New Guitar Day: Dean Custom 450

I know, I need another "New Guitar Day" like I need a hole in my head.  However, there's a story behind this one.  There's always a story, but this one is pretty good.  You see, it was a dark and stormy night on Facebook Marketplace.  I had noticed an add that simply read, "Guitar" in the Musical Instruments category.

I opened up the ad and saw it was a Dean guitar.  Now for those of you who've read my blog for a while, you know I love Dean guitars.  When I looked at this one I recognized the shape, but couldn't remember the name of it.  So I went to the Dean Guitars official page.  It wasn't listed there.  It seems they don't make it anymore.

After that I went to my trusty friend, "Google."  It was there I found the name of the guitar was the "Custom"  But something didn't look right.  The listed guitar was a set neck with EMG pickups.  The Custom 350 wasn't.  As I wandered around the internet I found out that Dean made a "Custom 450."  That's what this guitar was.

It was exactly as pictured.  It was a set neck with EMG pickups in a natural color.  I think the seller made the same mistake as I did.  He thought this guitar was a Custom 350.  You see, he was selling the guitar for $200.  The Custom 350 sold new for $300.  But the Custom 450 sold new for $600.  Again, they look a lot alike.

When I talked to the seller, he said he bought the Dean to learn to play guitar.  It just didn't happen for him.  So he was moving on.  That's one reason he probably listed the guitar as, "Guitar" on Facebook Marketplace.  He just didn't know the in's and out's of the music industry.

So while I don't need another guitar, I just couldn't let this deal pass me by.  And if I want to sell it later on, I can do that.  Hey, even I realize the resale market isn't great for Dean guitars, but I could possibly make a small profit.

So now let's go onto the photos!

And it came with a leather soft case to boot!  So that added to the deal.

First up, the good.  

All the wood and parts are top notch.  It's really well balanced.  After setting it up, the fretboard doesn't have a wave or twist in it at all.  It's perfect.  Dean likes using the super jumbo frets.  I ended up fret dressing it for two reasons.  The first, is that, I always fret dress my guitars.  Every guitar built needs one, but only high end guitars end up receiving them.  

The second reason is the frets are so dang high it knocks them down a bit for easier playing.  The third is I can set the action extremely low with a great fret job.  

Next up, the gray area.

So Dean factory installed EMG pickups on this model.  That's quite a step up from the usual overseas pickups.  However, players tend to either love or hate EMG pickups.  I've never been crazy about them.  I've always been with the crowd that says, "EMG pickups make all guitars sound the same."  I've found that to be somewhat true except for two guitars.

The first was on an ESP Eclipse 3 that I jammed on in a Sam Ash.  That guitar has an EMG 81 bridge/ 60 neck set.  For some reason it wasn't overly bright like so many I had heard before.  I don't know what made that guitar different?  I had never played that model before, but it was an amazing guitar.  I can see why players like them.

Of all the EMG pickups, I have to say I liked the EMG 85.  It has an EQ that is similar to a Seymour Duncan Distortion.  I'd say the EQ was:  Treble:9, Mids: 8, Bass: 5.  I always thought it should be the main bridge pickup for active pickup equipped guitars.  Instead, they always put it in the neck.

So I immediately decided to so a little pickup swapping.  Since EMG's are quick connect, I just swapped the EMG 81 and EMG 85's positions.  I have to say that was one of the best musical decisions I've made in my life.  The EMG 85 rocks in the bridge position, where the EMG 81 makes a clean neck position pickup.  

Like I said earlier there were only two EMG equipped guitars that I've played that didn't sound overly bright.  This was the second one.  I'm not sure why it sounds so balanced compared with so many other EMG equipped guitars, but this one sounds really good.  

The next upgrade for this guitar, is that, it has 24 frets.  Take a look at the double dots on the last fret.  Yep, that's a 24 fret guitar.

I put this under my "Gray Area" since some players don't need or want 24 frets.  I realize that for some songs you need those two extra frets.  But I realize that a lot of us don't play past the 15th fret.  In fact, a lot of us just play "Cowboy Chords" on the first three.  So again, this would be great for some players, and dismissed by others.  It's really up the individual player.  

The Ugly:

Let's be honest.  This guitar is supposed to compete for metal player crowd.  Specifically, this is Dean's alternative to Ibanez's RG Prestige series.  Here's an example:

So if you ask any metal player what Ibanez guitars are best known for they'll say, "Steve Vai!!!"  But after that they will tell you, "The Ibanez Wizard 2 neck.  For those not in the know, Ibanez has extremely thin necks.  Shredders love thin necks.  They help make playing easier and faster.

So what kind of neck does the Dean Custom 450 have on it?  Well, it's not good.  You start with a Gibson 50's neck, then you make it wider.  By the time you are at the 12th fret, it starts to feel like a seven string guitar.  At the heel this has to be the biggest neck I've ever played in my life.  I know Dean likes big necks.  Heck, I own six Deans and have owned a bunch of others in my life. 

However, this is ridiculous.  The neck up to the first three frets starts off just fine.  It just keeps getting thicker and wider as the neck goes on.  Any player who would put this up against an Ibanez RG is going lean towards the easier playing Wizard 2 neck on the Ibanez.  

The New:

As I mentioned earlier Dean has discontinued the Custom 350, 350-F, 450, and 450-F series.  However, they have replaced it with something that I think will compete with Ibanez a little better.  It's called the Exile series.

The first time I saw the photos I was amazed.  This one comes with the new EMG pickups, the 57 and 66.  It's also built with 24 frets.  However, it also comes with a heck of a price, $1,100.  Whew!  And if you buy the Floyd Rose or seven string models the price only increases.  

It's wonderful guitar.  I only hope they haven't priced themselves out of the market.  I mean, I had a hard decision on paying $200 for the Dean Custom 450.  Paying $1,100 is a big jump up from that.  

But let me get back on track.  I'm digging my new guitar day.  I'm having fun with it.  Now I just have to find a place to put it.  Maybe it's time to build a new wall hanging guitar rack?  Yeah, right after I add a new wall.  Till then, keep rocking, and above all else, have fun with it.

The Bass! Part 4,

Part 1:  http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-bass-there-are-no-such-things-as.html

Part 2:  http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-bass-part-2.html
Part 3:  http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-bass-part-3-punk-rock-bass.html

So I had been waiting on the bridge to arrive, and it finally did. 

While it was not an exact replacement of the old one, the saddles lined up just fine.  And in the end, that's what's important.

I then had to deal with the pickguard not lining up exactly.  However, the use of a long screw took care of a, now, tiny problem.

As you can see, it worked out pretty good.  It holds rather nicely.

However then came a problem I did not forsee.  This happens with older guitar or bass necks.  With no tension on it, the neck is straight.  But with the strings at full tension the heal kicks up.  So I am torn between having insanely high action, or the frets not being playable from the 12th fret up. 

Now, the normal way to correct this is to yank out the frets below the 12th fret, shave the fingerboard, and replace the frets.  However, the fingerboard is maple, and if I shave it I will have to re-finish it.  Right now, I don't have time for that.  I have to make the bass somewhat playable for the next gig. 

Once we cross that bridge, I will go back and start work on it.  I might be able to shave the frets down, and make it playable.  But I'll deal with that when I get there. 

I knew I would be a pain to put this thing together, but I didn't think it would be "THIS" much of a pain.  I did a lot more work on this thing than I had planned to. 

But here's the result.  Not too bad.

The Bass! Part 3, Punk Rock Bass

Part 1:  http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-bass-there-are-no-such-things-as.html

Part 2:  http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-bass-part-2.html

So I have been having problems with the wiring.  Seriously, I've been working something like a week on it.  But instead of making a long story out of it, I'll just say this.  It seems one of the volume pots was bad, and not sending enough signal through to the tone pot.  That's why I couldn't get the tone pot to work.

I do want to say now that the volume is LOUD!!!  Now that I have a proper working volume pot, it's surprising just how loud these Dragonfire active pickups are.  I can't wait to get strings on this bass.

And simply put, I yanked out everything, and started with all new parts.

So after getting all the electronics working, I made holes for all the screws, and fitted the pickguard and output jack. 

Even though I don't have the bridge yet, I used my straight edge to get a proper angle on how I should shim the neck.  I used a rather thick piece of wood, and shimmed it.  It came out exactly how I wanted.  I may have to adjust it further once I get the bridge in, but it's a good start.

So onto the pictures!!!

So the bass looks very worn and punk rock to me.  It was a great bass to get some practice in on a few things.  More to come when I get the bridge in the mail, and get the bass finally set up.

The Bass! Part 2

Here's part 1.  It might make more sense to read it first.

http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-bass-there-are-no-such-things-as.html

So I am trying to get this bass up and running.  It's not as simple as putting parts together.  There are so many things I'm having to adjust, sand, cut, and rig, just to get it to somewhat work together.

First up, let me show some pictures so everyone knows what I am talking about.

Let's go over what I'm talking about.

1.  I had to cut some foam to put under the pickups.  I then had to drill the screw holes even longer so the screws could go in.
2.  I had to adjust the pickguard even more to get those P-Bass pickups to fit in.  It was a lot of sanding and such.  Just a lot of what I have been doing.
3.  I just did away with the pots that came with the Dragonfire pickups.  I have a whole box of EMG pots, so I used them.  They are mini-pots so I can use them without having to route out part of the body.
4.  Speaking of routing...  I routed the body so the pickups would fit better.  I also routed the pickguard so I can fit it in the truss rod hex adjuster. 

Frankly, it's just a lot of nipping things in the bud here and there.  Again, universal parts are not universal! 

Up next is wiring the active pickups.  This is kind of funny, but Dragonfire didn't include a wiring diagram.  Usually I can do these without looking at a diagram, but I haven't done an active set in a while.  So I downloaded the EMG diagram.  Since these pickups are supposed to be a copy of them, I decided to just go right to the source. 

After that, I will get the neck on there, and wait for the bridge to come in the mail.  That, of course, means more blogging.  Keep posted.