Dean Guitars USA 84 ZB HSS 84 Modern Zebrawood H/S/S

I got this guitar on a whim during an Amazon flash deal on thanksgiving. I was very fortunate to get this guitar for WELL under the regular list price.This guitar is absolutely killer. It is everything you might expect from the cream of the crop of any major guitar manufacturer.The guitar came in a beautiful and sturdy black and gold Dean case. The case features dual 3 digit combination locks, memory foam front panel padding, and a spacious center pocket for any maintenance equipment you might want to store with it. Right out of the case, this guitar was perfectly set up, despite long periods at high altitudes for air mail. For the most part, the guitar arrived in absolutely pristine condition. The back plate appears to have suffered a small bit of buckle rash from the QA tester, but that is fine because all the components are protected by non-obtrusive plastic sheeting. This guitar features a very thin and fast neck profile. To compare to a better known professional grade instrument, this guitar best resembles the ESP M-II in terms of playability. Dean Magnetic Technologies are no slouch when it comes to their pickups either. I was fully expecting to want to put after market pickups into this guitar, but after playing it for a while, I decided to keep the stock pickups. The DMT Baker Act bridge pickup provides very strong and tight bass response, and otherwise extremely clear cleans and screaming response when you push the gain. Though Dean is best known for their humbuckers, the single coils on this guitar are just as professionally crafted and sonically powerful as any other high-end pickup they make. If it were not for the flash sale, I never would have bought this guitar. If you are willing to pay the listed price for a brand new custom shop guitar that spares no expense on quality, this is a great choice. The Dean USA 84 Modern holds its' own against any other custom shops' great instruments.