Dean 12 stings?

Scooter B

Scooter B

New member
Just curious if anyone has tried out one of the Dean semi-hollow body 12 string electrics like the Sarasota or the Bocca?
http://www.deanguitars.com/sarasota_12.htm


I have not seen any at the local GC to try out.

At their price point (under $500) they look nice in the photo's but I would expect it to take some set up work and possibly some new pups and electronics to really get it sounding good but I would think the potential is there.

Of course I would prefer a 12 string Rickenbacker but I don't think I will be able to afford one of those any time in the next few decades.
 
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Well I own 3, 12 string guitars. My favorite is this Ric 370/12:
http://www.voxshowroom.com/northcoast/rickenbacker/37012fg/index.html

I had to have my Ric modified to play correctly. I installed a new bone nut and more importantly a 12 saddle bridge. It's real easy to play after that mod.

The Dean's price seems very affordable for an electric 12 string. The comments about the heavy neck does concern me. It's hard enough to finger chords on a 12 string without having to hold the neck up as well.

Maybe you can find a local dealer that has one in stock so you can play and hear it for yourself. Good luck.
 
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I have no experience with the Dean electric 12-string models but I owned one of their acoustic 12-strings for 3 years before getting tired of it and trading it off for something else. I'll never buy another Dean product again. If their acoustic 12-strings are any indication--you would be better off saving up to by a Rick. The necks on the Deans are not stable and have to be adjusted every time you change strings. The Ricks have a dual truss-rod design which eliminates the problem.

In addition, part of the Rick sound is in how it is strung--with the lower of the strings in the octave courses arranged so that the pick hits it first. The Dean electric 12-strings are strung in the conventional manner--so the pick hits the higher string first. One could, of course, change the string positions on the Dean to "Rick" style--but that would involve having to have a new nut installed and possibly a new setup on the saddles.
 
Hi YeshuasFan,

I dig your user name and signature...got to add that to my good thoughts and quotes collection.

I would not judge Dean's by their acoustics. Acoustic guitars are best left to companies that really specialize in acoustics and don't just slap there name on a cheap generic to make money.

I owned one the 1980's Dean Elites and it was extremely sweet playing but swithced to primarily bass playing and sold it.

They make some very nice electrics but most of the low end stuff is from Korea and another European line is made in the Czech republic. There are US made ones as well in the higher end. Dean know how to make good electrics but I would be shocked if they made a decent acoustic.


In addition, part of the Rick sound is in how it is strung--with the lower of the strings in the octave courses arranged so that the pick hits it first
Click to expand...

Actually that is the standard way... the Ricks should have the high string first (top of the neck). Every 12 string I have played had the normal low strings at the top and the octaves below it.
 
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Scooter B,
Actually my comments on the Rick sound are beside the main point--that being that very few 12-string designs have taken into account the extra tension those extra strings exert on the neck. Rick is the only maker of electric 12-strings which has addressed the problem--by using a dual truss rod in the neck.
As far as how the Dean sounded, It was one of the best sounding 12-strings I've ever played in the under $1k price range. I just got tired of the inconvenience of having to have the neck adjusted every time I changed strings.

My experience is 30 years of playing acoustic 12-string. In that time I've owned five different 12-strings and played a couple of dozen more in the process of shopping for new ones. When I first began playing 12-string, manufacturers used laminates in the neck (which actually contributed to and enhanced neck stability)--but as manufacturers adopted 1-piece necks for aesthetic reasons, neck stability went out as a design concern. For Guild 12-strings, this was never an issue because they also use a double truss rod. The only other "all wood" guitar which has addressed the issue of neck stability is the Yamaha LL-16-12, which continues to use a laminated neck, as well as a neck block extension under where the fingerboard joins the top.
I know some feel laminates in guitar construction are a bad thing--but that is only where laminates are used in the backs, sides, and (may it never be!) tops.

I don't see where this is any less of an issue for electric guitars--except for possibly the fact that the strings on an electric usually tend to be of a lighter guage than those used on an acoustic, and, if the Deans are true semi-hollowbody construction, there will be a solid piece of wood running down the middle of the guitar's body from the neck-joint to the tailblock, which might help increase the stability of the neck.
I'd save up the extra $$ and buy a Rick and avoid the Dean. The Boca and the Sarasota are both made in Korea and comparing them to the American made Elite series guitars is like comparing an Epi to a Gibson.
 
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