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Post by Carlos Lobo on Nov 5, 2014 18:12:21 GMT -6
Today I went down to a music shop to try several different Line 6 pedals. I asked if I could order a Dean Dime Razorback Explosion. They said that Dean Guitars aren't sold in the Iberian Peninsula anymore, because the dealers are always very difficult to do business with and that Dean guitars are "beautiful but of extremely low quality", and that's why Dean Guitars aren't sold there anymore. I interrupted him in fury and said that he is completely wrong, and that I don't know where in the world he got the idea that Dean Guitars were low quality guitars. I said that Michael Angelo Batio always uses Dean Guitars and that he is never tired of expressing how he loves everything about them.
He sarcastically responded with a grin on his face: "Who is Michael Angelo Batio?"
To which I replied: "Michael Angelo Batio is the best guitarist in the world. He is very successful since the 80's, he is an inspiration for young guitarists, he is an expert in music and he only plays Dean Guitars. He has played in many famous bands and is having a brilliant solo carreer. He has performed in 55 countries around the world, where he is worshiped and where people look at him as an all-time music legend. The real question here is: Who are YOU? You are just a bald, fat, incompetent old man, who owns a shop in a small town which is empty most of the time, probably because you stopped selling top quality guitars like Dean. Nobody knows who you are, nobody knows your name, and nobody ever will. You aren't an expert in music and you shouldn't even be working at a music store to begin with. Just stop repeating stupid rumours without knowing the truth."
He just didn't have an answer to that, so he stood quiet and embarassed, and I left the store. It was quite an argument... but it left me thinking. Why do some people have the idea that Dean Guitars aren't good? Who is spreading these kinds of rumours and why? Has something like this ever happen to any of you?
And is it really true that Dean Guitars aren't sold in the Iberian Peninsula anymore? Or is that guy just full of it and made it up too?
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Post by jacoby3mnk on Nov 5, 2014 20:49:29 GMT -6
I wonder if some people think Dean guitars a not a quality guitar because they have not been around as long as Fender or Gibson. I have 4 Dean's and love how they play. I have not had any issues with them, can't say that about some of the other brands I used to have. I wonder if the dealer had a falling out with Dean which is causing him to bash them. Just my thoughts.
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Post by BKW on Nov 6, 2014 12:05:49 GMT -6
As an owner of a number of Dean guitars, I understand your feelings. I may be able to shed some light on this, but it requires a bit of a history lesson... so please bear with me. Dean Guitars was originally founded by "Dean Zelinsky" in the Mid 70's. All of the guitars were USA made and had a VERY high degree of craftsmanship. They were also expensive, but were a great value for the money at the time. Dean Z. sold the company and the rights to the guitars to Oscar Medeiros around 1983-84. During his ownership, Medeiros also made many contributions to the Dean line and made very good guitars as well. But then Oscar sold the company to "Tropical Music" in the early 90's. Tropical started to subcontract out to many manufactures and diluted the brand. Most unfortunately, they put out a lot of very low end and poorly made guitars. Tropical let the brand die out in a few years (like Fender just did with Hamer) and no Dean guitars were made from approximately 7 years. Then Elliott Rubinson who had owned and operated Thoroughbred Music in Tampa Florida purchased the Dean Logo and Designs under his company 'Armadillo music'. There was no other assets other than the Logo and designs. Elliott, who is also an amazing bass player, started to make and sell Quality Dean guitars again. But now, like major auto makers, there are different lines and price points. They have guitars that cost from around $300 USD to $13,000 USD (And I have held more than one of the $13,000 dollar Uli Jon Roth Sky guitars). The quality these days of the low-end guitars is very good... and the higher end imports and US made are amazing instruments. So.. to answer your question... If they got into the music business or dealt with Dean guitars made in the early 90's... They may think the brand and its instruments are still that way. (Kinda like judging US automakers by what they put out in the late 70's and early 80's). Some of the newer people who only hear what Guitar Center is carrying, may only see the lower end models.. Which don't get all the upgrades but some are darn nice (especially compared to something like the big two guitar manufacturers discount guitars they are churning out at the moment). If you need help getting one.. I know a couple US dealers who might be able to ship to you that I know and trust. I wonder if some people think Dean guitars a not a quality guitar because they have not been around as long as Fender or Gibson. I have 4 Dean's and love how they play. I have not had any issues with them, can't say that about some of the other brands I used to have. I wonder if the dealer had a falling out with Dean which is causing him to bash them. Just my thoughts.
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Post by Carlos Lobo on Nov 9, 2014 18:22:27 GMT -6
As an owner of a number of Dean guitars, I understand your feelings. I may be able to shed some light on this, but it requires a bit of a history lesson... so please bear with me. Dean Guitars was originally founded by "Dean Zelinsky" in the Mid 70's. All of the guitars were USA made and had a VERY high degree of craftsmanship. They were also expensive, but were a great value for the money at the time. Dean Z. sold the company and the rights to the guitars to Oscar Medeiros around 1983-84. During his ownership, Medeiros also made many contributions to the Dean line and made very good guitars as well. But then Oscar sold the company to "Tropical Music" in the early 90's. Tropical started to subcontract out to many manufactures and diluted the brand. Most unfortunately, they put out a lot of very low end and poorly made guitars. Tropical let the brand die out in a few years (like Fender just did with Hamer) and no Dean guitars were made from approximately 7 years. Then Elliott Rubinson who had owned and operated Thoroughbred Music in Tampa Florida purchased the Dean Logo and Designs under his company 'Armadillo music'. There was no other assets other than the Logo and designs. Elliott, who is also an amazing bass player, started to make and sell Quality Dean guitars again. But now, like major auto makers, there are different lines and price points. They have guitars that cost from around $300 USD to $13,000 USD (And I have held more than one of the $13,000 dollar Uli Jon Roth Sky guitars). The quality these days of the low-end guitars is very good... and the higher end imports and US made are amazing instruments. So.. to answer your question... If they got into the music business or dealt with Dean guitars made in the early 90's... They may think the brand and its instruments are still that way. (Kinda like judging US automakers by what they put out in the late 70's and early 80's). Some of the newer people who only hear what Guitar Center is carrying, may only see the lower end models.. Which don't get all the upgrades but some are darn nice (especially compared to something like the big two guitar manufacturers discount guitars they are churning out at the moment). If you need help getting one.. I know a couple US dealers who might be able to ship to you that I know and trust. I wonder if some people think Dean guitars a not a quality guitar because they have not been around as long as Fender or Gibson. I have 4 Dean's and love how they play. I have not had any issues with them, can't say that about some of the other brands I used to have. I wonder if the dealer had a falling out with Dean which is causing him to bash them. Just my thoughts. Thanks for taking the time to explain this BKW. I guess that the misunderstanding could indeed have happened because of what you are saying. The guy might have dealt with Dean in the 90's and might still think that the instruments are still the way they were. But my opinion is that the guy was just repeating information that someone had told him, or he was just bashing Dean guitars to make me buy the brands that they had on the shop. I'm saying this not only because the guy didn't look like an expert at all (because I saw how he handled his equipment and he had to read the instruction manual to make the pedal work and he still couldn't get the job done). In fact, the only reason I went to this shop was because it was owned by another guy who used to sell Dean guitars. This guy bought the shop from him, and he looks like he has only recently entered the music business. Oh, and about the US dealers that you know and trust.. I'll maybe ask you about that later to buy the Dean Dime Razorback Explosion.
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Post by blackjack on Nov 15, 2014 8:54:49 GMT -6
As an owner of a number of Dean guitars, I understand your feelings. I may be able to shed some light on this, but it requires a bit of a history lesson... so please bear with me. Dean Guitars was originally founded by "Dean Zelinsky" in the Mid 70's. All of the guitars were USA made and had a VERY high degree of craftsmanship. They were also expensive, but were a great value for the money at the time. Dean Z. sold the company and the rights to the guitars to Oscar Medeiros around 1983-84. During his ownership, Medeiros also made many contributions to the Dean line and made very good guitars as well. But then Oscar sold the company to "Tropical Music" in the early 90's. Tropical started to subcontract out to many manufactures and diluted the brand. Most unfortunately, they put out a lot of very low end and poorly made guitars. Tropical let the brand die out in a few years (like Fender just did with Hamer) and no Dean guitars were made from approximately 7 years. Then Elliott Rubinson who had owned and operated Thoroughbred Music in Tampa Florida purchased the Dean Logo and Designs under his company 'Armadillo music'. There was no other assets other than the Logo and designs. Elliott, who is also an amazing bass player, started to make and sell Quality Dean guitars again. But now, like major auto makers, there are different lines and price points. They have guitars that cost from around $300 USD to $13,000 USD (And I have held more than one of the $13,000 dollar Uli Jon Roth Sky guitars). The quality these days of the low-end guitars is very good... and the higher end imports and US made are amazing instruments. So.. to answer your question... If they got into the music business or dealt with Dean guitars made in the early 90's... They may think the brand and its instruments are still that way. (Kinda like judging US automakers by what they put out in the late 70's and early 80's). Some of the newer people who only hear what Guitar Center is carrying, may only see the lower end models.. Which don't get all the upgrades but some are darn nice (especially compared to something like the big two guitar manufacturers discount guitars they are churning out at the moment). If you need help getting one.. I know a couple US dealers who might be able to ship to you that I know and trust. I wonder if some people think Dean guitars a not a quality guitar because they have not been around as long as Fender or Gibson. I have 4 Dean's and love how they play. I have not had any issues with them, can't say that about some of the other brands I used to have. I wonder if the dealer had a falling out with Dean which is causing him to bash them. Just my thoughts. Interesting about the early 90's because that is when MAB endorsed Washburn Guitars. I used to go to Thoroughbred Music in the late 80's and early 90's in Tampa, Florida. I took lessons from Dallas Perkins there just after the re;ease of his "Looking Glass Project." Dallas Perkins was roommates with Paul Gilbert at GIT.
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Post by Cybersquatch on Nov 15, 2014 23:29:32 GMT -6
Not to stray to far off subject but wow I thought I was the only guy around anymore who knew of Dallas Perkins! I never took lessons from him but I bought the cassette "Looking Glass" I still have it actually, and have since digitized it to my computer some many, many years ago and created a cd version from the tape source (ripping album by the way) I saw him perform in a local bar in St. Pete after a Tony MacAlpine clinic (Tony joined him there but didn't play) He (Dallas) demonstrated the difference between how Tony played arpeggios and how Yngwie played them I gathered there might have been some controversy about that subject back then, as Dallas was pretty sarcastic during the demonstration (showing how different they actually were) stating "Now you see how they (meaning the arpeggios) are the same." P.S. Right now Dean Guitars rule!
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Post by BKW on Nov 16, 2014 7:02:28 GMT -6
Interesting about the early 90's because that is when MAB endorsed Washburn Guitars. I used to go to Thoroughbred Music in the late 80's and early 90's in Tampa, Florida. I took lessons from Dallas Perkins there just after the re;ease of his "Looking Glass Project." Dallas Perkins was roommates with Paul Gilbert at GIT. That is also when Dime went to Washburn. Here are more details on the dates that a Dean Historian recently provided: - Dean Z Start 76/77 through 1986
- Tropical 1986-1997/98
- Armadillo 1997/98 to current
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Post by Erikrt123 on Dec 1, 2014 15:29:55 GMT -6
I recently had a Dean Graphic ml... very nice, nice guitar. Unfortunitly... times are abit hard and I don't have it anymore... but deffo would get another Dean without hesitation.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2014 16:13:08 GMT -6
I think Dean Guitars are great and excellent value for money. The thing I like the most is their designs. They just do really good designs that are completely unique and different. Most importantly they sound good too (always helps) I'm a Dean fan now and would definitly buy more. Its unfortunate that the guy at the music store cant see that its good business practice to cater to all tastes, he would make more sales!
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Post by BKW on Dec 3, 2014 10:19:17 GMT -6
I think Dean Guitars are great and excellent value for money. The thing I like the most is their designs. They just do really good designs that are completely unique and different. Most importantly they sound good too (always helps) I'm a Dean fan now and would definitly buy more. Its unfortunate that the guy at the music store cant see that its good business practice to cater to all tastes, he would make more sales! You guys might like this. It's Elliott giving a tour of the "Dean Guitar Museum" at the Dean headquarters in Tampa. I have been in that room a few times. Magical place.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2014 11:44:44 GMT -6
Thanks BKW. Great video. I didnt know that they had a Dean guitar museum. I liked hearing about the history of the company and the different style guitars. My favourite has to be the bluebird v guitar but I would probably buy all of them if I could. Just one question though, Elliot said that the cadillac guitar was first launched at a show in early 1980 and then went into production. I saw a video clip recently of a very popular uk music show called "Top of the PoPs" from 1979. The guy in the band the "The Cars" is playing one.
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Post by BKW on Dec 8, 2014 11:24:27 GMT -6
Thanks BKW. Great video. I didnt know that they had a Dean guitar museum. I liked hearing about the history of the company and the different style guitars. My favourite has to be the bluebird v guitar but I would probably buy all of them if I could. Just one question though, Elliot said that the cadillac guitar was first launched at a show in early 1980 and then went into production. I saw a video clip recently of a very popular uk music show called "Top of the PoPs" from 1979. The guy in the band the "The Cars" is playing one. There could be two reasons for that: - Elliott got the year wrong
- The one in the video was a prototype
Both are possible, as I know that Dean Zelinsky talked about how excited he was to hear "The Cars" album as it was the first time a Dean Guitar was ever used on any album. So it is possible that he got a prototype and used it before they went into production the following year. If I remember.. I'll ask Elliott the next time I see him.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2014 13:29:48 GMT -6
Thanks BkW. Yes, it would be really interesting to find out if that one used by "The Cars" was really the very first cadillac guitar prototype. It looks really cool in that video.
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Post by BKW on Jan 27, 2015 12:59:39 GMT -6
Thanks BkW. Yes, it would be really interesting to find out if that one used by "The Cars" was really the very first cadillac guitar prototype. It looks really cool in that video. I now have the skinny on this. I talked to the DOA historian who was at NAMM as Elliott was busy as all get out. Dean originally launched a guitar called the E'Lite (pronounced E-Light) in 1978. That is what Rick is playing in the video. They only had 2 pickups and no or minimal binding In 1980, Dean released the Cadillac which had three pickups, 7 ply binding, ebony fingerboard, block fret markers, etc. So both were sold by Dean under the two different names even though the body shape was the same. After Dean Z. sold the company, the new owners decided to change the name of the E'lite to Cadillac so that the body shape and not the options defined the name. Hope that clears it up.
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Post by blackjack on Feb 7, 2015 16:49:51 GMT -6
Not to stray to far off subject but wow I thought I was the only guy around anymore who knew of Dallas Perkins! I never took lessons from him but I bought the cassette "Looking Glass" I still have it actually, and have since digitized it to my computer some many, many years ago and created a cd version from the tape source (ripping album by the way) I saw him perform in a local bar in St. Pete after a Tony MacAlpine clinic (Tony joined him there but didn't play) He (Dallas) demonstrated the difference between how Tony played arpeggios and how Yngwie played them I gathered there might have been some controversy about that subject back then, as Dallas was pretty sarcastic during the demonstration (showing how different they actually were) stating "Now you see how they (meaning the arpeggios) are the same." P.S. Right now Dean Guitars rule! Cybersquatch, that's very interesting! What was the difference between how Tony and Yngwie played arpeggios according to Dallas? Since you already have the Looking Glass album digitized to your computer, would you mind uploading it to Youtube? I have some guitar playing friends who I would love for them to be able to hear The Looking Glass Project but so far nobody has uploaded it to YouTube.
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Post by guitarshredder666 on Sept 2, 2015 19:13:49 GMT -6
deans guitars are awesome Vinnie moore Michael angelo batio dave mustaine use them
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