Dean ML Exotic Electric Guitar Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've been wanting a Dimebag style Dean for some time now. I have a few friends who own the newer "jagged" Dime Deans and was not impressed with their quality nor expensive price tags. I paid $289.99 for this guitar. That is an UNBELIEVABLE discount. This guitar is with out a doubt my absolute favorite guitar I have ever played. I recently bought a Schecter Hell Raiser FR for around $800. This Dean blows it away. My only let down upon opening the box was well...no case but for the price I paid Im not too upset I have to go buy one. ;)
LOOKS:
The finish is MAPABURL and is quite a stunning alternative to normal "wood" finishes. Its a nice light colored wood with what looks like dark knots in it. The knots look a bit like little skulls. The craftsmanship when it comes to the binding/inlays is as flawless as its gets IMHO. The satin silver hardware also goes perfect with its look. The back of the guitar has a clear coated and stained look. You can see the beautiful Mahogany shining through. Its just so well made. Say what you will, but Korea in recent years has really been making super guitars.
FEEL:
PERFECT balance. Don't let the odd shape fool you. This guitar fits like a glove whether you are sitting or standing. Its surprisingly VERY light as well. This guitar is FAST! The action right out of the box was better than I have ever felt. The 24 and 3/4 scale keeps string tension very low. This means bends and such are a dream. I believe I've never played a guitar with a similar "V" neck contour, but now I don't want to play anything else. The set neck flows flawlessly from the 1st fret to the 22nd wear the joint is more contoured for comfort unlike Les Pauls and most Jacksons. It so easy to play. I think the strings are D'Addario.
SOUND:
I was afraid that the stock Dean pickups would be horrible, but again I was amazed. The bridge sounds very similar to the Seymour Duncan SH-6 I love while the neck is warm and deep sounding. They are very tonal, not just slapped on pickups. Pinch harmonics are effortless. Intonation is spot on. Sustain is unbelievably long. I play a lot of Dimebag style "over bends" and really beat the strings up. This guitar refuses to go out of tune! With the 2 humbuckers, 2 volumes, 1 tone, and not to mention the wood, this guitar has a lot of tone possibilities. I originally wanted a Floyd Rose on it, but they can be such a big hassle and I already have a guitar for that.
PRICE:
Amazon said the MSRP was $999 and I believe you could get it for probably around $700-$800 when they were first produced. But because of the quality and the fact they don't seem to be made anymore, its easily worth $999 IMHO. I paid $289.99 during a Lightning Deal. Unbelievable. Thats just a bit more than the price of 2 hard shell guitar cases. Same price as what I paid for my first real guitar(mexican Fender Strat before they started making Squires and Starcasters in '97). I bought a Dean DIME Stealth a day later at the same price but the MSRP was $1375 and came with a free case. The Exotic wins hands down.
CONS: No free Case. That is all!
PROS: Everything. I only want to play DEANS now.
This guitar stands normally at about $390 (EDIT: $285!!!) on Amazon now and I'm trying to stop myself from buying another. Don't let this pass you by. It will destroy alot of fancy name brand expensive guitars in a heart beat.


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