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Dean Guitars? Gibson V?

12K views 50 replies 16 participants last post by  yzerman 
#1 ·
Anyone played the USA model Deans? Like the ML1ooo's? I really like the looks of them, and I hear the necks are awesome and I need a good metal type guitar.. I'm looking at these or the V by Dean made in the USA as well, or a Gibson V. I like the Deans, but I like the Gibson's too.. I'm also checking out the Japanese ESP Eclipse which I really like.. Hard choices. I need a short scaled Set neck guitar with a floyd basically, or that's what I'm wanting..

Any opinions on the above would be helpful. .
Thanks
Tim
 
#38 ·
Khaas,

I do have a couple questions if you don't mind sir.

I'm wondering what they weigh? Specs? Do you have such specs? If so, would you private me or ? I'd like to know about these guitars.. I love that wood and love V's.. Also, where should I buy one? I'm in Southern Indiana..

Like I said, private me if you don't mind?
Thanks
Tim
 
#42 ·
I have had two Gibson Flying Vs, both '67 reissues. One was horrid and the other was pretty good but neither anything close to old USA Deans. And as for Japanese ESPs, they completely blow away any Gibson V but are far more expensive. Even the LTDs have better necks than the Flying Vs.

If it's for simple, chunky rhythm passages, then the Gibson V will get you there, but don't attempt to use this as any sort of lead guitar. You can't sit with it comfortably and Gibson simply has not kept up with metal or fast necks.

That being said, they did listen with the thin necked, easy access Les Paul Axcess and that thing is an amazing metal lead guitar and in same price range (or slightly more) than the Japanese ESP Eclipses.
 
#43 · (Edited)
If it's for simple, chunky rhythm passages, then the Gibson V will get you there, but don't attempt to use this as any sort of lead guitar. You can't sit with it comfortably and Gibson simply has not kept up with metal or fast necks.
My government flying V is almost ( almost) as fast as my RG 920 mqm Premium wizard 3 neck.

It is defintely possible to shred on it. I would assume it is not the same neck as your 67 reissue's though.

And no problem sitting down with it.
 
#44 · (Edited)
There are some really shreddable V necks though, particularly the Jackson RRs. And because of their offset V body, they are a lot easier to sit with than a Gibson V or any symmetrical V shape but I still much more prefer strat, tele, SG, or LP body styles. If you can get used to sitting classical style with guitar between legs than any body style can be accommodated sitting down. I am right handed and sit with guitar on right leg so Gibson Flying V or symmetrical like Jackson King V just don't work so well.

If I had to only have one V
, it would be the Jackson RR by a country mile. I like a satin finished back of neck and bolt-on Jackson over set in neck Jackson. The neck on a bolt-on Jackson RR is really not too different than a Wizard neck. I still like the MIJ RG neck I am eying right now and I don't know if this 80's RG is any different than the ones that are from the 1990s until the present day. Jackson/Charvel and Ibanez were definitely in the war as to who had the thinnest necks with the fattest frets. It was a wonderful time for a guitarist to learn how to shred and once unthinkable technique became quite commonplace.

As for your Premium RG, I would love to have one of those. It looks like under $1,200 with case out the door for most Premium RGs! I can't afford J Customs or Prestiges but the Premiums in all body shapes of Ibanez seems to offer totally top of the line quality for the dollar. The Ibanez Premium Jem or Satch guitars look like they can take the head off of any Fender or Gibson I have owned and all Premiums list for under two grand, right? For a street price under a grand I love the Artcore AS or AF 100 Series hollowbodies I have played and though I haven't tried a similarly priced Ibanez solidbody neck, I assume the under a grand Premium necks on the RGs and S Models (S970?) are as good or better than let's say the Artcore AS103. In Ibanez Artcore speak, the necks on the higher end ones belonged to what was called Artcore Customs ($999) but now are called Artstars ($999). They feel somewhat thinner than the regular Artcore necks and the frets seem taller and fatter but the result is a pretty fast neck, especially for a hollowbody that usually doesn't have a fanbase all that interested in fast. While I used to love to play fast, I pretty much go more for note choice these days but it's always nice to have the speedy neck just in case I need it. I still won't go for overly fast passages, but the thin necks with big frets do feel very comfy for barre chords.

That being said, for first position "cowboy" chords, for me there's nothing more cool than a fat, post-CBS tele neck or an old school 1950s fat Gibson Les Paul neck. The big fat round necks can ease fatigue in that first position but can be murderous for leads up the neck. Jimmy Page didn't have to deal with typcially fat Gibson neck on his Les Paul where a previous owner shaved the neck quite a bit past 4th fret up to 15th or 17th fret and had the neck thin on the areas he most played lead guitar on. A tele with shaved neck made its way to Page via Jeff Beck. The neck on Jimmy's Les Paul is fatter and comfortable for open chords and is unavoidably fat past 17th fret (but very thin everywhere else even being thinner than 60s Slim Taper Gibson neck) and is only found like that on his signature Gibson and maybe only a few other types of Gibson or Epiphone Les Pauls from either custom shop or endorsed player specs. On my Les Paul type copy that was my first guitar, I had no idea that's what Jimmy Page did but I instinctively got out my sandpaper and shaved down the neck areas between frets 3 or 4 up to about where the body and neck join up.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79/fjminor/DSC00005_1.jpg

 
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