It’s difficult for me to realize that 2012 was actually over a decade ago. How time does fly. When I think about Korean made LP copies from that time period my mind naturally gravitates to the so-called “Golden Age of Agile.” This Dean has a very similar feel to those Agiles, and for that matter, to other brands like PRS from the same era. It’s not a stretch to imagine that they were all made in the same factory, by the same workers. I believe only the highest end import Deans are made in Korea at this point, so I feel lucky to have got one at such a good price.
This Dean has the heft of a classic Agile too. It’s not a 12 pound boat anchor, but it is probably all of 10 pounds. Overall, the guitar is in remarkable condition, with no discernible fret wear. I included a close up pic of the neck to show the impeccable fret dressing.
I love the blue flamed top, as well as the way is coordinates with the abalone dot inlays. It’s showy without being overly flashy. While it's not a burst, there's just the slightest touch of a lighter blue grey in the center. There's also some vertical lines in the flame, which I also find very appealing.
The nickel hardware feels high quality, including the Grover tuners. The bridge is the ABR-1 type, which I prefer.
The pickups are “vintagey” PAF type output, around 8.5K at the bridge and 8.15K at the neck. From their clarity, tightness under gain, and characteristic crunch I would guess they have ceramic magnets. They are independently splittable with the volume and tone knob. They sound quite good, and I don't feel the need to change them. There’s so many tone options with the pickups spilt, and the very smooth tapered volume and tone knob only add to that variety.
The only modification I made while setting the guitar up was cutting the nut slots a little deeper. It plays like a dream now. I’d feel safe gigging this guitar as my main instrument. It's solid and delivers the goods.
