Dean Evo XM - used guitar advice

N

normington

New member
Hi,

I'm an acoustic player primarily, and haven't really done much on electric. I'd like to start experimenting a bit with electric guitars, and want something cheap to get me started. The Dean Evo XM guitars have some good reviews, and go for a great price. I've found a used one (great condition, about a year and a half since purchase but barely played) for £80, and I'm looking at buying it.

Bearing in mind I'm a young student and really can't afford to spend a large amount more on it, I want to ask you for some advice. With a budget guitar in the first place, do you think I should just find a new one to be on the safer side, or is the used one fine, given that it's a bit cheaper? Does anybody know about this guitar, is it any good, or should I be looking at something else?

Cheers,
Andy
 
That's a Les-Paul-type guitar, right?

As far as I know, Dean guitars are reasonably good guitars for a reasonable price.

I know that guitars are way more expensive in the UK than here in the States, but that guitar has a new street value of about $119 USD, which according to the online currency converter I just used, comes out to 71 pounds UK.

80 pounds sounds very high no matter how you cut it.
 
don't buy it. i have a dean vendetta XM. it has given me nothing but problems... it sounds horrible and its damn near falling apart.

don't get me wrong, i love dean guitars but their lower end models make better saw dust.
 
It looks like kingofpain has some experience with Dean's lower-end models. You might want to look around before buying it.

Perhaps you could find a used Fender Squier Stratocaster or Telecaster?
 
That is something to think about.
@kingofpain, do you have any experience of any other low-end Dean's, or have you known others be 'nothing but trouble' too?

Cheers,
 
definitely.

look into low end esp's or epiphones.

i've had good experiences with both of those brands.

good luck to you! :D
 
Be sure to check back in and let us know what you've thrown your hard-earned money at. :) We'll be gentle. :D
 
I've got a slightly higher end evo (noir) and it's a fantastic guitar... as far as the XM goes, I can't say. I've personally liked most Deans that I have played but it does seem as though the electricals can be done fairly shoddy, nothing you cant fix with a soldering iron though.
 
Zaphod B said:
That's a Les-Paul-type guitar, right?

As far as I know, Dean guitars are reasonably good guitars for a reasonable price.

I know that guitars are way more expensive in the UK than here in the States, but that guitar has a new street value of about $119 USD, which according to the online currency converter I just used, comes out to 71 pounds UK.

80 pounds sounds very high no matter how you cut it.
Click to expand...

Typically the dollar/pound rate for items sold here is 1:1.

That is to say if you lot pay $100 for a guitar we pay £100. Not fair maybe but always been that way. The temptation is often to think "well I'll buy direct from the US" but once you factor in shipping, tax and possible charges and the lack of an effective warranty it becomes unattractive unless you are importing in numbers.
 
muttley600 said:
Typically the dollar/pound rate for items sold here is 1:1.

That is to say if you lot pay $100 for a guitar we pay £100. Not fair maybe but always been that way. The temptation is often to think "well I'll buy direct from the US" but once you factor in shipping, tax and possible charges and the lack of an effective warranty it becomes unattractive unless you are importing in numbers.
Click to expand...
Wow. Is it the VAT that runs the cost up?
 
Hi again,

New question for you all - I have a choice between:
- the above-mentioned Dean Evo XM
- a used Squier Strat

Which would would you recommend? Is a squier strat more reputable? I like the look of the Dean more, but is there sufficient difference in quality to make that a factor I should ignore?

Thanks,
Andrew
 
Personally, having owned both, I'd recommend the Squier. My Evo XM felt and played cheaply, and I couldn't even rest my picking forearm against the body without the guitar going out of tune.

You're also looking at humbuckers vs. single coils, so based on that you may put more weight on either guitar based on the sound you like.
 
Russtopher said:
Personally, having owned both, I'd recommend the Squier. My Evo XM felt and played cheaply, and I couldn't even rest my picking forearm against the body without the guitar going out of tune.

You're also looking at humbuckers vs. single coils, so based on that you may put more weight on either guitar based on the sound you like.
Click to expand...

Not only that but it sounds terrible. I don't know if it's just paulownia that sucks or if dean uses bad cuts but the guitar had a sort of high end twang to it that annoyed that crap out of me and D# C and C# were really boomy. Now, I realize that no two guitars are alike and maybe I just got a crappy one but those were some of the problems I experienced.

Another thing was that the wood was rather soft so it got dings fairly easily.
 
Mine didn't sound all that bad when it was in tune. Which wasn't very often.

Definitely a "stay away from" guitar. I've seen them marked as low as $45 at a local shop, and sit on the floor for months.
 
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