Dillion DR450

2005 DL450FX, alder body, flamed maple top (natural), wraparound tailpiece, semi-hollow with f-holes. Basically, a slick little PReSque McCarty clone...for about 1/6th of the price. Yeehaw. 2 fairly hot humbuckers, 1 vol and tone, 3 way switch- simple layout. You could tap the pickups if you wanted to, I guess. 3 piece maple neck, bound body and fretboard (rosewood)...look, if you go to the Dillion website, find the DR450FX listing, it's just like the first one you see.

Sounds full, bright without being brittle, nice bottom end. Good for clean and heavily overdriven stuff. It doesn't feedback as easily as I expected. Super light weight, too. I really have no desire to change the pickups or the hardware- everything works just fine as it is. Middle position is adequately funky for clean rhythm work, and I think the choice of body woods (alder w/maple top) help keep the neck pickup from sounding too woofy, as is common. Nice bite- chimey and fat. Bridge pickup has a good midrange honk, super for crazy legato stuff.

Tightened the truss rod and dropped the action a bit- some rattle up high on the low strings, a bit of choke on really aggressive bends, but all this can be fixed with a little fretwork...I wish people would try and be a little more realistic about this stuff. I can't begin to tell you how many high dollar guitars I've had to dress out and tweak to make right. It's a fact of life.

I love really low action, and if you do too, you should be prepared to do some work (or have it done) to just about any guitar you purchase "off the rack." There, I said it. Unless you're having a guitar built specifically for YOU, don't expect the neck adjustment, pickup height and action to be "spot on", especially if the instrument has been shipped for any significant distance.

The woods look really nice, the binding's a little spotty in the cutaway, but I mostly just love this little guitar. It's cool.

Big fat strap buttons. Very cool. No weirdness out of the hardware or wiring. Little bit of gloppy glueness inside, bit I don't spend too much time staring into the f-holes, y'know? Built super solid, and I don't really plan to do backflips, fling it or whack it with a hammer to test the impact resistance. It's a guitar, not a Honda Accord. I think I can count on it, and though I shouldn't, I do often gig without a backup. Lazy.

John's a hoot to deal with. If your the least bit "Southern" like me, it feels like the guy's talking about 15 different things at once, but you get used to it. The bottom line is he wants to build really good quality instruments at affordable prices. For the most part the is succeeding wonderfully. Every now and again a honker gets through- again, a fact of life. 2 year warranty on all guitars. If you call Dillion guitars, you get John on the phone. Every time. That makes me very happy, because I call the guy a lot.

I've been playing for about 17 years. Here's the catch guys- yes, I am in fact a person that sells these guitars, as in a "dealer". And yes, I bought one with my very own money. I get no kick-back for writing this review. I just wanted to contribute something about these instruments and hopefully dispel a few notions about what they're about and the line itself.

My rig is a mid 70's Princeton Reverb with a 1x12 extension cab, a bunch of pedals (dyna comp, Boss overdrive, tubescreamer, a couple delays, yadda yadda...) and this axe sounds great through it. I bought it to be my "rock" guitar, but it really does most everything else quite well, too. I've had it for about 3 months and it's broken in nicely, plays great and there's nothing I'm compelled to change about it.

The shape of the body is small, how I expected and wanted it, but the headstock is tiny. It does look "toyish". Will probably need some work done, such as an bridge upgrade. It stays in tune. The neck is fairly nice, its not fat, but its comfortable. Its like a fender tele neck, but with less of a boat in it. The spacing between frets is very narrow though. The scale length may be 25, but it feels like a 24. I've played 24.5 guitars before, and this one feels like its less, if you have large fingers, this guitar may be a challenge to play on the higher registers (12+).

The bridge sounds good, the neck is thin and needs work. If it had a pickup upgrade, I'd expect this guitar to sound incredible. A very distinctive sound to it, a midrangy snarling almost. Nice though.

The setup sucked, the frets needed leveling and there were many minor problems that added up to a guitar with very high action and difficult playability. A minor finish flaw, a bubble in the coating that made it appeared like golf ball divet. The guitar actually looks nice, except for the tiny headstock that makes it look toyish.

seemed solid, I returned mine for a Yamaha SA2000S

Small time company with little support. The vendors who sell these guitars seem shady, like guys selling gear from their basements. I bought mine from Juniors Music, and I must say that the owner, Paul Boyne, was a real a-hole. When I told him I wanted to return the guitar (because I didn't want to pay $200+ for setup correction), he gave me a lot of bullshit. He even changed his webpage around to fit what he had claimed on the phone earlier that day when I had spoken with him. Luckily, there are web archieves to catch this sort of thing. He eventually gave in.

Its probably a fine instrument. But expect to pay $200 to get the thing set up properly and playable. Add some pickups and you'll probably have a nice playing and sounding axe. But beware, your gambling if you try one of these since they don't really have any sort of return policy. A few words of warning, the spaces between frets are narrow, the headstock is tiny, you'll NEED to get a setup done on it. Expect to pay around $800 to get it gig ready. I bought a used Yamaha SA2000S for $815, and IMO, the Yamaha is a much finer instrument than the Dillion. The 2 extra frets aren't worth it.

I Don't know what year it was made maybe 04. 24 frets,laminated top,1 vol 1 tone 1 3 way switch. 2 hums maple top natural hollow like prs. wraparound bridge

many reviews say its weak and hot. I think its just right. I use a peavey special 130 watt 1/12 and it sings. I do not like the bridge too much and am replacing it with a piezo wraparound from dguitarparts online

set up was ok I lowered the action a little, however now it buzzes a little at the 2 fret but I will adjust it out. Small finish flaws hard to see unless you really inspect.

I use it every weekend gig. very dependable, I always have another guitar with me (parker fly deluxe)

N/A

I've been playing 30+ years, My gear consists of 2 strats,2 tele's (1 72 thinline)Parker fly deluxe,carlo robelli(orange gretsch copy),Line 6 variaxand a bunch of effects currently using Boss ME 50

This is a follow up review of this guitar after having made some badly needed upgrades. The changes are as follows (with prices):

Grover Locking Rotomatics $42.65 @ www.stew-mac.com
Pigtail Aluminum Wraparound Bridge $79.95 @ www.stew-mac.com
TonePros Locking Posts (metric thread) $34.95 @ www.stew-mac.com
Seymour Duncan SH-55 Seth Lover (neck & bridge) $200 @ local shop
Fret dress, setup, intonation, install of parts, etc. (Your cost will depend on your relationship with your tech but remember, you get what you pay for!)

Holy shit. The difference is incredible - well beyond what I hoped for. The Seth Lovers are soooo smooth and the tuners and bridge add to the stablility and sustain so much more than I expected. I cannot begin to tell you what a difference these changes have made. This guitar is now a professional quality instrument. I had my first show with it last night and everyone was blown away with the quality of my tone. Simply incredible. Watch your ass PRS!

The fret dress is the key. Those crazy Koreans do a pretty good job with their fret machines but you just can't beat hand levelled frets. Spend the money, you won't regret it.

I chose the Locking Rotomatics, initially, because I didn't have to make any new holes in the headstock. However, after having used them in a live situation, I absolutely love them. They are VERY smooth and stable and no bulky thumb screw on the back side of the gear housing. I was skeptical at first but now I'm a born again believer!

I'm very impressed with the aluminum bridge. Great sustain, great stability and, imagine this, adjustable! Yes, you too can actually intonate your Dillion DR450 - the power of technology!

I installed first class parts on this guitar and it shows! It doesn't feel (or sound) like a toy anymore.

Yeah, right...get yourself a good tech. May I recommend Bob Rhoads? Check him out at www.birddogbobby.com - he's the best.

These changes are a must for anyone looking to use this guitar as a working axe. Of course your taste in p'ups may vary but I highly recommend the SH-55. They are very smooth and can go from jazz to rock to low-down dirty blues. I am so impressed by this guitar that my poor Strat may not see the light of day for a while. I have almost $1,000 invested in this project, but seriously, it is worth every penny. For less than a quarter of what you would pay for the PRS, you can have a very fine guitar that sounds incredible and looks incredible. You simply cannot beat that value.

I cannot stress enough the importance of a good tech in a project like this. Get to know him, talk about what you like so that he can make it happen. Remember, he's a gear head too and probably loves to talk about what he does as much as you do. I spend at least an hour at my tech's shop every time I visit and he has become a real friend and that is, in my opinion, a major factor in what I consider to be a successful project. The better he knows you, the better the work he can do for you.

Good luck with your project and have fun!

veneered maple top glued to routered 3 piece mahogany back. Mine has a beautiful amber figured Japanese ash veneered top. The body is fully hollow, except for a block under the bridge which goes the full depth of the guitar. The top is about 1/4" thick along the sides, where the f-holes are, and about 5/8" thick in the center where the pickups are. Mahogany neck w/24 fret rosewood fingerboard. 24.75" scale, 1 11/16" nut. 1 piece wraparound bridge. Gotoh style tuners. Funky looking humbucking pickups.

I'd like to clear up a few conflicts I've seen in previous reviews:

This is technically a fully hollow guitar, the portion of the maple top where the pickups reside is not attached to the back, and although relatively thick, is free to vibrate, unlike an ES335 style semi-hollow guitar, which has a solid block of wood down the center with hollow chambers on the sides. There is a full depth block below the bridge.

The top is not a figured wood top, but rather solid maple with a thin veneer glued to the top. Common practice on low to mid price guitars. The advantage is that you can have a stunning exotic wood top at a low price, often with more dramatic figuring than a solid one, and you're not depleting the world's supply of exotic wood. It is absolutely gorgeous, easily as nice as guitars costing thousands more.

Often described as being a copy of the PRS hollow body: It is similar in appearance, but a PRS, it is not. The Top and back of the PRS are miraculously carved to a very thin dimension throughout. Both top and back are arched. The Dillion has a flat back, and the top is quite a bit thicker in the center. The PRS is much more like a true hollowbody (although it does have a solid block under the bridge), it is extremely light, acoustically lively, and feels as if it will crumble in your hands. While the Dillion does have acoustic properties, it is heavier, and more like a solid, or ES335 in terms of it's resonance.

Dillion would probably have you believe otherwise, but this is one of a slew of very well made, inexpensive guitars coming out of one of the huge Korean plants. The same one that makes many Ibanez, Epiphone and most other guitars of Koran origin. It's no coincidence that this guitar bears similarities to other brands. This is not a bad thing. Companies like Dillion are able to custom configure their product, so there are differences between the various guitars in fit & finish and Q.C.

I use this guitar for jazz and fusion. Acoustically, it is similar to an ES335, woody, with some airiness. When it comes to the pickups, this is where it all falls apart for me. Although they are not bad by any means for a guitar of this price. The bridge pickup sound is fairly bright, but not natural sounding - kind of constricted. There is something fatiguing and cold about the sound - sort of like an ice pick in the forehead. The neck PU does OK for clean stuff, and actually sounds decent for jazz, despite the 24 fret neck and it's effect on PU placement. It's not a big surprise that the PUs on a $300 guitar would be challenged. For many players, they will probably be fine, but if you've ever experienced the bliss of high-end aftermarket pickup you'd be selling yourself short - the potential is great here.

Sustain seemed to be pretty short as well.

I have to play devils advocate here. While very well made for the price, there are many reviews here that will lead you to believe that this is equal to a $3000 guitar in every way - this may either be a reflection on the embarrassing Q.C. issues that American companies are facing, or an indication that the reviewer has not actually played a fine guitar for any period of time.

The finish and construction is the best thing this guitar has going for it. It is a beautifully finished guitar that is technically well constructed. There are a few minor flaws: a little sloppy finish on the binding, some visible wood filler. Nice bang for the buck, and it really is nicer than many recent American made guitars. But is not as well constructed or perfectly finished as some of the Japanese made guitars.

The parts are all a little cheesy. The bridge is a crude casting, that is not intonable, and was badly tilting on the studs (can you say "bad coupling"). Tuners seem well built, but slip a little, causing the guitar to go out of tune. The electronics seem sound, although the switch feel cheap.

The action was not really to my liking, but I am used to guitars with really low action. But the neck and fretboard are well constructed. A few of the frets were high and had to be glued. A good foundation, but there is huge potential here.

The neck profile is perfect for me: wide fretboard with a moderately shallow depth, similar to an Ibanez Artist.

So far so good. It took a tumble off the stand, and was fine. The finish is thick and durable., and the construction solid.

A little slow to respond to my emails.

Here's where things get interesting. I bought this guitar for it's potential more than anything. It had the look and basic construction I wanted, although there was room for improvement in the hardware and setup department. The first thing I did was to order a TonePros locking bridge with adjustable intonation ($120) than I took the guitar over to Gary Brawer Stringed Instruments in San Francisco to have them run the Plek machine (www.plek.com) install the bridge and do a full set up ($270). When I got it back, it was a totally different guitar. The action is insanely low and buzz-free, the sustain and tone have improved drastically, and it just feels solid. I'm not sure whether to attribute this to the TonePros tank of a bridge, or the Plek set-up - maybe both. I have a set of Bartolini PUs on order - this should fix the tone problem. This little experiment proves to me that a good set-up is perhaps the most important (and overlooked) factor in the equation, and it can in fact make a marginal guitar world class. This guitar has it's own personality, and is stands up very well to my other guitars, all Japanese Ibanez, not as good, but close.

So I'd say you really can't go wrong, either in bang for the buck, or improvement potential. Go get one!

Mine is the new DR450XF. Korean made, 24 fret, bound body and F-holes. VERY attractive laminate top, not perfect but very nice. Basically, the guitar is a replica of a PRS Hollowbody I with exception to the neck inlay and the 24 frets. All the hardware is Korean so, it looks good but the quality isn't there. Set neck, medium jumbo frets, BONE NUT! One volume, one tone, 3-way switch.

You can get the company line here: http://www.dillionguitars.com/guitar/electric/DR/DR450/index.html

I'm not sure how to criticize the features as it's a replica of another guitar. If you like the features on the real thing, you'll like the features on the Dillion. If you're looking for more features (i.e. PRS Hollowbody II) this may not be your cheap way out.

The stock pickups suck. But what do you want from a Korean made guitar? We know cheap pickups sound like mud through a strainer but the guitar is inexpensive and we can always buy better pickups for less money than a better guitar. If you're looking for a tone machine reconcile yourself to the fact that you're going to gut the guitar and install quality parts.

The sound chambers on the guitar are so small, I'm not sure as to the extent that they help shape the tone of the guitar. With the stock pickups as set from the factory the neck is VERY bassy and muddy and significantly louder than the bridge p'up. The bridge is bright but lacks real detail. Both issues are exasperated by the potting wax. Sure it stops feedback but at the expense of tone. I've played with the pickup heights and the adjustable poles and I've got it sounding about as good as it's going to get but it's still out of balance volume wise. The reviewer who said the p'ups throw the amp into compression early is right on the money. I play through a blackface Super Reverb and a Music Man 65 Reverb and it squashes both of them way too soon. In fact I would say that these pickups wide open are unusable in a live setting. For the home picker, they may be fine but for a working musician they'll be the first things to go.

Incidentally, I had the opportunity to play a PRS Santana SE and the damn guitars look, play and sound identical. I think it's interesting that PRS gets as much as they do for their Korean guitars when you can do just as well for a lot less with a Dillion.

The action is set very low and fast. It came with very light strings on it and I'm holding off switching to heavier strings until I get the guitar to my tech so he can adjust the neck properly. I like my strings heavy and a little higher than most people but that's where the tone is.

The neck joint looks a little questionable to me. I'm not sure how it'll handle regular gigging but time will tell. I'm having problems pushing the strings out of tune while playing and I'm not sure if it's the neck flexing or the light strings or me man-handling the guitar or a combination of all of the above. I'll let my tech have a look at it, maybe heavier strings will help. This guitar sustains like a motherfucker, which was a nice surprise.

There are some flaws in the binding and the book matching is off a tad but really, who cares? Nobody is studying it while I'm on stage and if you're concerned with minute details on a guitar in this price range you're an idiot.

As it comes out of the box, the guitar is no where near ready for stage duty. The hardware is cheap Korean stuff so plan on investing in good tuners, good pickups, etc. The dinner plate strap buttons do kick ass however and the bone nut is a nice feature.

Haven't dealt with them yet and I shouldn't have any reason to. Unless the neck takes a dive...and even then I do have a great tech who probably does better work than I'll get through the manufacturer.

I've email John and he replied quickly and courteously.

I've been playing for 15 years and my main player is a Fender MIJ Strat that I have gutted and tricked out a la Tone Quest (Fender Custom 69 p'ups, Bill Callaham tone block and bridge assembly, Fender USA pots, jumbo frets, Sperzel locking tuners). My amps include a blackface Fender Super Reverb and a Music Man 65 Reverb head. I also have an Amer Fender Strat Plus, an Amer Fender Bullet H-2 and various other acoustic and electric guitars.

I bought this guitar because I wanted a strat sized semi-hollow guitar to trick out. If you're looking for a good platform for a project guitar, this is a great place to start. It's no PRS, not by a Korean mile, but it's a nice playing guitar and a great value for the money.

Swap out the pickups, put on some descent locking tuners and string it up with 11's and you've got yourself a great stage guitar that looks like it cost a lot more than it did. I would budget $800 for a project of this type and you'll get a fantastic value for the money.

This rating is before changes and modifications. I will do a separate review after the project is complete.

f holes 2 humbuckers dillion pickups hot but livable I think. has the bridge and stop tailpiece combinded. the one is a cherry sunburst my least favorite color until I got from ups. also the tuners are the small scale tuners also found on the historic reissue gretsches being produced now. liked them on my gretsch stremliner and like them on the dillion.

this guita sounds rich/full and bright. no mud but a bit on the hot side. could sound deeeper with other pickups. so far I have only used it through a fender. I wish it had two volume and two tone knobs but it wasn't designed that way. sounds great for what it is.

this thing might have been slightly used when it came from a dealer in cal. I have no way of knowing setup seems flawless but the strings were rotted and had to be changed before being played. everything is on the up and up with this guitar and for the price I paid who am I to complain.

tuners are great and finish is nice buttons solid. as good as a fender and it feels like a strat when its straped on except its lighter then most strats. loved theat about it the moment I put it on. just feels like an old friend hanging there.

can't say this is my second dillion have not had problems yet have a fab dillion goldtop w/p90's now for sale as new.

been playing about 24 years and I just love the bargain I got on this Ebay buy. I have a Prs daler near me and just can't see why they cost so much as this guitar is just as nice at 1/20 of the cost of a prs macarty.

This is an update to a previous review. I recently had the guitar worked on. I had a Seymour Duncan 59 put in the neck position and a Pearly Gates put in the bridge position. In addition, I had the frets properly leveled and a push-pull pot put in the tone position for dual-single-coil switching. I also removed the non-adjustable bridge/tailpiece and replaced it with one similar to the adjustable one on the McCarty.

See previous review.

Before I changed the pickups, the sound was definitely acceptable. Quite midrangy but not overbearing. For an 'economy' pickup, they are far better than the "Duncan-Design" pickup I have seen on other guitars.

With the new Duncans, quit simply, it ROCKS! I will also submit a review for these pickups but it's worth mentioning that these pickups sound good in this guitar. The 59 is very smooth and round. It doesn't 'muddy up' when used by itself like many pickups do in the neck position.
The PG-1 in the bridge pickup is very similar to the 59, with brighter highs.

See my previous review for the original setup.
After having my guitar tech properly level the frets and set the action, it's very respectable. I am using a hybrid .009 set of strings. My rating is after the setup.

Before having the frets leveled they were polished well, but not level. There were definitely uneven frets causing some buzzing and limiting how low the action could be set.

See previous review.

See previous review

New Dillion DR450 hollowbody made in Korea. 24 Frets carved, flamed maple top with F holes. One tone, one volume, three way switch. Generic pickups with chrome covers and cream colored ring. The web site says that all of the wood is maple (?). This is a copy of a PRS hollowbody except with 24 frets. Hard tail that looks like the one PRS uses on the Santana SE. The tuners are generic and work surprisingly well.. this guitar stays in tune far better than my other guitars. The neck is what I guess PRS would call a wide-thin. Absolutely nothing came with this guitar.

I like to play bluesy / psuedo classic / hard rock of my own creation and this thing sounds really good. I was really surprised at how good it sounded without any changes. Its hard to explain the exact sound, imagine a Les Paul, but fuller and a little brighter.

The guitar gets a good range of sounds from the different pickups with different amounts of tone and gain.

The setup was great in the shop, but the guitar has started to buzz in the last couple of weeks, probably the humidity. The action is low and the pickups are kind of low as well. The strings were worthless but the shop gave me a new set. I don't really like the finish that much, its a cherry burst on a flamed top. I like sunburst guitars, just not cherry burst.. but it is starting to grow on me. There are a couple of spots where the finish has bled over onto the binding, and a lot of oversray into the body through the f-holes. To be honest, these little nit-picky things bugged me when I got it, but I really don't notice anymore. This guitar has definately become my favorite.

Live playing.. I have no idea. I have never played before an audience. It has stood up to a few knocks on the headstock from my three year old son. The finish seems like it will last, as does the hardware. The strap buttons are good, but I need strap locks. I already had the guitar slip off of a strap (I caught it). Seems dependable but if I were to ever gig you bet I would have a backup.. I'm anal that way.

I received email from John Dillion a few months ago when I inquired about a local dealer. It was an honest to god personal response. He seems like a good guy and I'm guessing I would have no trouble here. So I will give him a 10. I don't know if I even have a warranty.

I have been playing for about a year. I play with an Epiphone Les Paul, a Fender Mexi-strat, and a Fender Blues Jr.. or my v-amp2 if everyone is sleeping. I have a variety of pedals that I use from time to time, but I really like the sound of the DR450 plugged straight into my Blues Jr with the volume at around 8 with the master at something bearable.

I can't get over how great this guitar sounds. It has been the only guitar I've played (aside from my acoustic) since I got it. I totally reccomend this guitar to anyone that wants the semi-hollow sound on a budget.

I think this was made in 2002. Made in Korea. It's a solid top amber. Volume, tone, 3 way switch, two humbuckers. It's all I need on a guitar. Switch is a little stiff, could be 'cause the guitar is still new (6 weeks old on August 3, 2002)

I play heavyish rock/pop, jam it out on occasion calling for extended solos. Set up is (this week): Sound Studio Compressor>Korg Classic Overdrive>Boss Octave>Ibanez Auto Wah>Boss Bass Chorus> Digitech RP6 stereo out to Marshall JCM900 4502 & Roland Stage 100. The whole package is a bit noisy when it's all kicked in. Clean, it's a beautiful, bassy tone. Switching pickups goes from a deep humbucker full tone to slightly twangy Fender sound. Pretty powerful gain and volume boost on lower position.

Bought it through private dealer who had it set up already. Perfect for me, luckily. No flaws and intonatable bridge.

I kick holes through wall with this guitar a minimum of 3 hours a week. Haven't played live with it yet. Seems pretty durable. I'm also a freak about taking care of it. Finish is nice and thick, though I've been soaking this guitar in my sweat all summer.
I would never gig without a backup (especially since the reversed intonatable bridge doesn't really allow a quick string change) but I'd trust it under normal circumstances.

I originally emailed John Dillion for dealer info and he promptly replied. If I have any problems, I'll go through my private dealer.

I've been playing for about 17 years. I have a couple basses that I focused on playing for the past 6 years or so. I've been back to the guitar for the past 3 or 4. If this guitar was teefed, I'd turn around and get another right away. For the money, I could never find a better guitar. I love the tone and sustain. It stays in tune for weeks at a time. I played a couple other Dillions and LP's, I had been playing a borrowed Strat, I didn't even play it before I bought it. Based on what I had read and my dealer's high rec, I grabbed it. If you can find one and you just can't afford the real thing (PRS), take it. You won't be disappointed.