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Dean Club!!!

#1,561
My first 5-string was a Dean DB95 about 20(?) years ago (in the UK). I remember it as being incredibly comfortable and fast to play. My memory of it may be incorrect but I think it had an unusually small string spacing, and also a thin neck. It may also have been a short scale?

I'd like to try and find another bass with similar dimensions, so would love to know what the DB95's string spacing, scale length etc actually were. Does anyone happen to know this info or can even just for sure confirm it really did have a smaller string spacing, neck thickness and/or scale than standard on most basses?
Thanks guys.

Edit: Reposted pic I found somewhere (maybe here) of identical bass but not mine. Image credits are also not mine.
 
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#1,563
FollowMeDown said:
My first 5-string was a Dean DB95 about 20(?) years ago (in the UK). I remember it as being incredibly comfortable and fast to play. My memory of it may be incorrect but I think it had an unusually small string spacing, and also a thin neck. It may also have been a short scale?

I'd like to try and find another bass with similar dimensions, so would love to know what the DB95's string spacing, scale length etc actually were. Does anyone happen to know this info or can even just for sure confirm it really did have a smaller string spacing, neck thickness and/or scale than standard on most basses?
Thanks guys.

Edit: Reposted pic I found somewhere (maybe here) of identical bass but not mine. Image credits are also not mine.
Click to expand...
Info is a bit difficult to find on these, but not impossible. They were 34" scale.
This is when 'Tropical Music' owned them before Elliot 'Dean' Rubinson bought Dean.

From Wikipedia

Dean Guitars started in 1976 and gained worldwide recognition by being used by bands such as Heart, Kansas, The Cars, Molly Hatchet, Triumph and ZZ Top.

With the advent of the superstrat and grunge music, Dean Zelinsky sold the business to Oscar Medeiros of Tropical Music, who gained ownership of the brand from 1986, and until 1995 focused on selling to Latin bands overseas. The company had all but disappeared from the American market at this point.

There's a couple of the DB series posted here.

Dean DB95 1991 red | Maximum Gear

Dean DB95 1994 Black | Reclaimed instruments

Dean Club!!! page 32

And elsewhere



Dean bass

Dean Club!!! page 25

Any Dean aficionado's? A little help...
 
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#1,565
bonin in the boneyard said:
This is Lisa, my DEAN EABC, gifted to me by my dad for my birthday after a painful job transition about five years ago. Before that I hadn't played with any regularity since the '90s. Music has been my self-therapy since. It now lives under my desk in my office for when I have one of "those" days. Personalized for me by my daughter:

View attachment 3427648

I tried a few different kinds of strings, but settled on Chromes. It had some gunk under the saddle that messed with the piezo pickup, but once my luthier cleaned that out (a task of all of 90 seconds while I watched) it sounds fine plugged in. Otherwise it was a totally workable instrument right out of the box. Thanks to the jumbo body, it has a full, deep tone that can go head to head with my Boulder Creek that costs 4x as much new.
Click to expand...
I named mine "Baby" because she can be fussy and colicky at times and my sweet little angel...if she feels like it. LOL!!!
 
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#1,567
bstringrandy said:
Count me in! Here's my Dean Edge 5 Unlined Fretless sporting a set of TI Jazz Flats. It's a very good sounding and playing bass for the $$.

View attachment 1314944

Randy
Click to expand...
@bstringrandy do you still have this?

Just asking as I bought one used about 8 or 9 months ago and it is stringed EADGC and I wondered if that is how they were sold from Dean brand new.

The catalogs I have don’t elaborate on this.
 
#1,568
Gougedeye said:
I got one of them 10-string babies as well. Makes me howl with laughter every time I play it. My band doesn't appreciate it, though, as much as I do.

View attachment 1393162
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Your 10 string has different pups
It has double row poles in each pup housing

IIRC you sold this

Here’s a pic of mine
22935C28-7636-4281-8569-463BA86E8E0A.jpeg


Did you change the pups on yours or did you buy it like that new or used?
 
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#1,576
Picked this up on June 21, 2019
Thought I'd post it here since my NBD post died down. :)

Active with Dean J style pups which are on the hot side. Trans Black. Neck is really nice, no sharp ends, narrow, thin and satin back. Nice and fast. Gotta get me a Tort PG

img_3687-jpg.3457827
IMG_3688 protect.jpg

img_3690-jpg.3457830
img_3692-jpg.3457831


  • Flame Maple Top
  • Basswood Body
  • 34" Scale
  • Bolt-On Maple C Neck
  • Maple Fingerboard
  • 22 frets
  • Black Dot Inlays
  • White Pearloid Pickguard
  • Die-Cast Tuners
  • Chrome Hardware
  • Die-Cast Bridge
  • Dean Jazz Active EQ Pickups
  • Trans Black
 
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#1,577
20190628_161501.jpg

Just picked up this little sweet heart. '94 Korean Edge fretless. Love the way it feels and plays. The previous owner removed the pre-amp so it's currently passive. Was Dean using the EMG pups in '04. Just wondering if I should change them out for something with a little more hind-end.
 

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#1,578
McDean said:
View attachment 3480807
Just picked up this little sweet heart. '94 Korean Edge fretless. Love the way it feels and plays. The previous owner removed the pre-amp so it's currently passive. Was Dean using the EMG pups in '04. Just wondering if I should change them out for something with a little more hind-end.
Click to expand...
Nice! Real Nice! These are real sleepers and quite comfortable to play.
This particular bass was similar to your Edge 5Q, but all non-'Q' Edge (non-Quilt) basses had Dean DMT pups and Dean preamps. The Edge 4Q, which you have hanging on the wall was a step up, with EMG-HZ, followed by the Edge 4QB which was another step up with the Barts.
This is not a '94 by the way. :)
In '94 they were still being made by Tropical Music and had a different look.
Elliot 'Dean' Rubinson didn't buy them until '97
Please provide a photo of the serial number. Looks like a 2004 (which you typed later so I'm guessing the '94 is a typo?)
I have a 5 string fretless that is similar to yours strung E,A,D,G,C
Here's a pick of mine which is a 2011 model for comparison
They used Dean pups on these with Dean active preamp
Unfortunately, I currently do not have a 2004 catalog. :(
w7n78pbmlvuwrmt0xkxy.jpg
wfndvn5x6r4kghleld1a.jpg
jkjf596dymcqyl83ml2x.jpg

2001 catalog page (Dean pups on the Fretless)
2001 p39.jpg

2003 catalog page (Dean pups on the Fretless)
Dean_2003_catalog 35.jpg

2007/2008 catalog page (Dean pups on the Fretless)
Dean_0708_catalog 37.jpg



NICE CATCH!

I think these would be great on your bass!

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Active with active preamp

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Or these
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Passive with active preamp
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#1,579
Any love in this group for the Metalman V. In light of developments from the evil empire I though I would show my affiliation by picking one up (also they seem to be dirt cheap, dollar value-wise). Zzounds show them OOS until September though. Maybe I should hunt used since they might go for just a song, no dance needed. I have played a Steinberger Spirit XT so used to a non-standard bass design, although never even touched a V since my pre-high school band days (lead Guitarist played a Kramer I think).
 
#1,580
B-Mac said:
Nice! Real Nice! These are real sleepers and quite comfortable to play.
This particular bass was similar to your Edge 4Q, but all non-'Q' Edge (non-Quilt) basses had Dean DMT pups and Dean preamps. The Edge 4Q, which you have hanging on the wall was a step up, with EMG-HZ, followed by the Edge 4QB which was another step up with the Barts.
This is not a '94 by the way. :)
In '94 they were still being made by Tropical Music and had a different look.
Elliot 'Dean' Rubinson didn't buy them until '97
Please provide a photo of the serial number. Looks like a 2004 (which you typed later so I'm guessing the '94 is a typo?)
I have a 5 string fretless that is similar to yours strung E,A,D,G,C
Here's a pick of mine which is a 2011 model for comparison
They used Dean pups on these with Dean active preamp
Unfortunately, I currently do not have a 2004 catalog. :(
View attachment 3480860 View attachment 3480861 View attachment 3480862
2001 catalog page (Dean pups on the Fretless) View attachment 3480864
2003 catalog page (Dean pups on the Fretless)
View attachment 3480865
2007/2008 catalog page (Dean pups on the Fretless)
View attachment 3480867


NICE CATCH!

I think these would be great on your bass!

Invalid Link Removed

Active with active preamp

Invalid Link RemovedInvalid Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed

Or these
Invalid Link Removed
Passive with active preamp
Invalid Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...
Thanks a ton!!! I almost didn't buy it because the previous owner had messed with the guts. However, it has a much darker sound than my Q5. They're both strung with LaBalla LT's.
 
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