Dillion DR500xA Limited Edition

Mine is #4 of 8 from year 2000. I believe it is imported.
24 fret rosewood board
Clear acrylic body
1 Volume & 1 Tone. Pick-up selector has been changed to a toggle.
Pick-up configuration is two humbuckers
These pick-up were re-wound by the prvious owner.
Passive electronics
Neck is a bolt-on maple with acrylic peg-head dovetailed onto the maple.
Neck finish is a smooth schallack/urethane mix,,,,I believe.
Body is supposedly a PRS template double cut-away with extended upper horn.
Bridge is a tune-o-matic with typical stopbar for string retention.
I am not certain what the tuners are except for accurate
Neck is fairly wide and flat with a fairly large radius which means comfortable and well supported.

My music style is Classic Rock and Blues with a miniscule dose of Country. This instrument really sings and yet has a crisp snap when you ask for it. I use a moderate amount of overdrive and a small Line 6 Spyder or Flextone when playing. Many Guitars can really lose their note definition in the low end, especially at higher volumes. This one does not do that until you really push your distortion effect to it's limit. No discernable noise which is quite impressive considering the lack of sheilding in the control box areas. I will say that this Guitar cas sound a bit thin and may require some tonal adjustment if you have been playing a wooden based instrument. My only dislike is that I wish the body was a bit more contoured, specifically in the upper body radius which rests against your ribs. If you wear your instrument quite low, this is obviously not a problem.

Since I am the second or possibly third owner of this Guitar I cannot attest to the factory set-up. However, when I recieved it, the adjustments necessary were miniscule and largely of a personal nature. It was set for extra light strings and I use light gauge. I believe that I will probably change the pick-ups at some juncture as I would like to put split-coils on it in order to attain greater tone flexability.

I do play hard at times and this has taken it without hitting back. All of the fasteners are nickel plated and unless you leave this Guitar out in the rain or out on the beach next to the ocean, you should not have any corrosion problems. Strap buttons ARE solid and you will want a wider strap to hold it up. This will make long sets easier on your shoulder. Once the strings are stretched, it does stay in tune even if you push your 1st string to the other side of the neck. I would use it without a back-up instrument as long as I have faith in the strings. Since it has the common tune-o-matic bridge on it, you could replace a string in 2 or 3 minutes but , I prefer to grab another Guitar.

I have not dealt with the company and hopefully, it will happen because I want to, not have to. This instrument has not required any repair and, if it did, I would probably do it myself. I do not know the warranty status but I am fairly certain that the time is up.

I have played Guitar for approximately 40 years. If this were stolen, yes! I would seek out another and buy it. I don't like the lack of body contour but that is offset by the playability and the WOW factor of this instrument. It is unique in that it has a clear peg-head whereas other acrylics don't. I have played the Dan Armstrong and the Univox "Lucy" and they're O.K. but, this Guitar is better built and plays MUCH better that either of those. I do wish it had a slpit-coil pick-up arrangement instead of the common 2-bucker.

The Dillion DR500X-CA is one of the most unique guitars I have ever seen. Mine is #3 of 16 made in 2004. It is a solidbody guitar with a 24-fret bolt-on neck. The body is made of transparent, colorless acrylic, as is the headstock. The neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard. The neck shape is rounded and fat. The body style is the same shape as a Paul Reed Smith, although the top is flat, not arched. Be warned, due to the acrylic the guitar is HEAVY! Not for people with back problems. It has two humbuckers (make unknown), a master volume, master tone, and a three-position rotary pickup selector. The bridge is a Tune-o-Matic with a stop bar. The tuners are of an unknown make, but seem similar to Grovers. The guitar came with an allen wrench for the truss rod and a Certificate of Authenticity signed by John Dillion. What else do you need?

The sound is very bright. It seems a bit thin to me, although I'm not sure if that's due to the acrylic or the stock pickups. I'll probably change the pickups out for Seymour Duncan's, so we'll see. As it is, the sound is still very good. Lots of treble, tons of sustain. It really cuts through. Doesn't feed back, even with heavy distortion, and gives a great rock/metal sound. It also cleans up nicely. Some people told me that acrylic guitars tend to sound cold and dead, but that's definitely not the case here.

The guitar as a whole is built very well. The bridge and pickups needed just minor adjustment. The guitar itself looks flawless. I guess it's hard to cover things up when you can see through the guitar, so they build it right! The tuners are very solid; I was kind of worried that since they weren't a brand name, they'd be kind of crappy, but I'm pleasantly surprised. I love the attention to detail; the acrylic headstock and transparent backplate really add to the overall vibe of the guitar.

This guitar is both as heavy and as solid as a rock. I'm pretty confident it will last a long time. The acrylic is going to be a lot more durable than wood.

Haven't dealt with them, although the other reviews are very positive, which is encouraging. Hopefully I won't have to bother them much anyway.

I've been playing for about twelve years now, and I have eleven guitars. This one is possibly the best-looking, and is a lot of fun to play. I hope that putting some new pickups in will improve the sound a bit; however, I didn't expect to get great pu's in a $400 import guitar. If it were stolen, I'd buy another if I could find one at around the same price; most of them go for $600 and up new. Buy one if you can find it; they're a great deal even for $600 and they're really impressive, unique instruments.

This particular Dillion is from the first set that they made, I don't know the year. It was made in Korea with acrylic materials. Volume and tone knobs, along with a rotary knob for switching between pickups. Has two humbuckers, tune-o-matic bridge, PRS body, and Rosewood neck. It came with a case. It is beautiful and does everything a guitar should.

I use the guitar for classic rock and 90's alternative rock. Suits the style fine, it could play anything. But I don't know about Jazz or Country. I'm using a Crate amp with 120 watts of power. On clean the guitar is bright and crisp. And boy does it ever have sustain, acrylics just ring out those notes. This makes a rich rock sound. I like the pickups it comes with, but some fancier ones would do.

I got the guitar and it was set perfectly. One of the pickups was loose but I just tightened it, no big deal. The guitar came without any marks or dings, everything on tight... well except for that one pickup.

This guitar has played live and done it well. I like the strap buttons it has on it, nice and wide, ensure my strap won't just pop off. I have depended on this guitar 100%. The only reason I take a back up is for when a string breaks.

Everyone says Dillion is good about answering mail... They have never responded to any of my emails and they don't give out a phone number. That really turned me off from them, but the guitar is so awesome I won't be too harsh.

Awesome guitar and a real jem. It's amazing, hands down! Most pictures won't do it justice, you have to see it in person. The clear headstock blows the Dan Armstrongs away. If you have to means gets this guitar. You can buy some from http://www.stevesmusiccenter.com for $525.

Astonishing. These glass monsters will become collectors items.
Nov 2003 #14 out of 16 ever made. There's so few of them the owners should start a club.
Clear acrylic body PRS style and headstock. My window cleaner has asked if he should put it on his shedule of work.
It came without a hard case. The only one that would fit was a Burns Brian May case.

Lots of sustain on the low notes, better than my fender strat, and similar to a les paul.Play a low E last thing at night and its still ringing in the morning.
This guitar is fine for heavy rock/metal sound. The middle position had plenty of character but volume seemed to dop off in this position). I've changed the pick-ups to Kent-Armstrong vintage type. Wow what a difference! This this glass monster really has tone now. It sings like a bird. The #70 for these pick ups was the best thing I ever did (there are even better ones available, see Guitar Mag Nov 2002 for a review).

Reasonably well set up (except they should wind the strings on a few more turns). Took a while before everything settled down and it now stays in tune.
The neck is very impressive, a delight to play and the finish is superb. The slash cut joint between the wood neck and the glass headstock is an enginnering feat to behold.
I took it into Andertons my local guitar shop and a small crowd of sales people and customers gathered around it, muttering 'wer're not worthy'. It's pop-mungus mate!

Play it live? It's far too beatiful to even take out of its case. This is the crown jewels of my colection. I'll leave it locked up at home, and take my old fender on stage. The mystery glass guitar that's too good to use in public is becoming a legend in my town. A fable has started that it'll only get taken out in public when the Queen Mother's birthday coencides with the cusp of Uranus.

Mr Dillon himself relpied to my email (and signed the owners certificate). A jolly nice chap i'd say. He directed me to a dealer that had the last one in stock. Good boy!
The guitar got delayed in its shipment from USA to UK. The dealer put a trace on it, and it turned up in the end.

I've been playing for 30 years and wanted something special and different. I got what I wanted and more. The change of pick-ups are a matter of taste, but I seriously reccommend them. The review of this glass monster is based on the price category that it falls into. i.e. I got surperb value for money, so 10 out of 10 Mr. Dillion. Well done. Top banana. Excuse me a minute while I go and give the guitar a hug. Is that E string still sounding? Must by some windowlene to clean it

i dont own one...yet. but i recently played one at a local guitar dealer. he was lucky enough to get one in. oddly enough it was the first thing i saw out of all 20 guitars there (ya know, cause its CLEAR). anyways, id been dreaming of one since i saw dave grohls. i plugged it in, wiped the drool from my mouth and started to play it. i was shocked. id been told that acrylic guitars sound terrible...this defaulted that rumor in an instant. i was shocked. its a les paul body shape. h/h configuration. nice fat, fast neck. great balance. good solid feel. plays well too.

it fits my style very well. we write originals but we also play covers at bars. the clean was good. but it also took care of all my distortion wet dreams....sorry, too graphic? anyway, it pretty much took care of everything i needed it to sound like...

well since i could actually SEE all the wires inside the body, i didnt see anything out of place.

judging from the other reviews, id say it sounds pretty solid. it dffinately feels solid to me. the only thing i would worry about is taking it out to the car on the cold nights. but it comes with a hardshell case so...should be good. i think i might (if/when i get it) put some strap locks on it so it doesnt fall off my shoulders. im kinda unlucky like that. dropped my ESP Viper in my driveway...yeah, ouch. stones...did i mention it was stones?? so ill take a stab and rate this at 10 so's i dont ruin its rep.

they seem pretty cool. i mean, u get a signed certificate from Mr. Dillion himself proving its authenticity.

i also own an ESP Viper, and a Tradition Strat...the viper has EMG HZ-H4's in it and the tradition has (pretty hot) factory pickups. id say this guitar sounds somewhere right in between the two. maybe leaning more towards the EMG's...its unique...its see thru... les paul style=great playability/feel/tone...its see thru...it aswesome...one of those u keep and show your grandkids.

Model: DR500A Bad Boy #1 of 1
What year was it made? November 2002
Where was is made? Not sure. South Korea, maybe?
How many frets? 24
Top? single piece clear, colorless acrylic body
Which controls are given ? volume, tone, 3-way rotary toggle
Pickup configuration? h/h
Make and model of pickups? stock
Active or Passive electronics? passive
Body and neck woods? acrylic body, maple neck with rosewood board
Finish? clear, colorless acrylic
Body style? I wouldn't call it a PRS because the PRS's I had were carved top CE's. Close, and comfortable.
Bridge style? chrome Tune-O-Matic
Tuners? Non-locking.
brand of tuners? no name Schaller-style
Neck/Scale? I was told it's the same profile as a `62 Strat. But with 24-fret scale, angled headstock, 3 on a side tuners. 25", 42mm at the nut? Maybe the radius is the same? Regardless, it feels awesome.
Any included accessories? hardshell case, heavy velvet body bag, tweed Dillion strap and signed certificate from John Dillion.

The body material has tons of midrange, sounds very thick. Focused top end. Sound reminds me of a composite Steinberger, but the wooden neck feels much nicer (to me) than phenolic and graphite. I've never had a guitar that sustained like this before - it's unreal. Amps are various `50's Fenders and `80's Concerts. Various effect pedals - the guitar takes pedals *extremely* well due to it's tonal characteristics. The neck compliments the guitar nicely in terms of sound. As far as synthetic body materials go, this one sounds like a 10 to me. Acrylic doesn't have the brightness of ash or the darker sound of maohagany, but it does it's own thing very well for the money. Pickup tonality is a very subjective issue; what I assume to be stock pickups (braided wire leads in clear teflon?) sound good. Clean up nicely when the volume pot is lowered. Plenty of output; they compliment the body's tonal characteristics well.

Plays great. Can't get over how nice the neck is - rosewood board is nearly polished. Fretjob is excellent. Nut is good. Tuners are good, Schaller-style, all other hardware is good quality (metal output jack plate, too). Output jack rattled slightly, and the screws holding it in place were completely tightened in. Remember, you can't just sink screws into acrylic, otherwise it might crack. All holes have to be drilled out to the correct depth. So the rattle was fixed by a bit of plasti-tak to serve as a compressible spacer. No more rattle. Neck joint creaks a slight bit, but once again keep in mind that acrylic does not have the same properties as wood, folks. The heel is extremely small - love the feel of it. If all Dillions have necks like this, they are definitely a brand worth looking into. All other assembly is excellent. The pots feel like high-quality self-cleaning - very smooth with a bit of drag. Not loose. It looks and feels like the quality instrument it is. One of my friends was also very impressed by the build quality. I've owned over 50 guitars, and this one should be a keeper. The body is flawless. The wiring holes and cavities are not shielded or painted - they're just routed out to an even, but not polished, finish giving those areas an opaque look. Looks more fitting than black cover plates (clear control cavity plate is an indication that someone is very detail-oriented).

Will this guitar withstand live playing? A friend of mine has a Univox acrylic bass; the body material does not react favorably to sudden temperature changes (like stage lights) - expansion rate poses a problem for tuning. Aside from that, I'd say it would do fine under any other condition.
Does the hardware seem like it will last? yes.
Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing? Solid acrylic is going to be around until the cockroaches take over the planet. It's hella tough. Semi-gloss neck finish feels great.
Are the strap buttons solid? yes
Can you depend on it? yes
Would you use it on a gig without a backup? sure, why not?
This guitar is a one-off from the other DR500A's - the original neck's matching acrylic headstock broke off, and the guitar was outfitted with a Dillion Bad Boy bolt-on neck. The original broken neck was included with the guitar, and it's of the same finish quality as the neck that's presently on it. Maybe I'll have it repaired someday.
The OHSC was damaged on the inside - the interior compartment pieces were broken up. Fixed with some wood glue, looks perfect now.

Emailed the company asking where I could find one, and John Dillion replied quickly with contact info for a dealer that was going to receive a shipment. I ended up finding this particular one on Ebay instead. How often do you contact a guitar company and get a reply from the owner?

I don't like the look of colored acrylic guitars, don't like the body style of the old Dan Armstrong acrylics, so finding another colorless acrylic guitar with a body style *I* like wasn't easy. The DR500A was a realistic opportunity at a nice acrylic. I've had 5 bolt-on guitars from that shop in Rockville, MD, all pre-1994. While the DR500A's top is flat, and not carved, the rest of it echoes my old CE Bolt-Ons nicely. If the top was contoured, I'd rate it a 20. The neck and body are balanced extremely well - making the guitar feel less heavy than it actually is. It looks flawless. The back has an offset which makes this guitar comfortable to play (something that's noticeably lacking on my Raven RP350). I live less than 100 miles from the PRS factory, and during the late 80's and early 90's tried out all of the bolt-on neck models I came across (and bought several as a result). They were killer guitars for under a grand back then. Now, they're more expensive (as the cost of living rises around here, so do guitars). This guitar is a likeness that is very enjoyable to play. And when they do become available, they sell fast. At some point, I'll buy another Dillion based on the build quality of this one - for the price, it's finished very well. For those of you out there into man-made body materials, this one is a winner. As the PRS body style wasn't totally original, it's nice to see a well-made, affordable alternative for much less. What would I change? Not the neck, not the pickups. A contoured body top would make this guitar completely stunning, but since I don't know how acrylic bodies are formed (extrusion molding?), I can't offer any ideas to improve it. The guitar goes out of tune fairly easily, but I'm guessing that will be solved when the .009's are replaced with .010's, and there are more windings on each tuner post. If that doesn't fix it, Sperzel tuners will. Only other changes I'd make is to have a regular 3-way toggle switch instead of the rotary. If I can tweak a guitar to meet my liking with a few dollars, I prefer it over a more expensive one that poses more challenges due to design.
What do I like most about it? It's the guitar that matches Wonder Woman's invisible jet. Production has been running at 16 a year, and this one has "#1 of 1" handwritten in silver marker on the back of the body. Plays beautifully & the signal is as strong as the stream from a pressure washer. Sustains beautifully and has a focused midrange tonality. No flaws or distortions in the body - it's like looking through glass. The lack of colored shielding or cover plate really adds to the look, too.
It's a keeper.

This guitar was made in 2000, in Japan. 24 frets, one tone, one volume, and one 3-way rotary switch for the two humbuckers. The body of this guitar is transparent acrylic, you can see right through it... It's like glass. Beautiful. The shape of the body is a double cutaway like a PRS, and its got a Tune-O-Matic bridge. Maple neck and rosewood finderboard with trapezoid inlay. This guitar looks soooo incredible, its absolutely stunning. I'm not sure why I'm reviewing this, considering this guitar is one of eight made. Mine is number six. It's unlikely that you'll see one, but the fact that this guitar is so cool should speak more for the company that made it; I should know, this is my third Dillion.

This guitar sounds as cool as it looks. The sound is nice and fat, very thick, but with enough treble to cut through the mix on solos. I use this guitar plugged straight into my Marshall Artist 3203 (slightly hot-rodded), driving a Marshall 4x12 with Celestion 30s. Marshalls arent known for their clean tone, particularly this head, but this guitar gets incredibly clear and full voices from every string, its incredibly... and when you switch it over to distortion, its fat and crunchy in all the right places.. it fits into a mix perfectly.

Came set up from the factory perfectly, and it plays like butter. the pickups were a little low in the chamber, and thats maybe a two second adjustment. Everything else was perfect, theres absolutely nothing wrong with it.

This guitar feels solid as a rock, its incredible... It's nice and heavy, and I like it like that. I would definatly play without a backup, its incredibly dependable.

The customer support is incredible! The last time I submitted a review, I got a phone call from the person responsible for this fine company. In fact, thats exactly how I was lucky enough to get my hands on this guitar, I asked for it specifically before it was even made since there were only 8 of them. Wonderful support, better than anyone else out there.

I confess... I know almost nobody else will get the opportunity to play this guitar, I kinda just wrote this to make you all jealous. However, look into Dillion guitars, theyre great.