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58 of 64 found the following review helpful:
 Great bang for your buck. Sep 08, 2004
By D. Vazquez
I bought this Evo because I wanted a cheap non tremelo guitar around to play with alternative tunings, and I really like the looks of it. My other guitars are a Fender Strat and a Fender Lead 1, both equipped with Floyd Rose systems so the Evo was a nice change of pace.
On to the guitar! The first thing I noticed was the weight. At 5.75 lbs. it's probably the lightest guitar I've ever played. Right out of the box it wasn't set up, which didn't really surprise me for a $100 guitar. After setting up the guitar (adjusting the bridge and truss rod) it turned out to be a very nice player. The stock pickups sound great and the solid mahogany body has decent sustain. The good tone surprised me considering how light it is. I have only one complaint. The cheap tuning keys. They're cheap and it's obvious when you turn them and feel varying amounts of play from each of them. That being said, they seem to stay in tune pretty well. The bottom line is that the Evo is an EXCELLENT value! The only thing keeping it from getting 5 stars are the tuning keys. I would highly recommend this guitar to beginners as a first electric or experienced guitarists who want something cheap to play around on. The guitar should be set up properly for best results. If you don't know how to do it, take it to your local guitar shop and pay to have it done.
Enjoy!
25 of 26 found the following review helpful:
 Great Deal Jun 01, 2006
By S. Bandyk
"sbady"
I own an EVO.. as a matter of fact I spent the whole evening playing it in front of the TV. I annoy my wife to no end when I do this.
I had the same problems that I've seen in most other reviews on the web. The tuning pegs are really cheap. The guitar will not stay in tune when you get it. After playing it for a while and putting some good strings on it, it's keeping it tune much better (though I've got a good set on back order)
The neck was as straight as an arrow right out of the box. I'd mess it up if I touched the truss rod.
The fret wires were a little rough (tops not polished) but I fixed that by playing the cheap strings for a while. The fret wire edges were cut sharp and not filed too. This was the only real work I put in. I taped off the fret board and filed the edges down with a small diamond file. The neck plays like a dream now. Action is VERY light and low and it's a nice thin maple neck profile. Very fast though it could be a tad bigger for my medium hands (still a joy to play though).
The finish on every part of the guitar is very nice. It's very pretty and I'm happy to have it hanging on a wall mount. No defects.
The body is small in general but not out of proportion and for a 5'11" inch guy like me it's a little small when playing on my knee. It's nice to play standing, very light and comefortable, but I find it just a tad awkward when playing it sitting or reclining on the couch. Nothing beats my Strat for lounging comefort. It does have a good balance.. it's not neck heavy or tail heavy so it just hangs however you want it to from a strap.
Electronics are OK. It's not noisy but the pickups were a bit weak. The bridge pickup was a bit muddy until I raised the pickup (easy for even a novice) and then it cleaned up a lot. It has a nice rich (almost les paulish) mahogony tone but it's a little brighter (thiner) because of the maple neck and smaller body.
I did replace the bridge pickup with a $30 Seymore Duncan Performer pickup and the ouput went up. The sound is much more 'crunchy' now and it's easier to pull harmonics but it's still got a nice tone.
I've only had one problem so far, the volume Pot went loose and the compression fit knob is on super tight so i haven't fixed it yet. The body finish is so nice that I'm afraid to pry it off. I'll call Dean before ripping the knob off for suggestions.
Overall, I'm freaking thrilled with the guitar. The tuners were the big bummer when I got it but they've actually stabalized though I still plan to eventually upgrade them.
It's not as 'metal' as my Ibanez RG450 but after a little TLC (an hour or two of work) I've got a beautiful guitar the plays like a dream. Out of the box with a little filing and some new strings and this is a fantastic guitar. I'm refinishing the Ibanez but I've got a Fender Strat and an Epiphone ES335 Dot Studio up in my room and, though they are all great for their own reasons, I play the Dean (my least expensive guitar) at least as much as any of my others.
Get one. I'm actually wondering when I'll buy my next Dean. I'm thinking a natural Vendetta will be next.. or the nicer version of the EVO.
I was torn on how to rate this. Objectively, it's a 4 star guitar.. compared to a $5000 custom shop job it's probably at best a 3 star guitar if that. I'm going to give it 5 Stars though because I can't rate it without considering the price. Factoring in the price, it's a 10 star guitar. It's got rough edges (literally) but there's nothing wrong with this guitar that any novice can't fix on their own (like my fret job and pickup swap).
25 of 27 found the following review helpful:
 Purely for beginners only Sep 13, 2008
By R. Benoit
On the plus side, this guitar is inexpensive. On the minus side, the pickups are very noisy, the tuners are loose and don't hold tuning, and the body construction is such that if you put any weight on the body while holding the neck, the tuning goes sharp.
If you're short/small and always play sitting down, this might be an OK value. For anyone else, avoid it.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Best beginner guitar at an incredible price. Feb 07, 2011
By Gary C. Macatangay
"Hilaroo"
First off, I bought this when it was selling for a pretty incredible price of $70. To be honest with you, I didn't know what to expect but the fact that it was a Dean guitar for this price was enough of a curiosity that was too tempting to pass on.
A bit of a background first off, I have been playing music for over 30 years even though primarily as a bassist, I have also played guitar and have owned quite a few instruments that are of professional quality (read overly expensive investments lol).
I'll break down my review in a few categories here:-
Packaging/Delivery
Was delivered in a week's time and was adequately packed. Outer box was huge but served to keep the inner guitar box padded for the trip to my home. No issues whatsoever. Kudos and thanks to whoever packed it.
Appearance
Guitar definitely doesn't look like a "cheap" guitar- I'm not usually one for a natural finish on my guitars but this one wasn't too bad at all. It's not a superb masterpiece- it doesn't possess the beautiful woodgrain and laquered look of some of the guitars I've seen but it's important to remember that you also aren't paying an arm and a leg for this instrument.
Playability
Now this is where the Evo really becomes a bargain. The tuners are of a lower quality but can be changed at a later time if you want- it has not slipped on me but I can how this can be an area of concern in the future after a few years. It's an easy remedy so I'm not too worried.
Sound is awesome for what can be considered a beginner guitar - Im not really into the multitude of Strat models that usually populate this price range, give me a guitar with humbucker pickups anyday as I prefer the "fuller" sound they provide.
Pickups are of average to slighly above average quality compared to ANY guitar out there so for a bargain priced guitar, you've actually got great sound coming out of it. My wife has had the Squier before and in comparison, the Dean sounds so much better. The Dean is also a joy to play as the neck is slim and responsive (similar to Hagstrom guitars which are noted for their incredibly fast necks), string height was pretty good off the bat- little setup needed at least on the guitar I received.
Very playable, very happy with the quality of this guitar even if I had paid $200-300 for it.
Conclusion
I would definitely recommend this over the Squier as a beginner guitar- it's so much easier to play. My wife who had the Squier is having a much easier time with this guitar and it's one you can grow with and still keep in your collection.
Yes, I did buy this for my wife, but I'm so reluctant to part with it and want to keep it for myself- it's that good and fun to play on-I may have to buy another one for her. :)
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 A good basis for a project guitar. Feb 03, 2010
By Andy01950
I bought this EVO XM because I needed some electric LP scale guitar for home playing, upgradable and inexpensive. Out from the box it needed some set up, it's normal for any guitar. Action was a little too high, frets on the neck sides needed filing and overall polishing - not a big deal. Then all screws on the guitar, I mean ALL: neck bolts, pickup screws, jack nut itself etc. - all have to be tighten up, of course you have to put a new set of strings, I think light custom 9-46 is fine for this guitar. Tuner keys - I changed them immediately for Sperzel lock tuners, then plastic nut had to go, I put Graph Tech trem nut and the bridge I replaced with roller tunematic. Tailpiece - string holes have to be rimmed a little. Maybe I will change pickups later, but now it is a good sounding guitar and the basswood body has a decent sustain. If you love projects this guitar is a good thing to work with.
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