Dean Vendetta CUSTOM XM Review And Update!
Sometimes I feel the need to fashion sound and playability in a way that is not offered in commercial instruments. In most instances, a custom instrument is a luxury, costing lots of money or having excellent connections with good guitar manufacturers and luthiers. My budget doesn't generally allow for anything approaching custom status. So... I make them for myself from stock instruments and specialized parts.
The Dean line of guitars is an EXCELLENT choice for customization. I enjoy customizing my Fender, Squier, Epiphone, and Jackson instruments - but for some reason, Deans are just plain fun to turn into custom axes.
Quick Opinion: One of the best custom guitars I've made or played... Simple, sonically-interesting, plays well, and was a lot of fun to conceive and create. Want one for yourself?
Send me an email through my contact page here. I'd love to make another.
What can it do? Imagine a nice 60's-70's era mini humbucker sound with several split-coil twists. A little dirtier than the Gibson mini humbucker setup, but very pleasing and crunchy in its own right.
Features: What's not to like? Here's the lowdown on the XM Custom:
The host guitar
A Dean Vendetta XM dual-humbucker in "natural" finish (
reviewed here:) ( I love the color on these... I've thought about doing one of the other XM models for that reason...)
Read more information, reviews and pricing for the Dean Vendetta XM at GuitarCenter.com
The sound stuff
GFS AlNiCo V bridge pickup, mini humbucker
GFS ceramic neck pickup, mini humbucker, smooth cover (no poles showing)
DiMarzio PRS-style two-wafer 5-position rotary switch
Switchcraft USA input jack
CTS USA potentiometers
Genuine Sprague Orange Drop capacitor
All-copper USA connective wiring and silver solder
Lots of loving experimentation and effort with these paws
The fun stuff
Medium-ratio green-key Kluson copies (someday some real ones?)
Nice graphite nut
Beautiful hand-made ebony-and-abalone truss rod cover
Re-sanded and nitrocellulose-coated neck profile
DiMarzio speed knobs (Goes to 11!)
Old-fashioned bolt-clamp chicken head knob on the rotary
Schaller strap lock strap buttons
Gibson-creme humbucker rings used as mini-adapters
Quality: Well, my work isn't perfect - I'm not an amateur, but I've only got 4 years experience: I make some mistakes sometimes. That said, a great deal of thought and experimentation goes into the execution of my instrument modifications and customizations. A lot of time goes into getting the sound I'm after. A lot of little parts go into making things better. From the standpoint of the customization parts, the whole thing is high quality, no doubt.
I could have done a better job cutting and dressing the graphite nut. It could still be better if I popped it off and did some more work - problem is, I play it too much and don't want to mess with the success of it.
The pickups are just perfect and are extremely well made. I think the only parts that aren't top notch are the tuners and the bridge. I could drop another $60-$75 on it at some point and really shake things up.
The wiring is good on this one. No extra buzzes, no funky flaky unexpected sounds. Nice solid silver-based solder drops. Not the prettiest solder, but very well-connected. Solid instrument and custom job, overall...
BTW, I did my wiring based on my interpretation of this diagram from GuitarElectronics.com. They're cool people, by the way. I've bought lots of parts from them and highly recommend them for their customer service and selection. Don't forget to add a beer to your shopping cart when you shop with them ;-)
Playability: The guitar is the lightest thing I've ever played (next to an acoustic). The fit and feel is perfect for my body and for sitting. The venerable Stratocaster-style shape is perfect for 24-fret access and the subtle cutaways are really comfortable.
After spending a reasonable amount of time on the neck, the overall playability of the guitar is pretty good. I won't rate up there with a nice USA-made Gibson Standard or USA-made Fender standard, but the XM Custom feels good in the hands and is a pleasure to play.
Sound: I spent quite a bit of time researching what I was after. I started with wanting the sound of the awesome and beautiful Firebird VII (three minis)... I needed a budget donor (but with something
different in body wood), and I still wanted the playability and flexibility for a recording instrument. The addition of splitting and the minis REALLY fit the bill.
How does it sound? Incredible. The American pots, switch, jack, and wiring really make for a good transparent sound set. The mini humbuckers are dirty, skanky, crunchy, grimy, and just perfect for the task. The combination of the AlNiCo V magnet and the ceramic magnet really shines out here. It's not the sound you want for sweet smooth love music. The sound is for making your feet tap and getting your endorphins on.
Wanna hear the guitar? You can hear my Vendetta Custom XM in this little ditty I recorded (opens a new window)... All the guitar parts (except the bass, of course) are done with different settings on my Vendetta. This piece of music is highly pre-production, so it's not ready for prime time... but it gets your toes tappin', just the same.
Value: Priceless. This one is likely to be one of the permanent members of my sound library. The sound is just what the doctor ordered, it's light, and it feels pretty good to play. So many sounds in one package... and you gotta love having mini humbuckers in your sound library!
Wishes: I'm ready to make more of these. I'm likely to do an active pickup version (with either EMG actives or Seymour Duncan Blackouts) and perhaps a nice, spanky DiMarzio version...
Labels: awesome, bear, custom, dean, dean vendetta, dean vendetta xm, jimmy bear pearson, mini, mini humbucker, modified, review
Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar Review
Some guitars have a dual purpose in their useful lives. The Dean Vendetta XM guitar is just such a wonder. Some folks need an inexpensive guitar to get them started - not everyone can afford a $2200 Les Paul Standard or a $1300 Fender Deluxe Stratocaster. Some folks need a decent instrument as a base (donor) for some seriously fun modifications - without having to spend $600 on aftermarket parts to put together a donor instrument for one's ideas.
Low-cost guitars tend to fall into one of three categories: cheap, and built to play that way; inexpensive, but not a hit in any area (GREAT specs but poor execution); and inexpensive - but more value than the dollars spent. The Dean Vendetta falls into the third category. As with all low-end/beginner guitars, there are obvious places in the Vendetta XM where money has been saved. Still, the build quality is fine, and the features are actually wonderful.
I specifically went out looking for a Stratocaster-shaped guitar for a mini-humbucker project I had in mind. I didn't want an actual Strat (or Strat clone) this time: I was looking for double cutaway, light weight, and an interesting neck. The Dean Vendetta XM went on sale at my local Guitar Center (and is on sale at Musician's Friend) - perfect timing. I had some proceeds from a guitar sale at Christmas time - and the Vendetta XM came home with me post-haste. It has been the perfect donor guitar for the creation of an AWESOME double mini-humbucker project with a 5-way rotary selector. With some nice USA-made parts, high-end import parts, mods, and a little time, it turned out to be an absolute gas!
Let's talk about the factory Vendetta XM with which I started, pre-mods.
Quick Opinion: The Dean Vendetta XM is a good beginner's guitar - one well-suited to folks who have not yet begun to grow into their inner guitar-hero-self. As with any beginner's instrument, the Vendetta XM is not comparable to well-made instruments from the United States or Japan. If one doesn't expect high-end guitar-ness in the Vendetta XM's $100 form, one will be OK with the result. No, the Vendetta XM is not an American Standard Stratocaster. No, the Vendetta XM is not a USA-made Dean for the family heirloom closet. The Dean Vendetta XM is a nice-looking, great-playing instrument for beginners. It is lightweight, well-featured, and actually looks different than most beginner guitars.
I think the Dean Vendetta XM is a great guitar for starters - one that can be upgraded to accommodate the growing needs of a burgeoning guitar player. This guitar is particularly good for smaller folks (who still want a full-size guitar), or for those that don't like lots of weight hanging on their guitar strap.
My Dean Vendetta XM was not very well set up when I got it. There were (more than usual for a beginner's instrument) fret buzzes and the strings were set too high for a beginner. The intonation is pretty close for a bargain guitar. However, nearly every inexpensive instrument I have ever played had some setup or adjustment issues when pulled out of its box. On the positive side - my Vendetta XM came with an arrow-straight neck and VERY unusually excellent soldering in the control cavity.
Free Shipping, more information, and pricing for Dean Vendetta XM models here at GuitarCenter.com
Features: The Dean Vendetta XM's features are very much it's strongest point. The guitar has a string-through design across a Tune-O-Matic-style non-trem bridge - and the sustain and ring of the body definitely shine through. Even the acoustic sound of the Vendetta XM is pretty good. The string-through design makes for great "ring", reasonable low-end frequencies, and an interesting look to boot.
The simple control layout is a plus. One master tone, one master volume, and a three-way toggle switch adorn the Vendetta XM. The toggle selections are: neck humbucker, both humbuckers, and bridge humbucker. The toggle is a little close to the volume knobs (for quick-change switch slapping while playing). An inspection of the inside of the control cavity was surprising: the soldering was excellent, clean, and well-done. The anti-noise shielding black paint, however, was terribly applied (nothing a little copper shielding won't fix).
The body is very lightweight and is a comfort to the shoulder. The guitar is a little neck-heavy because of the light body, but it isn't obnoxious. My suede strap (fuzzy on the shoulder-side) holds my Vendetta XM pretty well in place for long periods. One small sacrifice of the light body: the guitar doesn't have quite as much sonic guts as a heavyweight like an Epiphone Les Paul, PRS SE, or Squier HH Stratocaster. The stock pickups and the light body do make for some relatively warm (but slightly mushy) sounds played through some amplifiers or models. This is an important thing: the guitar is Extremely comfortable; but there is a small price. A beginner would not feel the sonic difference early in her/his experience. But, this can be fixed with good pickups, a decent nut, and some good adjustment.
Overall, the neck is well above par for an inexpensive instrument. It is reminiscent of a nice Jackson or even a wider Epiphone neck. I like the feel and playability of maple on the back. The rosewood of the neck was kind of weird though: the factory had applied excessive "fingerboard black" to the rosewood. My fingers are black every time I play my Vendetta XM. My particular Vendetta has a great, straight neck. It does, however, have a rough feel - the finish had not been polished down/sanded well enough.
The tuners are adequate sealed machine heads that work fine. Strong bending does pull the instrument out of tune - but not any more or less than any other bargain guitar. The tuners are, however, smooth, better-than-average, and look a lot like the Schaller-type tuners on the nicer Squier instruments.
The dual humbuckers are average, and do the job well enough for a beginner instrument. As with any low-cost humbucker instrument, the humbuckers don't sound like BurstBuckers, DiMarzios, or Seymour Duncan SH* pickups. They're exceptionally easy to replace as the beginner becomes more desirous of better sound. Overall, the sound is fine and the quality is better than average.
My Vendetta XM came fitted with nice lightweight D'Addario strings. They were in good condition, were well-selected for the neck and body type. It's a refreshing change to see commercial-grade strings on a basic instrument - most instruments on the market have lowest-bidder strings installed at the factory.
Quality: The quality of my Dean Vendetta XM is a mixed bag. The finish of the body is flawless - even, smooth, consistent, and attractive (no, they're not gloss finished like in most pictures you'll see - they're satin finished). The finish on the neck is in need of work. The neck finish was rough, the frets were a bit unfinished, and the fretboard is just not as nice as it should be. Even the imprint of the serial number is poorly done. The neck finishing seems as if it was done in a big hurry. The nut is a hollow plastic variety - although this is not unusual in this price range, I'd expect more from Dean.
The wiring and electronics are way above average for a $100 instrument. The quality of the electronic components in my Vendetta were average to above average. The switch and pots are not high quality like Switchcraft USA switches/jacks or CTS pots, but they are adequate and will last for a good while. As with most any budget instrument, the electronics will be noisy in a few years.
I have to say this again (because it is VERY unusual): The electronics were very well done. Most high-end instruments I've played have the same level of soldering craftsmanship and wiring-lengths/wrapping. It may have been just my particular instrument, but I suspect that the simplicity of the controls and the large control cavity make for an easy job at the factory.
Playability: The Dean Vendetta XM is a very playable instrument. It is comfortable from a strap and body-fit perspective, and the neck is a good balance for large hands or even some smaller hands. It is smooth and comfortable in almost every respect.
The tuners go out of tune when the instrument is played aggressively, but not much more than any other beginner's instrument I've played. The instrument needs a reasonable set up when it is purchased - if nothing else to set the string height to the player's liking.
Value: The Dean Vendetta XM is a $149 value, usually sold for $110 to $99 street. Overall, it is a bargain. I really like Dean guitars, and I think they are the spice of the guitar store. I did not hesitate at all to purchase my Vendetta XM.
I think Vendetta XM is great for beginners, and mine has definitely made an excellent choice for my modifications!
Wishes: Do a better job with the neck, Dean: please?
Labels: dean, electric guitar, humbucker, humbuckers, review, vendetta, vendetta xm review
Dean Playmate EAB Acoustic Electric Bass Hands-on Review
Dean Playmate EAB Acoustic Electric Bass Review
Due to popular request and to help a little with the folks who want to hear the bass first-hand, I've uploaded another tune I recorded with my Dean EAB (the bass part). I still have the EAB (I go through lots of instruments), and I love it. This recording is a mixture between the acoustic bass and an electric semi-hollow body guitar (an Ibanez AF75D). The bass part is recorded here in my home with two Nady condenser reference mics, through a nice tube pre-amp. I chose not to use the on-board pickup because I like the acoustic sound so much.
Listen here (new window). Please feel free to share the tune, but please tell folks where you got it! It's not public domain, just free for personal use only. Any public or commercial use requires my express written permission. For more of my music, including some acoustic stuff recorded with my EAB, go to (new window)
http://jbpmusic.com.
As a recording musician, I like to have lots of different sound timbres and qualities in my "library" of guitars. Since I have a couple of nice electric basses, I began looking for a low-cost acoustic bass guitar some time ago. I played $2000 basses, and I played $99 basses at different guitar stores in our area. The top-end basses such as the Tacoma were wonderful, but were
way out of my budget. By far, the
Martin (wow! Solid sound, excellent build, bar-none timbre) and
Tacoma Thunderchief (wow! If I could afford one of these, it would be THE one!) guitars were the best sounding and the best made. Either brand, in any model, would have been a great joy to own! I also played the Fender, Ibanez, and Kelly acoustic basses – but they were above my budget as well.
My issue, however, is that I wanted a bass that sounded great
acoustically, and if it worked amplified too, then fine – and at a low price. This brought me to the Dean Playmate EAB. This bass, at $149 through sites like
Purchasing and information link plus get Free Shipping at GuitarCenter.com
was an absolute (pleasant) surprise. I ended up purchasing the Dean as my bass acoustic member of my sound palette. If you’d like to hear how it sounds when recorded through a nice acoustic microphone, go to this page:
http://jimmybear.dmusic.com and listen to
Gentle Falling Snow.
Quick Opinion: The Dean Playmate EAB Acoustic Electric Bass is a great all-around acoustic bass. It handles well, is of OK quality, and (most of all) sounds along the lines of the marvelous Tacoma acoustic basses. The primary impression of the Dean EAB Bass we bought (and have played for almost a year) is that it is a
steal of a buy, and a very interesting-sounding bass.
Playability: The Dean EAB has a long-scale neck. It feels right at home after playing my Fender American Standard Jazz bass (although the Jazz is a much easier instrument to play, and has a better neck). The frets are surprisingly well set, dressed, and are of reasonable height. The light-brown/red fretboard wood is a little dry looking, but it is very easy to play. The body size is comfortable for a tall person with long arms (such as myself). My son feels comfortable with the guitar, but my daughter ("only" 5’10") isn’t comfortable with the large and deep body. (Body size is not "good" or "bad", the Dean is about the same size as the Tacoma… It is just not comfortable for smaller players.) The string height is surprisingly low, even after I raised the strings a bit to reduce fret buzz.
The Dean’s playability is actually a high 8 or low 9. Especially after a string-change.
Features The features of the Dean Playmate EAB are reasonable. The tuners are good and strong (sort of Gotoh-style), and keep tune
very well. The rosette is traditional in look, and the saddle wood is of a very contemporary shape. The string-retention pegs are large and easy to use, and provide sufficient mass for reasonable sound (Why is it that I can’t find brass, bone, or Tusq retention pegs in the aftermarket? I’d buy some if I could find them.)
The satin finish is even, well-applied, and has very few "weird" spots. The neck’s satin finish is much smoother than the body’s finish, and is very comfortable in the hand. The Dean came with OK nickel or steel wrapped strings – they were a bit bright for me… I changed our Dean’s strings to a set of
D’Addario Phosphor Bronze soft strings (the
Martin Phosphor Bronze lights sound
really great, too – they just lose their warm, growly timbre quicker and seem to oxidize quicker.)
Sound: This is where the Dean Playmate EAB sold me: Sound. The
acoustic sound is extremely comparable to solid-wood guitars from a
much higher price range! The bass frequencies are pretty tight, and the reproduction of the string flutter comes out nice and clear. The sound is pretty good when playing up the neck, especially when I switched from nickel to phosphor-bronze strings. When correctly mic-ed, the Dean sounds so very clear and wonderful – almost as rich as a grand piano with its top open.
The electronic sound (through the passive saddle pickup) is not up to snuff, though… see the "Wishes" section of this review.
The sound of the Dean was far better than any of the $300-$600 guitars I played.
Value: This is a $300 guitar in value (not 'retail',
'street'). The acoustic sound alone, plus the nicely (comparatively) finished neck are worth more than the price of admission alone. If I were to lose this one, I would most surely buy another, even if I sold enough music to buy a Martin or Tacoma.
Wishes: There are two major concerns, and one minor concerns. These concerns are apparent not after a quick use at the guitar store, but from recording more than 10 pieces of music with the Dean EAB…
The neck is slightly warped at about the third fret. After adjusting the string height (and the neck’s overall bow from shipment), it is apparent that the truss rods aren’t the most supportive in the world. The good news, however, is that the warp is slight, doesn’t affect my playing too much, and it has not changed in the nearly yearlong time in my guitar library. I find this particular warp to be acceptable for a guitar of this price. If this were a guitar that was more than $300, I would have looked for another.
The guitar’s sound through the electronics is not very good. Even with the tone turned all the way down, and the volume nearly all the way down, the bass sounds like telephone wires being pinged (think: Star Wars sounds). I had to run it through a tube preamp and several equalizations before I liked the electronic sound at all. As it is, I do not use it electrically – only acoustically. Since my Shure SM57 does a great job mic-ing the guitar, and I can get great, CLEAN bass sound with my MXL 990 with my BlueTube preamp, I have stopped trying to use the on-board electronics.
I love my Dean EAB. I
really do. I hope I get to use it for many years to come – I just wish the finish was glossy. I also placed a pickguard on it to protect it for those rare times when I use a pick for clear attacks.
Labels: 4 string bass, acoustic bass, bass, dean, eab, piezo, playmate
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