Dean Guitars Avalanche MQ

Very fat frets. Grover tuners.

This guitar is great for no matter what. It's a Dean, so its built to withstand a brutal punishment, but classic rockey stuff that i play sounds good too.

BEAUTIFULLY done. Lovely wood, very flashy. Three flaws, not big ones.
the first is a maligned pickup, so no biggy, bout a millimeter off. there is a small tuning problem with just ome string, and there is a small clinking sound when the whammy bar is pressed even slightly. This is probably my fault

It's a Dean, so like i said before, meant to withstand heavy metal. I would Definetly take it solely on a gig, if could tune the g string now and then. strap buttons are unbelieveably solid.

never had to. If i did, i bought from an expert who has a shop nearby.

I haven't been playin long, it's a work in progression. No regrets man i love this guitar. sounds just as good as my friend's strat. It appears i overpaid but i got a 20watt practice amp and a bunch of junk for setup and thats included. Good for beginners and a very individual look. Its great and I'd totally buy another one, except i've had a crush on the cherry sunburst les paul for a lil while...

I think 2002. Korean Made. 22 Frets, 2 tone and 1 volume. It has a HB and two SC. Basswood body, maple top(I think), Grover tuners. Strat look, Floating tremolo..

I play diferent types of music from Clasic Rock, Heavy Metal, to Jaz, Country and Pop(Last Three because of work). Its so very versatile.

You can adjust your pickups to play almost anything. Cristal clear sound(Thought i had to change pickups but no way, so far so good)

Factory Set up not so good. The usual. You have to set it up to fit your needs, its a normal thing.

Excelent finish!! love the white p. on pic g. and the p. dot inlays.

This guitar is great for live playing! I use It every gig because of the looks and sound holds up perfectly tunned. I can shurely depend on this guitar. I love it.

When I bought this guitar I sold my backup guitars because I didn't nedded them anymore. I just have an electro-acustic and this one for gigs.

I've playng since I was 11 years old(12 years now), and I've owned a lot of guitars(Ibanez, Fernandes Nomad DLX, Fender STC, Cheap Ones, etc. etc. ) I've learnded a few things about guitars and let me tell you THIS GUITAR KICKS ASS!!!!

If were stolen or lost I would buy It again. This is a great guitar(great quality, sound, features) for the price paid.

My favorite feature is the HB/S/S combination. It makes the guitar very versatile. Way better than The Ibanez and Yamaha Similars.

Bottom line is: Great features, great sound, great quality, GREAT PRICE!

2001, Korean made. Basswood body with Quilt maple top finished in transparent red. Maple neck and fingerboard with Jumbo frets. HSS pickup configuration with 5 way selector switch, 2 tone and 1 volume controls. Pearl white pickguard. Grover tuners. I give it a 10 because it offers more for the money (quality) than competitors.

I wanted a guitar to get a "strat style" single coil sound, but with a HSS pickup configuration. This guitar sounds great. The pickups have a better sound and are more powerful than anything in the price range. In single coil mode the pickeups have a very slight noise to them, but still better (quieter) than I expected. There is no noise when using the pickups together. Overall excellent sound. I have no desire or need to replace the pickups.

I tried out a few of these at different guitar stores. At one store all of them had high action. The reason became quickly evident when no one on sight could remedy it or knew how to set it up correctly, they would have to send it somewhere else for setting up and it would take a week. The store I bought mine from had it set up perfectly. Low action, no buzzing frets, intonated correctly, simply set up right. Thus this varies, buy from a reputable dealer who knows their stuff no matter what brand you buy.

This guitar has no flaws. The finish is good. Hardware is tight. Action is low. Neck has a great feel to it.

I am always concerned about tuning stability. I figured on installing locking tuners. I don't dive bomb with the tremelo, I mostly use it for mild vibrato. But I do a lot of string bends, even on hardtail guitars I run into tuning problems. This guitar holds tune very well. So far I have postponed plans to install locking tuners.

I love the feel of this guitar.

This guitar feels solid, but I don't abuse guitars. I play them and take care of them. The hardware and finish seem durable.

Dean support system is excellent. After buying a Dean EVO, I became hooked on Dean's quality, value, feel and after checking out their website, I found that they are a very customer oriented company. I now own several Deans. They stand behind there products 100%.

I've played and owned several guitars. I tried out every "strat style" guitar prior to purchase. This is by far the least expensive guitar that I have bought. Considering everything involved, it was by far the best option. I figured that I could install locking tuners and a roller nut and still be far below the price of guitars with them standard. The other guitars that were highly considered were G&L, Fender Deluxe Fat strat and Carvin. The pickups were much better than MIM strats, so they were not even in the same ballpark. Bang for the buck made the Dean my choice.

The best deal in the music industry comes, again, from DEAN Guitars. I am deanmaniac from the bbs at www.deanguitars.com. I have owned several Deans thru the years, custom ML's, high end setnecks, Icon's, Caddilacs, V's, Original Chicago handmade instruments and imports. So, what do I play now? Now that I'm older and more of a "musician" than a metal monger, I have an extreme appreciation of a finely crafted guitar. Lets' face it, anything can sound good thru a high gain stack, but only quality wil carry ya, thru a fender twin reverb, or a Mesa Subway, in a club with 150 people close enuff to smack ya. If they were so inclined, cuz yer tone sux. I went thru the whole 'strat' period just like everyone else. I even built one of my own. They are by design, the most versatile, most expressive axes going. Back in the day, I was mainly a Les Paul/Marshall kinda guy. These Avalanches' give you the whole bag O' chips! The tremolo is second only to a Wilkinson, period.

The most versatile setup in the guitar world, right here. Two single coils and one humbucker. Will get you anywhere ya wanna go, 'cept the downtuned stuff that the dead end kidz are spewing these days... Will do it, but not designed for it(cross yer fingers & pray that its just a faze, eh?) I do instrumental blues, pop/rock, and my leftover metal/hard-rock catalog. I've got three of these now. I would've signed papers with the devil, to have gotten one O' these when I was a kid! Been playing since 1972, and I'm getting even better, thanks to Dean! When you have a good guitar, your much more inspired to play/create/write/record.

Factory set/up is where the boyz & men go their seperate ways. Yer not really a guitar player, if you can't set your intonation, adjust the action, restring your axe, or set/up a floating tremolo, IMO. Expecting a guitar to arrive perfect is a big mistake, Ever buy a new car? Remember all the little stuff that needing fixing? Well, don't expect a guitar to be fine tuned to your preference, duh... Fortunately, these have the best, most adjustable hardware going! The Floating, Non-Locking, Floyd Rose Trem is better than even the newest Fender twin pivot unit on the most expensive strats. I got a couple, I know! The Grover Tuners are soo good that I haven't even bothered to replace them with the set of Sperzels I bought yet. And the pickups are just fine as they are. I've probably owned 150 guitars over the years, and I've changed out the pickups in over half of em. These are just fine as is. They're staying. Switches, pots, jacks, too. This one has a transparent blue quilt maple top on a basswood body. Deans' finishes are the stuff O' legends. Maple board and pearloid pickguard help belie the low end pricing on these guys. Most folks will assume you spent big buck$$ on these. They look like it! What I like most about em? Simple, they aren't as common as belly buttons and a$$holes. The icing on my cake!

Very durable, well built. My red one took a tumble off the stand and slid down the steps, into the wings, by the load-in ramp. All concrete! Got a scratches and dings, but it was in tune and ready to rock! Like a prize fighter with a bloodied lip, all pissed off and ready to do battle! Dean B Zelinsky started this company making high caliber guitars to compete with the top manufactures in the world. Even the entry level import items have a higher standard of design, components, finishes, etc. You play guitar? You should look at Dean's. There is something for every style on the menu, check em out. I bought my first one in '81. When I was a metal head!

Here's where the cream really rises, folks. Now a few people have responded less then favorably in this section. But, using the new car focus again, do you call Chrysler HQ, if your new PT Cruiser has a flat tire? Nope. Do you call Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee, if your Fatboy wont start? Nope. You take it to your dealer. Thats what they're for! Following the proper steps will lead you to satisfaction, garunteed. Five years worth. That's how it works. If you DO FEEL THE NEED to converse with the folks at Dean, you can. They would love to hear from you. Meet em at the TIKI BAR section of their website, you'll have a fookin blast! We always do! Customer Support??? Five year warranty!!! Say no more, eh?

I got this one from ebay, I've picked up two more since. I really love these guitars. I planned on having them so I wouldn't hafta worry about em, if they get ripped off, damaged, or whatever. But I like em sooo much I still worry! What would I change about em? Maybe the nut,(I did, I put a wilkinson roller nut on all three) but then again, I did that to all my Strats, as well. I thought I would need to change the tuners, but didn't, cool! I've owned a bunch of Deans, Fenders,Gibsons, Yamahas, etc. These are the guitars I now PLAY! Dont need anything else, thank you very much! Go see the web site www.deanguitars.com You can thank me later(in the TIKI Bar!)

Hi,

This is a follow-up review on the Dean Avalanche MQ - I'm at the bottom of the list. Two problems have cropped up...

1. One of the Grover tuners came apart while I was changing a string - hand winding only. It took Dean a while to get me a replacement part...seems that they only deal with the dealers.

2. The chrome began peeling around the tremolo bar hole. I have used the tremolo once or twice...it goes out of tune in a hurry, even using additional springs. I went through the dealer this time - McKinney Music, and Dean sent one in 4-5 days. The 5 year warranty has come in handy.

I have to lower my prior customer service rating - You buy a guitar and something on it screws up, and the folks @ Dean wanna give me a hard time about me not being a dealer...and "We have no way to set you up in the database". Come on guys...stand behind your gear...if there's a problem with a part, then step up to the plate and do whatever you have to to fix it.

I purchased this guitar about two months ago so its probably a 1999 or 2000. Made in Korea, with 22 frets. Its a fine piece of solid basswood body with a quilted maple top. It has a bolt on Maple neck, with grover tuners. Its your typical strat clone but with 2 single coils and a humbucker. The Dean guitars that i have seen all look great with usually transparent colours and mother of pearl pickguards. Mine is transparent black and looks awesome. I got mine with a hardshell case, strap, and cable. Im just starting and this guitar is probably one of the best ones i have seen to start out on.

I just started playing with this guitar. I have had it for two months now and so far have been picking it up pretty fast. I like to play some rock, blues, and alittle jazz and this guitar sounds great for all of those. the front pickups give it a great mellow sound while the back give a good clear leading sound. I am playing it through a fender ultra chorus amp. On this amp i have got great full, rich sounds. I have plaied some metal on it and that also sounds pretty good. THe only thing i have agenst it is its alittle noisy on the single pickups.

This guitar was well made and put together. It was set up perfectly from the start. This guitar has no surface flaws and the transparent black looks great with the mother of pearl pickguard. So far it stays in tune great. I have looked at a few other dean guitars of this model and all of them look to be in the same shape as mine. The action, fit and finish is excellent on my guitar and from the other deans i have seen it appears to be a trademark of the maker.

This guitar looks like it will last a good long time. It is well made and pretty solid. It would withstand live playing.

havent had to mess with that yet

This is a great guitar, I have just started playing 2 months ago and as a starting guitar this one cant be beat for its price. I love the way this guitar looks and plays. It chords very easy and feels great. I compaired this guitar to some fender squires and some mexican strats and this one looks and sounds better than any of those that i looked at, and this one was a bit cheeper in price. If this guitar was lost or stole i would most definately get another. The only thing that i dislike about this guitar is the pickups. They can get pretty noisy, but for a guitar to start out on or for a good guitar for long time players this one is great.

1999 Model (replaced the "SS" series), purchased in Feb. 2000. Made in Korea, typical Strat copy except there's a humbucker in the bridge position (S/S/H). Maple neck w/ maple fingerboard, basswood body w/ amberburst quilted maple top. 1 vol, 2 tone (1 for each of the single coil pickups). 5 position switch. Grover tuners. Dean's own style fulcrum tremelo bridge. Pretty much what you'd expect from a Strat.

You can't play electric guitar and not have a Strat in your stable. It's just a fact of life (for the guitarist anyway). I'm currently playing in a Christian Rock/Praise Band, playing the Dean MQ through a Laney AE120 120 watt combo amp w/ 2 10" speakers. The single coils are pretty quiet on their own, and the bridge humbucker gives it that added bite. Cycling through the 5 position switch will give you the variety you'd expect from a strat (including that classic strat "Quack"). The maple fingerboard adds to the overall "bright" tonal character, while the basswood body adds a touch of warmth & keeps the guitar from sounding sterile.

Factory/Store setup was adequate, but I had it redone the guy that does all my guitars which included adusting the pickups. Fit & Finish was flawless. Poly finish. The quilted maple top is just beautiful. I haven't checked yet to see if it's just a veneer or not, but either way it looks stunning with no blemishes. Looking at the back you can see that the basswood body is made from 3 pieces, but the grain matches pretty well. Frets were extremely well dressed, I love their tremelo design. The body is routed underneath the tremelo to allow for quite abit of upward pull as well as fairly decent divebombs. It is not a locking tremelo, but in combination with the Grover tuners, it stays in tune quite well even with a long of "whammying". I'm not sure which factory is manufacturing these guitars over in Korea, I assume it's either Cort or Samick, but whoever it is, they are doing one hell of a job. The electronics are kinda cheap (pots, 5 position switch), but I'm having those replaced with high quality U.S.A. manufactured parts. Invest a couple dollars on better pots and a better switch and this guitar easily competes with most of Fender's Strat line at up to 3 times the price. I would have given it a 9, but I have to take away a point due to the electronics.

I've played out with it quite a few times since I've purchased it. The humbucker cut out a few times because of the crappy switch, But as I said above, I'm taking care of that. Once the new electronics are installed, I'll have very few reservations of using it without a backup. It feels very solid.

I've sent a few emails to Dean asking some questions about the guitar which have went unanswered. I've also called them a couple of times. I spoke with somebody once who answered the questions I had when I called that time, but have had trouble reaching them on other occasions. It seems like there's only a handful of people who work there. Quite often you just get voicemail. I have to give poor markes on customer support.

I've been playing guitar since I was 12 (about 26 years). During that time I've quite a number of guitars, including a half dozen or so Strats. I would definitely buy it again if it were lost or stolen. At the time I purchased the Dean, I was looking to purchase either a Lone Star Strat or American Deluxe Fat Strat. My MQ feels & plays every bit as nice as either of those guitars, and that maple top is the icing on the cake. Even with replacing the pots & switch, I would have gladly paid twice the price for this guitar.

This is one of many Strat clones that you can find on the market.
1999...made in Korea
22 frets, 5 way selector switch, 2 single pole, 1 humbucker pickup.
Not sure of what type of wood was used to make the body - it is fairly heavy though...heavier than most Fender Strats. Maple neck with maple fretboard. Grover tuners, tremola...don't know the type...but it's not a FLoyd Rose nor a vintage Strat style.
The finish is a maple quilt finish with a Mother of pearl pick guard.
Accessories included all of the allen wrenches needed to adjust the guitar plus a really cheap cable.

-1 for the cheesy cable

Before plugging it in, I played a few songs...I play (or try to play) mostly classic rock with some heavy metal and light rock...Harry Chapin, Gordon Lightfoot mixed in. It has great sustain and pretty good volume for a solid body guitar. I am running it thru a Vox Pathfinder and I can get this guitar to do most any tone from really clean Telecaster sound to almost metal tones. The guitar is very quiet, but when using the single coils, it will feedback pretty easily if the volume is up on the amp. The tone controls work well to tone down the brightness of the single coil pickups.

Initially, I did have problems with the guitar staying in tune...but only when using the whammy bar...I'll have to check out Fender's bullet strings to see if that makes a difference. I also plan on adding the 4th spring to the tremola setup. Overall, the guitar was very well setup from the factory...the action could be a little lower. Finish was flawless. Everything fits together very well.

-1 for the tuning issue.

Very sturdy, well made guitar. If I played live, I would have no problems gigging with it. The finish looks like it is here to stay. Solid strap buttons...felt washers between the strap buttons and the body. Very dependable. I would have a backup just in case of a string breakage.

5 year warranty.
I have posed a few questions to their customer service dept and have received prompt, courteous, relevant responses.

I have recently taken the guitar back up after a long dry spell. I really like this guitar...I played on American made Fenders that didn't play as well and cost 10 times what this Dean cost me. I would buy it again if it were lost or stolen. I have a Dean acoustic guitar and a Vox pathfinder amp.
Before you go out and spend a bunch of money on a Strat style guitar, play a Dean. perhaps you'll have enough money left over to get a better amp or that stomp box that you just have to have.