Dean Guitars Baby V

Mine is the Schenker Baby V with the black/white finish. Otherwise the same as the rest here.

I like everything about the sound of this little battle axe. The pups have a nice, even response and are at the cool edge of over-the-top when adjusted to proper height. They have an excellent reaction to picking charachteristic and seem to love percussive muting. The Bridge is a sizzler and the neck has a beautiful soulfulness.

Actually, I didn't expect much for a "pak" guitar and was nicely surprised. This punk was very nearly ready to go right out of the box; the neck is straight, the action decent. I shimmed with one each side size 8 washers on just the lower mounting screws and she lowered down even more easily, making this a total shred monster. The neck is thin and the frets even at all points with no fret "blades". The smaller body makes this a candidate for monster acrobatics on stage and does not have a noticable negative effect on tone or sustain. The paint was very nearly perfect except for a *thin* spot near the neck. Oh, because of the spread of the strings to the tuners through the nut (the classic Dean headstock, excellent for added sustain-mass), I highly recommend one not forget to put a tiny touch of Tri-flo in the nut slots for tuning ease and accuracy.

A clarifier here; I never assume a guitar is ready for action fresh from the factory. I've seen far too many little bizarre things come right out of every manufacture out of 12. I go through and put a screwdriver or wrench on everything and tighten as needs.
That being said, after a complete shakedown, I played the shit out of this little Lady, and she totally delivered. I tried a little of everything, blues, hard rock, Metal (old school+) and this unit can and will do. Don't let any brand-snob take your fun; decide for yourself. This guitar does not need a lot of high-priced parts thrown at it as do some Just use your head and move forward with due caution. Yes, I use this unit to play live shows. I ALWAYS have at least one backup, regardless of what I designate as the main axe for the show.

This is the BIG downside. If you call Fender, they respond. If you call Gibson, they respond too late and typically condescend. If you call Dean you get...well, silence, is my experience. I have yet to get but one (quantity, 1) response to a dozen different inquiries that I have made for any one of the several Dean guitars that I use professionally. Whether it be to spend MORE money on a case or parts or spec-info, you can be sure that your Dean rep is somnambulant, in a coma, has a major bong hangover or whatever it is that makes them complacent about ignoring any messages that miraculously get through the phone-bot that they have confounding all callers. Your mission, should you decide to accept it, ain't gonna freakin' happen. Get used to it. The guitars are worth it, the service is still in the primordial soup stage of the development game. Whatever it is that they are not spending on quality control is also not being wasted on communicating with the customer base. Give up.

I have been playing since I was a pup in the '60's. I have no idea how many guitars I own, nor how many amps, vintage and otherwise, but those numbers are considerable. I am an "old pro", is the "word", and the go-to guy. I play everything except classical and country. Yes, I would replace this guitar. It has exceeded all expectations.

Nice black matte finish, super-easy to clean. Standard reduced size Dean "V"- without reduced tone. Very light, which increases play time and mobility. However, the cord jack is in such a palce that it is awkward to play while sitting. Common Tune-O-Matic stoptail bridge, very tight and obviously well made. Stock non-locking tuners- I upgraded and put in Wilkinson locking machines. 24 3/4 scale on a maple neck- has a great bright tone which is mellowed out by my fatw, warm p/u's. The neck is extra thin, which fits PERFECTLY in my rather small hands- I can play for 5+ hours without pain. 22 frets, which is high enough for my playing style. Included some fine-tuning tools, I bought it as a store floor model. Made 2000's in Korea? 3 way selector, of which I use all 3 settings for different and distinguishable tones. The 1 Volume tuner can be used to crank it up to full metal or brought down for hard rock, and the Tone knob noticeably cranks up the treble- I keep her at 5. I wish it had a tap, but for this price, I can't complain. H/H stock Dean passive p/u's. Great tone, especially the bluesy neck, but a bit noisy when O/D'd. I slapped a Duncan '59 in the neck and a Dimebucker in the bridge. I play thru a Fender Deluxe 90 and Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde, and I swear it sounds like Dime himself (God rest his soul.) I'm not a big believer in the distinctions between body woods, but for the record, the basswood body adds to the incredibly light weight and big bottom end. The neck is smooth and fast, but NOT as smooth or fast as my Ibanez RG120- a true shredder's axe. A "7" for the limited tone knobs, lackluster p/u's, and relatively slow neck. You WILL put $100+ into this guitar before it is stageworthy.

Out of the box, the sound is smooth, mellow, and emotive at the neck, and out of control and trebly at the bridge. I set my Fender 90 at 10 treb, 5 mid, and 2 bass, and use my Visual sound for great TS808 overdrive on my solos and the distortion for really insane speed riffs. The stock p/u's are rather noisy when overdriven. An overall fat, warm sound. I had to upgrade to get the modern metal sound I wanted. This guitar treats my Digitech pedals well. It's tone translates well though my phaser, digidelay, and Whammy pedals. I can sound like Dime or Larry Lalonde if I feel like it. Like I said, the out of the box sound was definitely worthy of the $130 I put down, and very metal, but I had to tweak it and put in over $100 to get the sound I wanted. I liked the minimal fret buzz as well. (I tune to C)

The action was low and I LOVE it! When I put this axe thru the customizing gauntlet, I had it intonated and the nut widened to fit Zakk Wylde .60's, and then had it intonated to really fit my Drop-C tuning. The p/u's were done exquisitely- kudos to Dean. When I went in to upgrade the p/u's, I can say this with confidence- the Dean builders did very well with the limited space they had. The p/u selctor tip unscrewed once, but the fix was simple- screw it back on! The machineheads were tight and very controllable. I mentioned the customization fo the nut... when Id id that, I could see it was very well cut from the factory. Dean knows their customers very well- and have done well by us with excellent setup on even their cheapest axes.

This guitar is my DREAM axe for the stage- I put so much time, love, and money into it because I believe wholeheartedly that Dean takes every product they make seriously. (We'll not mention certain companies- let's just say they rhyme with "Blender" and "Dibson"- who sell overpriced s**t to their unwitting customers. The Dean hardware is sure to last my lifetime- the finish is solid and well-made...it will have to, because I am a klutz :) The strap buttons are premium, solid, and are screwed in DEEP. I would depend on this axe til death, after all I have done to make it my own. On a final note, I would NOT gig without a backup, even though I am married to this axe, every man needs a backup woman ;) Any experienced musician will tell you that it is retarded to gig without a backup NO MATTER HOW RELIABLE YOU THINK YOUR AXE IS!!!

Never used it, but I would trust the good people at Dean Guitars with my life.

I have been playing this guitar for well over a year in it's current setup, including numerous gigs. Before I customized it, I did not gig-only practiced. This axe effectively benched my Ibanez SA 120BK and RG120. I must say I was torn between Ibanez and Dean, and their guitars can have radically different applications, but I became a Dean man for life the day I played the first lick with my '59/ Dimebucker setup. If you enjoy playing hard rock/metal, BUY THIS GUITAR. It is cheap, but perhaps the best kept secret in the Dean arsenal. And when you buy it, for God's sake, put the cash and effort in to make it a REAL metalhead's axe. If you chose to, you could resell a modified Baby V for well over $700. 'Nuff said.

-My guitar Dean Baby V is a 2004 and was made in Japan but it's an exellent quality
-It have 22 frets
- 1 volume 1 tone and a toggel switch
-It have dean pickup. they are very good
- Body: Basswwod neck : maple and rosewood
- Beautiful finisk but just a little imperfection on the paint
- style like the pro model dave mustaine and the gibson flighing V
- An exellent bridge

- great sound for any kind on metal rock and blues I use a peavy and a metalzone of Boss

...

- This guitar is a good guitar for live playing but, the plug is bad
- this guitar is very solid

This is a good guitar
It play very great and have a good sound
A sheap price for the quality

unsure of year... fairly new, but pre-2002 model as it only has 1vol/1tone. Standard 22-fret bolt on V. H/H Config. Nothing flashy... String-thru body gives better sustain, but a set-neck would help that tremendously... the neck joint is really tight though. props to dean on that one... also a very lightweight guitar which allows me to move around a little more freely than previously with my heavy LP. "Value-Added" Guitar. Satin Black model.

The tone isn't the greatest with the stock humbuckers, so i replaced them (not enough output, and a little noisy through a Peavy XXX w/ Mesa Cab)with a Gibson 496R in the neck and a Seymore Duncan JB in the bridge that i had leftover from my old beat-up Memphis LP copy i tried to "fix" up... The 496R sounds like a dream in the V. much better than it's previous home. The JB however is quite nasty sounding through the XXX. The highs are way too penetrating, and not NEARLY enough bottom end for my sound (which is kinda hard to describe... a little experimental. we call it Melbourne melodic funk-core). Thinking about switching that out to a DiMarzio ToneZone. Only complaints are the electronics... I bought it used and the p/u switch tip was broken off (the whole tip, not just the cover), so it's a pain to switch p/u's, but i'm fixing that... also gonna put in some better pots and cap.

The neck is very smooth, and the action is quite low (much lower than my buddy's pricer alvarez and fernandes guitars) with little to no buzz (slight buzz on a couple strings around 12th fret, but i can tell the truss just needs turning....), and the 6th string a is a little dull and lifeless when plucked open, but i'm sure that's a bur in the nut... Gonna have a tech set my action and intonations for me. For soloing, the neck is very fast. Speed riffs are no problem either... Never buy another guitar this quality for a better price... The electronics cover doesn't fit so well, so one side sinks down, but other than that, the guitar plays very well... i am nitpicking, but i am very satisfied with this guitar... i get the sound i want and the feel i want... just took a little customizing.

I'd totally use this axe without a backup... very easy wiring makes it a sinch to fix... the hardware seems to be quality... tuners are very smooth... plan on gigging with this guitar exclusively and setting up my LP for slide. satin black finish looks pretty durable.

who needs em? this guitar is a sinch to fix...

I have been playing for 10 years now... Due to financial circumstances, up until 3 months ago i played a Memphis Les Paul copy with a broken truss rod through a LabSeries L3 for about 6 years... Now I run this through a Peavy XXX with Mesa Cab and a DigiTech RP200 effects board. Also have a Marshall Jackhammer pedal that i use from time to time (never know when you may need a 4th channel). i love this guitar through this setup... If this guitar were lost or stolen, i'd be one pissed off mofo... i probably wouldn't buy one again though, i like to move on with instruments... i'd find something with comparable playability and go from there... but i would probably chose another Dean... A little more room in the electronics cab would be nice so i could throw a few switches in there for coil split and phase.

New 2002 Model Dean Baby V. I assume made in Korea. 22 medium jumbo frets. Fast and thin neck profile, although not as thin as a wizard profile. Maple neck with tilt back head. 24.75" scale. Black Dyed rosewood fretboard with real abalone dots. Metallic copper color basecoat with clearcoat. Carved top and back 2/3 sized vee shape. Thin Basswood body, very light at just over 4lbs. H/H passive pickup configuration with one tone, one volume and 3way selector switch. String-thru, tune-o-matic style bridge. Sealed tuners. Black hardware. Came strung with .009's. Your pretty standard, basic Gisonesque hardtail set-up.

Sounds surprisingly good with stock pick-ups. Rich, Full tone with nice harmonic overtones. Great sustain due to string thru design. High output pick-ups. Somewhat noisy, but if the strings are grounded- I cannot figure out where. Nice clean tones with the volume backed off a bit. Screams with easy pinch harmonics thru overdriven rig. I play thru a Zoom Tri-metal into a modded Mesa Subway blues (lower gain tubes installed in gain stages allows me to get those el84's saturated). Sounds good thru my Crate Moddeling amp as well. Would give it a ten if it were more quiet.

The action and set-up were adequate with stock strings, I'd say medium low. I did a proper set-up when I got it home and changed strings to .011's. The nut was actually cut properly for the installed strings and intonation was very close, if not right on. I had to open up the nut slots on the wound strings when changing up to .011's, but shouldn't I?
No buzzing or low frets, but they were not polished very well. I polished them with 000 steal wool and gave the fretboard a good scrubbing to reveal a nicely grained rosewood that should have never been dyed to begin with. The rosewood matches the copper body color very well, and the abalone dots came to life. Very pretty when I was finished- more so than guitars costing much, much more. And It plays great as well. I am very pleased with the playability of this piece- regardless of the low enty cost.
The body finish was overall, very good. The topcoat was quite thick, hard and smooth and I could not find any flaws, save that it needed a final hand rubbing with light compound to bring out the gloss. The metallic base coat has several specks of dust in it however- what a shame on an otherwise fine body finish. Still, overall, quite good in this price range.
The headstock is painted a deep and beautiful gloss black, but suffers from the same base coat dust contamination. One large partical resides right next to the abalone dean insignia.
The masking job done on the headstock is probably the poorest I have ever seen. I honestly could do a better job freehand (I did, in fact, do so when I touched it up with a sharpie!). These minor finish flaws draw attention to themselves only because if it were not for some careless masking and tacking early in the finishing process, one would have no idea this was an entry level price range axe. One really has the potential to hand pick a great guitar if they could find several at one place.

The guitar is fit very well. The neck pocket is as tight as one could ask for at any price range- I cannot slide in a single sheet of paper! How many MIA Fender owners can make that claim? Everything lines up right on the money neck and bridge wise. The bridge has a slight basswards alignment, but this is as it should be on a string thru. The neck pickup pole pieces are aligned directly under the strings and centered even. The bridge pickup is somewhat misaligned on the treble side, but that is typical of this arrangement and does not effect the sound.
The electronics cavity is the smallest I have encountered, Due to the small body and v-shape. So small that I opened it up to align the pick-up selector switch longitudinally, and there is no room to turn it at all. This could be a factor in upgrading electronics.

Considering that it's a hard tail, what could go wrong? I have added this to my line-up of stage guitars as-is without reservation.

dunno

I have been playing for over twenty years, in several bands from heavy blues to progressive metal. I have owned USA Kramer's, Charvel's, Fender's, Peavy's, Washburn's, etc. I have built and finished Warmoth prodject guitars, and extensively customized cheaper stuff for fun. Most of my guitars feature 24.75" scales with Floyd Rose trems.
I really like this guitar. It is made well, plays well, sounds good, is a very well balanced, light, comfortable, sexy looking stage axe. It is simple, tuff and stable. It seams as if it is worth much more than I paid for it. It holds it's own in a stable of more thoroughbred pieces. It would make a first class beginner's guitar, a great prodject guitar, and a great stage/touring/working guitar. And all this for the price of a decent set of pick-ups or a Floyd Rose! It is really in a different class than others in it's price range. I would recommend this over an OLP, Squire, etc. If it were stolen, I would HAND PICK it's replacement and try to find one without the finish flaws.

2 Sweet humbucker pickups, awesome black matte finish awesome style a little bit to bassy for my style but i love it. works with anything and everything. would buy new one if mine got stolen, and then i would find the thief and kick his ass.

sounds awesome

everything was perfect, not one thing wrong

this would definetly take live playing no questions about it! perfect balance its good!

never dealt with them

this just f*cking rocks, buy it!!!!

*Unknown year, apart that it's not a new 2002.
*22 frets, solid SHAPED top, basswood body
*1 tone, 1 volume (unlike the 2002 models), 3-way switch
*2 stock Dean Hmubuckers, passive
*Metallic Copper finish
*string thru body/tune-O-matic bridge
*unknown tuners, non-locking
*24 3/4" scale neck, what feels like jumbo frets, rosewood fretboard
*included: hard case

Suits rock/metal styles perfectly
*tested using a Marshall MS-2 battery amp
*not noisy even with the amp cranked
*very bright sound, probably due to the body size and composition

The guitar was set by the vendor, a little higher action that I'd like. NO FRET BUZZ at all!

The guitar did have some small chips in the body and a tone knob, but those were disclosed by the vendor

This guitar should be fine live. This guitar would make a great backup piece

www.deanguitars.com

Very good mfg. site!
Have not dealt directly with Dean at all, no need for repairs yet

the best value for the money (new ones start at $200) in terms of a guitar that would not be beter suited for firewood. I would buy the instrument again and would recommend Dean instruments to anyone if this is what their "basement value" stuff is like!

This Dean V Baby was made in 1982 according to the back of the headstock. It has 22 frets, mahogany(?) body, maple(?) neck, and a rosewood fretboard. It also has a 24.75 inch scale lenght. It was made with two Dimarzio zebra humbucking pickups and it has the large pre- tremolo peghead. One volume and one tone. No binding and that's fine because I don't like it. No inlays either except the fretboard dots. All of the hardware was Schaller, including M6 tuners, 455 series bridge, and security lock strap ready. This guitar has a very low action without buzz. That was one of the main reasons I bought it. The Schaller parts were a plus too. Dean made great necks back then. I don't know what they're like now. The old Deans are some of the best guitars ever made! Ask anyone who owns one and see. I think one of the reasons was quality control. The neck is set/glued in. I would have rather just had one lead humbucking pickup and a volume control because it makes for a more solid guitar and I don't use neck or middle pickups or tone controls.

I play rock and metal(the fun stuff not the hard core stuff) and it suits my style fine. I wasn't getting enough crunch, distortion, and sustain and the tone control was broke so I rewired the guitar with a Dimarzio X2N. Now I can crunch, crunch, crunch, till the cows come home and then some. I wired it using what I call a Frankenstrat setup. One hot bridge humbucking pickup and a 1 meg ohm volume control (from Stewmac). That's it, nothing more. I also used copper foil from Carvin to shield the control compartment cavity and now it's very quiet. I play this Baby through a Marshall solid state and an all tube/valve Marshall 602 Triple super lead amps. I sometimes use a Metalzone for even more metal saturation. It's kind of bright sounding but I like it.

The action is superb! Dean's early stuff was fantastic. I don't know what the new ones are like though. I bought this guitar beacuse I already had a Z Baby and it's such a great guitar that I told myself that if ever I saw another that I'd have to get it. The Schaller 455 series bridge was another plus too. It increases sustain. I wish more guitar companies used them today(I also like the tuneomatic and stopbar system too). If it would've had a tremolo I would have passed it up. It's painted all red except the fretboard of course. Which is good, because I think it helps preserve the wood when it's all covered. It keeps it from warping etc. I dont like a finish where the wood grain is showing through.

The guitar is already 19 years old, so I think it's reliable. I just bought it 9 months ago. It was Schaller strap lock ready when I bought it. I think Dean may have installed them a the factory(great idea!). Yeah, I'd use it without a backup after I rewired it but if you gig and have another guitar you should probably bring it just in case.

I've never talked to Dean guitars. The guitars aren't the same anymore. These old Deans were some of the best guitars ever made! Just a tip; people keep your guitars in the case when your not playing them. And keep them away from heaters, windows, radiators etc. And you'll get a good price for them if ever you decide to sell.

The neck is probably the best part about this guitar. It is very comfortable with a very low action. I compared it to about three or four Les Pauls and it won hands down. The frets are just the right size. It can played very fast without fret interference.