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Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar 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

posted by Jim Pearson @ 1/07/2008 01:29:00 PM 5 comments links to this post

2006 Fender HSS Stratocaster (Strat) Review

Fender Standard HSS Stratocaster (“Fat Strat") Review

Electric guitar: Effervescent, visceral, emotional, and motivating…
Whether or not you start out as a Fender fan, the HSS Stratocaster is an extremely flexible instrument that is sonically diverse and very playable!
I was looking for an instrument that was comfortable and had a sonic range of sounds, was comfortable and affordable, and would compliment my Epiphones, Parker, and Fenders.

I love the feel of a Stratocaster – the light weight, the wonderful ribcage cutaway, the warm rounded shoulder for the picking arm, and a simple, clean neck design.

The Fender Standard HSS Strat is all the things a Stratocaster is - but adds the crunchy, punchy sound (to the bell-tone Strat sounds of the neck and mid pickups) with its bridge humbucker.

At first, I wasn't really interested in the idea of a humbucker-enabled Stratocaster – Strats have always been “three singles" to me. However, after I played them many times over, I discovered just how sweet they are and how versatile they are.



Quick Opinion: The Standard HSS Strat is a dream to play. It has sounds that crunch like a Gibson and sounds that sing like an old Stratocaster. The 2006 (and later) Standard Strats (including the HSS) are deeply improved over previous years, and it shows. The new tremolo block, pickups, frets, and finishes are outstanding.

The HSS Standard MIM Stratocaster isn't currently in production (as of 10/2009), but you can see more about HSS Strats and get Free Shipping from GuitarCenter.com


Playability: The HSS Standard Stratocaster plays with great ease. It has wonderful string-bending capability, has a body shape that lets you forget that your pick arm is on a guitar body, and has a neck that is medium-broad for pretty good finger-picking capability. (In fact, if you're a finger-picking or hybrid-picking player, the Fender Strat neck and fretboard are among the most comfortable and easy-to-play on the market.)

As with most any Strat, the pickup selector switch is easy to use and is well within the pick hand's reach. Since the tonal variety of an HSS Strat is often more interesting and varied than a Standard three-single pickup Stratocaster, you may find yourself hitting the 5-way pickup selector switch quite often – varying your sound has never been so easy.

The subtle, non-gloss neck finish is great for when your hands are damp with sweat – your hands can still slide around the neck pretty well, but you can also get a good grip for those hard-to-finger chord shapes.


Features: The Fender Standard Fat Strat has all the features you'd expect from Fender's latest Stratocaster offerings. It has the famous Fender 5-way pickup switch, skunk-striped hard maple neck, a fantastic light-weight body, and extremely well-made electronics.

The pickguard is three-ply on most models (for example, White-Black-White). The back cavity cover is pretty standard for this type of Strat, generally a one-ply white cover. All the plastic parts are color-matched to the pickguard.

The tremolo setup is a standard three-spring mechanism, with string-through saddles and bridge. Tuning stability is average for a Stratocaster – although I have added a tuning stabilizer (tremsetter) to my HSS for a boost in stability
.




Sound: Sound, sound, sound. That's the main reason for buying an HSS Fat Strat over a three-single Strat.

With the neck and mid single-coil pickups, you get the strong, bell-like tones you'd expect from a Stratocaster. In this respect, especially with the 2006 and later Strats, the HSS will not disappoint. These newer pickups seem stronger and clearer – and have somewhat less noise when playing through a strong tube amp.

With the Fender humbucker on the bridge, a whole new set of sounds come out of your Strat. This humbucker is actually pretty hot in output, and is really crunchy. It does blues, country, and hard rock very well (but can be dialed back for super-smooth sounds of jazz, contemporary gospel).

The pickup switch configuration is as follows:
Position 1: (switch all the way towards the bridge) is full humbucker, no tone control in the sound. This is crunchy, can be dialed up loud, and is super-clean (good midranges, too).

Position 2: You get the front coil (split) of the bridge humbucker and the middle pickup in combination – the lead (closest to the input jack) tone control effects this combination. This position is very bright, and is louder than the standard Stratocaster bell-tone. This position is good for cut-through-the-band lead tones, but without all the crunch of the humbucker.

Position 3: This position opens up the middle pickup only, with the lead tone control affecting the sound. This sound is the traditional Stratocaster mid pickup sound – somewhat warmer than the bridge, but not as mellow as the neck.

Position 4: This position sets up the middle and neck single-coil pickups together, with the lead and rhythm (middle) tone controls shaping the sound. Warm, but still lots of belltone.

Position 5: This is for the neck pickup only, and uses the rhythm tone control for sound shaping. This pickup position is the warmest of the single-coil sounds. By far, this pickup selection is the mellowest.


Value:This is an extremely high-value Stratocaster. It is worth more than its street price, probably in the $425 to $450 range in actual value. You get lots of really nice options (humbucker, coil-split combination) to add to the versatility of your favorite Strat sound and feel.

Folks with a one-guitar budget who need/want to play lots of different styles of music should seriously consider this instrument as a front-runner for purchase consideration.

On my HSS Strat, the fret ends are cleanly set, the height of the frets is very good, and the intonation was pretty close (as set up by the factory). It didn't take very long for me to set the Strat's intonation to a very serviceable and easy-to-play tuning setup. The body finish is just right, no flaws. The neck is straight and is well-set. The standard Super 250 Fender Bullet Strings are wonderful.


Wishes: There isn't a lot to wish for with these Strats. I do wish it was offered with a V-shaped neck as an option, perhaps also with a tinted and V-shaped neck as an additional option – similar to the treatment on the 2006-> "50's Strat" issues coming from the MIM factories. I think all Strats should be offered with optional locking tuners (for those who don't know how to replace their own tuners).

Labels: electric guitar, fender, guitar, HSS, humbucker, single coil, strat, stratocaster

posted by Jim Pearson @ 2/12/2007 09:10:00 AM 1 comments links to this post