amount of dye on it but nothing too crazy. The nut on mine was clearly cut too deep leaving the high e in permanent sitar mode with fret buzz. So, quality control could be an issue. For my needs this wasn’t a problem as I had already decided on replacing virtually all hardware with new parts that I had on hand from a project that I decided not to restore. 4) The pickups sound great. The Dime Slime nailed the Pantera tones, not surprising. I was surprised by the classic/southern rock and soloist tones I was able to get with minor eq adjustments. Clear and warm through the drive/distortion. It does jazz and country pretty well too. It has a very balanced sound to it which I was not expecting. I’ve played it on three different amps with the same results. Great. This is a great buy. A solid guitar as is. However, in my case, this guitar didn’t really come to life until I did what I did: OFR Hot Rod, brass block,springs, some shielding, etc. Now, what really irritates me is that it plays a lot better than a few of my guitars that were either at or almost double the cost of the Dime Slime. Get One!SantaRosaJoe

I was a little skeptical ordering this guitar based on some reviews of defects in finish. But I inspected mine up and down and this guitar is gorgeous!!! I have a dime o flame and they play the same. I plug it into my Marshall stack with the Dime pedal and with a few tweaks I am playing Pantera, and my neighbors know it! Very happy with my purchase. Long live the legacy of Dimebag Darrel!!!Paul 1966

I purchased this Dean ML based on my appreciation for Dime and simply because teenage me committed to owning one someday. I found a pic that I took with Dime which reminded me of being in the front row watching him jam away on his Dime Slime years ago. For me, this purchase was primarily motivated by nostalgia, expecting build quality to be sort of, ok. I have to say, this guitar exceeded my expectations. Slight disclaimer: I purchased this item knowing I would immediately upgrade most of the hardware and adjust things to make it more comfortable for my playing. 1) It is a fantastic base instrument. It plays fairly well as sold. This was my first experience with a Floyd Rose Special. Also, it will definitely be my last. I played it stock for about 2 weeks to get a good feel for it before changing anything. It’s a great playing guitar. 2) Every review I saw said that the finish was amazing and pictures just couldn’t do it justice. I agree. They did a great job on the neck and body of this guitar. It’s flawless. 3) Everything was to spec on mine. Action, truss rod, intonation, fret, bridge and pickup height, all perfect. My fretboard had a somewhat excessive amount of dye on it but nothing too crazy. The nut on mine was clearly cut too deep leaving the high e in permanent sitar mode with fret buzz. So, quality control could be an issue. For my needs this wasn’t a problem as I had already decided on replacing virtually all hardware with new parts that I had on hand from a project that I decided not to restore. 4) The pickups sound great. The Dime Slime nailed the Pantera tones, not surprising. I was surprised by the classic/southern rock and soloist tones I was able to get with minor eq adjustments. Clear and warm through the drive/distortion. It does jazz and country pretty well too. It has a very balanced sound to it which I was not expecting. I’ve played it on three different amps with the same results. Great. This is a great buy. A solid guitar as is. However, in my case, this guitar didn’t really come to life until I did what I did: OFR Hot Rod, brass block,springs, some shielding, etc. Now, what really irritates me is that it plays a lot better than a few of my guitars that were either at or almost double the cost of the Dime Slime. Get One!SantaRosaJoe

Not a V type of player. I like Wilco, the Pixies, the Smiths, Stone Roses, Courtney Barnett, etc. So when I saw Ryan Adams rocking a V by that other manufacturer that starts with G, I started thinking about the V body style. I liked this model because it was at the right price point and had the tradition V body style, if you don't think too much about the headstock. This guitar probably hasn't gotten any love because I don't see it as your typical Dime type guitar, and its not your typical vintage Flying V. The pickups are not high enough gain to get love from the shredders and the Headstock probably turns some people off. What I found is a pretty great guitar with some help. First, the action was high. I lowered the bridge significantly. The good news is that the frets are good I didn't run into any buzziness after lowering the action a little lower than I thought I could get away with. Next, the pickups needed adjustment. They were pretty low. I brought them up a little and found that the sound filled out and got chimey like it should. I adjusted the pole pieces to match the fretboard radius and viola! Most of these guitars have good pickups and don't need an immediate change. Folks, you need to learn how to properly adjust your guitar pickups! Then figure out if you need something different. PS adjust these pickups on a clean channel, you need to hear the guitar not distortion. Long story short, this is a great guitar. It shouldn't be your main axe, but its a great conversation piece that sounds better than it should. I feel like I discovered a diamond in the rough. P.S. The guitar is really light and comfortable to play with a strap.Fred

I've always wanted an ML and this one looked so beautiful online. It's even better when it's in your hand. Pickups are awesome, nice full tone and great crunch on the distortion side. Love the matte finish on the back of the neck. It has great sustain too, you can feel the tone through the whole guitar when you play a note and I prefer that solid feel when I play. My only two complaints is there are a couple fingerprints under the clear coat on the back. Obviously missed during the QC checks at the factory. But they're barely noticeable and they're on the back. Gives it character to have a workers fingerprints as part of my guitar. The other thing is the frets could've been polished a little better. But when I changed the strings, I took another 30 mins and polished them and that was that. This is my 10th guitar and it's tied for number one favorite. I play it every day and love it. I bought the case for it as well, it's enormous, but great fit and quality.Will

I purchased this Dean ML based on my appreciation for Dime and simply because teenage me committed to owning one someday. I found a pic that I took with Dime which reminded me of being in the front row watching him jam away on his Dime Slime years ago. For me, this purchase was primarily motivated by nostalgia, expecting build quality to be sort of, ok. I have to say, this guitar exceeded my expectations. Slight disclaimer: I purchased this item knowing I would immediately upgrade most of the hardware and adjust things to make it more comfortable for my playing. 1) It is a fantastic base instrument. It plays fairly well as sold. This was my first experience with a Floyd Rose Special. Also, it will definitely be my last. I played it stock for about 2 weeks to get a good feel for it before changing anything. It’s a great playing guitar. 2) Every review I saw said that the finish was amazing and pictures just couldn’t do it justice. I agree. They did a great job on the neck and body of this guitar. It’s flawless. 3) Everything was to spec on mine. Action, truss rod, intonation, fret, bridge and pickup height, all perfect. My fretboard had a somewhat excessive amount of dye on it but nothing too crazy. The nut on mine was clearly cut too deep leaving the high e in permanent sitar mode with fret buzz. So, quality control could be an issue. For my needs this wasn’t a problem as I had already decided on replacing virtually all hardware with new parts that I had on hand from a project that I decided not to restore. 4) The pickups sound great. The Dime Slime nailed the Pantera tones, not surprising. I was surprised by the classic/southern rock and soloist tones I was able to get with minor eq adjustments. Clear and warm through the drive/distortion. It does jazz and country pretty well too. It has a very balanced sound to it which I was not expecting. I’ve played it on three different amps with the same results. Great. This is a great buy. A solid guitar as is. However, in my case, this guitar didn’t really come to life until I did what I did: OFR Hot Rod, brass block,springs, some shielding, etc. Now, what really irritates me is that it plays a lot better than a few of my guitars that were either at or almost double the cost of the Dime Slime. Get One!SantaRosaJoe

Not a V type of player. I like Wilco, the Pixies, the Smiths, Stone Roses, Courtney Barnett, etc. So when I saw Ryan Adams rocking a V by that other manufacturer that starts with G, I started thinking about the V body style. I liked this model because it was at the right price point and had the tradition V body style, if you don't think too much about the headstock. This guitar probably hasn't gotten any love because I don't see it as your typical Dime type guitar, and its not your typical vintage Flying V. The pickups are not high enough gain to get love from the shredders and the Headstock probably turns some people off. What I found is a pretty great guitar with some help. First, the action was high. I lowered the bridge significantly. The good news is that the frets are good I didn't run into any buzziness after lowering the action a little lower than I thought I could get away with. Next, the pickups needed adjustment. They were pretty low. I brought them up a little and found that the sound filled out and got chimey like it should. I adjusted the pole pieces to match the fretboard radius and viola! Most of these guitars have good pickups and don't need an immediate change. Folks, you need to learn how to properly adjust your guitar pickups! Then figure out if you need something different. PS adjust these pickups on a clean channel, you need to hear the guitar not distortion. Long story short, this is a great guitar. It shouldn't be your main axe, but its a great conversation piece that sounds better than it should. I feel like I discovered a diamond in the rough. P.S. The guitar is really light and comfortable to play with a strap.Fred

I purchased this Dean ML based on my appreciation for Dime and simply because teenage me committed to owning one someday. I found a pic that I took with Dime which reminded me of being in the front row watching him jam away on his Dime Slime years ago. For me, this purchase was primarily motivated by nostalgia, expecting build quality to be sort of, ok. I have to say, this guitar exceeded my expectations. Slight disclaimer: I purchased this item knowing I would immediately upgrade most of the hardware and adjust things to make it more comfortable for my playing. 1) It is a fantastic base instrument. It plays fairly well as sold. This was my first experience with a Floyd Rose Special. Also, it will definitely be my last. I played it stock for about 2 weeks to get a good feel for it before changing anything. It’s a great playing guitar. 2) Every review I saw said that the finish was amazing and pictures just couldn’t do it justice. I agree. They did a great job on the neck and body of this guitar. It’s flawless. 3) Everything was to spec on mine. Action, truss rod, intonation, fret, bridge and pickup height, all perfect. My fretboard had a somewhat excessive amount of dye on it but nothing too crazy. The nut on mine was clearly cut too deep leaving the high e in permanent sitar mode with fret buzz. So, quality control could be an issue. For my needs this wasn’t a problem as I had already decided on replacing virtually all hardware with new parts that I had on hand from a project that I decided not to restore. 4) The pickups sound great. The Dime Slime nailed the Pantera tones, not surprising. I was surprised by the classic/southern rock and soloist tones I was able to get with minor eq adjustments. Clear and warm through the drive/distortion. It does jazz and country pretty well too. It has a very balanced sound to it which I was not expecting. I’ve played it on three different amps with the same results. Great. This is a great buy. A solid guitar as is. However, in my case, this guitar didn’t really come to life until I did what I did: OFR Hot Rod, brass block,springs, some shielding, etc. Now, what really irritates me is that it plays a lot better than a few of my guitars that were either at or almost double the cost of the Dime Slime. Get One!SantaRosaJoe

Not a V type of player. I like Wilco, the Pixies, the Smiths, Stone Roses, Courtney Barnett, etc. So when I saw Ryan Adams rocking a V by that other manufacturer that starts with G, I started thinking about the V body style. I liked this model because it was at the right price point and had the tradition V body style, if you don't think too much about the headstock. This guitar probably hasn't gotten any love because I don't see it as your typical Dime type guitar, and its not your typical vintage Flying V. The pickups are not high enough gain to get love from the shredders and the Headstock probably turns some people off. What I found is a pretty great guitar with some help. First, the action was high. I lowered the bridge significantly. The good news is that the frets are good I didn't run into any buzziness after lowering the action a little lower than I thought I could get away with. Next, the pickups needed adjustment. They were pretty low. I brought them up a little and found that the sound filled out and got chimey like it should. I adjusted the pole pieces to match the fretboard radius and viola! Most of these guitars have good pickups and don't need an immediate change. Folks, you need to learn how to properly adjust your guitar pickups! Then figure out if you need something different. PS adjust these pickups on a clean channel, you need to hear the guitar not distortion. Long story short, this is a great guitar. It shouldn't be your main axe, but its a great conversation piece that sounds better than it should. I feel like I discovered a diamond in the rough. P.S. The guitar is really light and comfortable to play with a strap.Fred

I'm far from being a professional guitar player, but this is without question the worst electric guitar I've ever played in my life. I've got it because I'm a big Dimebag fan and wanted one of his guitars. While the guitar looks cool, the sound is just awful, just awful. Compared to another "metal" guitar that I own (a BC Rich Warlock equipped with EMG 60 and 81 PUPS), there is no comparison. The Warlock sounds good plugged or unplugged. The Dean? There is no clarity in the sound and any strummed chords sound like mud. Again, just awful. This is a low quality guitar with cheap components. I'm sure there are better Dimebag signature guitars out there and I know for a fact that there are A LOT of better quality guitars out there for a similar price point. If you are a big Pantera/Dimebag fan and want to have a cool looking piece for your collection, maybe something to hang on the wall, this guitar might work. If you are looking for a guitar to actually play? Keep looking. I wouldn't recommend this to someone jamming in their bedroom. It's far, far, far from being a stage quality guitar. This gets one out of five stars from me only because I can't give it any less than that.MetalDude13

Like the title implies-all looks and zero substance. This body style, in my opinion, is the single most aggressive, no nonsense, killer look ever designed. The head stock alone deserves one star. However, the pitiful tuners, muddy pickups, fret buzz, hit and miss paint job, and over all poor craftsmanship make it a total waste of time and money. I set this guitar up, restrung it, and polished it and even had two EMGs ready to put into it, but just couldn't bring myself to do so because there were just too many things wrong with it. Unless you want this to hang on your wall (which for maybe eighty less I would have kept it to do just that) don't waste your time. If you are new to electric guitar PLEASE do some research and buy an axe that will enhance your learning experience, not stifle it. It is extremely frustrating to try and learn on a substandard instrument you cannot rely on to stay in tune. Before you buy this guitar, ask yourself "Do I want to spend my time learning or tuning\adjusting\compensating?" 1 star for the head stock and 1 for the body design. Other than that-forget about it. Dean Zalinsky probably cringes knowing his name is on these…….Steeler

I purchased a pre-owned trans black version of this guitar after wanting to add more metal-inflected riffs to my songwriting without breaking the bank. Unfortunately, the tuners had reached their useful lifetime on mine, so after months of fighting in vain to keep it in tune, I ordered a set of highly recommended "Grover" tuners to replace them. After a little drilling to get them to fit, I now LOVE this guitar!!! I also personally set the action to mirror what I had professionally witnessed being done on my original Strat-styled axe (pictured), replaced the strings with fresh Ernie Ball (Regular Slinkies), ordered a set of Xtra-Heavy pics and never looked back. Paired with my pre-owned "Metal Pedal", this guitar keeps me motivated to practice more frequently. Although I play keys in my band, this guitar helps me communicate with my guitar players what I want them to do musically in ways that I just can't illustrate with a "guitar" patch on my sound module. The tone from the dual humbuckers and sustain from the longer body style motivates me to produce heavier versions of my pop material for live performances. Even my "metal" buddies who own higher priced and much heavier guitars compliment me on choosing this guitar so I feel really good about my choice to go with Dean. The ML-XM makes me smile so much everytime a hit a power chord, I dubbed my axe, "Darth Shredder", in honor of & inspired by the imposing presence of the Star Wars character: Lord Vader! I even bought the Dean ML soft case to protect my investment. 😉RC

When I received it, it had an issue. When you switched to the bridge pickup, it sounded like garbage. Ended up not being soldered well, once I fixed that it blew me away. I would have sent it back, but when I received it, it was out of stock! This is a godly guitar. The feel of it, the sound, the tone, the weight; everything is perfect, feels like it was made for me. With the V, it gives easy access to the higher frets, and the angle that I can put my picking hand on the bridge is very comfortable. The neck is wide, which is nice as it gives you room for bendy bends, and you wont inadvertently pull your string off the side of the frets. It isn't a thick neck, very slim, it feels so good! After I tuned it the first time it stayed in tune for about half an hour, which I expected to initially break the string in. After the second tune it has stayed. The only tuning I had to do was a few weeks after when I decided to switch between Standard, drop D, and C Standard. All of which this guitar handles extremely well. The Tone knob has a pleasant range of sound, which surprised me. Usually I just play with tone cranked, on the bridge pickup, and gain/volume maxed. This actually gives me some different sounds that really fit well with some of my songs. At first I was confused at which knob or switch position did what. The volume knob towards the front of the guitar is for your bridge pickup, then one behind it is for the neck pickup. The switch positions I wasn't sure of at first, because of the soldering issue I mentioned earlier. The down position is your bridge, the center is both (which you can REALLY get different sounds messing with volumes and tone), and the up position is neck pickup. With the V body, I found a few comfortable things to do, you can hook the end of it on your knee, which gives you steady position for difficult solos, and it is just do comfortable. I recommended this guitar, it has changed my life.Tech Viking

i have had this guitar for quite some time now. i love it. it looks awesome, feels great, and sounds…. i cant even think of a word good enough to describe its sound. epic is n understatment. i have NEVER been a fan of active pickups, hated every one i ever tried. this guitar has changed my mind on that. all i can say is that i have 32 guitars in my collection, so im not a newcomer, but i never thought a guitar could sound this good. now, that said, heres my complaints. the instrument i got was a "first", but the shape it left the factory, they should have been ashamed to sell it as a 2nd/blem. mechanically, its great. no problems with the graphics, but then they clear coated it, and thats when it all went to [email protected]#t. the clear coat comes up the neck binding where it meets the body and is lumped up in places, and chipped and jagged where it meets the fretboard in others. add to that there is a HUGE run in the finish originating from the selector switch and running down about 3-4". these are merely aesthetic, you will not notice them unless you get right up to it and look at it in the right light, but still, for a guitar in this price range, i was VERY upset with this kind of poor qc. that said, yes, it was upsetting, but i play my guitars, a little nick here and there are part of the game, so it really wasnt that important to me. if you are a "collector" and expect something… well,…. something like you should get for a guitar in this price range, you may feel differently. would i recommend it to a friend? for a collector, who wants a beautiful piece, no. for a player who wants a great instrument with a AWESOME sound, absolutely.deth502

It looks REALLY COOL and I love the design of the headstock because it helps keep in tune by keeping the strings lined up straight with the nut (even though the nut is just cheap plastic). The thing that absolutely sucks is the FAKE low quality pickups. Yes, they are fake. They may come from Seymour Duncan but they are indeed fake because they are not the authentic pickups that you would receive if bought separately to install yourself. They are cheap economy versions that sound BAD and are not even wired according to the diagrams provided by the Seymour Duncan site! I bought and installed some SD blackouts and now it sounds awesome. The high frets on the lower neck are a great idea and I guess it's the equivalent of a fingerboard. The neck shape is basically the same as a slim Jackson neck. The V shape looks great and is much more comfortable to play sitting down than an asymmetrical V like the Jackson Randy Rhoads. Lastly I should mention that the strings it comes with are 10's. They are way to stiff for my taste. I think the string-thru design makes the strings feel even stiffer and would perhaps benefit from a stopbar instead.Iron Dent

Everything about this guitar is perfect. The feel, the weight, the pickups, the iconic rust in peace artwork and ofcourse the monster seymore duncan livewire pickups. Dave Mustaine is one of the best metal guitarists and songwriters in the business and it's no surprise that his signature guitar carries the same characteristics.bothnz8

I have gotten a ton of compliments just on the esthetics of the guitar alone. Very sharp looking guitar. Nice feel and balance going to enjoy playi g this guitar.Steve

When I received it, it had an issue. When you switched to the bridge pickup, it sounded like garbage. Ended up not being soldered well, once I fixed that it blew me away. I would have sent it back, but when I received it, it was out of stock! This is a godly guitar. The feel of it, the sound, the tone, the weight; everything is perfect, feels like it was made for me. With the V, it gives easy access to the higher frets, and the angle that I can put my picking hand on the bridge is very comfortable. The neck is wide, which is nice as it gives you room for bendy bends, and you wont inadvertently pull your string off the side of the frets. It isn't a thick neck, very slim, it feels so good! After I tuned it the first time it stayed in tune for about half an hour, which I expected to initially break the string in. After the second tune it has stayed. The only tuning I had to do was a few weeks after when I decided to switch between Standard, drop D, and C Standard. All of which this guitar handles extremely well. The Tone knob has a pleasant range of sound, which surprised me. Usually I just play with tone cranked, on the bridge pickup, and gain/volume maxed. This actually gives me some different sounds that really fit well with some of my songs. At first I was confused at which knob or switch position did what. The volume knob towards the front of the guitar is for your bridge pickup, then one behind it is for the neck pickup. The switch positions I wasn't sure of at first, because of the soldering issue I mentioned earlier. The down position is your bridge, the center is both (which you can REALLY get different sounds messing with volumes and tone), and the up position is neck pickup. With the V body, I found a few comfortable things to do, you can hook the end of it on your knee, which gives you steady position for difficult solos, and it is just do comfortable. I recommended this guitar, it has changed my life.Tech Viking

i have had this guitar for quite some time now. i love it. it looks awesome, feels great, and sounds…. i cant even think of a word good enough to describe its sound. epic is n understatment. i have NEVER been a fan of active pickups, hated every one i ever tried. this guitar has changed my mind on that. all i can say is that i have 32 guitars in my collection, so im not a newcomer, but i never thought a guitar could sound this good. now, that said, heres my complaints. the instrument i got was a "first", but the shape it left the factory, they should have been ashamed to sell it as a 2nd/blem. mechanically, its great. no problems with the graphics, but then they clear coated it, and thats when it all went to [email protected]#t. the clear coat comes up the neck binding where it meets the body and is lumped up in places, and chipped and jagged where it meets the fretboard in others. add to that there is a HUGE run in the finish originating from the selector switch and running down about 3-4". these are merely aesthetic, you will not notice them unless you get right up to it and look at it in the right light, but still, for a guitar in this price range, i was VERY upset with this kind of poor qc. that said, yes, it was upsetting, but i play my guitars, a little nick here and there are part of the game, so it really wasnt that important to me. if you are a "collector" and expect something… well,…. something like you should get for a guitar in this price range, you may feel differently. would i recommend it to a friend? for a collector, who wants a beautiful piece, no. for a player who wants a great instrument with a AWESOME sound, absolutely.deth502

It looks REALLY COOL and I love the design of the headstock because it helps keep in tune by keeping the strings lined up straight with the nut (even though the nut is just cheap plastic). The thing that absolutely sucks is the FAKE low quality pickups. Yes, they are fake. They may come from Seymour Duncan but they are indeed fake because they are not the authentic pickups that you would receive if bought separately to install yourself. They are cheap economy versions that sound BAD and are not even wired according to the diagrams provided by the Seymour Duncan site! I bought and installed some SD blackouts and now it sounds awesome. The high frets on the lower neck are a great idea and I guess it's the equivalent of a fingerboard. The neck shape is basically the same as a slim Jackson neck. The V shape looks great and is much more comfortable to play sitting down than an asymmetrical V like the Jackson Randy Rhoads. Lastly I should mention that the strings it comes with are 10's. They are way to stiff for my taste. I think the string-thru design makes the strings feel even stiffer and would perhaps benefit from a stopbar instead.Iron Dent

When I received it, it had an issue. When you switched to the bridge pickup, it sounded like garbage. Ended up not being soldered well, once I fixed that it blew me away. I would have sent it back, but when I received it, it was out of stock! This is a godly guitar. The feel of it, the sound, the tone, the weight; everything is perfect, feels like it was made for me. With the V, it gives easy access to the higher frets, and the angle that I can put my picking hand on the bridge is very comfortable. The neck is wide, which is nice as it gives you room for bendy bends, and you wont inadvertently pull your string off the side of the frets. It isn't a thick neck, very slim, it feels so good! After I tuned it the first time it stayed in tune for about half an hour, which I expected to initially break the string in. After the second tune it has stayed. The only tuning I had to do was a few weeks after when I decided to switch between Standard, drop D, and C Standard. All of which this guitar handles extremely well. The Tone knob has a pleasant range of sound, which surprised me. Usually I just play with tone cranked, on the bridge pickup, and gain/volume maxed. This actually gives me some different sounds that really fit well with some of my songs. At first I was confused at which knob or switch position did what. The volume knob towards the front of the guitar is for your bridge pickup, then one behind it is for the neck pickup. The switch positions I wasn't sure of at first, because of the soldering issue I mentioned earlier. The down position is your bridge, the center is both (which you can REALLY get different sounds messing with volumes and tone), and the up position is neck pickup. With the V body, I found a few comfortable things to do, you can hook the end of it on your knee, which gives you steady position for difficult solos, and it is just do comfortable. I recommended this guitar, it has changed my life.Tech Viking

i have had this guitar for quite some time now. i love it. it looks awesome, feels great, and sounds…. i cant even think of a word good enough to describe its sound. epic is n understatment. i have NEVER been a fan of active pickups, hated every one i ever tried. this guitar has changed my mind on that. all i can say is that i have 32 guitars in my collection, so im not a newcomer, but i never thought a guitar could sound this good. now, that said, heres my complaints. the instrument i got was a "first", but the shape it left the factory, they should have been ashamed to sell it as a 2nd/blem. mechanically, its great. no problems with the graphics, but then they clear coated it, and thats when it all went to [email protected]#t. the clear coat comes up the neck binding where it meets the body and is lumped up in places, and chipped and jagged where it meets the fretboard in others. add to that there is a HUGE run in the finish originating from the selector switch and running down about 3-4". these are merely aesthetic, you will not notice them unless you get right up to it and look at it in the right light, but still, for a guitar in this price range, i was VERY upset with this kind of poor qc. that said, yes, it was upsetting, but i play my guitars, a little nick here and there are part of the game, so it really wasnt that important to me. if you are a "collector" and expect something… well,…. something like you should get for a guitar in this price range, you may feel differently. would i recommend it to a friend? for a collector, who wants a beautiful piece, no. for a player who wants a great instrument with a AWESOME sound, absolutely.deth502

It looks REALLY COOL and I love the design of the headstock because it helps keep in tune by keeping the strings lined up straight with the nut (even though the nut is just cheap plastic). The thing that absolutely sucks is the FAKE low quality pickups. Yes, they are fake. They may come from Seymour Duncan but they are indeed fake because they are not the authentic pickups that you would receive if bought separately to install yourself. They are cheap economy versions that sound BAD and are not even wired according to the diagrams provided by the Seymour Duncan site! I bought and installed some SD blackouts and now it sounds awesome. The high frets on the lower neck are a great idea and I guess it's the equivalent of a fingerboard. The neck shape is basically the same as a slim Jackson neck. The V shape looks great and is much more comfortable to play sitting down than an asymmetrical V like the Jackson Randy Rhoads. Lastly I should mention that the strings it comes with are 10's. They are way to stiff for my taste. I think the string-thru design makes the strings feel even stiffer and would perhaps benefit from a stopbar instead.Iron Dent

If you like to play Metal or Punk this Dean Exile select is an excellent choice and it looks sick in matte black with the gloss black hardware. The build quality is second to none has a premium feel and playability.Dave

I would have liked a color more appealing than the same old satin black, but that is all that's offered on that model. My first Dean, and I mainly bought it for the Fishman Fluence pickups. Heard so much hype about em. They are definitely quiet as advertised, but I wouldn't say they are my favorite set of actives. All in all, it plays pretty well. It is being set up right now by my guitar tech, and I should have it back in a week or so to give further opinions on that. My only real issue is that the neck is a little too fat for my liking. I am more a fan of the Ibanez Wizard style, and my ESP guitars. (EC1000, Viper, and Mh-103) My short stubby fingers being the reason. I do like the body style though. Pretty aggressive looking take on a traditional shape.Sean

I was gifted this beauty for my birthday. I had a 2PU version before, but through my own innatention, cracked the breadstick at the neck. I repaired it, but then sold it. I giggled and recorded extensively with that guitar. I was missing it, and thanks to my kid brother and his wonderful girlfriend, the Caddy has joined my guitar tribe. It sounds, feels, and plays like and old friend!L.B.

I love this guitar. This guitar completely rocks. Plays great sounds great and looks great. It came out of the box almost set up perfectly. The only thing is the action could have been Lowered just a tad. But this guitar is two thumbs up. This is my main guitar for now on.Lee

Not one single regret about adding this Dean Cadi to my arsenal!! No sharp frets, no dead frets, the neck plays super fast and this is a very comfortable guitar to hold! You simply do not want to put it down!! Get your wings!Christopher

This is the best chinese made guitar I've ever had in my hands and lap. I'm very fortunate to have obtained an instrument from Dean Guitars and this superior level of craftsmanship, especially considering the origin of manufacture. Dean Guitars seems to have a grasp on their foreign production. With the current and obvious state of the guitar industry this makes Dean look that much better to the rest of the world. If you really want an Explorer type guitar, buy the Dean and nothing else! Pau Ferro fingerboard, this stuff is harder than Rosewood – Lubricate the nut slots and you're on your way I say!sam4143

I had this guitar and the only drawback is the poor quality in terms of craftsmanship. The side of the fret board has some tiny dings to it. It is a probably a mark caused by a tool or instrument during production which was anchored to it causing tiny ding marks on the white portion of the side of the freeboard wrapping the frets.Mike

I don't often review products, but this guitar is a great quality instrument! The finish/design is beautiful and pickups are very articulate for both distorted and clean sounds.Tim

This is a fantastic instrument! The build quality is top-notch, and the materials are just as good. I haven't seen a nicer selection of mahogany on anything even close to this price range, and the flamed-maple top is stunning when you see it in front of you. The finish is seemingly flawless on the one I just bought; I can't find any defects. The playability and electronics are great too! As Dave Mustaine has said elsewhere, despite the fact that his signature pickups are active, they still retain the passive humbucker feel, but I'm guessing that the active nature is what makes the note definition so clear from string to string. The action on my guitar was just a tad high out of the box but still totally playable and I'll probably just leave it alone.Ransom