Dean Guitars EVO 60

The features have already been well covered, but I note that
the nut is plastic, and I've seen the nut width listed as
1 11/16, but it looks and feels more like 1 5/8 to me.
One of the things I like about the guitar is the nut width.
I also like that the simplicity of 3-way pickup switch,
one volume, one tone. I also like that the guitar is
reasonably light and very comfortable to play. I *also* like that
the guitar has Grover tuners, which are quite solid.

I like to try to play most styles of music except for very heavy stuff. I play the guitar at home in my modest little studio.
I play it through a Roland Cube 30 (with speaker upgraded to a Eminence Delta Demon) and a Vox Valvetronix AD30VT. I've got a bunch of guitars but this is the first with P-90s. I'd describe the sound as throaty and woody, and I like the sound at all pickup positions. It even sounds good for jazz in the neck position with the tone knob turned down to about 3.

I bought the guitar and it was in bad shape when I bought it. The hardware was partly corroded, the pickup selector knob was missing, and the D string tuning key would hit the headstock when turned! Turned out that this tuner was missing a small plastic washer -- it was
easy to see if you looked. I called Grover and they immediately
sent me a few -- good work Grover!

Although I love the look of goldtops, the color of this guitar is
not super attractive -- it is kind of a goldish, greenish, caramelly
color without much sparkle.

The neck is very comfy and it was possible to adjust the bridge
for medium-low action without buzzing.

This guitar is simple and quite solid; it would withstand
live playing. The Grover tuners I like, but the other
hardware is just adequate. On the other hand, it does the
job and I doubt that replacing the bridge, for instance,
by an expensive one would make much difference in the sound
or feel of the guitar. Probably a cheap sensible upgrade
would be to replace the nut.

I'm pretty impressed by Dean's customer support. I like this
guitar so much that I wanted to get a know for the pickup
selector switch, and wanted to replace the bridge because
of the corrosion. I called Dean and they immediately
switched me over to their parts dept., who told me that
they could order the parts I wanted for a reasonable price
(lower than I expected). However, I suspect that their
parts department simply sells parts from a parts supplier --
which are not necessarily the same as the original parts.
I suspect this partly because the pickup selector know
I got did not fit the guitar, nor did the replacement they
sent me.

This guitar is excellent for the price -- it is more than the
sum of its parts. It looks good, it's reasonably light,
it's very comfortable, and it sounds great.
The unbound neck feels really nice -- it reminds me of the
neck on the '65 Gibson Melodymaker I owned for many years.
I've got a bunch of guitars and this is one of my favorites.

Finish -Silver Sparkle, Les Paul shape, Tune-O-Matic, Grover tuners, P-90 pickups

i bought this because i wanted a guitar with P-90's and didn't want to drop the huge bucks for a Hamer, Gibson or Gadow. for the money spent, i was very surprised & pleased with the tone of this guitar.
thru various small watt tube amps this has a nice full bluesy tone with some good bite on the high end. acoustically unplugged, it has that dull tone like a lot of asian import guitars

i bought this used so i can't comment on factory set up. the fit and finish is decent but the clearcoat over the silver sparkle has started to yellow a bit which isn't very flattering

built real solid

never dealt with the company

i've been playing 20 years and own 40 other, mostly USA made guitars. for a budget guitar this is a real gem: great tone, great playability and cool funky looks. if it was lost or stolen i would buy another one without hesitation.

This is a 2002 Korean made model left handed, sort of a Les Paul style, but with the distinctive Dean neck joint; one volume control, one tone control, but that suits me fine, the only problem is that the pots are right handed, so 10 is off 1 is high; not a problem if you get used to it, but I have to deduct a point for not having true lefty hardware, but this is common for less than higher end products. Two P90 pickups, this guitar is the gold finish, very nice! Scale length is like the LP, shorter than the SG I was used to.

I play mostly a Blues/Jazz influenced style, but like to rock it up anytime. Mostly I use this guitar through a vintage Gibson Lab Series L5 amp (ala B.B.King), with a Tubeworks distortion driver and Memory Man delay/chorus in between; can't beat the sound for the solid body blues thing, IMHO; the P90's are just great for the sound. I usually play at sort of low volumes, but played through my Marshall, crank up the volume, and the vintage 60's rock sound come through. I've never experienced the noise problems that others say about the P90's, but then, I've been using them for the last 30+ years, so maybe I just got used to it. I think you can do just about any style with this guitar, except maybe metal, which I don't play. I REALLY like the sound of this guitar, and I don't think any swapping out of pups is necessary.

I bought the guitar new, needed only the usual setting up for personal taste, lowered the action a bit, intonation needed just a little tweaking, the neck is absolutely PERFECT, something I wasn't expecting from an off-shore guitar, the finish is beautiful, no defects anywhere, I think a stunning instrument. No probs with any of the hardware, except that over the last two years the tailpiece has oxidized quite a bit, which is odd in that nothing else has done that. Giving a 9 only because of that one defect.

I've taken this guitar on several gigs as a backup only because I use a Carvin SC90 as my main guitar because of its incredible tone versatility, the Bigsby mounted on it, and that the current band is into a lot of versatility. For a more straight blues thing, the Dean would be my first choice. The hardware and finish are like a rock, and will probably last longer than I will. I would not choose to gig without a backup, but if I had only one guitar, I would be confident with this one.

Never had to deal with the company; don't expect to have to.

I've been playing for over 30 years, played almost entirely Gibsons, the old SG, and a 335. Play all guitars through a Lab Series L5 amp, a vintage Sunn Sentura II, and a valvestate Marshall, depending on the style of music. My preference is a guitar with P90's, this one has them and plays as well as any guitar I've had before, and better than most. I would rate the tone as better than the old SG, plays as well as the Gibson...and go try to find a nice vintage left handed Gibson with P90's that you don't have to mortgage the house for. If someone swiped it I would have to go hunt down another, and I understand that Dean doesn't make them with P90's anymore. The only thing I wish it had was real left handed tone and volume pots, but you can always swap them out; I'll get to it someday. This was a real find!

two P90 pickups
one volume pot
one tone pot
one three way switch

I am a skeptic when it comes to foreign-made guitars but was *very* pleasantly surprised at the sound of this guitar and find myself playing it more often than my "real" Les Paul

The finish on mine is great. It wasn't setup very well from the factory, but after I set the string height & intonation it plays perfect

I would use it live. It looks good, isn't so expensive that I'd worry about people waiting around to rip it off, and it plays plenty well enough for shows. I've never had a performance problem out of it.

never tried

I have been playing on and off for 17 years (I'm 31 and started when I was 14) I currently own Gibsons, Fenders (both USA and Japan), Martin acoustics, Jacksons and Ibanez guitars. I have owned a wide variety of amps/effects/etc. and like to think I can tell the difference between garbage and good gear. As I mentioned before, I am a skeptic, because other than my MIJ strat, I have not been happy with anything that wasn't USA made until I bought the Dean. I bought it because it is about 1/3 the cost of a beat-up used Gibson Les Paul and after playing it, realized that it is only a couple of pickups and a pot away--not a difference worth another $1000 IMHO. I have been happy with this, and someday may put some "better" pickups in it, but so far have been happy enough with the "stock" sound. Because of the price to utility ratio, I have to give this a "10."

03 p90 dean sparkletop in gold :)
single volume an tone control :(
Slanted neck heel for easier high register access :) ++

p90s, sound great, but hum like a mother at high gain, their history.
replaced with a gibson p100 neck, an Dimarzio dp154 bridge

Nice finish, the Gold top ain't gold, its silver sparkle with amber clearcoat :(
Needs real gold flakes.
the fit an finish really are excellent. the actual lay up leaves something to be desired.
now that I pulled the plates and pickups out, I see the Pots are little inky dinky thingys !!!
an the routes for the Pickup wires are HUGE, its insane how huge.
all in all, it fits, it works, an what really counts, it plays great.

its new, what do I know. I always replace the strap buttons with locks.

the mid-range Dean Evos are Smoking TOOLS to make music with.
let your fingers make the music, an leave the status symbols to the collectors.

this guitar is so much fun to play . i truely love it. along with my 4 other deans. i just cant seem to get enough of these eye catching very playable axes. carved maple top / mahogany body great sounding p 90s ( compared to my les paul (gem) studio with p 90s ) black finish, this axe has attitude. what a concept!!!!!!!!! the clean sounds trough a fender twin are heavenly

covers all the bases . i use it through a fender twin reverb. line 6 flextone 2, peavey herritage (back up amp for my pod). i dont think this guitar is as noisy as my paul. very well balanced . and im a major tone freak. if it dont have the tone, leave it at alone . dean really did it with this one ,very retro. no dislikes other than i need more money for more deans.

action is the balls. fat fret lovers you will love the evo 60. fatest frets of all my 13 guitars. the hardest part about playing this guitar is putting it in its case.( put your guitars in their said cases, they like to be cared for) i love this guitars so much i bought it twice. long story. i had traded this guitar for a les paul studio with p 90s . the next day i missed the guitar so much i went back to the dealer and bought it back . mine again at last . to give it a ten, it would have to play all by itself

it will outlast me im afraid all around the finish is very eye appealing . all guitars of this quality should have strap locks . as do all of my guitars . its worth the 10-or 15 bucks. i depend on this guitar to make my world a better one . it does just that it stays in tune very well.. grover tuners do the job

had none. but if your out there dean , i own five deans an evo 60, evo special , icon , exotica bb , and edge 4 bass . and i want a dean cap please. nyuk nyuk if i get a hat in the mail i"ll give them a ten

been playing for 25 years or so 20 on a semi pro level

Mahogany Body with a Maple Cap, Glued in Mahogany neck with a rosewood fingerboard. The neck is a nice C profile, not hugely chunky (like my Epi Explorer) but enough of a handfull to make it comfortable for chording.

Pick-ups are two P-90 type pick-ups (soapbar, not dog-ear).

We have a three way switch and a master volume and tone. Nice and simple, hard to go wrong.

If you havent seen the body shape its kinda a Les Paul style, but more rounded. Mine is finished in "poweder blue" which is a real eye catcher (to say the least.)

I play rock music, but elements of blues, jazz, funk, metal, punk, and whatever else sneak into the mix. This guitar happily covers all those bases (with the exclusion, perhaps of metal). The P90s are punchier in the mid-range and a little higher powered than you'd find with, for example, stock strat pick-ups, which gives them this really raw feel, perfect for raunchy blues and rock, which is where this guitar truely excells, it is an unashamed rock guitar.

Thats not to say it struggles with the other genres I listed. Funk, especially, sounds particuarly satifying when played with the 'in-between' position. Roll off a little on the tone pot and you have a convincing Jazz voice. The Neck pick-up also has a pleasing acoustic character, making clean strumming momenets a pleasure.

My Set-up:
Dean ---> Zoom UF-1 Ultra Fuzz ---> Morley PWO Power Wah ---> Marshall TSL60 (into 1936 212 Cab) --FX Loop--> Morley Crystal Chorus --->Line6 DL4 Delay Modeller

But like i say, in a rock setting, the guitar really comes into its own. The Bridge pick-up, distorted, in a band setting, cuts through without harshness, big riffs and powerchords take on a big dose of authority, and most of all fun. Distorted the neck pickup has a cool hollow sound which lends itself to single note riffs, especially if you tune down into D.

The finish itself was perfect, although the binding is a little messy in places, but to be fair that doesnt bother me one bit, as the guitar gets gigged loads so is almost certain to pick up some nicks here and there. The set-up was great as soon as i bought it, i will probably raise it just a bit as i'm going to put 10s on it in the place of 9s, but with 9s the action's fine.

It hasnt failed me yet. It gigs a fair bit, when i gig i take 2 guitars, my modified Explorer and then eitehr my Strat or the Evo. I have to say i have more faith in my strat, but only sightly, i guess it just has a slightly more 'solid' feel to it, i only say that becuase on occasions my strat (which is my favourite guitar) gets abused a little bit, but i'd never do that to the Evo.

Its more of a feel thing than me actually being worried about the build quality.

I've never dealt directly with Dean, but they seem friendly enough.

I met some of the guys from the UK Distributers, and they were friendly and helpful.

This little guitar belies its price tag, or, more precisely, out-performs a lot of other guitars in this price catagory, not to mention a certain Gibson owned brand *cough*Epi*cough*. This isnt to say that the other guitars about are poor, its just that the Dean is a better than a lot of its competitors (I get the feeling this is true for a lot of Dean's guitars.)

This guitar is a lot of fun to play and sounds great. What more do you want?

Maple top, mahogany body, and neck, with a rosewood fretboard. Nickel hardware, grover tuners. This guitar has two p-90 pickups. The top is a silver metal flake color with large flakes. Les Paul body style, 24 3/4" neck scale. It has one volume and one tone knob.

It has a good sound, but the neck pickup runs over the bridge pickup.

The action is good. The input jack is loose, the tone knob does not work, and it has two finish flaws.

I don't play out, but I don't think this guitar would survive. The finish is already starting to come off on the neck.

It has a five year warranty. I just got the guitar and have not dealt with the warranty issues yet. I will find out tomorrow how good customer support is.

I have been playing for 24 years and this is the first import guitar I've bought, and the last. I would not replace it with another if it were stolen. I chose it because of price and that was a mistake.

Arched Maple Top

Mahogany Body

24-3/4" Scale & 1-11/16" Nut

Grover Tuners

Nickel Hardware

Soap Bar Pickups p-90

Tune-O-Matic Bridge

Set Mahogany Neck

Rosewood Fingerboard

Dot Inlays

Single Ply Binding

22 Frets

This EVO60 was made in Korea

Les Paul style body
Gold color
1 volume
1 tone
1 3way switch

It would be nice to have separate tone and volume controls...
I got it used and I'm not sure of the year. I think it is a 2001 or 2001. The pic on the Dean website in gold is exactly what I have.

This guitar sounds good. I play blues and rock and this guitar fits in well with those styles.
I play through a Mesa-Boogie Studio .20 with a dunlop wah, Ibanez ts-9, ts-7, and an Ibanez CF chorus/flanger. Sometimes a DOD delay.

The pickups sound fairly good. I do notice that if I set the amp for the bridge pickup to sound good the neck seems a bit muddy and if I set the EQ for the neck PU the bridge is too bright. A set of matched after market P-90's could help this.
I do like the sounds it makes when clean with the neck PU, smooth and mellow. It does distort nicely when pushed hard with the lead channel on the Mesa or by using the tube screamers.

This was a used item and it looks brand new. The top has a nice gold and with the soapbars it gives it a vintage look.
The only things I noticed were the action could be a bit lower.
There is a fret buzz on the open A string.
There is a nick on the 15th fret at the B string right where you bend.
As I said this was a used item and this can be expected. A good fret job took care of this, which I do to any guitar that I own.

The neck joint looks good no overspray etc. The neck feels nice, no sharp or protruding frets. I am impressed with the hardware compared to other guitars in it's price range.
The Grover tuners are silky smooth along with the slick nut.

This guitar seems fairly solid. It has a nice heft to it and the body is comfortable to play. The Tune o matic bridge is nice, but is a bit weird the way I rest my hand on it. I find that my hand is right on the saddles and after a while is uncomfortable. That is my style though...not a big deal.
the finish looks good when I polished it, no bubbles or overspray.
I like the strap butons that this comes with.
this is a dependable guitar but I always bring a back up for gigs in case I break a string.

I have not dealt with Dean's support.
Their site says it has a 5 yr warr.

I have been playing for 20 years. I have a '78 Gibson SG; a '96 American Std fender Strat; an '84 Kramer Focus 2000; fender F-210 acoustic and a Peavy P-bass copy.
I bought the Dean becuase of the price. this is basically brand new, no marks or scratches. I lists for 549.00 on Dean's price list and on the web did not see it for less than 400.00 New. For 300.00 I am happy with it.
I would maybe buy another if it was stolen. I would like to check out the Dean Chafin Del Sol (a semi-hollow body electric)with humbuckers. I did get this one because of the price.
I really like the feel of this guitar when it is strapped on it is well balanced and I like the feel of the neck.
I compared this with a Hamer double cut away model with hums, an Epiphone Les Paul and a Hamer es-355 copy. All around 300.00
I liked the Dean the best. I felt the most solid compared to the others.
I would like it to have separate volume and tone controls.

Not sure of the year made. I could probably get that info from Dean. Made in Korea. Grover tuners, 22 frets, mahogany set neck, rosewood fretboard, dot inlays, mahogany body, arched maple top, creme single ply binding (body only), nickel hardware, tune-o-matic bridge, soap bar pickups (yeah!). 3-way PU toggle. 1 Volume and 1 Tone control. This one is a Gold Top and she's a beauty! I give this a 10 on features because it is so elegant in it's simplicity.

This is not my first guitar with soapbars. I had a vintage Les Paul with soapbars back when "vintage" was "new". Unfortunately, after three decades I barely remember what that one sounded like. No matter...this one sounds GREAT! It definitely has that "vintage" vibe to it. Want classic rock? Look no further. Blues? Yeah, it'll do that quite nicely as well. CHUNKACHUNKACHUNKA? Yep! In short, Very versatile sound.

It goes like this: EVO 60=>ZOOM GFX-8=>Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 1X12 with a Boss Metal Zone in the GFX-8 effects loop. Sometimes I play directly into a Marshall AVT20. I've also got a Tech 21 Trademark 10 practice amp. Sounds wonderful through all of them. The neck pickup has a nice, warm, smoky single coil sound. Fuller than my Strat. Mid position...a little more sparkle, a little more bite. Bridge...bell like chime without trebly harshness. Lot's of character throughout. Add some distortion and it won't lose any of it's distinctiveness at all. Of all the guitars I own it's the only one that doesn't muddy up on my effects processor on all of the patches. It's great on palm muting too.

Bought it used. It was set up fine, but when I got it home I threw the Elixir .10's on it, as is my custom with any new axe.

Finish is BEEYOOTEEFUL! That gold sparkle is gorgeous!

The neck/heel join is amazing! Very well designed. You can play all the way up to the 22nd fret without having to pretend you're palming a basketball.

This is actually my second DEAN EVO. My first one is a Special Select with the Tiger Eye quilting. The bridge on the 60 isn't of the same quality as it is on the SS. I don't know if that is due to the time it was manufactured or the quality of the model (the SS cost $100 more). It's still pretty decent. I did have one problem though. The toggle switch snapped off. That could be due to the previous owner though, so I can't really fault Dean. Otherwise, it seems to be a pretty reliable piece of wood and wire.

DEAN is THE BEST COMPANY IN THE WORLD!!!! As I mentioned above, the switch broke on my EVO 60. Dean has a Discussion Page/Bulletin Board (as well as a LIVE chat room) on their website. I posted to the bulletin board asking how and where I could get a new switch. Within fifteens minutes I had three responses from users on line suggesting various dealers to get one. But the clincher came when Elliott Rubinson, the CEO, sent me an email requesting my address so he could send me one! When I offered to pay for it he said not to bother and thanked me for being a Dean player. And I'm not even the original owner! Heck, Dean Zelinsky himself comes on line occassionally to chat and answer questions. Someone logged into the chat room one time and asked what Dean could do to improve their guitars. Turns out it was Elliott! What other CEO takes the time to find out from their players what improvements can be made?

Oh yeah, it's a five year warranty. You register on their website.

Here's the kicker. While I was visiting my local Guitar Center (they're not Dean dealers) I saw this guitar for sale used. Seems someone had traded it in on another guitar. Their price tag was $599. But the list retail price NEW is $549!!! What does that tell you about the quality of these instruments? I spoke with the manager and he was very accomodating and we came to an agreed price.

Dean makes great guitars. They've always been associated with pointy metal machines, but Dean's roots actually trace back to the Gibsons of the sixties and seventies. Dean got his start repairing old and abused Gibsons and realized that he could make a better quality instrument for less money. The "Z", the "V", and yes, even the EVO (although the EVO is a newer addition to the Dean line) harken back to those classics. EVO stands for Evolved from Vintage Origin and it shows. Dean took a good idea and made it great.