Gearank

Overview

Dean Guitars was founded by 19 year old musician Dean Zelinsky in 1976 and right from the beginning they were making guitars for heavey metal and began making the ML series in 1977.

The unusual body shape is a cross between Gibson's Flying V and Explorer guitars.

Dean rose to prominence when Dimebag Darrell (a founding member of Pantera) began playing the ML and many signature models now carry Dimebag Darrell's name.

The Dean ML XM is their current entry-level version.

When I was doing the research for this guide I was surprised that quite a number of experienced guitarists were saying how much they liked this guitar, with all the usual caveats about it being an entry-level model. Beginners and experienced players like its tone and playability.

If metal is your thing and you want something that stands out from the crowd, then this is definitely one to consider.

Specifications

• Body: Paulownia
• Finish: Trans Black (pictured), also comes in Natural
• Bridge: Tune-O-Matic
• Pickups: 2 x DMT Design
• Neck: Maple
• Scale Length: 24 3/4" (629mm)
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Fingerboard Radius: 14" (356mm)
• Number of Frets: 22
• Nut Width: 1 11/16" (43mm)
• Controls: 1 x Volume, 1 x Tone
• Pickup Selector: 3-Way Toggle

Discontinued

Demo

Here is Dimebag Darrell demonstrating one of his Dean guitars::