Vintage
Dean ...
Dear Dean,
This is just so awesome that I can email you!
In 1981 I purchased a Dean-Z from a friend in Chicago.
I was hoping you might be able to tell me what year it is.
The serial number is 80 01961. Might it be a 1980 model?
I have owned such classic guitars as a 1956 Les Paul custom and a 1962 ES-335, and currently own a 1969 SG Standard, but my best guitar ever is my Z. I am handing it down to my 20 year old daughter this year as it has become a family heirloom.
Thank you and take care.
Sincerely,
Conni S.
Colorado Springs
Greetings,
It
is an honor to be able to correspond with the man
that made the greatest guitars in the world.I am
glad to see that your back with Dean guitars again.
Are there going to be any changes in specifications
on the guitars that Dean is building? Without sounding
like a crazed lunatic,allow Me to explain.
I own
two Dean guitars,an '82 ML and an '80 V. Now I have
noticed that the dimensions on the new ML's
are slightly different than the originals. The cutaways
on My ML come pretty close to the neck pick-up,
but the new ML's have a larger amount of space between
the pick-up and cutaway. It changes the look just
a little,you know?
Are
you going to make guitars yourself anymore,or oversee
any possible changes?
I hope that you have time to reply,and thank you
for taking the time to read this.
A
sincere Dean fan and player,
Ken
Phillips
Subject:
Re: My old Belaire Guitar HELP
HEY!
Thanks a lot, Mr. Zelinsky! I'm glad to hear you're
putting out the old ML's again. I remember when
I first saw those things, that's when they cost
about a thousand bucks.... and I pestered my dad
till he finally got me one. Are the new ones going
to be the same?? Will there be any changes in the
necks? Currently I have a couple of PRS guitars
and I really like their fat necks. If I remember
right, the DEAN ML had a thin neck. I still loved
it, though. I hope you're going to keep the fixed
bridges. I'm really tired of all those locking whammy
systems that everyone is using these days! Oh, and
speaking of loving things, I saw the pictures you
have on the DEAN website of the old DEAN posters
for the different guitars. My guitar teacher used
to give me those posters all the time, so I had
all the old posters, but my favorite one was the
blonde in the water in the white bikini holding
the DEAN flying V... and the caption said, "Feel
the Difference".She was beautiful!!
Thanks for your time and best of luck with your
guitars.
Joe
Colombo
Hi
Dean,
I have
a 1981 Dean Elite custom ordered serial # 81 03040.The
reason I ordered your guitar was my less paul custom
was too heavy and at the time one of my instructors
had a ML It was amazing and I just had to have one.My
questions are What year did the elite come out and
is my guitar a setin neck I thought it was a neck
-thur.My guitar was ordered with cherry finish,ebony
frett board mother of pearl inlays and black binding
around body.When I went to pick up this guitar
The finish just could't believe the shine all my
friends we're shocked that i had one.Its been played
Mostly in Kansas City Plaza Area.Van McLain Of shooting
star at the time you had giving him 3 deans, mine
was on order.Our band open for them several times
in the 80s the good times.Well I live I sacramento
Area in a orginal band, Heavy Blues like the Allman
Bros.I did change out the pickups to emg85 bridge
and semore Duncan custom and added a pro kahler
nothin better Is still my main guitar.Even guitar
techs that work on it says its one of the finer
ones built and the action amazing also.Was at the
Namm show in 98 LA and saw your new line of guitars
quality doesn't get much better I'll take this guitar
> or parts of It to my grave.
Thanks Dean Rick in Ca
Dear
Mr. Zelinsky,
I have
a pre 1985 Dean Z. It is a neck thru body guitar
and simply the finest guitar I own. It was a fabulous
Pinkburst color, however over time the color has
yellowed and I have some cracks in the finish that
may have resulted from the expansion and contraction
of the wood over so many years and so many climates.
I am a Central Florida resident and would love to
restore the paint to the original pinkburst color.
Is there some one you know of here in Florida or
perhaps I could bring it back to Dean to have it
restored? I recently bought a Baby Z, not sure that
is one from the 80s.
I am
a huge Nancy Wilson fan and loved the custom Deans
that were made for her. The Dean Baby Z is a perfect
size for me and if there is any way that a custom
Baby Z could be made for me I would like to know
that. I am recording a independent release CD using
my Deans and I would love to someday have a custom
one. I was thrilled when the original designs were
found and returned to you.Please let me know what
Dean could do for me.
Thank
you!
Marie
Lelli
Subject:
1981 Dean Guitar owner
Hi
Dean.
I own
a 1981 Dean ML and I haven't found anything, ANYTHING
that can play like it. Several years ago, I took
my Dean in to a local dealer to have the neck and string
height adjusted for faster speed and optimum performance.
He told me to hang on to it. In a few years it
could become a collector's item.
I was
wondering if you could tell me what it could possibly
be worth. Serial number is 81 03181 Made
in usa.
I would
appreciate your help and any comment you would have.
Clay
Miller
Love my guitar
Dear Mr.
Zelinsky
You probably don't remember me. I was a 5'4" guitar
player with bright orange hair back about 1980 or
so who visited your factory on Ravenswood in Chicago.
I had one of your Dean "V" models, presumably
one of your first thousand (it had a 3 digit serial
# 9-- something), yellow to cherry sunburst (Braziliaburst?)
with a nicely flamed bookmatched top. I had someone else install
a 3rd pickup in the middle.
With the name of my band being THE ... VERS, a guitar
with a V at both ends was something I really started
tripping out over.
I traded a natural Gibson 3 pickup Les Paul Custom and
about $200 for it at a store at some northern suburb
of Chicago. I don't remember his last name (something
Italian) or the name of his store, but his first name
was Frank, and he was a super nice guy, had black
hair and a moustache.
I absolutely played the shit out of that V with THE ...
VERS, averaging some 250-300 dates a year all over
the midwest during that time. By the time I was done
with that guitar, The 6th string had sawed it's way half
through the Ibanez bridge, the strap button at the
heel had been broken off and redrilled 3 or four
times, and the case was toothpicks held together with a
half a roll of duct tape.
DiMarzio replaced seven pickups under warranty on that
ax because I played it so much that the plastic coil
caps would wear through to where the wire would be
exposed and break. I sent them a letter the first time,
saying that I didn't think that the plastic was tough
enough, not really thinking they
would buy it, but they wrote back saying that for the
vast majority of players, the plastic was just fine,
and that they were delighted to replace any pickups
I wore out that way. Many times, during a break, I had
to unstring that V, swap the lead pickup with the
middle or neck pickup, and restring it to play the
next set.
I finally sold it to a kid for $200. I didn't tell him
that one of the pickups was being held up inside
with duct tape and a stack of Fender picks.
Remarkably, I never had to have any frets replaced or
even dressed. Guess I was kinda all over the thing
with my style of playing at the time.
Anyhow, the singer I was in THE ... VERS with and I visited
your factory on October 16, my Birthday, back in
1980, maybe 1981. Your office was painted black and
had maybe a dozen female mannequins wearing nothing but
gym shorts and Dean guitars. I brought you a pile
of original press clippings and
newspaper articles about THE ... VERS (with photos
of me playing the Dean V), as well as some sketches
of mine for some original electric guitar concepts,
and was rather hoping that I could get you to build something for
me.
You told me that nobody in your 20-some person factory,
including you, actually knew how to build a guitar,
that they only were trained to do specific jobs,
and that you were proud of the fact that you had never
had to give a guitar away to anyone who had sold
less than 5 million records. I also seem to remember
you saying something about getting mistaken for that guy
in Starship all the time.
The singer and I left there feeling rather "blown
off," though you did give us t-shirts.
I still play with that singer, Mondo Vers, and we perform
a duo called theXpairOmentals (check out our site
at www.xomadhouse.com
). We never did sell 5 million records, but we certainly
should have. And even pushing age 50, we still can't
quit.
Yeah, I wish I'd never gotten rid of the "V,"
but then I've gone through probably 60 or 70 guitars
during my career, and recall many of my "lost loves"
with great fondness. I wish I still had them all. Of those,
the "V" is certainly one of the most memorable.
Glad to see that things seem to be going good for you
again.
Best of luck and take care,
Zoid Asteroid Machine
theXpairOmentals
Dean's
Reply...
Boyd -
I barely remember you but I do absolutely remember your
name "Zoid Asteroid Machine." I sincerely
apologize if I left you with a bad feeling. It wouldn't
be the first time someone told me I was a little arrogant
in my youth. Don't feel bad, I apparently blew off
Randy Rhodes (not knowing it) early in his career
and I paid a price for that one. I must have liked
you because otherwise I wouldn't have given you a
t-shirt. Most likely it was just a business
decision. And you're right, many well deserving
players
never make the big time and that "defines" the
music business. But, it's also the part that
makes is so special. You obviously have a good memory
however, I must correct you about one thing.
I definitely said no one in the factory knew how to build
a guitar but never would have said that about myself.
I clearly new how to build guitars or never would
have been able to build "Dean Guitars."
What I
probably said is that I never built a guitar, meaning
I never sat down and built a guitar from start to
finish. But I certainly built a part of many guitars.
I also designed built most of the tooling that built every
Dean Guitar made in the usa.
Thanks for writing and for the well wishes. Good luck
with your career.
Don't hesitate to write if I can be of any help.
Regards,
Dean B. Zelinsky
I've been
a proud owner of a pre-85 Dean for more than 5 years and
you can pry it from my cold dead fingers when I'm gone,....maybe.
However, I have a slight problem. The tailpeice on my
Flying V seems to be making my strings break a little
sooner. Do you and the company sell replacement tailpieces
for Flying V's? By the way here's my info-81 Dean
V(Cherry Sunburst) Serial Number 81 03726. I bought it
second-hand. So what do you think? Got any spare tailpieces
lying around that I could buy?
Thanks !
Hi Dean:
Firstly, let me tell you how much I enjoy all my pre-1983
Deans.
Still can't find anything to match them in tone and playability...
Did you hand sign the headstock face of any custom finish
guitars
"Custom Made for xxxxx by Dean Zelinsky" in
gold lettering? I have
seen a couple over the years, but have never been able
to verify
authenticity of the signature.
I wish you luck in your latest involvement in creating
terrific
guitars!
Thanks,
Shawn Wical
Hi,
When I first saw and played this guitar I knew I had to
own it - beautifully made, tremendously playable "off
the rack" and with a wonderful range of sounds. It's
still in near mint condition. I've been through a few electric
guitars in my life, a '64 sunburst strat (my first electric
- lucky choice!), Les Paul SG with the funky side pull whammy
bar and unbelievable tone, '67 Gibson 335 (I took this to
John Carruthers and had him do all his 335 mods), a custom
built Charvel strat (I went to the San Dimas factory, chose
the neck, body, placed controls, etc.), the Z you built
in '79 remains a favorite. Here's a couple of pix.
Best Regards,
Robert Farwell
Hey Dean,
I own a couple of your guitars that I bought back in the
early 80s. One is an Elite that I bought new in 1981(brasiliaburst)
and my other one is a used 1980 Dean V that I bought in
NYC at Mannys or one of those shops.I played the Elite very
hard for 4 or 5 years while sowing my "thrash"
roots. It now rests very comfortably in my home ,getting
played from time to time. After all its been through it
still plays great ! The V sits in the corner of my studio
....it needs alot of attention.Someday I will restore back
to its original self. Thanks for making great guitars and
giving me lots of great playing memories. PS......Its great
to see you back again.
Terry
Hi Dean,
I own an older usa made Dean Flying V. I've owned it since
about 1985, but bought it off someone else at that time, so
I know that it's older than that (I believe I'm the 2nd owner).
Anyways, I was hoping you could send me any info you might
have on the guitar. Such as date of mfr, and why most of the
Vs have 2 pickups, whereas mine has one humbucker.
Out of all of my guitars it's by far my favorite, I like it
even more than my Fender Texas Strat. I've used it for playing
out for years and it plays like nothing else. It's always
a talk piece too. Everyone always wants to check it out and
play it.
Anyways, here's the Serial No. 82 04578.
Oh yeah, is possible to send it to the factory to be refurbished?
I
had a fret job done on it about 4 years ago, but then they
said the
neck needed to be retensioned too. Any tips you could provide
would be
greatly appreciated.
Thanks for keeping Dean alive!
BTW - Is Schaler still in business?
Peace,
- Mike
Hello Dean !
I have an original 1977 Dean Z fully bound in braziliaburst
with ebony fretboard and abalone inlays with red position
dots on the bound neck. This guitar is truly the most magnificent
guitar I have ever owned and is my prized possession. The
serial # 77 0144 . I have to compliment you on such fine workmanship.
Once again you make me proud to be a Dean collector and thanks
!
Regards,
Todd
Dean:
I actually wanted
a Dean long before I ever saw the "difference" ad
in
GP, just to show you that SOME of us recognized the quality
before the
marketing..
=)
However, when that ad came out, I thought the controversy
over it in
GP was probably some of the funniest stuff I'd ever seen.
It sure
didn't detract from my wanting one..
I'd looked at your various early models but when the first
ML hit the
stores, I wanted one instantly.
A couple decades ago, I was lusting after the oh so gorgeous
cloudburst ML in the local music shop, but just couldn't swing
the $$
for it.
Still, I'd go in and play it nearly ever day (I suppose it
was good
thing the store owner was a partner in my recording studio,
or he'd
have kicked me out).
At some point that year, my partner's music store was broken
into and
a number of guitars we stolen, including some of the Deans.
The
insurance company paid the store for them, and my dreams of
the
cloudburst ML were forever shattered.
A few months later, the police busted the thieves. It turns
out there
were little kids, and the pawn shop owner thought it was pretty
odd
that a pair of 12 year olds would just happen to have a bunch
of brand
new guitars, so while keeping the kids distracted he called
the
police.
The police notified the insurance company, which then contacted
my
partner's store. Since they had already paid the insurance
claim,
they wanted to know would the store be interested in selling
the
guitars for them? My partner called me, and we both headed
over to
the insurance company. I'd taken this as a sign from providence
that
I was destined to own the cloudburst after all.
When we got there, the Cloudburst ML wasn't there. They'd
only
recovered 5 of the 7 missing guitars. The kids claimed they
had no
idea where the other two were. I was crushed.
However, there was a black Flame ML in the now for sale returned
guitars, and feeling miserable about not buying the Cloudburst
when I
could have, I bought the Flame. (80-02144)
After a couple days, I no longer cared that it wasn't a Cloudburst.
It quite simply was the best guitar I'd ever owned. The neck.
God,
the neck. It's just liquid. They just don't come any better.
I've fallen asleep playing that guitar more times than I can
count.
The story turns about a year later. I did some fill in work
for
ShowCo on mixing monitors for a couple weeks when their guy
was out
with an appendectomy. During one of the shows, the opening
band's
guitar tech dropped a Z coming off stage and snapped the neck.
He had
some spares, but no Deans. The guitarist knew I had my ML
with me and
asked if he could borrow it for the remaining gigs. He was
a nice
enough guy and I agreed, provided he took extremely good care
of it
and not let his tech touch it with a 20 foot pole.
Two months later
I got it back, and was horrified to discover the back
was all scratched up. This bozo wore a belt on stage with
a metal
buckle. I was seriously pissed.
That was the last time my ML left my hands.
Time passes. My studio goes broke (never open a multi-track
in the
middle of the mid west, it's definitely a losing proposition).
Left with huge debts to pay off I sold nearly everything and
called it
quits with the music business. They only stuff I kept was
my ML, my
52 Gold top, and my clunker Electra MPC that I'd built a bunch
of
active electronics for.
I went back to
college, studied my ass off, and ended up in New York
teaching nuke chemistry to navy reactor plant operators.
After becoming a diabetic, I was out on the street, (the NRC
has this
thing about insulin dependant diabetics running reactors for
some odd
reason), so I hooked up with a buddy of mine doing system
integration
work.
After a few years of that, I got a job with the control systems
manufacturer we used, and moved to Dallas (note the location).
One of the guys who unpacked our stuff noticed my guitar cases,
and
asked to see them. He had no idea what the 52 Goldtop was
or why one
would have one, but his eyes lit up big time when I opened
the ML
case.
His first question was, "wanna sell it?"
I thought he was nuts, but he said he had a friend who was
really into
ML's and would probably want to buy it.
Not being in
my right mind (and fairly broke from the move) I figured
what the hell, I haven't played in a few years, why not, and
if
nothing else I'd go to a home of someone who could at least
appreciate
it.
A couple days
later the moving guy comes and tells me his friend would
give me $350 for it. I asked him who the hell his friend thought
he
was, and if he was out of his mind?
The moving guy
then asked if I'd ever heard of Pantera.
At that point
I told him no offense, but he could tell Mr. Dimebag to
kindly go fuck himself, rock star or no.
He grinned and
said something to the effect of "I understand" and
that
was that..
Skipping over
the next 9 years...
I've gotten back
into music again. I've built a Mac based Logic Audio
home studio and discovered the insane joys of the advances
of
technology.
I never could play keys worth a tinker's squat, so I've gone
the
Roland GR33/VG88/SK2H midi route.
It's awesome.
Back in my orange mohawked punker days, I'd have never
thought I'd be using the ML to score string arrangements,
but here I
am..
Keyboard players
have no idea what they're missing out on. It's damn
hard to yank nuance out of a plastic key, velocity and aftertouch
or
not.
I'd checked into
a internal mount pickup, but on the ML there simply
isn't room for the Roland electronics board, so I had to go
the
surface mount route.
My main complaints are:
1) The GK2AH pickup is designed for a Paul type bridge, and
is
arched, The outer strings are farther away from the pickup
as a
result, and don't track as well.
2) The cable
and the connector box get in the way playing wise (I'm
totally fingerpicking these days, you just can't get tight
enough
control over the midi values with a pick).
3) I need a new nut (this is like the 4th one in 20 years),
but don't
trust any of this local yokels to touch my baby.
4) The string spacing at the bridge isn't optimum. To work
right,
the strings need to be spot on over the center of each pole
of the hex
pickup. See #3 for why that isn't fixed..
Which..
Brings me to the point of this long assed soap opera of an
email:
I'm wondering if there's any possible way I could get a custom
ML?
I want to cure my digital tracking problems, but can't imagine
doing
it on anything but an ML. There's other companies that build
guitars
specifically for VG and GR work, but it just wouldn't be the
same.
My impossible
dream:
There's a company that makes a nifty replacement hex pickup
that fits
in a standard humbucking mount ring with rear facing poles.
The only
problem with these units is they don't work too well in the
standard
rear pickup slot, as they aren't close enough to the bridge
to track
correctly.
However, if it
was a new build, the pickup hole could be moved back
towards the bridge to get it where it needed to be.
In the neck position,
instead of a pickup I'd want to mount a
Fernandes Sustainer (these things are amazing!)..
The net result
would be an ML without any conventional pickups at all,
just a GK ready jack where the normal 1/4" shows up..
Another possibility would be to put a 3rd pickup between the
neck and
bridge positions for a conventional output via the GK electronics,
but
that's not super important..
And maybe, just
maybe, the Cloudburst finish I've wanted for the last
22 years (dream on, right?)
Hell, if you'd
be willing to entertain the notion, I'd fly down to
pick it up. My wife's dad lives in Clearwater.
Regardless of
the custom possibility I just want to thank you for
making the finest guitar I've ever owned, and I've had a bunch
of em.
And no, the ML
is NOT for sale. At any price. Ever.
Mark Lewno
Garland, TX
"Original
owner and damn proud of it"
Interesting side
note:
We sat behind
none other than Dimebag at an Imax screening of
Spiderman last month. As we were following him out of the
theater
after the movie my wife asked, "Isn't that the Pantera
guy who you
didn't sell your guitar to?"
I was sure he
wouldn't remember who the hell I was, but I did think
about telling him that being a such a cheap bastard about
buying my ML
was (as far as I'm concerned) the single most important thing
he's
done in his life.
I kind of doubted
he'd have got the joke.
HELLO, MY NAME
IS STEVE AND FIRST OFF SIR, THANKS FOR ROCKING THE WORLD WITH
YOUR KICK A*S GUITARS, THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY THE BEST. I HAVE
2 QUESTIONS FIRST OFF, I OWN ONE OF YOUR GUITARS AND WANTED
SOME INFORMATION OR HISTORY IF ANY ON IT.
IT IS A CHERRY FINISHED "Z", SERIAL # 81 03650,
IN ITS ORIGINAL HARDSHELL CASE.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT I TRADED A S*****Y FENDER STRAT, AND $100
BUCKS FOR IT IN A PAWNSHOP IN KILLEEN, TEXAS WHILE I WAS IN
THE ARMY THERE AND I MADE A KILLING. I T IS BY FAR THE BEST
GUITAR I HAVE EVER PLAYED, OWNED OR COME ACROSS. YOU DEFINITELY
GOT THE RECIPE RIGHT SIR, AND IT WAS A HOT ONE. THIS IS THE
FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER EVEN VISITED YOUR WEBSITE AND IT IS
EXCELLENT.
MY SECOND QUESTION IS, I AM CURRENTLY LOOKING TO WORK MAKING
THE HIGHEST QUALITY GUITARS SUCH AS THE ONES YOU CREATE HERE
IN THE US. I RECENTLY GRADUATED FROM THE ROBERTO-VENN SCHOOL
OF LUTHIERY IN PHOENIX, ARIZONA AND SIR, I FIGURED IF I WAS
TO ASK FOR A CHANCE AT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FROM ANYONE,
IN MY OPINION I MIGHT AS WELL START WITH THE BEST!!! THANK
YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION SIR.
SINCERELY,
STEVE ZAVALA.....PEACE AND GOD BLESS
//:::::::::::::::::::::::
My 78 V :::::::::::::::::::::::::://
Hi Dean,
I'm sure you get a ton of mail from Dean owners, especially
given Dean website and the obviously very proud dean owners
that chat there. Anyway, I have a 78 standard V in very good
shape that I bought new when I was a senior in high school
in 1979. I've had some hand problems that forced me to lay
off playing for a few years. Well, I recently started to get
back into it. I had forgotten how great my dean sounded, particularly
in the upper registers. The sustain is tremendous and the
tone is fat and beautiful. Anyway, thanks for a great guitar.
Best wishes,
Ed
Hi Dean,
Thank you for responding....I had a Z-baby way back when and
I have always loved these guitars. My Z- baby had the serial#
on the back of the head stock. The guy that got fired from
HEART bought it from me through Dan Martin (Guitar Exchange
). I wish I had it now! I traded it for a custom shop Explorer.
What a mistake!! Anyway thank you for a great guitar. It plays
and feels so right.. Its more than wood and wire that makes
a great guitar and you have produced it. My Les Paul's will
be in taking a back seat when we play out, I am sure it will
generate some questions. The tone I get is killer!
Thanks,
Gregg in St. Louis.
I own A Dean
Baby Z 83 06954 neck with.
I only payed 50 Bucks for it back in 87 from freind of mine.
It's got 24 fret's with the V shape head stock.
I still got the black and white DiMarzio pickup.
I played it the first time in December 83.
Im still playing it to this day.
I will continue for ever with this killer guitar.
I even got the Sperzel machine heads that it came with.
Thank You Dean Guitars!!!
Best guitar in existence!
Robert L . Waltham Mass.
Hello
Dean,
I just came upon
your site and it was like deja vu all over again....... I owned
a black Dean Z, bought at Manny's in NYC in the late 70's early
80's - it was a big monster of a guitar with a killer sound
- I am 6' 2" and it still felt big - it was finished in a black
ebony, with the killer "V" headstock...... It was
truly an amazing guitar craftmenship - wise, and
I just wanted to say "thanks" and "one hell of an hot axe you
built". - I know your probably saying this guy's a wacko, but
when I saw some of the Z's in your special stash section I thought
I drop a line of thanks. Like a lot of us who play guitar, I
got stupid one day and traded that Z in...for a song...it was
"out of style said the shop owner"........oh if I had just stashed
it away........I have fixed that part of my head, and now the
guitar closet is one way, they go in, but never ever do they
get sold!
Any how, great
guitars, I am glad to hear your back making instruments.
Thank you for all the great tones!
Regards,
Jeff
Hi, my name is
Jim.
I have a Dean "v" that i bought 1978, the s# is 78
00794 it is a sun burst color and supposedly made in your basement
before you got a factory and wearhouse. It's in very good condition.
not all original parts. had to replace the bridge pick-up and
one knob.I am looking for your best guess appraisal on this
guitar. not interested in selling, just want to know approx.
what it's worth. I told my wife, if I die before her burry
this guitar with me.
Dear Mr. Zelinsky,
I am the proud, original owner of a '79 Elite Standard. I can't
recall the exact serial number (since it's not in front of me
right now) but it's
somewhere in the 0014xx range. This is not a guitar that I have
stored away in a case for collector purposes. It has been my
main gigging and
practice guitar ever since I first received it over twenty years
ago. It still
is and it still ROCKS!!!!!
I'm sure you know that by now, my guitar has become somewhat
battle
worn. Not really that badly, it plays GREAT but the finish needs
some
help. I have a couple of bare spots where the wood is exposed
and the
originally beautiful Caine White finish has become a dull vintage
yellow (it actually started yellowing shortly after I received
the
guitar).
I've toyed with the idea of getting the guitar refinished but
I just
could not bring myself to let someone else do it. I would be
heartbroken if they were not able to reproduce the original
Dean
logo with the wings on the headstock or that thick finish that
harnesses all that tone. I
have also never had any fret work done and I've replaced the
bridge
pickup a couple of times.
My question to you is: What (if any) options are available to
me to
have my guitar looking new again? I would never have considered
this until
hearing that you are once again involved with the company that
you founded. I
would not want my guitar sent to Czech Republic or anywhere
overseas. Now
that you are back and the original models are going to be produced
and
re-issued in the usa, is there a possibility that my guitar
can be restored to
showroom quality?
I would be interested in pricing for a refinish, possibly a
refret and
putting a real zebra pickup back in the bridge where it belongs.
Thank you in advance for any information you can share with
me and
WELCOME BACK!!!!!!
With regards,
Steve Salvatore
Dear Mr. Zelinsky,
I have seen your
beautiful "Holy Grail" Dean V on your website. Per
your request for info on other old Dean, I happen to own a beautiful
and totally clean Dean Flying V (usa - 77 00179 - Patents Pending).
I'll send you a digital photo if you like. Having owned the
guitar for over 16 years, it's tonal range and playability seem
to improve with age. It truly sings with sustain for days -
a fantastic instrument to be sure.
Whenever I break
the thing out, people who are not familiar with beautiful vintage
Deans regard it as something from a J.R.R Tolkien novel, "a
guitar to rule them all" or something of that nature comes
out of their mouths.
By the way, how
old is the "Holy Grail Dean V"? What is the serial
number? Was Dean making guitars back in 76 (serial number 76
xxxxx)?
Best regards,
K. Lee Fuller
Hi Mr. Zelinsky,
I never thought it would happen but I found a vintage usa DEAN
in Holland, you must understand this is a very rare occasion,
and of Course I bought it!
It appears in very good condition, but there's one flaw a little
spot on the neck on which the finish has dissappeared, I will
send a pic of this, can you advise me on what to do to prevent
it fr4om getting worse, maybe some apply a little transparent
paint of some kind.
Also can you tell me some more about it, it has serial no. 80
02147, the fact that is has been sold in Holland must nmake
it one of a few, or have you shipped many guitars to the neherlands
back in the early years??
I have only seen 2 vintage deans here, one was a lefty V flame
series and now this one!
The maple top seems only lightly figured opposed to the newer
TC tops, I like both, can it be that guitars tend to sound better
after some years maybe because of the wood becoming denser as
all liquid that was left in the wood might dissappear, since
the 3 vintage DEANS I have tend to sound (a little) better than
my TC's.
Hmmmm....anyway I am really happy to have found this one!
Thanx for your effort!
Hans
Ther Netherlands
Oh....I have sold all my other guitars by now, they simply can't
match DEAN!
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