Dean Guitars Chafin Boca 12-String

Dual Dean humbuckers, grover tuners, 3 way switch, bolt-on neck, Semi-hollow body, distinctive gloss black finish with binding only inside the "F" holes (Not F shaped)is very attractive, abalone dot markers and headstock logo, double cutaway, very compact body, but not too thin. No tailpiece(allowed by semi-hollow body construction)but the bridge is very solid. Great looks. Would like to see it in other colors besides black. Comes with a cord and neck wrench.

I lean towards blues and Classic Rock, and this guitar delivers. The very small semi-hollow body does not project much acoustically, but adds a nice subtle tone with good sustain. I was surprised to find no rattles or buzzing, right out of the box. The clever bridge arrangment works well. Overall it has a very good range from very bright to soft, warm, but not throaty tones.

I didn't have to make any adjustments to suit my playing style, though the bridge may be set a little high for most people. Nothing buzzes or rattles. Pickups are set right, and all the grover tuners work well. There are a few tiny spots on the edges where some white is peeking through the black finish, and there are a couple of thin spots on the neck, but otherwise the finish is very good. The double cutaway gives easy acess to the entire neck, and intonation is acceptable over the entire fretboard. The thin frets have smooth edges and the action is very light for a 12 string. The balance is quite odd, as the light body and heavy headstock make it tip to the head when you carry it with a strap. Try tying the strap around the head instead of using the supplied strap peg on the body for better balance.Gotta love those cool knobs and PRS style curves by the knobs and the cutaways.

Time will tell, but It looks like the finish may be a little thin. From prior experience, Dean Guitars are pretty hardy and take a fair share of abuse, so I expect no less from this model. The body seems pretty solid and everything fits tight.

I have never had to deal with Dean's support, but Musician's Friend has made good on anything ordered through their website. The biggest problem is the wait time, and not giving you a true delivery date. If you like the price (and they are hard to beat)and you are not in a hurry, I recommend them hightly. Now to find a case for it... It won't fit in a Les Paul case, a strat case, or an SG case. The body is a unique shape, and the 12 string headstock is long.

I have been playing guitar since my first Silvertone in 1960, and I have had Fenders, Gibsons, Yamahas, and many others through the years, both acoustic and electric. I would not have picked out this guitar, but I jumped at the chance to own it once I had it in my hands. When my 17 year old son ordered this guitar through the internet, I was skeptical. An electric 12 string semi hollow body for $319? Probably junk, right? Wrong! This is a quality instrument. He wanted a 12 string, but was strapped for cash at the time, so he ordered this one as a "starter", not wanting to put a lot of money into a secondary instrument. After waiting several months and saving up another couple hundred bucks, he cancelled the order for the Boca and ordered an Epiphone Les Paul, which he received a few weeks later. Then, unexpectedly, the Boca was dropped off by UPS. We were going to return it, but we had to open the box to get the invoice out, and wow! One look and I was hooked, I had to try it out. Immediately the guitar was adopted into my personal collection, and I gladly paid the bill. Would I replace it? You bet! Especially for the price, it is a steal.

The Korean-made Chafin Boca 12-String is new to the Dean line. So new, in fact, that it is not indicated on their web site. The only way I knew of it was through the Musician's Friend web site, as it does not yet appear in their catalog, either. It is a semi-hollow body design, with mahogany body and maple top, 'Dean' H/H pickup configuration with 3-way selector switch and single volume and tone cotrols, chrome Grover tuners (non-locking), 'Tune-O-Matic' bridge, and 22 frets, (24 3/4" scale). I purchased the 'Classic Black' which is lightly metalic-speckled. 1 11/16" non-locking nut.

Though I do not know the design or pedigree of the 'Dean' pickups, they are very fine, indeed, capable of capturing the lightest of 'jangles' to the full resonance of the semi-hollow body. The H/H configuration produces no noise whatsoever. The 3-way selector switch, volume, and tone controls function as intended. It sounds great 'straight', but when even a modest amount of chorus effect is added it really sings.

Upon lifting it from its case the first time, it was obvious that this was a quality piece of work. Not believing my good fortune at receiving a perfect instrument through the mail, I set about trying to find the slightest flaw. Couldn't. Just couldn't. A small sticky pad which holds pickup wires in place had come loose during shipping and the wires were showing through the 'f-hole'. A light press of the little finger stuck it back out of sight. The intonation was set up perfectly. The bridge was set a bit high for my taste, but about 2 minutes of experimenting had it just right.

I have been using a Dean DA-TSE acoustic/electric on stage for some time with absolutely no problems. Given the overall fine quality of this Dean 12-string, I have no reason to think that the same would not apply to it. As with many electrics, the selector switch could probably be a bit more solid feeling, but it functions as intended.

There was some confusion at Musician's Friend as to the correct case for the 12-string, due to the elongated headstock, and also because, at the time, they had never seen one. I contacted Dean directly by email to determine their case recommendation. Through a short flurry of correspondence they were very prompt and helpful, and actually prevented me from buying the wrong case. (It will not fit in the standard Chafin case, it requires the 'Cadi/Icon' case.) Dean electrics and basses come with a 5-year warranty to the original purchaser. On-line registration is available.

For many years I have wanted a classy, quality electric 12-string. While dreams of Ric's danced in my head, the reality of the sacrifice, knowing that it obviously wouldn't be my 'primary' guitar, prevented the buying of one. Other 12's have either been also costly, incredibly ugly, or just not much fun to play. When the Dean appeared, at its $319 price, I knew it was time! Don't be fooled by the price or its place of origin, this is a quality instrument. Hats off to the designers at Dean.