When Elliot died.... so did Dean. Elliott Rubinson was a masterful businessman and bass player. It's a shame his son *and the mother - don't share these same characteristics. 😢
Second and third generations usually kill a brand if it's still family owned without outside management. If the second generation was raised from childhood in the factory, they usually are more loyal to the company and understand the work necessary to achieve the goal. Kiesel Guitars is the prime example of a third-generation killing the company. Uneducated and always working on a way out of being at the office, the founder's grandchildren undermined the company. Hundreds of people lost their jobs and it is now it just a vanity project that is more or less ripping people off with so-called esoteric options that are really cost-cutting measures (polished turds).
All the artist collabs were down to Elliots relationships with them, Elliot if you ever met him was an incredible energy and empathy. He loved music and was so approachable and wanting to help anyone, So he had great relationships with famous guitarists that had such huge respect for him, Plus he was a musician himself, not some suit CEO, when he sadly passed Dean lost its flame and soul .
I bought a Dean about 20 years ago. When it arrived, I reached out to Dean via their website. I forget why. I think I just wanted to tell them how happy I was with my purchase. Elliot responded personally, asked my t-shirt size and sent me a free Dean t-shirt as well as a lanyard. I wore that shirt out and carried that lanyard for years. He was such a nice man with a passion for the products his company was making and his customers. It's sad to see what the company has become in his absence.
Yeah, MAB basically said (in a roundabout way because he's a class guy) that once the son took over, he didn't feel valued as an artist for them. I don't know how many guitars he sold for them, but I once went to a clinic when he was still with them and the USA MAB was killer. But he played all of his models over the clinic (Made in China to Made in US) to show they were good.
I had the pleasure of meeting Elliot after attending a Uli Jon Roth show back in 2014 when he played bass during the US leg of the tour. I’ve met plenty of people in the business and Elliot was one of the NICEST guys you could ever meet. He was very charismatic and just so down to earth - no wonder he was able to conjure up such a roster of musicians to join him at Dean. As soon as he learned that I played guitar he asked me to share my thoughts on Dean, what would I like to see, what could he do better, etc. I didn’t own a Dean guitar but was happy to share my perspective as a guitar player. I was a nobody and here he was just chatting with me and genuinely taking an interest in what I thought and seeing what he can learn from my perspective. During our chat he even asked me if I wanted to meet Uli (who can say no to that) and when Uli came out he introduced me as a friend of his and still remembered my name (its easy to forget when just meeting someone). During the chat he even asked Uli to bring me his guitar since Dean had a hand in making it (one version of his Sky Guitar). What an experience that was and all thanks to Elliot. Hearing Elliot speak to the quality of his guitars, I went ahead and bought a Dave Mustaine Dean VMNT in Trans Black a month later so I can finally check out a Dean guitar. I then remembered that he had given me his email so I contacted him about the purchase and he was quick to respond - surprisingly he still remembered me and was thrilled to hear that i was now part of the Dean family. To this day I still have the guitar and it’s one of my favorite guitars in my collection. I was pretty bummed to hear that he passed away since I only met Elliot that one time but you can tell he took pride into what he did and was passionate to make it the best. He was a great leader. Sad to see the current state of a brand he really worked hard to develop and strengthen.
Had to look up Gibson Vs PRS. Gibson won but lost on appeal. Here's hoping Dean's lawyers are reading these comments so they can refer to a superior lawyers work.
Lifelong dean player here I recently bought some pickups from Dean this week and I was so sad looking through the website and the lack of stock they had, the lack of artists on their site, everything. I remember not too long ago the website was a good hour's worth of browsing material, now it's just a few tabs and it really makes me sad.
I always thought the mustaine deans were better than the mustaine gibsons. The art work on the mustaine deans were incredible, much more soul put into them.
@@JackReaper290 damn really? i havent tried either signatures but i have played both gibson and dean guitars and 10/10 gibson has the worst playability out of all guitars not even just dean but that could just be me
I saw one of those out in the wild like a decade ago. If I wasn't a broke teenager at the time, I would've bought it. The shop that had it doesn't even exist anymore, now it's a party city. Such a shame
This has quickly become my favorite guitar channel. Seriously keep doing what you're doing. Signed, a poor Dean fan who's been waiting 2 years for that Vengeance Select to ship ☹️
It's a shame, too... Dean was the company that got me started on my guitar journey, so it saddens me to see this happening to them. Starting to think I should buy a Dean Cadillac before I can't anymore
@@T.R.R.Jolkien I tried the ML, its not for me. Kinda feels like I'm playing a weird mythical coffee table lol Their V shaped neck profiles are fuckin' awesome though, comfy as all hell. Kinda wish more companies would use them, to be honest.
Dean guitars are weird for me. I have a 79' ML and it plays and sounds great but I shift back and forth between thinking it looks beautiful and thinking it's hideously ugly. Same goes for the Cadillac, I go back and forth between, "I want one, but they look hideous, but I want one."
That Cease & Desist to the Dean Enthusiast/Collector still grates on me to this very day. That was way way uncalled for and shouted to the world what calibre od business they were.... bottom feeders. I'd hesitate to even call them Jackals as it would be a sleight upon the Jackal population.
When I was 15 I saw a Dean Contour in a Guitar World magazine. I thought they looked awesome. I kept seeing them in Guitar Worlds and always wanted one. Then my dad took me to the music shop to get some strings for my electric, and they had Dean Contours. One in each color; black, blue, red, and white. I picked up the black one and fell in love with it. The sound was perfect for an acoustic; not bright, but also not dead. Very focused in the lower-mids with a beautiful sparkle on the high strings. And the rounded edges made it the most comfortable guitar to play. And who the hell puts 23 frets on an acoustic? Dean does. That's who. $600 in 1999 was a lot of money for my single dad, though ($1,100 today - inflation is insane). He saw how much I loved it, so he offered to put it on layaway if I did all of the chores around the house for $50/week. I gladly did, and I still have that guitar today. That guitar is probably why I went from grunge to classical, tbh. In 2004, when Dime died, I bought his signature Dean Dime-O-Flame ML and got into playing metal. I don't have that one anymore since someone broke in and jacked my entire rig. I was lucky enough to have that guitar with me at the time, though. But what's a Dime-O-Flame without something to play it through? I fell back in love with my Contour and sold the Dime-O-Flame. 😢 Really sad to see Dean go. I see numerous comments here that are like mine: a very early love of Dean guitars. They'll always be in our cases, on our stands, our walls, and in our hearts; if not in our shops.
I knew this was going to happen. I met the son years ago at some function and the first words to myself when I was walking away from the conversation was "that ain't the guy"
The Gibson lawsuit still makes no sense to me. Coming back 40 years later to say hey! They copied our trademark! Makes no sense. There’s gotta be some statute of limitations on this stuff.
I love how your videos are actually about the topic of the title unlike most guitar channels will put something interesting in title and then just play guitar for like 9 minutes and only talk about the actual topic for 1 minute lol
I'm sure there are subtle differences that offset the trademark designs. Just one little change to the actual dimensions is probably enough I would think.
@@AuntAlnico4yes and no. The body shapes were clearly copies, not modifications like LTD and other brands do to get around copyright. The issue of age is what makes it a grey area legally. But Gibsons attack on other brands for copying body shapes is absolutely to do with their sliding brand share
You just have to protect your trademark. Maybe Dean does make a better guitar, I don't know. If you invented something and someone stole your idea, you'd be pissed.
Many companies that sell blatant copies do not fall under our trademark law because they are foreign entities. China, India, et al, could care less about trademarks.
I don’t really know how they’ve been managing to stay afloat for as long as they have since things started going downhill. It’s very sad to see an iconic brand like Dean suffering a horrible death. Dean can keep operating by making current and dare I suggest new shapes, but they don’t even seem to be trying at this point. It’s very sad.
I own 12 guitars of all different brands... One of my Top 2 or 3 favorites that I just seem to vibe with really well is a Dean Thoroughbred Select... Absolutely love that guitar.
Always goes that way for family owned businesses. As it gets handed down to the following generations they are more interested in what the business can do for them rather than the other way around.
I always wanted a Dean Select V. Looked nice and better than the Gibsons. It's a shame that it seems we'll have one less company in the guitar world. Next you should make a video about the current Randall Amplifiers situation. It seems like they are really stopped in time. Edit: by better I meant better looking, not playing. Never played any of them.
I have a couple of the new Dean select series guitars and they are way better than Gibson. I even bought 2 brand new to help Dean guitars out and to supply my guitar needs with better than Gibson guitars.
If you’re talking about the Gibson dark era there’s a good chance they’re better than the Gibson V’s. Before or after that? Not even close, I’ve almost taken out loans for a couple of Gibson V’s, never even came close with a Dean.
Dean USA = *outstanding!* The USA models were top quality guitars and anyone who never tried or owned one missed out. Recently when I tried to find anything new it appeared that only imports are around which I think a lot of people wrongly gained their impression of Dean from. I remember when I received my flame razorback v that the top totally shocked me. It ignited in an immense sparkle in the flame and I’ve noticed a lot of the USA models have insane tops that can be unnoticed in pictures. Last year their Z and V models had these crazy sprays in orange, blue, yellow, and this year black that no other company does. The craftsmanship was 10/10 on my V.
I was going to say the same as the other guys here: I've had a Korean Thoroughbred and the finish was insane for the money! On par with a more expensive PRS SE, I'd say. I've never had the chance to try a USA made one, but would love to!
Dean definitely has had some issues over the years but that Gibson lawsuit was over the line , its been 50yrs . the fact they waited so long should have made their claim null and void . I've got 5 DBZ guitars designed by him and love them all . The Cavallo AB is an exceptional modern take of the classic V . Much thinner , set neck and contoured body . Rings like a bell and stays in tune forever . SD pickups , Grover tuners . Its a BEAST of a guitar too . like 5 ft long . LOL
This is such BS. Anyone seen gibson's "new" double-cut? It's a Fn PRS. I mean god forbid anyone makes a singlecut, but gibson can go ahead and copy whoever they want? Yeah F gibson for life.
This is interesting for a couple of reasons. Since I bought a dean vx right before all this went down and I mean literally right before it all went down I suppose I technically now have a lawsuit guitar. Now that you mention it I was also in Guitar Center just about a week ago and I don't recall seeing one single Dean guitar
I just put a Dean Thoroughbred Select in natural black burst into layaway. Never been a huge fan of the Les Paul shapes, but It played wonderfully and had a real Floyd so I pulled the trigger on it. Andy LaRocque (King Diamond) was a big Dean player, He had some sweet custom Deans.
@@zerothehero448 what MLs? The ones you can 'reserve' that you'll never recieve if ordered? The used ones? Or the extreme fan fret multiscale kahlers nobody wanted and nobody can afford?
I've got a Dean Soltero, which is a Les Paul type guitar....I bought it new in about 2009 and it's a great guitar. Made in Korea and is really well made 👍
I was just about to post a link for a Czech page I used to see Dean Vs and Zs and MLs all the time, I saw them on the page 2 weeks ago but I just now saw that they only have the Dime Razorback. Damn, sucks...
I've loved Dean guitars for a long time, and I happen to own five of them. However, I said they were going to go back out of business after they shit on dime, and got rid of anything to do with him. Then they lost Dave mustaines, and got sued. I thought the lawsuit was petty, jealous, bullshit, but it happened. Now the coolest guitars they still make are being made in India, instead of Korea. All of that will about do it.
exactly, shouldn't have wasted time with those Charvel clones/multiscales that they can't be competitive with (it's like BMW/VW releasing a truck in the US) and kept the 78/Select platform MIK with TOM/Floyd Rose bridges.
I bought a $450 USD Dean from a US shop and had it shipped to Canada in 2017. The nut had serious damage, there was a split in the rosewood fretboard and sharp fret ends. The retailer paid to ship it back and sent me a replacement, (which they failed to check - again), which had a damaged nut again and a chip in the flat black finish. And yes, these were both new guitars. The retailer gave me their direct contact at Dean to file a complaint directly. The Dean douche basically wrote back: "Huh. That's how it goes. Thanks." I fwd'd this to the retailer and they were disgusted and couldn't believe the response and said they were growing dissatisfied with Dean. Do. Not. Buy. A. Dean.
I'm here because I just bought a Korean made Dean MLX from a guy and the more I play it the more impressed I am with it. I have been pleasantly surprised with the quality and playability, not to mention amazing sustain. I've played a handful of Dean guitars in the past and always liked them, especially the V's, but I didn't realize the struggles they were going through until seeing this video.
I have contacted them about a bass three years ago and they’ve never emailed me. They kept pushing back the resonators release for yeaaaars. Sucks. Now it makes more sense! Thanks for the info, KDH
Рік тому+3
I had 2008(I think) Silverburst Z for a short while. Great guitar, I just didn't like the neck so much. A bit too thick for my liking. Still sounded great though. Sad to see Dean go. :(
I'm not surprised. What does surprise me is that a Class Action Suit has not been brought against Gibson for knowingly making guitars with a defective headstock/neck joint design that makes them prone to breaking. This can cost the owners and investors in these guitars, significant losses due to repairs, and potentially lost investment value.
If you can find a USA made V or Z from the late 70's or early 80's, buy it! One of the best playing guitars on the planet. I had an 81 "Custom" Z and an 82 Z. Worth every penny.
Now I might be a little salty still 10 years later but I got a Razorback V when it was brand new and got a setup ---- somehow the wood wasn't dried and cracked the guitar. Company wouldn't do anything about it... BRAND NEW, over $1000 guitar. In my opinion, they can crash and burn --- I was super happy for a day when I had my Dean Wings... A few days after, it was a fucking nightmare dealing with anything Dean. In a hilarious turn in things, I actually own a Gibson Les Paul Studio now.
Someone should make a guitar line copying Dean, so when they get sued by Gibson for IP infringement, they can say that it's clearly not a copy of Gibson, but of Dean. 😈
In 2000, I bought a Dean XL explorer brand new for $176. No case. I did not know it was a cheap guitar but I played it for hours everyday. All I knew is that I had a Dean. I still have the black guitar. It’s never been taken apart
Dean was re-surected by Dime. When he died he was only back with them for a few months. After he passed they really cashed in on his unfortunate passing with a bunch of what-if guitars. They signed a lot of really great players like Rusty Cooley, Dave Mustaine, Michael Schenker, Michael Ammott, Vinnie Moore, and Michael Angelo Batio. Dean hasn't been Dean for a long time, Dean Zelinski has not been part of the brand for 15 years. One guitar they can still make and sell is the ML, pretty sure the Cadillac is safe from the Gibson lawsuit.
@@georgeprice4212 it is a shame as it was one of the original Dean designs. Had nothing to do with Dime back then ,same as the Z, and all the Baby versions and the Cadillac witch was a of course a Les Paul with a pointed horn. Again Dean guitars back in 77',78' are not what they are today.
Honestly it's a shame that Dean is known only for their pointy shreddy guitars and it seems like that association - and these circumstances destroying it - are what's really killing the brand. I've had a Dean Hardtail for years and it's a fantastic instrument; proof that they can be successful with original designs if they want to.
the ZERO is unique cuz its among the only EX style that you can get with 24 frets and 25.5 scale length. I just got myself an old dave mustaine era bolt-on zero thats been i suppose sitting in its box since 2017, and its freakin awesome
I mean Dean's marketing was recently very horrible as well. Their 78 series did well and could have kept pushing Cadillacs and MLs and redesigned their V/Explorer shapes but kept the same vibe. They could have made those classic shapes with TOM or Kahler bridges and already had a solid in-house pickup going on. BUT, they churned out those Charvel clones that nobody bought, those multi scales that nobody bought. The people into multi scales don't even look at Dean, and the Charvel/AZ/Schecters were established enough that going to Dean wasn't even an option for people who want a superstrat. They should have focused on their semi-classic shapes (ML/Cadillac/etc), they could have easily kept releasing the Mustaine V without the signature branding instead of modernizing it.
I love my Dean V select. It is well balanced based on where the strap attach. It is a guitar that you can beat the crap out of it with mean down stokes! My wife calls it hideous, but grudgenly admits it sounds amazing. 😂 My son has a Luna guitar he takes to school. For the price, they has been a really good guitar. Between the bad managers and lawsuits, I don't see them coming back at all. 😢
With the headstocks nobody would ever confuse a Dean for a Gibson. You'd think a slight design change to the body shape in one or two places would satisfy Gibson.
There was a picture of Michael in a recording studio in Germany recently, and he was holding a Gibson V. Not sure if that means anything, but you never know...
My first own bass was a Dean Vendetta, 4-string. I still have it, and I love it to bits. Not too many of those around from what I've been able to find.
I had a Deen soloist style ax back in 1994-95. The wind blew I guess too hard ramming the curtain into my guitar stand knocking it flat on the carpet and the neck cracked straight across the locking nut holes. I've dropped guitars from over my head and that never happened.
There's nothing worse than people making comments on subjects about which they have no clue. Most of your commentary was dead wrong - not on the topics, but on the outcome of those events. You should probably update this video. Dean Guitars is thriving after a few years of legal issues. They have come out on top and are doing better than ever. I get my info straight from the horse's mouth.
One of the best sounding guitars I ever had was a dean, not sure why I got it other than knowing it was a deal due to it being in the shop for 6 years, was hot pink, the body, nect headstock and fretboard all hot pink lol I had a 1 foot mohawk at the time and soon as I seen it was like YUP!
Oh I remember seeing those. Hard to forget a production model guitar that was pink all over, even on the fretboard haha. I think they made a sort of neon green one, too.
Dean is doing fine. The USA shop has a ton of orders. They have a great group of luthiers. Some have been there for 20 years. It's sad when people get enjoyment when they think things are going bad for someone in the music business.
Well this is not the original Dean established by Dean Zielinsky, this is/was just brand rights continuations with lots of cool ideas however with significant planning errors. Hard to believe that went so quickly.
About artists whose guitars of choice got discontinued, can't they just get that exact guitar made by some other company's custom shop ? I mean if they liked Dean it sucks to have to do so, but I'm pretty sure that's the option
The case is on appeal btw. And if they prevail the injunction will disappear as well. Also, the texas federal court case is not necessarily controlling precedent, as Gibson has failed under the same theory in other Federal jurisdictions. Ain't over yet.
It's said when parents turn on kids. My dad accused my of stealing 200k and I proved it wasn't me to the police and solicitors. It was proved it was my brother and my dad dropped the charges when it looked like he was facing 8 to 10 years. The family business went under.
Quite unfair to Dean, since Harley-Benton has basically created a line of Gibson-esque guitars that are actually quite good. I have their Heritage V and I was very surprised at how good it looks and plays.
Totally random but has anyone else noticed an increase in value of Dean guitars? It seems like my ML 79’s have at least doubled in value by what I’m seeing them go for right now.
I'd probably also pay more than retail price for a used Dean Select Z in nice shape, but there's not a single one avaliable in the EU. Hard to tell if there's a price increase with nothing on the market.
When Elliot died.... so did Dean. Elliott Rubinson was a masterful businessman and bass player. It's a shame his son *and the mother - don't share these same characteristics. 😢
Second and third generations usually kill a brand if it's still family owned without outside management. If the second generation was raised from childhood in the factory, they usually are more loyal to the company and understand the work necessary to achieve the goal.
Kiesel Guitars is the prime example of a third-generation killing the company. Uneducated and always working on a way out of being at the office, the founder's grandchildren undermined the company. Hundreds of people lost their jobs and it is now it just a vanity project that is more or less ripping people off with so-called esoteric options that are really cost-cutting measures (polished turds).
Bingo.
This seems to be the theme for all family run businesses. Sad. Greed ruins everything.
Same thing happened to Peavey.
Many such cases.
All the artist collabs were down to Elliots relationships with them, Elliot if you ever met him was an incredible energy and empathy. He loved music and was so approachable and wanting to help anyone, So he had great relationships with famous guitarists that had such huge respect for him, Plus he was a musician himself, not some suit CEO, when he sadly passed Dean lost its flame and soul .
I bought a Dean about 20 years ago. When it arrived, I reached out to Dean via their website. I forget why. I think I just wanted to tell them how happy I was with my purchase.
Elliot responded personally, asked my t-shirt size and sent me a free Dean t-shirt as well as a lanyard. I wore that shirt out and carried that lanyard for years. He was such a nice man with a passion for the products his company was making and his customers. It's sad to see what the company has become in his absence.
Yeah, MAB basically said (in a roundabout way because he's a class guy) that once the son took over, he didn't feel valued as an artist for them. I don't know how many guitars he sold for them, but I once went to a clinic when he was still with them and the USA MAB was killer. But he played all of his models over the clinic (Made in China to Made in US) to show they were good.
I had the pleasure of meeting Elliot after attending a Uli Jon Roth show back in 2014 when he played bass during the US leg of the tour. I’ve met plenty of people in the business and Elliot was one of the NICEST guys you could ever meet. He was very charismatic and just so down to earth - no wonder he was able to conjure up such a roster of musicians to join him at Dean. As soon as he learned that I played guitar he asked me to share my thoughts on Dean, what would I like to see, what could he do better, etc. I didn’t own a Dean guitar but was happy to share my perspective as a guitar player. I was a nobody and here he was just chatting with me and genuinely taking an interest in what I thought and seeing what he can learn from my perspective. During our chat he even asked me if I wanted to meet Uli (who can say no to that) and when Uli came out he introduced me as a friend of his and still remembered my name (its easy to forget when just meeting someone). During the chat he even asked Uli to bring me his guitar since Dean had a hand in making it (one version of his Sky Guitar). What an experience that was and all thanks to Elliot. Hearing Elliot speak to the quality of his guitars, I went ahead and bought a Dave Mustaine Dean VMNT in Trans Black a month later so I can finally check out a Dean guitar. I then remembered that he had given me his email so I contacted him about the purchase and he was quick to respond - surprisingly he still remembered me and was thrilled to hear that i was now part of the Dean family. To this day I still have the guitar and it’s one of my favorite guitars in my collection. I was pretty bummed to hear that he passed away since I only met Elliot that one time but you can tell he took pride into what he did and was passionate to make it the best. He was a great leader. Sad to see the current state of a brand he really worked hard to develop and strengthen.
Awesome story! Thanks for sharing
Great story !
Wow thanks for sharing!
I'm trying to figure out how Dean could lose a lawsuit to Gibson about something that EVERYONE has done now for decades.
Some companies are just built different.
Goes against precedent too- see Gibson vs PRS
Had to look up Gibson Vs PRS. Gibson won but lost on appeal. Here's hoping Dean's lawyers are reading these comments so they can refer to a superior lawyers work.
Both PRS & Framus/Warwick won their cases against Gibson, makes you wonder.
@@greekfreak1980 tbh it makes me wonder if they've just refined the legal arguments to a point where they are harder to beat now
Lifelong dean player here I recently bought some pickups from Dean this week and I was so sad looking through the website and the lack of stock they had, the lack of artists on their site, everything. I remember not too long ago the website was a good hour's worth of browsing material, now it's just a few tabs and it really makes me sad.
I always thought the mustaine deans were better than the mustaine gibsons. The art work on the mustaine deans were incredible, much more soul put into them.
Looks wise the deans were cool playing wise the gibson was better. It's a shame gibson and dave wont do art work on his guitars.
Those art works we're corny lol Gibson makes his guitars looks professional
@@LeftHandedRightHanded What was corny about the album covers on the guitars.
@@JackReaper290 everything
@@JackReaper290 damn really? i havent tried either signatures but i have played both gibson and dean guitars and 10/10 gibson has the worst playability out of all guitars not even just dean but that could just be me
Sad to hear this happen to Dean, I was so grateful to be given a Dean Dimebag rebel guitar as a gift for MakeAWish
I saw one of those out in the wild like a decade ago. If I wasn't a broke teenager at the time, I would've bought it. The shop that had it doesn't even exist anymore, now it's a party city. Such a shame
This has quickly become my favorite guitar channel. Seriously keep doing what you're doing. Signed, a poor Dean fan who's been waiting 2 years for that Vengeance Select to ship ☹️
You things quick and serious
It's a shame, too... Dean was the company that got me started on my guitar journey, so it saddens me to see this happening to them. Starting to think I should buy a Dean Cadillac before I can't anymore
And I want a Schenker signature guitar, but I don't have the money 😢
@@BoltRM yeah I feel that hardcore. I'm in the same situation with the Cadillac..
Can't blame a dude for dreamin' though haha
Dime looks for any ML Dean, early 2000’s.
@@T.R.R.Jolkien I tried the ML, its not for me. Kinda feels like I'm playing a weird mythical coffee table lol
Their V shaped neck profiles are fuckin' awesome though, comfy as all hell. Kinda wish more companies would use them, to be honest.
Dean guitars are weird for me. I have a 79' ML and it plays and sounds great but I shift back and forth between thinking it looks beautiful and thinking it's hideously ugly. Same goes for the Cadillac, I go back and forth between, "I want one, but they look hideous, but I want one."
That Cease & Desist to the Dean Enthusiast/Collector still grates on me to this very day. That was way way uncalled for and shouted to the world what calibre od business they were.... bottom feeders. I'd hesitate to even call them Jackals as it would be a sleight upon the Jackal population.
Yeah I mean its free advertisement, why the hell would they issue that?
@@stallionstudios he was displaying a dean replica along with i think 2 or 3 original deans. Not that it makes it any better
When I was 15 I saw a Dean Contour in a Guitar World magazine. I thought they looked awesome. I kept seeing them in Guitar Worlds and always wanted one. Then my dad took me to the music shop to get some strings for my electric, and they had Dean Contours. One in each color; black, blue, red, and white. I picked up the black one and fell in love with it. The sound was perfect for an acoustic; not bright, but also not dead. Very focused in the lower-mids with a beautiful sparkle on the high strings. And the rounded edges made it the most comfortable guitar to play. And who the hell puts 23 frets on an acoustic? Dean does. That's who.
$600 in 1999 was a lot of money for my single dad, though ($1,100 today - inflation is insane). He saw how much I loved it, so he offered to put it on layaway if I did all of the chores around the house for $50/week. I gladly did, and I still have that guitar today.
That guitar is probably why I went from grunge to classical, tbh.
In 2004, when Dime died, I bought his signature Dean Dime-O-Flame ML and got into playing metal. I don't have that one anymore since someone broke in and jacked my entire rig. I was lucky enough to have that guitar with me at the time, though. But what's a Dime-O-Flame without something to play it through? I fell back in love with my Contour and sold the Dime-O-Flame. 😢
Really sad to see Dean go. I see numerous comments here that are like mine: a very early love of Dean guitars. They'll always be in our cases, on our stands, our walls, and in our hearts; if not in our shops.
I knew this was going to happen. I met the son years ago at some function and the first words to myself when I was walking away from the conversation was "that ain't the guy"
I love my four Deans. Good times. Sad to see my beloved company dying.
The Gibson lawsuit still makes no sense to me. Coming back 40 years later to say hey! They copied our trademark! Makes no sense. There’s gotta be some statute of limitations on this stuff.
Makes perfect sense. You don’t steal companies designs . 😢😢😢more
According to laws, if you don't make an effort to defend your trademarks, you can lose them.
@@samright4661gibson had over 40 yrs to sue and they chose not to!
@@samright4661 This comment reeks of broken headstock
@@kidnapthesky The court/law disagreed with your feels.
I love how your videos are actually about the topic of the title unlike most guitar channels will put something interesting in title and then just play guitar for like 9 minutes and only talk about the actual topic for 1 minute lol
I remember seeing Kansas in the very early 80s and Kerry Livgren was playing the Vs
Kerry was Dean's very first artist endorsement in 1977. Kansas were huge then.
Question: How do other companies get away with copying designs but not Dean?
I'm sure there are subtle differences that offset the trademark designs. Just one little change to the actual dimensions is probably enough I would think.
@@CS-ru4xd😂you assume incorrectly.
The reason Dean is getting sued is because they are way better than Gibson😂
@@AuntAlnico4yes and no. The body shapes were clearly copies, not modifications like LTD and other brands do to get around copyright. The issue of age is what makes it a grey area legally. But Gibsons attack on other brands for copying body shapes is absolutely to do with their sliding brand share
You just have to protect your trademark.
Maybe Dean does make a better guitar, I don't know.
If you invented something and someone stole your idea, you'd be pissed.
Many companies that sell blatant copies do not fall under our trademark law because they are foreign entities. China, India, et al, could care less about trademarks.
I don’t really know how they’ve been managing to stay afloat for as long as they have since things started going downhill. It’s very sad to see an iconic brand like Dean suffering a horrible death. Dean can keep operating by making current and dare I suggest new shapes, but they don’t even seem to be trying at this point. It’s very sad.
I own 12 guitars of all different brands... One of my Top 2 or 3 favorites that I just seem to vibe with really well is a Dean Thoroughbred Select... Absolutely love that guitar.
Made in Indonesia crap.
Always goes that way for family owned businesses. As it gets handed down to the following generations they are more interested in what the business can do for them rather than the other way around.
I always wanted a Dean Select V. Looked nice and better than the Gibsons. It's a shame that it seems we'll have one less company in the guitar world.
Next you should make a video about the current Randall Amplifiers situation. It seems like they are really stopped in time.
Edit: by better I meant better looking, not playing. Never played any of them.
I have one in transparent black. They are better than the gibsons
Sexy
I have a couple of the new Dean select series guitars and they are way better than Gibson.
I even bought 2 brand new to help Dean guitars out and to supply my guitar needs with better than Gibson guitars.
I’ve tried several deans before but they’re not really my cup of tea. I personally prefer Gibsons.
If you’re talking about the Gibson dark era there’s a good chance they’re better than the Gibson V’s. Before or after that? Not even close, I’ve almost taken out loans for a couple of Gibson V’s, never even came close with a Dean.
Dean USA = *outstanding!*
The USA models were top quality guitars and anyone who never tried or owned one missed out. Recently when I tried to find anything new it appeared that only imports are around which I think a lot of people wrongly gained their impression of Dean from. I remember when I received my flame razorback v that the top totally shocked me. It ignited in an immense sparkle in the flame and I’ve noticed a lot of the USA models have insane tops that can be unnoticed in pictures. Last year their Z and V models had these crazy sprays in orange, blue, yellow, and this year black that no other company does. The craftsmanship was 10/10 on my V.
my Korean 30th anniversary Dean is a fine guitar with great components and wood
@@6oundStudio also have a koeran razorback cemetary gates and love this guitar its a amazing axe
I have 5 dean guitars and one is a custom shop usa built and its amazing. My cheaper import models are also super good
I was going to say the same as the other guys here: I've had a Korean Thoroughbred and the finish was insane for the money! On par with a more expensive PRS SE, I'd say. I've never had the chance to try a USA made one, but would love to!
that's the same story as BC Rich. fukin' pallets of bronze warlocks.
Dean definitely has had some issues over the years but that Gibson lawsuit was over the line , its been 50yrs . the fact they waited so long should have made their claim null and void . I've got 5 DBZ guitars designed by him and love them all . The Cavallo AB is an exceptional modern take of the classic V . Much thinner , set neck and contoured body . Rings like a bell and stays in tune forever . SD pickups , Grover tuners . Its a BEAST of a guitar too . like 5 ft long . LOL
This is such BS. Anyone seen gibson's "new" double-cut? It's a Fn PRS. I mean god forbid anyone makes a singlecut, but gibson can go ahead and copy whoever they want? Yeah F gibson for life.
Dying for an update on the ESP vs Chondro Guitar Shop case.
This explains why the razorback disappeared. I didnt know about the dimebag case. Both these law suits would easily be enough to bury any company.
Dean may or may not be dying, but it’s certainly being mismanaged like crazy.
CONGRATS TO KDH ON MAKING IT INTO "GUITAR WORLD" MAGAZINE!!
I really regret selling my Dean V. I need to pick up a Dean ML fast.
It's really hard to sell signature guitars of artists that have passed. At some point,......the mystic runs out.
This is interesting for a couple of reasons. Since I bought a dean vx right before all this went down and I mean literally right before it all went down I suppose I technically now have a lawsuit guitar. Now that you mention it I was also in Guitar Center just about a week ago and I don't recall seeing one single Dean guitar
I Actually hope that Dean can resolve things.
The Cadillac has always been my favourite model.
I’ve got friends that work at the Armadillo facility in Tampa. Gonna be bummed when they lose their jobs over this.
I just put a Dean Thoroughbred Select in natural black burst into layaway. Never been a huge fan of the Les Paul shapes, but It played wonderfully and had a real Floyd so I pulled the trigger on it. Andy LaRocque (King Diamond) was a big Dean player, He had some sweet custom Deans.
Rob Barrett of Cannibal Corpse has a few deans, i think he's a signature artist.
RIP Dean. my absolute favorite brand of guitars ever. I weep knowing I will never see another new ML, let alone Dimebag signature.
I see MLs for sale on the website though.
@@zerothehero448 what MLs? The ones you can 'reserve' that you'll never recieve if ordered? The used ones? Or the extreme fan fret multiscale kahlers nobody wanted and nobody can afford?
@@theneer-do-well3240 I'll have to look into that.
I've been thinking about the Dean situation lately. Thanks for the update.
I've got a Dean Soltero, which is a Les Paul type guitar....I bought it new in about 2009 and it's a great guitar. Made in Korea and is really well made 👍
finally a good background colour!!
I was just about to post a link for a Czech page I used to see Dean Vs and Zs and MLs all the time, I saw them on the page 2 weeks ago but I just now saw that they only have the Dime Razorback. Damn, sucks...
The Family Feud/Steve Harvey line was subtly genius.
I've never been a Dean fan, but this is still sad to see.
Same here they are not my bag personally but I could understand why some players like them..its sad to hear they will be no more..
I've loved Dean guitars for a long time, and I happen to own five of them. However, I said they were going to go back out of business after they shit on dime, and got rid of anything to do with him. Then they lost Dave mustaines, and got sued. I thought the lawsuit was petty, jealous, bullshit, but it happened. Now the coolest guitars they still make are being made in India, instead of Korea. All of that will about do it.
exactly, shouldn't have wasted time with those Charvel clones/multiscales that they can't be competitive with (it's like BMW/VW releasing a truck in the US) and kept the 78/Select platform MIK with TOM/Floyd Rose bridges.
@@MaestroJericho well said
I bought a $450 USD Dean from a US shop and had it shipped to Canada in 2017. The nut had serious damage, there was a split in the rosewood fretboard and sharp fret ends.
The retailer paid to ship it back and sent me a replacement, (which they failed to check - again), which had a damaged nut again and a chip in the flat black finish.
And yes, these were both new guitars.
The retailer gave me their direct contact at Dean to file a complaint directly.
The Dean douche basically wrote back:
"Huh. That's how it goes. Thanks."
I fwd'd this to the retailer and they were disgusted and couldn't believe the response and said they were growing dissatisfied with Dean.
Do. Not. Buy. A. Dean.
*Ｆａｎｔａｓｔｉｃ* guitars until the passing of Mister Elliot Rubinson. RIP 💐
I'm here because I just bought a Korean made Dean MLX from a guy and the more I play it the more impressed I am with it. I have been pleasantly surprised with the quality and playability, not to mention amazing sustain. I've played a handful of Dean guitars in the past and always liked them, especially the V's, but I didn't realize the struggles they were going through until seeing this video.
They weren´t dead?
The new blue backdrop is wonderful
Keep up the great work
I like your videos that report this kinda thing. Keep up the good work, your efforts are much appreciated.
These z and v guitars are still for sale on the guitar center website.
Another informative video...cheers from California
I have contacted them about a bass three years ago and they’ve never emailed me. They kept pushing back the resonators release for yeaaaars. Sucks. Now it makes more sense!
Thanks for the info, KDH
I had 2008(I think) Silverburst Z for a short while. Great guitar, I just didn't like the neck so much. A bit too thick for my liking. Still sounded great though. Sad to see Dean go. :(
Thanks Kirland. ,🙂
Those lights are dope! The Dean stuff is sad, too, but man! Those lights! :D
I'm not surprised. What does surprise me is that a Class Action Suit has not been brought against Gibson for knowingly making guitars with a defective headstock/neck joint design that makes them prone to breaking. This can cost the owners and investors in these guitars, significant losses due to repairs, and potentially lost investment value.
I know it's a bad design but I gotta get the dean headstock with a V...loved it since Rik Emmett in the 80s
I've been able to get the last metalman v bass guitar on Thomann few weeks ago, it was the last one i could find online for purchasing
based
If you can find a USA made V or Z from the late 70's or early 80's, buy it! One of the best playing guitars on the planet. I had an 81 "Custom" Z and an 82 Z. Worth every penny.
Now I might be a little salty still 10 years later but I got a Razorback V when it was brand new and got a setup ---- somehow the wood wasn't dried and cracked the guitar. Company wouldn't do anything about it... BRAND NEW, over $1000 guitar. In my opinion, they can crash and burn --- I was super happy for a day when I had my Dean Wings... A few days after, it was a fucking nightmare dealing with anything Dean. In a hilarious turn in things, I actually own a Gibson Les Paul Studio now.
WOW!!!
After watching this im sooo glad i kept my Dean V...
Someone should make a guitar line copying Dean, so when they get sued by Gibson for IP infringement, they can say that it's clearly not a copy of Gibson, but of Dean. 😈
In 2000, I bought a Dean XL explorer brand new for $176. No case.
I did not know it was a cheap guitar but I played it for hours everyday. All I knew is that I had a Dean.
I still have the black guitar. It’s never been taken apart
Dean was re-surected by Dime. When he died he was only back with them for a few months. After he passed they really cashed in on his unfortunate passing with a bunch of what-if guitars. They signed a lot of really great players like Rusty Cooley, Dave Mustaine, Michael Schenker, Michael Ammott, Vinnie Moore, and Michael Angelo Batio. Dean hasn't been Dean for a long time, Dean Zelinski has not been part of the brand for 15 years. One guitar they can still make and sell is the ML, pretty sure the Cadillac is safe from the Gibson lawsuit.
The ML is part of the Dimebag suit, therefore Dean can’t manufacture the model right now.
@@georgeprice4212 it is a shame as it was one of the original Dean designs. Had nothing to do with Dime back then ,same as the Z, and all the Baby versions and the Cadillac witch was a of course a Les Paul with a pointed horn. Again Dean guitars back in 77',78' are not what they are today.
Honestly it's a shame that Dean is known only for their pointy shreddy guitars and it seems like that association - and these circumstances destroying it - are what's really killing the brand. I've had a Dean Hardtail for years and it's a fantastic instrument; proof that they can be successful with original designs if they want to.
the zero and vengeance are awesome shapes with cool headstocks. Way cooler than any other explorer / V shape from esp or solar.
the ZERO is unique cuz its among the only EX style that you can get with 24 frets and 25.5 scale length.
I just got myself an old dave mustaine era bolt-on zero thats been i suppose sitting in its box since 2017, and its freakin awesome
Who owns the ML shape?
this was well done. thanks for putting this together!
I'm going to trademark a circle and sue EVERYBODY.
I mean Dean's marketing was recently very horrible as well. Their 78 series did well and could have kept pushing Cadillacs and MLs and redesigned their V/Explorer shapes but kept the same vibe. They could have made those classic shapes with TOM or Kahler bridges and already had a solid in-house pickup going on. BUT, they churned out those Charvel clones that nobody bought, those multi scales that nobody bought. The people into multi scales don't even look at Dean, and the Charvel/AZ/Schecters were established enough that going to Dean wasn't even an option for people who want a superstrat. They should have focused on their semi-classic shapes (ML/Cadillac/etc), they could have easily kept releasing the Mustaine V without the signature branding instead of modernizing it.
Exactly Correct.
What happened to Gaybutt guitars? They were superb instruments but I can't seem to find a stockist these days.
I love my Dean V select. It is well balanced based on where the strap attach. It is a guitar that you can beat the crap out of it with mean down stokes! My wife calls it hideous, but grudgenly admits it sounds amazing. 😂
My son has a Luna guitar he takes to school. For the price, they has been a really good guitar.
Between the bad managers and lawsuits, I don't see them coming back at all. 😢
With the headstocks nobody would ever confuse a Dean for a Gibson. You'd think a slight design change to the body shape in one or two places would satisfy Gibson.
I thought the only thing a guitar company could copyright was the head stock?
I wonder if Schenker will return to Gibson. They owe him a signature model.
There was a picture of Michael in a recording studio in Germany recently, and he was holding a Gibson V. Not sure if that means anything, but you never know...
My first own bass was a Dean Vendetta, 4-string. I still have it, and I love it to bits. Not too many of those around from what I've been able to find.
I had a Deen soloist style ax back in 1994-95. The wind blew I guess too hard ramming the curtain into my guitar stand knocking it flat on the carpet and the neck cracked straight across the locking nut holes. I've dropped guitars from over my head and that never happened.
DDRUM is dying too from Armadillo Company
This is why you never get in to bed in regards to business with family.
There's nothing worse than people making comments on subjects about which they have no clue. Most of your commentary was dead wrong - not on the topics, but on the outcome of those events. You should probably update this video. Dean Guitars is thriving after a few years of legal issues. They have come out on top and are doing better than ever. I get my info straight from the horse's mouth.
One of the best sounding guitars I ever had was a dean, not sure why I got it other than knowing it was a deal due to it being in the shop for 6 years, was hot pink, the body, nect headstock and fretboard all hot pink lol I had a 1 foot mohawk at the time and soon as I seen it was like YUP!
I pick up a gf the same day and she insta moved in, turnd out to be a bit crazy too so I gave it her to and kicked her out lol
The crazy ones are always the best in bed. It's too bad that dealing with crazy all the time is bad for your health. 🤪
Oh I remember seeing those. Hard to forget a production model guitar that was pink all over, even on the fretboard haha. I think they made a sort of neon green one, too.
What about Randall Amps?
Dean is doing fine. The USA shop has a ton of orders. They have a great group of luthiers. Some have been there for 20 years. It's sad when people get enjoyment when they think things are going bad for someone in the music business.
I have wanted a Dean V since the late 80's !! Those Wing Headstocks look bada$$ then and still do now !!!
Well this is not the original Dean established by Dean Zielinsky, this is/was just brand rights continuations with lots of cool ideas however with significant planning errors. Hard to believe that went so quickly.
About artists whose guitars of choice got discontinued, can't they just get that exact guitar made by some other company's custom shop ? I mean if they liked Dean it sucks to have to do so, but I'm pretty sure that's the option
The case is on appeal btw. And if they prevail the injunction will disappear as well. Also, the texas federal court case is not necessarily controlling precedent, as Gibson has failed under the same theory in other Federal jurisdictions. Ain't over yet.
I pre-ordered a Dean over a year and a half ago. It was supposed to be here Oct 2022. still no sign of it ever being in stock again
It's said when parents turn on kids. My dad accused my of stealing 200k and I proved it wasn't me to the police and solicitors. It was proved it was my brother and my dad dropped the charges when it looked like he was facing 8 to 10 years. The family business went under.
the video-link didn't show up
Damn I just came here because I wanted to buy a Nashvegas, now I have another corporate entity to despise! Thank you for the great reporting
How many companies make guitars that essentially have Strat bodies?
Quite unfair to Dean, since Harley-Benton has basically created a line of Gibson-esque guitars that are actually quite good. I have their Heritage V and I was very surprised at how good it looks and plays.
Harley Benton are an EU company. Dean are US. The laws are different.
Gibson lost the Flying V trademark in the EU
Totally random but has anyone else noticed an increase in value of Dean guitars? It seems like my ML 79’s have at least doubled in value by what I’m seeing them go for right now.
I'd probably also pay more than retail price for a used Dean Select Z in nice shape, but there's not a single one avaliable in the EU. Hard to tell if there's a price increase with nothing on the market.
I just sniped a dead stock usa custom shop rc7 from Japan. Curious to see how it is when it arrives.
Glad I got my slime stealth when I did.. it's an amazing guitar
The sad thing about this is all the people who will loose their jobs - just because the owners are incompetent, dysfunctional and spiteful c****.
That’s sad. I had the vendetta revenge but I sold it a long time ago. I miss it.
They should just make a similar shape, and just try to improve the V and Z shapes a bit, and sell em again. I think that would be their best bet.
This is a shame. In the mid-2000's I bought a Dean Icon. Best playing guitar I've ever owned. I sold it out of necessity, but still regret that.