Dean ML Guitars – I’m willing to wager that every guitar player has heard or played a Dean Guitar. Of course you recognize Dean’s distinctive winged logo and diverse body shape of the ever so popular Dean ML, but do you know where it all comes from? This guitar’s body shape has proven over the years to be very popular amongst many different hard rock and heavy metal guitarists. Although without a man from Chicago by the name of Dean Zelinsky, the guitar world would never have experienced a Dean ML, and history would not have been made.
When creating the Dean ML in 1977, Zelinsky aimed to create a guitar that would have the perfect tone. In addition to the ultimate tone, he aspired to create the best sustaining guitar of the Dean collection. The ML is truly a work of art when it comes to revolutionizing the way various companies started constructing their own guitars. Many people assume the ML is just something pretty to look at but the truth is, it’s more than some aesthetically pleasing hunk of metal and wood to sit in the trophy case. The Dean MLs play and sound like a dream. The unique headstock gives extra long string length which gives off a unique sound. No guitar provider can match a sound like a Dean ML because the ML is in a league all of its own.
The guitar’s tone, the largely spread out body, the signature winged head stock; it all serves a purpose that goes even beyond making a nice looking guitar. Priced around $600 dollars you can’t really go wrong with this model. Sure, $600 bones isn’t chump change but for a guitar like this I would say it’s quite the bargain, definitely beats dishing out a few thousand big ones on a Les Paul Custom. With the Dean ML you get a great sounding guitar all bundled up into a brutal looking ax.
If you cannot bring yourself to believe that this guitar is less than astonishing, then dig up some old Dimebag Darrell interviews. In honor of Dimebag, Dean Guitars created a tribute ML model named “Dime From Hell”. The Dime From Hell ML is identical to Dimebag’s original ML, blue in color, features the Buddy Blaze lightning bolt that covers nearly the entire front of the body. And, of course, the Dime From Hell tribute guitar is equipped with Dimebag’s favorite equipment; Bill Lawrence L500XL Bridge Pickup, Floyd Rose Tremolo, Grover tuners, and Dimebag’s patented traction knobs.
Dimebag’s renowned Bolt Dean ML guitar can be seen wielded to the fierce guitarist on the cover of the Pantera album, “Cowboys from Hell“. To some, Dean ML guitars are just another instrument… but to others, they are a revolution.
Look i own a Gibson Les Paul Standard, Synyster Gates custom guitar, an a Washburn nuno bettencort, and Hands Down this Dean Dime Shadow ML,is a str8 killer guitar no matter what u say, you can not go wrong here, i got the Dimebag ”Dean From Hell’full specs…*after lots of research* w/ Dimarzio super distortion in the neck with the bill lawrence l-500-xl in the bridge swapped over an original 1000 series floyd in it with the 37mm brass block, brass, spring claw, and custom brass springs with custom brass tremolo-stopper, Holy Shit, this thing is a beast, a fire breathing, harmonics wailin’, hardcore piece of art, GET 1, you will not be dissapointed, for 700-800 bones you could have your own ”Dean From Hell”, i cant say enough good thangz bout this thing, massive sustain screeching harmonics, super-fast playability,so so veratile and thats just gettin me started, point blank if you gotta decent Dime ML, an invest a couple bones in it, u wont believe your ears, seriouslly , if you cant rock out on one of these than go get ya a acoustic an play country or sumthin…..u might not have NO metal chops, for this mad-mutha-shut-yo-mouth….oooh oooh , i highly recomend if u wanna a ball shredin, metal mahem axe, the Dime Dean ML’s are the way to go, any Dean for that matter…..GEt your Wings, and GETCHA a Pull…!!!
P.S. This is what u need to do to recreate Dimes ”Dean from Hell”
*after weeks of esearch i figured out every last piece, n did them all to mine, so….if u wanna the baddest ass Dime setup on yours just do what i did
GETCHA PULL….!!!!!
*Original Floyd Rose series 1000 Tremolo……………………..As Seen on, Dimebags ”Dean From Hell”
*Full Fret Level…………………………………………………………….To Eliminate any/all string buzz
*Big 37mm Brass trem block……………………………………..Bigger and Stronger,Better Material, mass = sustain
*Brass spring claw…………………………………………………………Enhances Brightness, Strengthens weakest point on guitars sustain chain which = Better Sustain
*Stainless Tremolo arm ………………………………………………..Stronger than original
*Stainless Spring claw screws………………………………………..bigger and longer, for Maximum Resononce
*Stainless Lock Nut Screws…………………………………………….4 xtra tight hold
*Stainless Bridge Bolts 1 3/4”, ‘Larger and Stronger’……..4 xtra trem stability
*CUSTOM Brass Super High Quality Tremolo Springs…….Xtra Quiet, xtra Tuning Stability
*String Retainer……..”above locknut”………………………………..keeps strings silent on headstock
+ small piece of Foam under strings for x-tra quietness………adds to retainers silence
*E V H low friction Tone / Volume pots 500k……………….1 vol , 2 tone, goes to 13 instead of 10
*Fully Copper Sheilded Cavities and backplates…….”ALL Cavities” Eliminates 99.9% All Noise Interference
*Grover Tuners 18:1 ratio locking tuners…………………………Keeps Everything in tune
*Titanium Floyd Rose String Blocks………………………………0 friction on strings
*USA upgraded Toggle Switch……………………………………….For the ”Jimmy Page”esk taps…Heavy Duty
*Dimarzio Super Distortion ”Neck P/U”……………………..super high output, great in rhythm position
*Bill Lawrence ”Vintage 80’s” L-500-XL ”Bridge”……….Both flipped upside down same as Dimebags
Authentic *Real Deal handmade by Bill an Becky* ”Dean From Hell”….same p/u’s also…
*Fully Handwired with 4-Conductor fully shileded, braided wire…………….All Electronics
*Skull Jackplate/”stereo”USA input jack……………………………….upgraded from mono
*Van Halen style Strap Locks………………………………………”As seen on his Original Frankenstat”….”Pers Pref”
*Clearcoat has Been Carefully Handsanded Off Back of Neck for Ultra-Fast playability……”Personal Pref”
*9-52 DR X-tra Life “Hi-Voltage” Strings……………………….Personal Pref, for My playing style
”For Standard and 1/2 Step Tunings”
+ several ”Top Secret” upgrades for my personal pfreference to exactly recreate the setup on Dimebags original ”Dean From Hell” slightly modified for my personal style….Getcha Pull…!!!….. ; ) *Full U.S.A spec
”R.I.P. Darrell Lance Abbott a.k.a. DIMEBAG”
….This Ones For You, Heros Get Remembered, Legends Never Die…..
Hope this helps all you real Dime fans, on the Right set-up, THIS IS IT..
Try it You’ll SEE…………….
DEAN Yall ROCK Brothers, if i can ever help w/anything plaz holla at me,
how do I adjust the springs on my “DIME DEAN SHADOW “?? Please help!’ With video. PLEASE ASAP!!!
Would’ve been helpful for your younger (and older) readers to know that “ML” stood for Matt Lynn, a boyhood best friend of Dean Zelinsky, who lost his battle with Leukemia when they were teens…..
Honestly, this wasn’t much of a history lesson. Decent guitar, if you buy the higher end models. However, I bought my son one of the import Dime MLs (he was 8 at the time,) and it was shocking how much set up I had to do on the guitar to make it playable. Tone pots not working at all, volume pot loose, rough fret edges, not intonated, one tuner not tightened properly, noisy pickup selector. And this from a brand new guitar that was apparently inspected and set up in the USA. I shudder to think how much more I’d have had to do if it had a Floyd.