Dillion DR500T

I borrowed this 2004 model from a buddy. I've played it for a week and I'm ready to write a review.

I own a DR1500 (wrote a review of that one) and this guitar feels far less substantial for a relatively small difference in price.

PRS style double-cut maple body and neck; two humbuckers; 24 frets; tuners and hardware unknown. Finish is heavy poly over what looks to me like a photo quilt top; Dillion claims it's a cap. Two tone knobs with a third funky knob that acts a 3-way switch.

Sound is bit undefined; different wood and electronics than the 1500 model, and with no binding. The pickups lack character and need replacing, but I replaced the 'buckers on the 1500 with P90s, so there you go. I'd describe the pickups as slightly less than average for a guitar in this price range, but workable until you can drop a hundred and change for at least one good pickup.

The guitar is fairly quiet and the neck feels good. You can dial the action in quite low with little to no buzzing. Decent frets, but the hardware is typical korean low-end stuff. Not much variety here, but it's a good all around guitar.

I like the neck, everything else is so-so. Maple is VERY SOFT, so any bumps will result in not only a ding but a dent. Knocking this one against a tom-tom leaves a pretty good battle scar compared to a harder tone wood. The finish looks a bit cheesy to me, but so do all the Dillions and other Korean photo/cap/whatever burl and flame finishes out there once you've seen photo flame done right and nice laminates. Put any of these up to light and move the guitar around. If the grain doesn't change then it's fake or very, very thin.

N/A - my buddy set this up himself after buying it from an ebay dealer.

This guitar isn't gigged and is already banged up from normal bumping that wouldn't touch a Fender or any harder wood guitar. Keep this in mind when you buy a maple bodied guitar. I wouldn't take this out of the house unless I wanted a reliced wreck in a week.

The pots are the dime-sized fare, so beware. Some are good and some not. I don't like the finish on the neck the more I look at it. Dillion uses maple necks on whatever the body material, and unless it's a dark finish you can see the contrast; maple doesn't take stain like alder or mahogany.

Never used it.

Dillion is a good company that sells mid range guitars that are setup to sell. Period. Inflated list prices and fancy (but fake) finishes done fairly well by whatever Korean factory the company uses. What I'm soooooo tired of is the "RARE!" and "ONE OF A KIND" BS behind every other one you run across online. They can't ALL be rare, can they?

I think Dillion is a good deal, but buy his higher dollar stuff and try to play them in person; buying from ebay and used is so risky it's not worth it when you can order a MIM Strat or a PRS SE and get good service and resale with no problems. To resell these you have to print a book of hype.

This is a follow up review previously posted from November now that I've owned the guitar a few months and had the chance to play it more.

See my previous review for the features, etc.

Here's my reason for the follow up. Over the few months I've owned it, both pots totally crapped out on me; both the volume and the tone pots. If you look at the pots, that is one area where they seem to cut corners. They are the cheap, dime-sized potentiometers; not something you would find on a higher priced guitar. I called both Dillion and the store it was purchased from, and both said it was unusual. Although both offered to replace the pots, I went out and bought a set of Gibson pots...much better now. I also replaced the stock pickups with Mighty Mite Motherbuckers. Much more punchy tone and it really brought the guitar alive.

More problems here..the guitar started to develop some fret buzz, and I noticed that the stock nut was cut too low on the high "e" side. I replaced and nut, and for the hell of it, replaced the die cast saddles with graph techs. Much better now. The guitar wood is really good, so no complaints there. Just the electronics and some of the hardware make this guitar average. For about $100, you can really turn this guitar into a better guitar than it's stock version.

As stated before, the pots are not of the best quality, nor are the saddles. The pickups although decent, really aren't that lively. The finish and the feel of this guitar is fabulous though, and it's a real looker. I would be willing to pay a little more for a decent nut on the guitar, better pots, better pickups, and better saddles.
Supposedly, the DR1500 is an upgrade to the DR 500 and the body is mahogany with better pickups.. Cost is not that much more.

Both John Dillion and the store it was purchased from were great. John Dillion even answered my email about the pots as well as questions about the DR1500. Good people.

Overall, this is a good guitar, but I wish they would upgrade the pots, pickups and saddles, and perhaps put on a bone nut (the 1500 supposedly has a mahogany body, better pickups, binding on the neck, and a bone nut). For the cost of replacing these however, I still spent less than I would have on a PRS SE model.

I plan on buying the DR1500T in the near future, as the feel of these guitars are incredible.

Cost: $190 including shipping on eBay

I don't know the year it was made, most likely in Korea.
Very thin veneer of quilted wood on top.
1 volume 1 tone, 3-way rotary selector switch.
2 humbuckers. Passive electronics.
Body back and neck are maple with an orangy translucent gloss finish.
Wilkinson-like Tremolo tailpiece that was mis-mounted.
Non-locking no-name tuners.
24 jumbo frets on the best and fastest neck I've ever had my hands on,
and I've owned over 100 guitars in my life.
No case or gig bag in the deal.


If it was stolen, I'd buy another one for under $250 (even with the faults, I think it's worth that used), but I'm kind of confused by the inconsistency of the quality here that could have been taken care of without much extra effort. It doesn't make any sense.

I play anything from ambient loops like Frippertronics to blistering speed metal, and this guitar can do it all.
I use a Line6 PodXT Live into a Boomerang into a Bose PAS.
No noise and great sounding pickups. It'll sound basically any way I want it to, which is nice.
Am I disappointed? Not for $190!! I always set my axes up myself anyway.
The guitar plays fantastic, with the fastest and easiest to play neck I've played, the pickups and electronics are great and very quiet, and this guitar "sings" - it resonates in your hands like a good guitar will, while the sustain and tone are first-rate.

I had to set the strings, neck bow, and pickups up, but when done, the neck on this guitar is the best I've ever owned - blistering fast - no lie.
The quilt veneer is so thin that it doesn't change at all at different viewing angles, as it rightly should. The tremolo assembly was mounted about 1/16" too far to the left, so that it is right up against it's routed hole, and the strings are thus all off-center to the left, most obvious in the upper registers on the high E string. I'll have to knock out the pivot pin retainers, drill out the mounting holes to the right a bit, then remount them, filling the gap with epoxy. I banged the neck lightly when turning and heard a crack, then saw that the finish had cracked along the neck/body joint, so I removed the neck pickup to see what was up and discovered that there was an obvious vertical gap between the neck and the body on the Low E side - you could slip a playing card into it. The base of the neck mount was solid and I saw no other cracks, so I filled the gap between the neck and body with epoxy and it now feels more solid. There was a small notch where the neck met the body at the pickup hole as well (you could see it between the pickup ring and the neck) so I filled that in as well. Non-locking tuners on an open-nut trem guitar?
Oh, please, Mr. Dillion!

Other than the crack, this guitar feels solid and would withstand live playing that any set neck guitar would, but like SGs and DC LP's, you must take care. Bolt-ons are more durable, but neck-throughs are the best, and the costliest.
The finish is high-gloss and it looks like it will last.
Strap buttons are solid.
I'd depend on it, but gigging without a backup is begging for disaster.

Never dealt with Dillion guitars. No warranty - it's used.

I've been playing for over 30 years and have owned over 100 guitars.
I wish I had asked about the alignments I mentioned.
I'd certainly replace it if stolen with another one, expecting repairs necessary.
I love its unusually inspiring playability - it feels, plays, and sounds great. It can make you a better musician.

This is one of the best axes as far as what it does is concerned that I've ever known, but the quality control isn't. That gap between the neck and body is unforgiveable, and so is the poor tremolo mounting. I expect that the slight inability to stay in tune when using the trem will settle out when I remount it, but selling a guitar with a trem without and means of locking the strings at the head is tacky. A PRS it isn't, but it's disgustingly close - kind of mocks me with its sloppiness while pleasing me with its playability. I'm playing things I couldn't before with other guitars because it's bringing it out in me. This is an inspiring instrument that's 9/10 of what it could be, but that other 1/10th is a kind of choker.
Hard to compare to other guitars because of the quality inconsistencies, although I've also bought Gibsons that were like this as well.
Someone needs to tell Mr. Dillion to go that extra mile and finish his instruments properly - it really is a shame to have something that's so close, yet so far away from what it could be with a little extra care.
I'd suggest that you look one over carefully and then play it before you buy, or buy cheap and fix it yourself. I'm a seasoned musician, so I can pick things out that a newbie might not notice so easily, but will after a while.

2005 Dillion DR500T, made in Korea. Comes with a 24 fret maple neck with rosewood fretboard. "Quilted" maple top with 3-way rotary switch, one volume, one tone control. Two Dillion humbucking pickups.

The body and neck are made of maple (not mahogany as some think) with a nice "photo" quilt top. The body is 3 piece and it is a PRS copy guitar, with a floating fulcrum tremelo. Non-locking tuners.

This is a sweet sounding guitar. The humbucking pickups are medium output and the sound from the neck pickup is very warm, with a nice treble sound from the bridge pickup. The sounds are suitable for any style of music, including blues, rock, or jazz. The 3-way rotary switch takes some getting used to (I'm used to strat switches). The body resonates very well when played. With my amp on a high gain setting, chords get somewhat "fuzzy" and don't articulate very well. Solos are very fluent and sweet although the pups do get a bit "microphonic" at times...

This guitar came PERFECTLY set up. The only adjustment needed was a slight tweak to the neck. Pickups were set up right and string height was dead on at 2/32". This guitar is absolutely flawless. The poly finish on the top is beautifully done, and I love the neck finish...not that sticky painted feeling; more satin feeling like on my American strats. Fretwork is perfect; no burs or buzzes.

This guitar is pretty sturdy..think mid-priced Fender quality. It's not a PRS and the body wood is maple and not mahogany. The guitar's weight is similar to my strats and I assume this guitar will last a long time. Tuners are die cast and the so is the bridge/tremelo; again much like on the MIM Fenders. The bridge saddle screws may have a tendency to strip down the road, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to get some graph tech saddles. Definitely gig worthy and a nice guitar for the money.

I've been playing for 3 years and have owned approximately 20 guitars over the years. In addition to this guitar, I own two Fender American Series Strats, and an SX Les Paul copy. For the money, you can't beat this guitar and the quality is up there with the $500-700 MIM Fenders. This is not a PRS but a nice lower priced copy that is worth purchasing.

24 fret, laminated top, double-cut, 2 open humbuckers, maple body.

I used this for lots and lots of different styles. I was in an out of several bands, so I never really had a set style. I played classic rock probably the most, but blues, country, hardcore, and other stuff also got played frequently on this axe. I played it at home through a zoom 707 and a really crappy Rogue amp. I gigged through a vintage Fender Twin Reverb with the Zoom707. Also gigged with a Vox AC30. Not noisy at all - humbuckers did their job. The bridge sometimes got too bright for me, and the neck was too warm. It was hard to find a good in-between. Just keep in mind that you'll be tweaking your amp's eq to get the best sound. Once I got it all figured out, it was incredible. The sound was outstanding. Awesome sustain. Totally beat every other guitar I've played. Don't even try Epiphones. I was very very disappointed with them when I had to play a bandmate's Epi when my Dillion broke a string during practice. They just don't compare.

The humbuckers aren't gonna give you that single coil tone, but you already know that.

Didn't really have much to dislike about the sound. Great stuff. Freebird by Lynard Skynard sounded great. It doesn't quite mimic the PRS tone though, even though it looks like one. If you want to sound like all those boy-bands who play PRS guitars, then go buy a PRS, or at least buy a set of their pickups. But I'm sure you will be very satisfied with this guitar anyway.

I give it a 9 because I know there are some guitars out there that would school this one.

I got mine used, so I don't know how it comes from the factory. When I got mine it was buzzy at the lower frets. Pickup setup was alright. Alot of the hardware was upgraded before I got it, so keep that in mind why my rating is so high. New pots, new pickup selector, graphite nut, etc.

There was a huge problem with this guitar: the frets. I hated them. They were way to high. When I pushed lightly on the string, the intonation was great. But when I played normally, the string was pulled into the extra distance between the frets and the fretboard which caused the note to go a little sharp. It was very very annoying. I didn't notice it until I developed nearly perfect pitch with my ear and voice. It wasn't anything really really major, but it was just enough to annoy me. Nobody else noticed it, but it sure bugged the crap out of me. Perhaps it was more of the nut's fault, perhaps the setup, I dunno. I give that a 7. Cheaper guitars in this area get a 1-3, just so you can compare it to something.

I played live with it every week and practiced several hours a day. It held up very very well. The only problem is that I think Dillion cut some corners with some of the hardware to save some money. Alot of the screws seemed cheap and several of them stripped themselves out of the guitar. I don't know what was up with that, but one day my pickup screw just fell out and would never screw back in. I've heard of several other people who had that problem as well. Some of the screws that adjusted the saddles got stripped as well. I treated this guitar like a newborn baby, so it wasn't me! Dillion just used some cheap stuff.

Regardless, I still used it without a backup. Maybe because I was pretty cheap at the time.

I hate to give it a 6, because some people probably review Squire guitars and give them a 7 because they don't know any better. Just know that I'm pretty picky and this rating is in relation to how I expect a guitar like this to be.

I have emailed John Dillion on several different occasions and he personally responded back the same day in each instance. Outstanding support.

I've been playing for almost 4 years now. I've studied music theory, and I know my way pretty well around the fretboard. So don't be biased by the 4 year experience. It's all about the passion, not the longevity.

I sold this guitar after owning it for over a year. I waited to post my review of it so I could play some other guitars. In the meantime I have acquired a tele and a PRS Soapbar. The real PRS has great action and setup right out of the box. I was just so happy to have a guitar that didn't go sharp when you pushed hard into the fretboard.

One thing that I do miss is humbuckers in general. They are so helpful with high-gain stuff. The soapbar pickups on the PRS can just get too noisy with a fair amount of distortion.

If there was one thing I wish the Dillion had was perfect setup and hardware upon arrival. But that would probably end up jacking up the price a bit. For the price, it's fantastic. And you can get them cheaper now that Dillion has developed some newer guitars. Get one!

I bought the DR-500TI model in November of last year, brand new. It's made in Korea, 24 frets, Tremolo, Isis inlays, hands down the best looking laminate top I've ever seen, matching volume tone and 3 way pickup rotory knobs, H/H, Cherry Sunburst finish, Maple Body.

The tuners work incredibly smoothly.

The back and neck are not painted like many other cheaper guitars, they're stained dark red, which allows the grain to show if you look, very nice.

The headstock is beautiful, the "Dillion has a beautiful pearl coloring to it.

The inlays are nothing short of fantastic. In my opinion, they look damn near as good as the bird inlays in a true PRS.

I could keep going, but here's a 10. GREAT features for the price.

Sounds great! Sounds even better than my old Ibanez EX series that at one time was my main guitar. Play mostly through a cheap-o Peavy 15 Watt amp, as I can't play my Marshall in my apartment. You can get a thick bassy sound out of it, or a bright crisp sound as well.

Two complaints: 1) There was a tiny blemish on the neck, in the finish where the fretboard joins the neck around the 12th fret. Very, very small, about the size of the end of a ball point pen. 2) The nut was too short, or the notches were too deep, either way, there was a bit of buzzing on the lower strings. Easy fix, but a tad annoying. Other than that, the guitar was gorgeous out of the case.

I've had it for about half a year now, and although I haven't played out with it, it seems like it's built well enough to withstand some serious playing. My Ibanez is far more fickle.

When I was considering purchasing the guitar, I exchanged a few emails with the company, and John Dillion himself replied to each email. Nothing short of exceptional service.

I've been playing for the good part of 9 years, own an Epiphone LP, Ibanez EX series, and a no-name steel string acoustic. This guitar is by far my favorite. I honestly feel it plays just as well as the PRS standard 24 guitars I've played. It doesn't have quite the features and doesn't sound quite as good but then again, comparable PRS guitars cost 4-5 times as much. It's better than the "inexpensive" PRS models.

It's gorgeous, plays exceptionally well, and sounds great. It's basically an inexpensive PRS copy with it's own style.

For the price, NOTHING comes close. Nothing 2 times the cost comes close. I hope the company stays small, as I don't want everyone to be playing Dillions, but this really is a great instrument, and the fact that they're inexpensive is the icing on the cake.

Year 2000, made in Korea, laminated gold finish (absolutely beautiful), 24 frets, H/H, Dillion stock passive pu's, tremolo system, neck through, bird in-lays on the neck, etc

The sound of this guitar definitely suits my musical style which is rock n roll. I'm running it through an old 100 watt Yamaha amp (G100) that was made in the late 70's/early 80's. I use Danelectro effects (fab tone, daddy-o, pyscho flange). The sound to this guitar definitely exceeds what I thought it would be. It doesn't get any noise, and it has a very full sound. Not as good as a real PRS or the upper class Gibson LPs, but it's still really darn good for the price that I paid.

I bought it from a music store who auctioned it on ebay, so I'm not too sure what the factory setting were. But once I received it I had to make a few adjustments myself. The action on it is great now, I haven't played any Gibson with better action, and the finish is incredible. I'm still impressed at how high the quality is compared to how low the price is.

I've played this guitar live many times and it's held up just find. My only complaint about it would be how often the G string goes out of tune (especially when using the whammy or doing a lot of bends). Everything else on the guitar has held up very solidly, it's definitely a guitar I can depend on. I wouldn't gig without a backup simply because I'm not stupid. Things can (and probably will) happen no matter how expensive or how cheap your guitar is.

never had to deal with them

I'm not as much of an expert on guitars as many of the people on this site are, I've only been playing for five and a half years. However, I've been playing long enough to know a very good guitar when I play one, and this is a darn good guitar. Overall, it's worth at least three times what I paid for it, and I've enjoyed playing this guitar for nine months now. I would recommend it to any intermediate or advanced player who doesn't have a couple thousand to buy a Gibson LP or a real PRS. If it was stolen, I'd probably beat the guy who stole it with a Squire, or I'd simply buy another one once I got the cash. However, I have found a new company of guitars that I like a bit more than Dillion. They're called Agile and you can check them out at rondomusic.com They're also Korean guitars, but they're much higher quality than Dillions are. So, overall, I'd recommend this to anyone wanting a PRS type guitar, but can't afford it. For fans of all others (LP's SG's etc), I'd recommend Agile.

the DR500TI made in '02 Korea
24fret rosewood f/board maple body/quilted top (maple)
H/H p/u 1vol 1tone 1 rotary switch
the standard issue Dillion....no frills guitar just solid worksmanship/craftsmanship.

I play a mix of everything fr blues/rock/classic/jazz, etc. and this guitar is perfect. i run my dillion thru a line6 mm4 into a mesa boogie rectoverb. great sound but i had to modify the p/u's first.
i junked the stock p/u's(bass was too loose and wouldnt 'tighten up' the gain. replaced w/a pair of PRS p/u's (bridge-HFS neck-Vintage Bass)and this guitar is killer. blocked the trem too...now it never goes out of tune. absolute rock solid guitar sound.
on the clean channel the bridge p/u sounds warm/fat and pleasant, not that ratty slightly overdriven sound other p/u's are known for.
--if you can get a pair of PRS p/u's...get them. they'll go toe to toe v. any other companies. trust me, i've tried.

set up was ok....the trem w/o blocking it forces the guitar out of tune, unless you play lightly??? once the trem was blocked stays in tune fine. has decent action (tuned to Eb)
no buzz...the neck on this just sells the guitar. all i can say is buy one. they are cheap enough to mod...sound as good if not better than most guitars at twice the price. the neck has no flaws...fretted nice, no bumps, nicks,etc.
the guitar does stay in tune but tuners are ok...sturdy as hell. tone control does work. p/u selector is odd but you'll get used to it.

havent played out w/this but from prev gigging exp (been playing for over 15 yrs) it'll go to hell w/you and come out fine. strap buttons are ok...spend the money and protect your guitar!
the guitar should last quite a while...played it everday for over 5mo's....no signs of wear on the neck. body should be ok...some wear but nothing to gripe about.
gig w/a backup....you could have a $3K guitar and i'd still tell you too. strings break regardless of what the guitar cost right?

john dillion himself will email you w/an honest answer w/i 24hrs.
great to deal with. great company all around.

as i said before...run it thru a line6 mm4 and mesa boogie. i play rock and nothing could make me happier. tons of gain...tight and crunchy rhythm to full bore disturbed/korn tones!!!! the amp helps out but this guitar rocks!!!
look this is it's own guitar...yes it looks like a PRS but i am not going to compare it too jack. it's it's own beast and plays better than any cheapo guitar and is comparable to any guitar priced up to $1200...after that you are looking botique handmade stuff!!!

2002 accurate Korean facsimile of a sunburst PRS Custom 24 - Birds-in-Flight model, with vibrato bar. One of the last few sold out of Songbird Music in Toronto, Canada. Carved alder body, very soft, extremely light, not sure of the neck material, but feels too light to be maple. 24 3/4" scale, set (glued) neck, rosewood fingerboard, 24 medium nickel frets, characteristic PRS thin-to-wide neck, plastic nut, adequate non-locking tulip machines. 3 way rotary switch selector only, not 5 way like PRS. No case but was able to purchase one from SongBird Music, and not just any case will work. Seems that a TKL will work, but TKL makes cardboard 'hardshell' cases now. Good folks there at SongBird Music. I live in Washington State and they made all arrangements for delivery. Arrived in beautiful condition.

The vibrato system is definitely *NOT* PRS. Don't know where Dillion picked this one up. Its a knife-edge 2-way fulcrum/pivot style, but Dillion indented the body so the vibrato system could be pulled up. It really wrecks the whole vibe in my opinion. To their credit though, the vibrato is heavy-duty which helps the sustain, and it has height-adjustable (like a strat) bridge pieces for each string. Also, the vibrato/bridge is tapped so the bar has to be screwed in, and can't be slipped in and out like the PRS.

The p/u's are *import-style* korean humbucking. 'Import' meaning the pole pieces on the bridge p/u are wider than the neck p/u. I guess they do this to center the pole pieces under the strings. *BUT* this has the added disadvantage that not just any old p/u covers will do. Though standard p/u covers will fit, the holes won't line up on the bridge p/u. The guitar comes *without* p/u covers as the PRS Custom 24 is sold that way. I prefer p/u covers on my guitar's as it yields a classier look, and purchased some (at a premium due to the fact that it uses import covers).

That said, the p/u's sound wonderful. I love them. Out of the case, this is a *very* solid-sounding instrument - very homogenous and balanced if you know what I mean. Very quiet, and due to the way the p/u's are wound, even the 3-way selector yields a wide variety of tones. The volume pots are 500k which let the p/u's breathe a little. *AND* the p/u's are wax potted. Just another indication on the high-quality of the components.

The p/u's really are mostly there for show as I needed a real nice *looking* guitar with a decent neck to use as a driver for my Roland VG-8, which uses a GK-2A hex-style p/u. The body material *does* make a difference on the VG-8, and the alder is a little brighter sounding than the ash on my '79 strat. Nothing that a little EQ on the VG-8 can't fix.

I removed the original wiring harness intact and replaced the volume pot with a 500k push-push linear-taper for the VG-8 volume. The tone pot was replaced with a 250k audio-taper push-push volume pot for the mag p/u's. Sadly, I couldn't find a 500k push-push, but it didn't affect the tone of the p/u's too much. And the 3 way rotary selector was replaced with a 5 way rotary selector. The push-push pots enable me to get full-functionality from the VG-8 without ruining the top by drilling holes for separate switches.

When I use an amp, I run the guitar thru my all-tube '82 Fender (Rivera) Concert amp and it sounds beautiful, or it kicks depending on what you want it to do.

I decided to purchase an after-market 5 way p/u selector switch and re-wire the guitar like a PRS. I found a schematic on the net, opened up the guitar, and lo and behold, the p/u's were only 2-wire, not the 4-wire style that enable all the splitting and tapping necessary for the PRS sounds. So I had to re-wire the p/u's first. Ultimately I was able to achieve what I was after and now can get the parallel, and series sounds that PRS achieves. Great fun and a learning experience.

I also replaced the plastic nut with a graphite one (first time I've ever cut a nut, so I actually had to cut 2 of them!), which also helped another problem which I'll describe in the next section. It did improve the sound, and the look was the same as Dillion uses a black plastic nut.

Set up for the guitar was done at SongBird Music, and they did a decent job. 3 springs were used (though 4 are used at the factory), and the clamp screws were backed off to give it an easier feel. The guitar *WILL NOT* return to pitch after using the vibrato bar, and bending the strings will throw it out as well. The 'G' and 'B' strings were the biggest culprits.

I replaced the plastic nut (which was cut pretty well) with one I cut myself and though this helped the sound a little, it didn't solve the return-to-pitch problem. I was advised to tie a knot in the 'G' and 'B' and use no more than one or two winds on the tuning posts. Again, no go. After playing with 4 springs and the length of the spring-clamp screws, I finally installed a Trem-setter which solved the problem, but its much stiffer now than it was. Now it uses two springs, and the Trem-setter and is much more reliable now. About on par with my Strat (which uses the classic 6 screw vibrato system and has never experienced this problem!).

The finish has two tiny closely-set dust particles in the paint in the low neck cutaway. One screw in the guitar jack was stripped, but a couple of round toothpicks and some woodglue in the hole fixed that problem. Very minor. The plate for the jack is also just a tad small for the jackhole and you can barely see the hole.

The 'laminated quilted maple top', means photo-papered *picture* of a quilted maple top. Not a single Dillion Custom 24 PRS-style guitar has ever had a true *quilted maple top*. The bookmatching is a nice touch though, and the guitar tech that set it up couldn't tell the difference until I told him. If you use an incandescent lamp over the finish, when you tilt the guitar, the quilt should catch the light and flare. Obviously, with photo-paper it doesn't do this.

The volume control isn't as close to the strings as a PRS, and its set back a little, which makes it harder to do the 'strat-pinky' volume trick, but it can be done.

Workmanship on the guitar was done extremely well otherwise.

This guitar is made of alder and is very soft, but so are Strats. It definitely will ding and paint will crack from the ding as do Strats. The utmost care should be used if this guitar is meant to be used live. Just get used to the idea that this guitar will 'age' quickly if subjected to the rigors of the road.

The harware is good, but the machine heads will probably fail after awhile. I replaced the strap buttons with strap-loks and they should work just fine.

I would say this guitar is as good as most seasoned 'pro' guitars, and other than string breakage, shouldn't need a b/u. But...

I *will* depend on it to do the job that I bought it for and expect that it will fulfill its promise.

I haven't used it live yet, and these are just my observations and predictions.

I've emailed Dillion and received responses, but when asked about replacement p/u's and cases I was referred back to my dealer. My dealer is able to get Dillion p/u's but they are pricier than you would expect for Korean knockoffs. Also, there is *no warranty* for guitars purchased out of the U.S.

I would say this guitar quality-wise, is just a tad behind Ibanez guitars sold in the late 70's - (Ibanez's Golden Years). But, it positively smacks down Ibanez now. (what the heck is an Agathis body? C'mon Ibanez!!). The wiring is good, the finish is excellent, the sound is much better than expected, and its got a set-neck. Very versatile, pretty and lets face it, given the shape of the headstock, birds-in-flight, carved body, thin-to-wide neck, etc., Paul Reed Smith has a very good case against Dillion. This is a classic Law-suit edition of a PRS Custom 24. Bound to be a collector's guitar.

If this were lost or stolen, I would be very sad and pine away for it. If I could find another one, I would definitely buy it. My only regret is that it doesn't have medium-jumbo frets, and that the vibrato system looked less clunky and worked better.

This is an addition to the previous submition......The Customer service is horrible. I have sent a number of e- mails requesting info on stuff and I have been blown off. I really enjoy their products, was looking to purchase more, wanted some info and have YET to get a response for the past 2 months.

2002 Dillion DR500T handcrafted in Korea. 24 jumbo frets. Solid archtop maple body, quilted maple laminated top. Two Volume knobs and one 3 way selector. H/H pickup configuration. Raul Reed Smith body style (very well done). Double pivoting tremolo. Bird inlays.

I, personally, have to have a deep full tone that Les Pauls provide (Fenders don't cut it) in order to even pick up the guitar. This guitar plays very well for the style of music. I play alternative/hardcore and it plays very well. Gives a great full tone with plenty of bass or switch the pickup selector and get more treble. I play it through a 4x12 half stack with a 100Watt Hot Cabs head. Hot pickups, really pickup great sound (excuse the pun). It really gives a rich full sound that I like for the type of music I play. I'm a rhythm guitarist mostly, but I can get it to cut through for a solo every once in a while if I need too. It sounds just as good as any Les Paul I've ever owned (with maybe the exception of the Slash Signature Custom LP).

The action is really good. Set very low. Plays extremely well in regular tuning. I might have to raise the action a little bit because I do play in lower tunings for my heavier stuff (i.e tuned a whole step down in drop C) I get some string buzz on the lower strings. Not enough to be noticable when I'm using distortion, but just enough to bother me. I'm sure it can be easily adjusted. The pickups sound good and seem to be set very well. She shape of the body is great! The first thing I thought when I got it was "If this guitar didn't say 'Dillion' on the headstock, I would swear it was a Paul Reed Smith". The back is carved very nicely to fit to my body. The carves are very nice and I haven't found any finish flaws.

I've only had it for a month now, but it seems to be built very well. I don't see where I will have a problem, but if I do, I'll let you know. I would certainly gig with this guitar, in fact, that's why I got it! I haven't actually played a show with it, but I look forward to it.

Haven't had to speak to customer support.

I've been playing seriously for about 5 years and gigging for 4 years now. If this guitar was stolen I would buy a Fender because those things are a piece of crap and I would have no problem destroying that guitar by beating the crap out of the guy who stole my Dillion. I loved the way it played from the first strum (I use DR strings in case anybody cares). It really is a great guitar, I would recomend it to anybody who want's a PRS, but can't afford the real deal or anybody who is a Les Paul lover. It looks and feels just like a real PRS. Overall, I give this guitar a 10, hands down.

no clue what year it was made...i bought it in late 2001. made in korea. 24 frets. it has a carved maple top, very pretty quilted maple. One volume, one tone, 3 way rotary selector. stock Dillion passive H/H pickups. I'm not a wood expert, so i won't try to guess what the back and neck are made of. whatever it is, it's good. Extremely beautiful amber sunburst finish. PRS body style. In other words, it's a Korean made PRS clone. Tune-o-matic bridge, stop tailpiece, non-locking stock tuners. All the hardware is chrome...looks extremely solid. The neck is awesome, not too fat, not too thin. The frets are fairly big...i'm not sure what exactly the size is.

Excellent features, especially for the price.

The sound is where this guitar stood out to me. It simply sounds awesome. Very warm, fat neck tone. The bridge tone is brighter, and still very thick. Both pickups together is simply incredible. I like the bridge pickup for aggressive heavy stuff, the neck pickup for smooth overdriven leads, and both pickups for clean tone. This guitar is great for anything I can think of - rock, blues, jazz, metal. Extremely versatile.

Oh yeah, it doesn't sound like a strat. If you want a strat, get a strat. Unlike its expensive PRS bretheren, it doesn't have a 5 way pickup selector so it has no coil splitting positions. But it's perfect for what I want, and for the price, it's excellent!

the setup was good in the shop, very low and fast. I imagine it was probably set up by the guys at New Music. However there is a bit of fret buzz, so i raised the bridge a bit. Still buzzes a bit so now i'll probably try adjusting the truss rod. since i raised the bridge, i then also had to raise the pickups. The action is very good, but it could be better. I'm still fighting that fret buzz, but it doesn't get in the way of my playing at all. I'm just obsessive/compulsive.

The top is nothing short of amazing. Almost perfectly bookmatched, beautiful sunburst finish. Very wide and deep quilting. Even more amazing is the fact that this guitar cost less than 500 bucks. I've seen finishes inferior to this on guitars over $1000. I notice a tiny something in the finish - like a piece of grit or something - on the side of the neck and thats the only flaw i've been able to find. The hardware is very solid. The fretwork is immaculate...the fretboard is beautiful. They did not cut corners making this guitar.

Looks extremely durable, very solid feeling and playing. This guitar feels like it could last forever. Hardware is very nice.
The finish is very durable, i think its polyester but i don't know that for a fact.

the strap buttons are solid. you wouldn't need to replace them
unless you're one of those nu metal nut cases who thrashes like a fish out of water...

i would most definitely depend on this guitar. i wouldn't pound on it, but thats because i like taking good care of my instruments. i would use it at a gig without backup because i am unemployed. if i had the choice, i would never gig without backup if i had a choice but thats because sh...i mean stuff... happens. This is one reliable guitar.

i haven't had to deal with them. It has a good warranty, but i forgot to send out the warranty card...but thats ok because this guitar is gonna LAST.

This is the best guitar you could get for under $1500. It simply blows away everything else within its price range, and a lot of guitars that cost way more.

I have been playing for a couple years, but i have played a very wide range of guitars. Believe me, i shopped EVERYWHERE before buying this. Checking out stores...looking at websites...reading reviews...
I've compared this with ibanez, gibson, epiphone, dean, fender, and real PRS guitars. the only better guitar I tried was a PRS singlecut that costs 5 times as much. For the price, this is the best.

I am so glad i got this guitar instead of some "economy" guitar. My rig is pretty simple. I play this guitar into an Ibanez TS7, a DOD grunge, and an Ibanez IBZ10 solid state practice amp. I can only imagine how good this would sound through a REALLY good amp.

Now i'm probably gonna get a strat for a different variety of tones and and then my rig is pretty much set until i have the money for REALLY expensive guitars...

If this guitar was stolen, i would hunt down whoever stole it, smash a squier strat over his head, and the feed him the pieces. if i couldn't find him, i would buy another one without hesitation.

This is the best guitar anywhere for its price.

2001,solid arch top maple body Quilted maple laminated top Set neck and hand polished frets Original style headstock and Dillion pearl inlaid logo
Chrome tulip style die cast machine heads Dillion custom pearl fret markers
Double pivoting tremolo Two open humbucking pickups with cream rings
One volume, one tone, plus 3 way switch

This thing is amazing! If you want a nice full bluezy or jazzy tone, its there...If you want to scream on leads, add distortion, you are there..It's versatile! I use it dry into a peavey black widow, or with a j-station for recording. I have yet to find a dislike with this. I have been Fender guy forever...this just feels more right!

I had this guitar set-up out of the box (it came with the sale)....It has remained in tune for
3 weeks...It looks absoulutly perfect, there were no flaws!

I would not only use it (which I have),but I haven't even needed to replace a string on it! This is solid!

I sent them an e-mail yesterday, and they replied less than 8 hours later! Too often in todays society, we only speak up if something is terrible. I was so blown away by this product, I had to let them (dillion guitars) know about it, and I am not surprised at thier rapid response. Thier products are THAT good, and only through great communication can a company achieve such high quality and standards.

Playing- 17 yrs (12 serious)
I am looking into purchasing another one..different modle (DBB300,DTT72)
This is a great alternative to spending thousands of dollars for great tonality!