HELP!!! (Dean bass 96')

[RexxRokket]

Hi, well im going straight to the point, I jut bought (inoncently/stupidly) a Dean bass that is apparently from the 96' so now I've been told that it sucks, simple as that. I like the shape and color of it (it sounds stupid I know, but it is what it is...) some inf abput this bass:

year - 1996
strings - 4
body - ?
neck - ?
Freetboard - Rosewwod
24 frets
DEAN
PJ pickups
3 control knobs
pickup selector

So if some of you could help me with any info I would be very pleased, thanks!. ... (and sorry for my bad english, it is not my native tongue)

[DeliriumTremens]

a picture is worth a thousand words

[RexxRokket]

Originally Posted by DeliriumTremens

a picture is worth a thousand words

well there you go

[JimmyM]

Who says it's a stupid idea? Tell them to bite you. Dean makes fine basses. Not the most glamorous basses in the world, but the Deans I've played have all sounded good and played well. Used to own a Dean 8 string, too.

[tmdazed]

that i believe is a tropical era DB91, shrimpfork headstock and a very fine bass. I play a Zbass as my main stage and practice bass and wouldn't give it up for the world. Dont take what others say as gospel , play it for a while yourself , it may surprise you. The body should be alder and the neck Maple. Some say the body is Ply (you can tell by removing a pickup and looking at the routed pocket) and others say Alder. not a superstar instrument but a definite intermediate instrument and pretty good bang for the buck

[RexxRokket]

Well, honestly I did't play a Dean before, that's why I asked for an opinion.... but it wasn't a good opinion, the guy told me '' it's a sh*tty bass '' so now im kind of disapointed, but in your opinion is this a good bass ?

[RexxRokket]

Originally Posted by tmdazed

that i believe is a tropical era DB91, shrimpfork headstock and a very fine bass. I play a Zbass as my main stage and practice bass and wouldn't give it up for the world. Dont take what others say as gospel , play it for a while yourself , it may surprise you. The body should be alder and the neck Maple. Some say the body is Ply (you can tell by removing a pickup and looking at the routed pocket) and others say Alder. not a superstar instrument but a definite intermediate instrument and pretty good bang for the buck

Wow thanks bro, are you sure about the model ? then it is a good one (good one, not a pro I know...), if im honest I did play it acustic and it gave me a pretty decent sound, im just waiting for the technician to call me to pick it up (had to change the plug, it was the only bad thing about it) and if you could make a comparisson between this and a Ibanez/Squier/Fender/Epiphone/LTD/BC Rich/etc which would fit it well?. Again, never did play one of these Dean before and sorry if im being repetitive.

[Nev375]

It would be impossible to tell you if its a good bass without it in my hands. Some Deans are crap while others are very solid instruments. Fact is, my number one bass is a Korean Dean circa 2000. I've got a dozen other basses of all different brands and ages made in all different countries. The worst two of the bunch are American built from well respected brands ...go figure.

Don't let gear snobs tell you about your instrument. Let your ears, hands and experience guide you. You will know when your bass is not cutting it and you need something better.

Based on the picture, it sure looks nice!

[Rebop]

Originally Posted by RexxRokket

if you could make a comparisson between this and a Ibanez/Squier/Fender/Epiphone/LTD/BC Rich/etc which would fit it well?.

Considering most of those are made in the same factories in Asia, the answer would be yes. Brand means less than you'd think in this case. It's all about whether you like it or not. It's probably nicer than a lot of people will give it credit for.

[RCCollins]

Looks cool to me. I like the reverse split P. Dean has been in the business for a long while and they've produced a range of product lines. Play the heck out of that Dean!

[tmdazed]

I would put it in the Ibby,Epi,bc rich category , great highs and mids, not quite punchy enough on the lows though , great all around bass. You should be happy with it , I believe they were made in the Samick korea factory , same place they were churning out Ibanez and epiphone, all of which I have owned and been thoroughly happy with

[RexxRokket]

Originally Posted by Nev375

It would be impossible to tell you if its a good bass without it in my hands. Some Deans are crap while others are very solid instruments. Fact is, my number one bass is a Korean Dean circa 2000. I've got a dozen other basses of all different brands and ages made in all different countries. The worst two of the bunch are American built from well respected brands ...go figure.

Don't let gear snobs tell you about your instrument. Let your ears, hands and experience guide you. You will know when your bass is not cutting it and you need something better.

Based on the picture, it sure looks nice!

OH yes, plus the color is really cool!, thing is that cam is a cr*p so you cant actually see it, about the sound I must say I did play it acustically and it has a good sound

[RexxRokket]

Originally Posted by tmdazed

I would put it in the Ibby,Epi,bc rich category , great highs and mids, not quite punchy enough on the lows though , great all around bass. You should be happy with it , I believe they were made in the Samick korea factory , same place they were churning out Ibanez and epiphone, all of which I have owned and been thoroughly happy with

yes I have a feeling about it, think it was made in Korea back i the days you know? so may have good mids/higs? perfect for a rockysh band then haha

[tmdazed]

Originally Posted by RexxRokket

yes I have a feeling about it, think it was made in Korea back i the days you know? so may have good mids/higs? perfect for a rockysh band then haha

yup it should do you fine, you never know , the lows may be ok for any pop/slap you play(if any) lows are ok for a nice back pocket groove. Cant take what others say though , every ear is different and what pleases it is too . Same with feel , I know a lot of people like the feel of fenders, personally I hate them , but personally is the caveat, its the way I feel, not the way you do . try it out , if it works for you , Carry on , if not, sell it and carry on

[RexxRokket]

Originally Posted by tmdazed

yup it should do you fine, you never know , the lows may be ok for any pop/slap you play(if any) lows are ok for a nice back pocket groove. Cant take what others say though , every ear is different and what pleases it is too . Same with feel , I know a lot of people like the feel of fenders, personally I hate them , but personally is the caveat, its the way I feel, not the way you do . try it out , if it works for you , Carry on , if not, sell it and carry on

yes that's mostly a subjective thing... but also im asking about quality you know ? materials, sound, electronics, wood, you know... that technical stuff that im worried about haha

[RexxRokket]

Originally Posted by RCCollins

Looks cool to me. I like the reverse split P. Dean has been in the business for a long while and they've produced a range of product lines. Play the heck out of that Dean!

yeah bro, that's what im going to do, just want to know if I did a good inversion with this one...

[bassteban]

Deans are of a very decent quality. How many times do you need to hear this before you understand that whoever said its crap is talking out their A?

[RexxRokket]

Originally Posted by bassteban

Deans are of a very decent quality. How many times do you need to hear this before you understand that whoever said its crap is talking out their A?

Im just making sure... don't get mad at me

[monti2889]

Here is my opinion...ANY bass can be made to fit any musician...in the big picture...they're just a few pieces of wood put together and in most cases some frets slapped on the finger board. With that said...to get a "good" bass/instrument or one that fits you specifically...will ultimately cost some money and some reworking of the wood. That's why it's always good to start with higher quality pieces or pieces that already somewhat fit you, as that means less modification will be needed.

For your specific situation and from my experience...Dean makes great instruments and are very comparable to other basses in their target price range.
Dean's tend to have a fairly thin neck profile, which is comfortable to play for some...others like a little more girth.
The problem with a thin neck, is they tend to need adjusted a little more often, and are more likely to warp, if not properly cared for. This may be one reason, why dean doesn't have the "best" reputation among gear snobs. As far as electronics in deans...they tend to be voiced more for harder styles of rock and seem to let a lot of highs through, also the bottom end tends to not be as articulate as other stock pickups. The actual hardware they use seems to be on par with their price ranges, and in some cases maybe even a little better.
All in all, a general review of dean would be, for the price range, you get a lot of extras like fancier inlays on the neck, and more extravagant finishes, for an entry level price. So, in order to deliver some of those extras, they have to "cut corners" in other places, (like electronics and wood quality).
Probably another reason for a poor reputation.
A further review for your particular bass...
it looks like a nice bass...I can tell that the neck would probably be a thin for my taste (but to each their own), the inlays look cool, without seeing it in person the finish looks good. It may be a 3 piece body as I can see a line on the treble side running next to the pickups. The bridge looks nice and beefy, which should add to sustain and be a big plus for this bass. The controls look well thought out, (assuming, volume p-pup, volume j-pup, tone, pickup selector). Without hearing it I wouldn't be able to tell you about the sound, but output sounds can be changed without to much of an investment...ie new pickup(s), tone cap, pots. The placement of the pickups looks pretty standard for a P/J style bass, maybe a little closer to the bridge than some. So, with everything I'm able to see...for the right price, you did well with your purchase...probably somewhere in the 100-250 range and you should be proud that you found a good bass for a great price. Personally, I wouldn't be the least bit embarrassed about playing your dean on stage and I'd relish the opportunity to show people that "I've got my wings".

[rfslick]

Plug and play!