Dean Guitars’ parent company, Armadillo Enterprise, has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, it has been announced.

Armadillo Distribution Enterprises and Concordia LLC, the intellectual property holding company for Dean Guitars, Luna Guitars and ddrums, have voluntarily filed jointly under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the Middle District of Florida.

Notably, a Chapter 11 filing does not mean the company is going into liquidation. Unlike a Chapter 7 filing, which winds down operations, this route instead involves a court-supervised reorganization that will allow Armadillo and Concordia LLC to restructure their financial obligations.

It will also mean both companies – and by extension, Dean Guitars – will be continuing normal business operations while the restructuring takes place.

Pamela Keris, Armadillo owner and CEO, said the decision to file for bankruptcy was “a proactive step to strengthen our financial foundation and position these iconic brands for long-term success”.

“Resolving the financial pressures of recent years allows us to focus fully on growing what we've built,” she says. “We remain fully committed to our customers, our dealer network, and our employees. Dean, Luna, and ddrum are strong brands, and this process will allow us to emerge as a more resilient organization.”

A press statement adds, “The Companies have filed customary first-day motions seeking court authorization to continue paying employee wages and benefits and to maintain vendor and dealer relationships without interruption.

“Armadillo wishes to assure both its retail and consumer partners that all existing orders, dealer relationships, and customer commitments will continue to be honored without interruption.”

In court filings available online, Armadillo has estimated assets listed between $1 million and $10 million, though its estimated financial liabilities are between $10 million and $50 million.

The filing comes off the back of some trying times for Armadillo and Dean Guitars, which have been embroiled in internal disputes and high-profile lawsuits over the past few years.

In 2023, two separate lawsuits alleged Armadillo was liable for nearly $10 million in debt, leaving the firm’s fate in the balance. At the time, one of its lenders, Valley National Bank, attempted to foreclose on Armadillo’s debts.

As per the bankruptcy petition recently filed, Valley National Bank currently holds an unsecured claim of around $3.3 million.

That’s not to mention the various copyright wrangles it’s had with Gibson over the years. In 2025, a federal jury backed Gibson in an infringement battle that rejected Dean’s use of the Flying V, Explorer and SG body shapes.

More recently, Dean Guitars has been wrapped up in a legal dispute with Dimebag Darrell’s estate over breach of contract and trademark dispute of the Stealth and Razorback designs. Though it ultimately emerged victorious, it could be facing an appeal.

Given the scope of its potential liabilities, it remains to be seen how exactly the future of Dean Guitars will pan out. That said, the firm is steadfast in its assertion that this bankruptcy filing is a necessary step towards a more secure and stable future – one that will not only benefit the company, but also fans of Dean Guitars, too.

Armadillo Distribution Enterprises has been approached for comment.

A federal court has issued a major ruling in the ongoing legal dispute between Dimebag Darrell’s estate and Dean Guitars owner Armadillo Distribution Enterprises, granting a summary judgement in favor of the defendant.

In 2021, the late Pantera guitar great’s estate sued Dean Guitars, citing unlawful use of the Stealth and Razorback guitar body shapes, and “unauthorized fraudulent trademark registrations” for the two.

In Dime We Trust, headed by Dime’s longtime girlfriend and estate trustee, Rita Haney, also accused Armadillo of breaching their terms of contract.

Both the Stealth and Razorback models were designed in collaboration between Dean and Darrell. The former was based on the ML, and Dimebag’s “Dean From Hell” variation is regarded as one of the most famous guitars in heavy metal history. The latter, meanwhile, was designed when Dean and Dimebag rekindled their partnership, shortly before the guitarist was tragically shot and killed onstage in 2004.

At the time of the original lawsuit, Dean Guitars' then-CEO & President Evan Rubinson released a statement on behalf of the company, calling the claims “baseless” and “without any merit”.

"Dean Guitars is proud to have played a role in ensuring Dime’s legacy not only survived, but thrived over the past 17 years. We have stood by the estate through good and bad,” Rubinson said.

“Ms. Haney’s claims – across the board – are baseless, without any merit, and not grounded in reality. We will allow the full truth to come out as the legal process takes its course.”

Now, in a new ruling, a federal court has issued in favor of Armadillo, granting a summary judgement that dismisses “the majority” of the Dimebag estate’s trademark, fraud, and breach of contract claims. That includes In Dime We Trust’s claims regarding the ownership of Dean’s guitar models.

“For almost two decades Armadillo was proud to work directly with the Abbott family under a relationship built upon mutual respect, shared purpose, and a genuine love for Darrell Abbott’s music and his love for Dean Guitars,” a press release from Armadillo reads.

“The United States District Court’s order is confirmation of what we have known all along: Armadillo's ownership of the Stealth and Razorback trademarks, the Razorback guitar design, and related intellectual property was earned through years of prior use and good faith commercial activity.”

In court documents published online, the ruling notes that the Trust’s motion for partial summary judgement is denied on 11 counts.

Those include: trade dress infringement and trademark infringement of both the Razorback and Stealth guitar designs and wordmarks; breach of contract; claims of fraud; and more.

The court documents also conclude that Armadillo has been denied summary judgement on two counts: the copyright infringement of Darrell’s “Dean From Hell” artwork; and false endorsement and false association, which, as the ruling notes, is concerned with whether there was “a likelihood of consumer confusion, mistake or deception as to the origin, sponsorship, or approval of goods being sold”.

In a statement, Owner & CEO of Armadillo, Pamela Keris, said, “We are grateful for the Court's thorough and careful consideration of the law.”

In practice, this means that Dean has been given the green light to continue using both the Razorback and Stealth designs and wordmarks going forward, so don’t expect those to fall off the firm’s production lines anytime soon.

Dimebag’s estate, meanwhile, has been honoring the guitar great’s legacy through another operation, Dime Guitarz, which is currently producing Stealth-inspired builds under the ‘Culprit’ range name.

A copy of the ruling can be found at United States Courts website.

In Dime We Trust did not respond to a request for comment.

In a strange collision of musical universes, new video footage has emerged online showing blues-rock maestro Eric Johnson strutting his stuff on a Dean V metal guitar that had been built for Dave Mustaine.

The clip was posted to Instagram by Andrew Michael Barnes, one of the American firm's Custom Shop luthiers, who explained how the pointy axe had been put together for an Experience Jimi Hendrix tour, likely from 2022.

The Experience Hendrix extravaganza is an annual tour that unites a star-studded cast alongside mainstays Eric Johnson and Hendrix bassist Billy Cox to pay tribute to the late virtuoso's legacy.

That year – 2022 – saw Dave Mustaine, Joe Satriani, and Dweezil Zappa join the bill, and while Mustaine looked to Barnes for a V that doffed its cap to Hendrix's Love Drops V, which was reissued late last year, Johnson clearly couldn't resist taking it for a test drive.

In the clip, Johnson puts the guitar through its paces, with a thick octave fuzz pedal engaged somewhere out of shot. The wry smile and raised fists at the end hint towards the electric guitar meeting Johnson's approval.

“One of my favorite moments,” Barnes' caption states. “Mr. Eric Johnson shredding on a Dean axe I assembled for Mr. Dave Mustaine to use on the Experience Hendrix tour years ago.

Zakk Wylde was also a guest star on the night in question, evident from the number of Wylde Audio six-string guitars loitering in the background.

After the 2024 edition of the tour featured Hendrix's ‘Izabella’ Strat, the 2025 edition wrapped up on April 12, having featured the likes of Eric Johnson, Zakk Wylde, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd alongside young guns Ally Venable and Marcus King.

Dean's V-shaped guitars have been the center of a lawsuit from Gibson, with the firm winning the right to a retrial in July 2024 after an initial verdict went in Gibson's favour, but lost again, with Dean's owner quick to hit back with a response.

In related news, Mustaine has announced that Megadeth are due to retire after their next album cycle. Eric Johnson has also revealed he was fired from a session gig after he couldn't come up with the goods during the early stages of his career.

A federal jury has for a second time sided with Gibson Brands in its years-long trademark battle with Armadillo Enterprises, the owner of Dean Guitars.

Initiated in 2019, when Gibson sued Armadillo for trademark infringement, the battle centered around the former brand's argument that Dean had violated the trademarks for, to name the most prominent examples, its proprietary Flying V, Explorer, and SG designs.

Dean, meanwhile, argued that in the minds of the guitar-buying public, those shapes had become generic.

Gibson emerged victorious in May 2022, with a Texas federal jury deeming the shapes in question to indeed be Gibson's, but last July, Dean won the right to a retrial in the case, arguing successfully to the Texas 5th Circuit Court of Appeals that certain key evidence in its favor had been excluded in the original trial.

The retrial, however, has led to the same result, with Gibson's trademarks being upheld, and – as was the case three years ago – the company receiving a token sum for damages.

In a statement shared with Guitar World, Gibson said, “Gibson has secured another major legal victory in its ongoing commitment to protecting its iconic designs.

“In the retrial of Gibson v. Armadillo Enterprises (Dean Guitars), a Texas federal jury has once again upheld Gibson’s exclusive rights to its legendary guitar shapes and trademarks, in recognition of the harm caused by Dean’s infringement.

“The jury’s decision reinforces the validity and strength of Gibson’s intellectual property rights, confirming that its guitar shapes, including the Flying V, Explorer, and SG, remain protected trademarks,” the statement continued.

“Gibson is turning its focus to the future, continuing to invest in innovation, craftsmanship, and the next generation of groundbreaking guitars.”

Guitar World has reached out to Dean Guitars for comment.

Dean Guitars owner Armadillo Enterprises has won the right to a retrial in its ongoing trademark dispute with Gibson Brands.

The dispute refers to Dean’s use of the V and Z shapes, alongside the Dovewing headstock (and several other marks), which Gibson argues infringe on its trademark rights.

Gibson won the initial trial in 2022. However, Armadillo appealed the decision earlier this year, arguing that the Texas District Court’s ruling to exclude certain evidence of the generic nature of Gibson shapes – specifically evidence that originated before 1992 – was an abuse of the court’s discretion.

That ruling by the Texas court meant that in the initial trial, Armadillo was left trying to argue that Flying V and Explorer-style designs – first introduced by Gibson in the late-’50s and much copied since – had become generic in the eyes of consumers, but could only use evidence from 1992 onwards to do so.

On July 8, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that decades of evidence pre-dating that period and relating to other guitar brands should indeed have been permitted – and that Armadillo is subsequently entitled to a retrial.

“We are incredibly pleased with the court’s decision,” said Armadillo Enterprises CEO, Pam Rubinson.

“This court’s ruling affirms our commitment to Dean's legacy V and Z models that have been in continuous production since 1977 and reinforces our belief in fair competition within the guitar industry.

“We have always strived to respect the history of guitar craftsmanship while bringing our own unique flair to the market. This is a complete vindication, we have fought this battle and won on our behalf of Dean Guitars and every other guitar manufacturer in the industry”.

Meanwhile, Armadillo’s attorney Ron Bienstock, of Scarinci Hollenbeck LLC – who, notably, previously fought and won a dispute with Fender regarding the genericness of Strat, Tele and P-Bass body shapes – stated:

“Amongst other issues, the court recognized the history of the Dean brand in their longstanding use of these guitar models, as well as countless other guitar companies that have produced and marketed these same guitars.”

While the ruling is undoubtedly welcome news for the Dean producer, it should be noted that the new decision does not reverse the 2022 injunction preventing it from using the disputed shapes.

Instead, it offers Armadillo’s team the chance to make their case again, albeit with more evidence at their disposal.

Gibson, meanwhile, also remains bullish on its prospects. The firm says it plans to appeal the latest decision and has promised that, if necessary, it will vigorously defend its trademarks at the retrial.

A statement provided by Gibson, reads as follows:

“Yesterday, a 3-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals remanded the Gibson v Armadillo case for retrial. The Court of Appeals found that the District court allegedly abused its discretion in excluding certain evidence. Gibson will be requesting all the appellate judges reconsider the panel decision. Gibson is confident that the Texas Judge and jury got it right the first time.

“Gibson’s guitar body shapes are iconic, and it will continue to protect them to preserve its legacy which is critical to protect partners, dealers, artists and fans around the world.

“Gibson, like other iconic American brands, has invested in meaningful research, development and innovation over 130 years, and is confident that in a retrial the jury will again find in favor of affirming Gibson’s well recognized intellectual property rights, rights that have been Gibson’s for decades.”

The documents relating to the appeal can be found using the court of appeals docket number 22-40587.

Dean Guitars has gone au naturel with the latest reprise of its pointed metal guitar, the Zero.

The Zero Pickguard Gloss Natural is described as a “high-octane” instrument that looks to expand on the success of Dean's USA Series, which has already given its Vengeance V-shaped model a similarly natural finish. 

After a turbulent recent history, Dean has promised to come back fighting in 2024 – a year that has already produced the Floyd Rose and Fishman-loaded Exile Select. 

As such, the brand's latest offering pairs a deep gloss natural mahogany body with its signature devil horned headstock, which is finished in black. The partnership has created a neat “aggressive and sophisticated” look. 

Elsewhere, single-ply cream binding and gold hardware add interesting embellishments to the guitar, which also features a white pickguard. 

Other hardware choices include a Tone Pros Tune-O-Matic bridge with a Z Plate to continue its golden touches. There are also Grover locking 18:1 tuners to ensure the pointed riff machine stays in tune. 

Dean describes its 22-fret ebony fretboard as “slippery”, with pearl ultra diamond inlays standing against the dark wood. 

For the electronics, Dean has opted for a twin humbucker setup. That finds a USA DMT Baker Act in the bridge and a USA Time Capsule in the neck. 

The configuration is said to help the guitar “scream with overwound attitude” and produce glassy tones in equal measure, as Dean strives to build an instrument for use far beyond the rock and metal genres it's become synonymous with.

Gold top hat knobs allow players to tamper with the volume and tone controls, with a three-way toggle pickup switch nestling at the peak of its lower horn. 

The guitar is priced at $5,398, making this a build for players with deep pockets, rather than those who are at the start of their guitar-playing journey. 

Earlier this year, Guitar World was treated to an exclusive preview of Dean's 2024 line-up. It will see the return of US builds alongside some wild guitars, including an S-style MD Custom, which comes complete with a wood-grained scratchplate and pickup covers.

This latest iteration of its Zero model – a shape that oozes heavy metal angularity – veers off in a similar vein, with the '24 line-up seemingly keen on adding more depth to Dean's range of finishes.   

Despite a Gibson lawsuit that challenged Dean's use of Z-shaped guitars, the Zero's return continues the luthier's brashness in pushing on with “zero f**ks given”. 

The Zero Select EverTune Fluence in Black Cherry Burst arrived in November, but this build takes a whole new approach to what the Zero can be. 

Head over to Dean for more information.

NAMM 2024: Dean Guitars producer Armadillo Enterprises has faced more than its fair share of legal and economic headwinds in recent years – to the point that, in summer last year, we doubted its very survival. 

However, despite those significant knocks, cooler heads appear to be prevailing – and it has recently started to show signs that it is slowly righting the ship. The first hint came at the end of 2023, when its Vengeance and Zero Select models finally started to hit shelves – after a delay of two years.

Backstage at this year's NAMM show, Guitar World got an exclusive preview of the firm’s extensive new 2024 range from Armadillo president Patrick Schuleit – and, we have to say, these look like some of the best builds the brand has put together in a long time.

GW doesn’t have the full spec lists yet, but the firm is pulling no punches. As such, there are top-spec pickups across the board (expect Fishman, EMG etc.), while the single-cuts feature Babicz bridges and tailpieces for increased sustain – and all the new models have glow-in-the-dark side dots. 

Among the new models we previewed was a new affordable take on the Kerry King Overlord signature guitar, finished in Battalion Grey. It drops the Sustainiac, but at $1,499, shaves a significant chunk off the $6,499 price tag of the USA Custom Shop Overlord and is loaded with a Kahler tremolo, EMG pickups, and pentagram inlays.

Meanwhile, Nile’s Karl Sanders is getting a new Vengeance V-style 7-string ($1,599), complete with a Floyd Rose and Seymour Duncan pickups. Plus Mudvayne’s Greg Tribbett, Hatebreed’s Wayne Lozinak, Sevendust’s John Connolly, and Anthrax’s Jon Donais are all in line for new signature builds. 

The previously Dimebag-associated ML body shape is back and we saw a great take on that with a Floyd Rose and flame maple top in the firm’s trademark Slime Green finish ($899), plus a singlecut Thoroughbred in the same finish (a cheeky nod to the firm's wrangles with Gibson, perhaps?).

Then there’s those pastel-finished T-style NashVegas models, the Cadillac Silverburst... and that’s just the offshore builds. 

What’s more, when it comes to the offshore range, Schuleit is very much out to nail the mid-priced metal guitar market and is adamant that Dean is not going to be beaten on price or spec. He also assures us that each model will only be launched when stock is available – so we shouldn’t see a repeat of the Vengeance/Zero stock issues.

The other big news for Dean in 2024 is the return of US builds, which we were also able to preview. Again, it is an all-guns-blazing line-up and while we don’t have prices on those yet, you only need to glance at some of these models to see it’s a somewhat provocative line-up.

We saw some wild builds, though. For instance, an S-style MD Custom – complete with a wood-grained scratchplate and pickup covers – or that paduak ML Custom that takes the ’90s metal guitar shape back to the electric’s roots.

Then there’s a nod to Armadillo’s previous CEO, Elliott Rubinson, in the Tribute Hybrid bass, which features custom Dean logo artwork across the body and pickups.

So, while Armadillo is still very much navigating its legal wrangles, it does appear that the company's primary focus is back where it should be: making great instruments and getting them out to players.

Could 2024 be the year that Dean Guitars makes its comeback? Quite possibly…

For more information on all of the forthcoming models, keep an eye on Dean Guitars as 2024 unfolds...

To keep up to speed with all new gear releases, visit our NAMM 2024 news guide and NAMM 2024 live blog.

NAMM 2024: Following the “Zero f**ks given” launch of its updated Vengeance and Zero models last November, Dean Guitars is back with its latest revitalized build in the Exile Select.

Where the Zero and Vengeance models were your archetypal pointy affairs, the Exile offers a classily toned-down, ‘less is more’ Strat-style aesthetic that works wonders for it. Crucially, it also continues the luthier’s trend of loading its new guitars with modern-minded specs.

The Exile Select Floyd Neck-Thru Archtop SBB features an Eastern mahogany body and an arched quilt maple top in a black burst. It also offers a high-access neck-through heel joint for its five-piece maple/walnut neck construction. Its black burst finish, meanwhile, offers a muted yet nuanced visual appeal.

In contrast to the Evertune-stocked Zero and Vengeance models, the Exile marks the return of the Floyd Rose tremolo. It’s a key move from a brand synonymous with the screams and squeals of the late Dimebag Darrell.

As such, there’s a Floyd Rose 1000 bridge accompanied by a Floyd Rose R3, 16-inch width nut and Grover 18:1 tuners for tuning stability. That means players should be able to dump its whammy bar to their heart’s content.

Underneath the strings, however, it gets a little more interesting, with a double act of Fishman pickups. There’s a Fluence Modern in the bridge and a Fluence Classic in the neck, as opposed to the twin Moderns setup of its two predecessors. That combination typifies the old-meets-new ethos of these new Dean builds as it looks to recapture what it made its name doing, while bringing its builds up to date for the modern player.

The pickups offer a three-voice system, one of Fishman’s major calling cards. Between them, they provide the round and boosted high outputs of modern Alnico pickups, a “clear, airy chime for unreal highs”, and your classic single-coil twang. They’re augmented by a single volume knob, a push/pull tone knob and a three-way blade selector switch.

Once more, the guitar is priced at a reasonable $1,499. That makes it a competitively priced guitar for a mahogany, Floyd Rose and Fishman-loaded six-string.

Says Dean Guitars: “This guitar is not designed to stay in just one lane. Eye-catching and tonally versatile, the Exile Select Floyd Neck-Thru Archtop SBB is a guitar that will inspire players of a range of styles to explore new sonic territory while making the most of every note.”

Dean Guitars producer Armadillo Distribution Enterprises, Inc. has faced a difficult time in the past couple of years, facing foreclosure action from its lenders, as well as a lawsuit involving previous CEO, Evan Rubinson.

Those difficulties follow Gibson winning a court ruling in 2022 to force the brand into ceasing production of all Z and V and Gran Sport guitars. Regardless of the ruling, which Gibson called a victory for fans, Dean has ploughed on and sparked something of a resurgence.

The Exile arrives at an extremely interesting time for Dean, but clearly signals that the guitar manufacturer doesn’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.

For more information, head to Dean Guitars.   

Dean Guitars has announced the arrival of a new V-style electric guitar: the Vengeance Select Evertune Fluence.

The news is significant, as despite the fact the Vengeance was first unveiled two years ago, it seems it never made it into stores. 

As such, this flagship model – alongside another two Vengeance Select variants listed on the Dean site – hails the brand’s first step towards actually selling V-style shapes following Gibson’s lawsuit.

The new(-ish) model, made in Indonesia, therefore represents something of a relaunch for the brand, which has faced strong headwinds as Dean producer, Armadillo Enterprises, deals with foreclosure action from its lenders, alongside lawsuits involving previous CEO, Evan Rubinson.

The spec of the Vengeance Select combines a mahogany body with a fetching flame maple top (finished in Black Cherry Burst) and a three-piece maple neck, in a set-neck construction.

The body shape is a more pointy affair than the firm’s previous ‘V’ model, with sharper tails and a neck batwing-style headstock, all befitting the Vengeance name – as does, it seems, the inspiration behind the changes. 

As Dean puts it on its site, referencing both the V and new Z-style Zero models: “Back with a Vengeance and Zero apologies.”

The neck offers an ebony fretboard with a 25.5” scale-length, 24 jumbo stainless steel frets and pearloid ‘ultra diamond’ fret markers. 

On the electronics side, it’s equipped with two Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers, as favored by an increasing number of heavy players. These are controlled by a three-way pickup selector, plus two volume pots and one tone pot. 

One of these is actually a Fluence KT-5 Push Pull pot, which will enable you to switch between the three voicings offered by the Fluence pickups.

Finally, on the hardware side, you have a GraphTech NuBone nut and the Evertune bridge. That component stills leads the market when it comes to tuning stability, particularly, among metal players, while at the other end, you’ll find 18:1 ratio Mini Grover tuners.

A final nod to new standards for heavy players comes in the form of the Luminlay-style glow in the dark side dots along the fretboard.

Expect to find the Vengeance Select Evertune Fluence packaged up with a price tag of $1,499.

For more information, head to Dean.

The future of Dean Guitars’ producer Armadillo Distribution Enterprises, Inc. has never been more in question, as court documents filed by its lenders reveal the guitar-maker and distributor is being pursued for debts of approximately $10 million.

Armadillo refutes the claims and says it “will be vigorously defending these suits.” However, if the court finds in favor of Armadillo’s lenders, it is hard to see how the firm will be able to continue as the producer of Dean Guitars.

Documents filed by Armadillo lender Valley National Bank show that the bank is attempting to foreclose on Armadillo’s debt and has demanded the firm turn over its business assets, including the surrender of “all equipment” and “all inventory” (Count V). 

All complaint documents mentioned are available to view publicly on Hillsborough County Clerk website (see below). 

Guitar World has spent time reviewing the documents in an effort to understand the picture facing the guitar maker and what it might mean for the future of Dean.

A tangled web

The story involves a complex network of companies and corporate structures that revolves around the Rubinson family – namely Pamela Keris-Rubinson, widow of former Dean/Armadillo CEO Elliot Rubinson (who passed away in 2017) and their son Evan Rubinson. 

You might be familiar with their names already. The pair have already exchanged numerous allegations in court, with the arguments entering the public domain following Evan’s termination as Armadillo CEO in June 2022.

To explain the extent of the issues facing Armadillo requires an understanding of the firms involved and their relationship to Dean and Armadillo. 

We’re here for the guitars, rather than the Succession-like drama, so we will do our best to keep this brief – but nothing about this is simple.

Wait… Dean’s not a company?

Armadillo is often described as Dean’s parent company, but this is not correct. The firm is owned by the Elliot P. Rubinson Trust, with Pamela as the trustee, meaning that Rubinson’s widow currently has complete control of Armadillo. 

Dean Guitars is actually not a company, but a trademark owned by Concordia Investment Partners, LLC (as are acoustic guitar brand Luna and ddrum Percussion). This second firm is owned and controlled in a 50/50 split between Pamela and Evan. 

Concordia licenses its guitar brands and designs to Armadillo, which produces and distributes the instruments themselves. 

On January 18, Evan – in his role as Concordia owner – filed a lawsuit against Armadillo in an attempt to establish that Armadillo had neglected to pay the agreed royalties to Concordia for the use of the Dean, Luna and ddrum trademarks.

This left Pamela in the somewhat bizarre position of having a company she half-controls (Concordia) sue a company she fully controls (Armadillo).

All of which brings us back to the Armadillo debt.

The first loan: Armadillo’s $4.5 million

Valley’s 289-page complaint document reveals that in June 2020 Armadillo set up a line of credit with Valley National Bank for $4.5 million, secured against Armadillo’s business assets (things like its instrument inventory, equipment, contract rights and, essentially, anything else of value owned under the company name). 

Concordia was used as a guarantor for the loan – meaning that its own assets, including the Dean brand name and trademark, also became security on the loan. 

The resulting agreement meant that if Armadillo stopped repaying the debt, then both its own assets and Concordia’s would be on the line. 

That debt appears to have been regularly paid and reduced until 10 December 2022, at which point Valley alleges Armadillo began missing payments.

Your guitar company is at risk if you do not keep up your repayments

Soon after (December 20, 2022), Valley began foreclosure proceedings against Armadillo and Concordia, demanding repayment of the full outstanding debt of $4,130,669.07 plus accrued interest, charges and legal costs.

In its filing, Valley National Bank estimates Armadillo’s assets to be worth in the region of $4.8 million, but to repay that much debt all at once would likely require the sale of many essential assets.

In the documents, under Count V, the lender alleges Armadillo is now refusing to surrender the assets, noting they “are being wrongfully detained” and continue to be used “in the ordinary course of their business operations.”

In other words, Armadillo seems to have attempted to carry on as normal.

This on its own would represent a substantial threat to Armadillo’s operations. However, the firm is also being pursued for the repayment of a second, even larger, loan.

The second loan: EPR Investments’ $6.2 million

Valley National Bank’s filing also reveals that in June 2020 – the same period it extended Armadillo’s line of credit – Valley also granted a mortgage loan of $6.2 million to another firm controlled by Pamela Keris-Rubinson, EPR Investments, LLC.

This third company was set up by Elliot Rubinson and Pamela Keris-Rubinson and is now controlled by Pamela. As of 2004, its purpose has been to act as a separate entity through which to purchase and own the property for Armadillo’s headquarters and warehouse in the Tampa West Industrial Park, Tampa, FL. 

As with most mortgage agreements, the property itself was used as security on the loan. 

In 2020, a remortgaging agreement with Valley secured a $6.2 million loan to EPR and Armadillo and Concordia were both used as guarantors for that agreement. The filing shows both mother and son signed off on the arrangement.

Tied together

Why are we talking mortgages? Well, as a result of the 2020 contracts, the producer of Dean Guitars’ assets became security on both loans – a $4.5 million loan in its own name and the $6.2 million mortgage to EPR, which it guaranteed. 

The three firms – the guitar producer, Armadillo; the trademark holder, Concordia; and the property entity EPR – were tied together not just by Pamela Keris-Rubinson’s name, but by their debt guarantees. If one went, others could be at risk.

This would not be a problem for Armadillo, provided both it and EPR continued to make the agreed payments. However, according to Valley, as of December, 2022, they did not – on either loan.

Armadillo in turn alleges that the defaults on both loans are “manufactured [and] fictitious.” 

The bank’s complaint alleges that the mortgage holder, EPR Investments, began to miss payments on the larger debt from November 10, 2022. 

Valley has since sold the larger of the two debts (EPR’s mortgage) to a different company, Water49, which has begun its own foreclosure proceedings in a separate lawsuit – claiming it is owed $5,858,403.40.

Fighting on all fronts

As such, Armadillo is now fighting at least three lawsuits relating to money it allegedly owes: one against Concordia (filed by Evan), which aims to establish it has not paid agreed royalties; one against Valley to reclaim the $4.1 million outstanding debt and one against Water49 that alleges that under its obligations as EPR guarantor, it owes it nearly $5.9 million.

Even discounting the suit brought by Evan via Concordia (who arguably has a vested interest in Armadillo failing, following his dismissal), the guitar producer still finds itself in a serious situation.

Indeed, the result of the foreclosure filings alone is that Armadillo is now being pursued through the courts by separate firms for debts worth at least $9,989,072.02. 

According to the conditions of the loans, Armadillo’s cash, product inventory (every guitar it has made but not sold), equipment, and contract rights are all at risk of being seized by the lenders. 

Meanwhile, the Dean trademarks and other IP that it licenses from Concordia are at risk of being seized, as is the Armadillo HQ building and the land it is built on, following EPR’s alleged default.

If you’re wondering what’s left? Well, you’re not alone. 

Not dead… yet

It should be underlined that all of this is entirely dependent on the court finding in favor of Valley and/or Water49 – and, again, Armadillo vehemently denies the accusations, as you’ll see below – but there’s undoubtedly a lot on the line for the guitar producer.

Whatever happens, it is the most significant and, perhaps final, development in a hugely fraught period of the Dean producer’s history – one that has been defined by litigation. 

Since Evan’s 2020 departure from Armadillo, Pamela Keris-Rubinson and Evan Rubinson have been engaged (via various companies) in multiple legal battles.

Meanwhile, in 2022, Armadillo was the subject of a successful lawsuit by Gibson for trademark infringement and forced to stop producing its popular V, Z and Gran Sport models.

In addition, a suit from Dimebag Darrell’s estate prevented the production of further signature guitars, while star endorsee Dave Mustaine parted ways for Gibson in early 2021. All of which has left the Dean line-up severely depleted.

What does Armadillo have to say?

Guitar World put the findings and allegations laid out in Valley National Bank’s foreclosure filings to Armadillo and the guitar producer responded in alleging the bank itself was at fault.

“These lawsuits are frivolous,” a representative told Guitar World, in a statement supplied via the firm’s attorney. 

“There is a reason there has been no progress on the case since Valley National Bank filed suit nearly one year ago in December 2022. The suit was filed in response and retaliation for us confronting the bank about its highly improper business and banking practices. 

“Concerned about its own liability, the bank manufactured fictitious defaults under the loan documents and sold a real estate loan to Water49 because it was concerned about our Counterclaim for substantial damages.

“Remarkably, Valley National Bank continued its history of improper business and banking practices by misrepresenting the existence of defaults to Water49 in order to obtain payment for its sale of the real estate loan before its conduct would be subject to judicial review.

“We will be vigorously defending these suits and are confident we will prevail after the Court is apprised of all the facts and circumstances. Stay tuned.”

Armadillo has not supplied evidence of its allegations against Valley. In addition, Valley’s attorneys were, in turn, contacted to offer comment, but have not yet responded.

What does Evan Rubinson have to say?

Guitar World also approached Evan Rubinson for comment, given his role as CEO at the firm during the time the debt agreements were made and his present co-ownership of Concordia. 

The former CEO insists he has had no contact with the firm (outside of legal documents) since his departure, but remains optimistic that the Dean brand will outlast the litigation. 

“My tenure with Armadillo – the licensee of the Dean, Luna, and ddrum marks – ceased in June 2022, about six months before the default asserted by Valley Bank,” says Rubinson, in a statement supplied via his own attorney.

“As a result, I was not involved in, and have no information about, the events that led to Valley’s lawsuit against Armadillo or EPR Investments. 

“Despite Armadillo’s lawsuit, I strongly believe Dean Guitars, Luna Guitars, and ddrum, as well as their owner, Concordia Investment Partners, have a very bright future ahead. 

“These brands will continue to serve as pillars of the musical instrument community for years to come, as they have for the past 30 years under the leadership of Elliott Rubinson and his family.”

Ultimately, at the heart of these many arguments are guitar industry workers and, in Dean, a historic brand. Let’s hope that both can prosper down the line.

Both complaint documents are available to view publicly on the Hillsborough County Clerk website.

To view Valley National Bank’s complaint document, look for case number 22-CA-010510, document index number 39.

To view Water49’s complaint document, look for case number: 23-CA-012343, document index number 7.

Update 9/13/2023: This article was amended as it contained a typo that incorrectly suggested Evan Rubinson was terminated as Armadillo CEO in June 2020, as opposed to June 2022. 

A court filing has cast serious doubts over the future of Dean Guitars and its parent company Armadillo Enterprises, which has been described as being “in the throes of death”.

Dean’s various legal issues and internal problems have been a major distraction for the electric guitar company in recent years, but this damning complaint seemingly suggests that Dean’s very survival is in the balance.

The court filing (available via the Hillsborough County Clerk website) was first spotted by YouTuber KDH, and concerns the ongoing legal issues between former business partners Evan Rubinson and his mother, Pamela Rubinson.

Evan was removed as Dean and Armadillo Enterprises CEO/President back in July 2022 following allegations of embezzlement, with a statement from Pamela stating, “Our team is committed to continuing the legacy of Dean… created by Elliott Rubinson, our founder, and my husband.”

Pamela, who was appointed CEO in Evan’s place, filed a lawsuit claiming that Evan had embezzled more than $420,000 from Thoroughbred Music Inc – another corporation founded by Elliott Rubinson – with the case still ongoing.

In a statement issued to Guitar.com at the time, Evan “vehemently and wholeheartedly” denied “every aspect of the lawsuit”.

This unearthed complaint filed by Evan concerns another of the pair’s companies, Kapok, for which the former Dean CEO has reportedly been trying to obtain accounting information from Pamela. 

According to the filing, Pamela allegedly used her position of Trustee of the Elliott Trust – a trust established by Elliott in 2011 to encourage Evan to become an entrepreneur – to oust Evan from his position at Dean and force him to give up his Kapok claim.

The legal filing reads, “In response [to Evan’s request for “basic financial documents and information about Kapok”], Pamela lashed out for leverage to try to bludgeon Evan into giving up his request for information about Kapok. 

“First, she decided to abuse her position as Trustee of the Trust to inflict enough harm on Evan, her beneficiary and only son, to force him to give up his Kapok accounting claim,” it continued. “She used her position as Trustee to control shares in a company called Armadillo to remove Evan as CEO of that entity without a succession plan, knowing the company would be destined to fail as a result (she later asked Evan to return once Armadillo’s failure was nearly certain).

“She used the gun she put to Armadillo’s head to attempt to extract a resolution of the Kapok accounting claim: 'Give up the Kapok claim, or I will kill Armadillo,' she figuratively threatened. Pamela’s hostage-taking did not work.”

Because of the in-fighting, the claim goes on to argue that Dean and Armadillo's very existence is in jeopardy.

“As a result, Armadillo, a Trust asset, is now in the throes of death because Pamela, the Trustee, wanted leverage over the Trust beneficiary,” the filing goes on. “That is the opposite of what a fiduciary is supposed to do with Trust assets.”

Dean guitars isn’t the only entity that would be affected by Armadillo’s demise – the company also owns acoustic guitar brand Luna Guitars, as well as ddrum.

These internal issues have been compounded by numerous other lawsuits that Dean has been embroiled in over the past few years.

As KDH notes, Dean has previously been sued by Gibson, with the court finding Dean guilty of infringing on Gibson’s Flying V, Explorer, ES and SG body shape trademarks. As such, Dean was ordered to stop producing its V, Z and Gran Sport electric guitars – three of the most popular models on its roster.

To compound matters further, Dean was found in civil contempt earlier this year for failing to comply with this trademark ruling.

In 2021, Dean was also sued by Dimebag Darrel’s estate, who ended the pair’s longstanding relationship in order to “ensure the rightful and respectful celebration of Dime's legacy and the indelible mark he and his music made on this world”.

As a result of the case, which is still ongoing, even more models have been removed from Dean’s website.

On the topic of Dimebag Darrell guitars, Dean Zelinsky – Dean’s founder and former CEO, who left the company in 2008 – recently hinted that he had been working on a new Razorback-style Dimebag model.

This new court filing can be found on the Hillsborough County Clerk website, among the documents located under case number 23-CA-000439.

Last month, Gibson alleged that Dean Guitars was in contempt of court for continuing to advertise its V and Z Series guitars, which in an earlier lawsuit were found to have infringed upon Gibson’s Flying V and Explorer trademarks, respectively.

The guitar giant had claimed that Dean still had published material on its website and social media which was continuing to promote its V and S Series models. The filing was heard in court on October 31, and subsequently dismissed by judge Amos L Mazzant.

The new order, issued by Mazzant, states that “the parties informed the Court that they had resolved almost all the issues raised in Gibson’s contempt motions”, adding, “any new arguments that were raised in the pending motion were resolved by the parties”.

In other words, issues pertaining to any previous trademark infringement case between Gibson and Dean have been satisfactorily resolved, and require no further intervention from the court.

“Gibson’s emergency motion is therefore moot,” the new ruling concludes.

Since we reported on Gibson’s contempt of court motion on October 20, Dean’s 2021 product catalog – which Gibson submitted as evidence – is no longer available online. Webpages for Dean’s V and Z Series guitars are still accessible, however they no longer have any product listings. 

Dean has not yet issued an official statement addressing the latest round of legal action from Gibson.

In a press release issued in August following the court’s ruling in Gibson’s favor regarding trademark infringement, the guitar giant wrote: “Gibson is once again very pleased with the outcome after years of simply trying to protects [its] brand and business through well-recognized intellectual property rights, rights that have been Gibson’s for decades.

It continued: “Gibson’s guitar shapes are iconic and now are firmly protected for the past, present and future. From a broader perspective, this court decision is also a win for Gibson fans, artists and dealers. Not to mention for all of the iconic American brands that have invested in meaningful innovation and continued protection, only to see it diluted with unauthorized and often illegitimate knockoffs.

“Gibson can now focus attention on continuing to leverage its iconic past, and invest in future innovation, with confidence.”

The ruling, which ordered Dean to stop producing and advertising its V and Z models, marked another legal loss for the company this year, after it was also found guilty of trademark infringement back in May. 

Despite its victory, Gibson was awarded just $4,000 in damages, a mere fraction of the $7 million it sought.

Dean has expanded its Exile X line of electric guitars with a new, Satin White-finished model.   

A twin to the Exile X Floyd Black Satin, the Exile X Floyd Satin White was designed as a shred-friendly machine for the budget-minded guitarist.

The guitar features an eastern mahogany body and a bolt-on, C-shaped maple neck that sports a 25 1/2", 16" radius Indian rosewood fretboard with 24 jumbo frets and pearloid dot inlays, plus a dual-action truss rod. A high-access neck-through-heel joint, meanwhile, makes for easier upper-fret access.

Sounds on the axe, meanwhile, come by way of a pair of DMT Design Zebra pickups, controlled by individual volume and tone knobs, and a three-way blade pickup switch.

As for hardware, the Satin White Exile X features a Floyd Rose FR20 Tremolo system, 1 11/16-inch wide Floyd Rose R3 nut, and black sealed die-cast tuners. Hardware is finished in black all around, providing a nice contrast to the snow-white finish.

The Dean Exile X Floyd Satin White is built in India, and is available now for $429.

It's the first new electric model from the company since August, when – after a years-long legal battle with Gibson – a court ruled that Dean must cease production and marketing of its Luna Athena 501, Gran Sport, V and Z models, and any guitars using or advertised with the word “Hummingbird."

For more info on the guitar, visit Dean.

After winning a multimillion-dollar trademark lawsuit against Dean Guitars back in May, Gibson has secured another victory against Dean’s producer, Armadillo.

By order of a court injunction, Dean will no longer be able to manufacture, advertise, and/or sell guitars that infringe on Gibson’s ES, SG, Flying V and Explorer trademarks, and its Hummingbird wordmark.

As a result, Dean must cease production and marketing of its Luna Athena 501, Gran Sport, V and Z models, and any guitars using or advertised with the word “Hummingbird”.

“Gibson is once again very pleased with the outcome after years of simply trying to protect [its] brand and business through well-recognized intellectual property rights, rights that have been Gibson’s for decades,” the guitar giant says in a new press release.

“Gibson’s guitar shapes are iconic and now are firmly protected for the past, present and future. From a broader perspective, this court decision is also a win for Gibson fans, artists and dealers. 

“Not to mention for all of the iconic American brands that have invested in meaningful innovation and continued protection, only to see it diluted with unauthorized and often illegitimate knockoffs. Gibson can now focus attention on continuing to leverage its iconic past, and invest in future innovation, with confidence.”

According to Guitar.com, Dean must not only cease production of the aforementioned models, but Armadillo and its investment partner, Concordia, may also be required to pay Gibson over $330,000 in legal fees.

This massively changes the financial burden placed on Armadillo as a result of the initial ruling in May, in which it was found guilty of trademark infringement and counterfeiting, with Gibson awarded just $4,000 in damages.

The new ruling banning the production and marketing of specific models looks to be a different outcome than the one outgoing Dean CEO and president Evan Rubinson was hoping for.

Spinning May’s ruling in Dean’s favor, Rubinson praised the “vindication” of Armadillo, writing: “We are thrilled that a Texas jury has vindicated Armadillo in ruling for Armadillo on its defence to Gibson’s trademark claims on our Dean V guitar, Dean Z guitar, and Evo headstock.”

He also told Guitar.com in June: “We have no plans to drop the Dean V and Z guitars, nor the Dean Evo headstock design, as the jury found no trademark liability on any of those.”

Three years after it filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Dean Guitars alleging trademark infringement and counterfeiting, Gibson has been ruled the victor in the case by a Texas federal jury.

Gibson initially filed its lawsuit against Armadillo in May 2019, accusing the company of infringing on seven of its trademarks, ranging from electric guitar body shapes to headstock designs.

These included the Flying V, Explorer, ES and SG body shapes, “Dove Wing” headstock design, “Hummingbird” name and “Moderne” trademark.

Gibson also accused Armadillo of trademark counterfeiting, claiming the company was trying to mislead customers into believing the guitars manufactured by Dean were in some way affiliated to Gibson.

In a statement at the time, Dean denied the accusations, stating that it had been “continuously offering the V- and Z-shaped guitars at issue in the lawsuit since at least 1976 – for over the past forty years”, and that “other guitar companies have for decades used the commonplace guitar shapes that Gibson now tries to claim exclusive rights to”.

Armadillo subsequently countersued Gibson, accusing it of “tortious interference with Armadillo's business relationships and/or contracts”.

But in the new ruling issued Friday (May 27), jurors rejected Armadillo's claims that Gibson's designs in question were now “generic” and “unprotectable”, finding the company guilty of infringing on Gibson's body shape trademarks for its Flying V, Explorer, ES and SG models, as well as the Dove Wing headstock and the name of the Hummingbird acoustic guitar.

However, in a win for Dean, the court found that Gibson “delayed in asserting its trademark right(s)” for its Flying V and Explorer body shapes and Dove Wing headstock design, adding that the delay was “inexcusable” and caused “undue prejudice to Armadillo”.

Consequently, the court stated that Gibson had suffered no “actual damages”, and awarded Gibson just $4,000 in “counterfeiting statutory damages”.

In a new statement marking the end of the two-week-long trial, Gibson called the ruling “a win for [the company] and the music community at large”.

“The court found that Gibson trademarks are valid, the Gibson shapes are not generic, and the defendants were guilty of both infringement and counterfeiting,” the company writes. 

“Gibson is very pleased with the outcome after years of simply trying to protect their brand and business through well recognized intellectual property rights, rights that have been Gibson's for decades.

“Gibson's guitar shapes are iconic, and now are firmly protected for the past, present and future. From a broader perspective, this court decision is also a win for Gibson fans, artists, dealers and related partners who expect and deserve authenticity. Not to mention for all of the iconic American brands that have invested in meaningful innovation and continued protection, only to see it diluted with unauthorized and often illegitimate knockoffs.

“Gibson can now focus attention on continuing to leverage its iconic past, and invest in future innovation, with confidence.”

But spinning the result in Dean's favor, Armadillo CEO Evan Rubinson praised the “vindication” of his company.

“We are thrilled that a Texas jury has vindicated Armadillo in ruling for Armadillo on its defence to Gibson's trademark claims on our Dean V guitar, Dean Z guitar, and Evo headstock,” he said in a statement.

“The jury found that Armadillo is not liable to Gibson for our long use of those guitars and [headstocks]. The jury issued a judgement in the amount of $4,000, a mere fraction of the $7 million-plus originally sought by Gibson.”

It's not yet clear what the ruling will mean for Dean's infringing guitars, though it's possible the company will be required to cease the sale of its V, Z and Colt Series models before tweaking their designs so they don't breach Gibson's registered trademarks.

The verdict could also have broader implications for other companies producing instruments with similar outlines to Gibson designs – the guitar giant is currently in the midst of trademark disputes with Heritage Guitars and Kiesel.

If your exhaustive search over the dizzying plethora of modern hot-rodded "superstrats" has proven to be overwhelming, I hear you. 

Once you dig deep into the multitude of electric guitars outfitted with higher-output pickups, premium double-locking tremolos and jumbo frets on a fast neck, you’ll find that the biggest deal-breaker may come down to price. 

And if that’s your hangup, allow me to point you toward the streamlined superstrats in Dean Guitars MD Series, which tick all the aforementioned shred-tastic boxes without forcing you to cough up Bezos bucks. 

Dean Guitars has often been pigeonholed for their axes shaped in the pointy, elongated V, Z and Razorback varieties, but don’t let that overshadow the fact that Dean also offers killer guitars in more traditional shapes, and the excellent MD24 Floyd Roasted Maple reviewed here in this eye-catching vintage orange finish confirms it’s a banging superstrat that combines knockout looks with contemporary upgrades at a price guaranteed to make you “shred” tears of joy. 

Features

If you have a sneaking suspicion this guitar looks somewhat familiar, you’d be correct, in that the MD24 shares the wider cutaways, 24 frets and wide-script headstock logo of a Dean DS90 superstrat from the early '90s. But that’s where the similarities end. 

This bolt-on constructed MD24 is not a remake at all, but an inspired bare-bones model with taut refinement and tactile ergonomics. 

The guitar comes in only two finishes – vintage blue or vintage orange – and features a solid basswood body with a flat top and contoured arm cut, 25 ½-inch scale, a combined roasted maple neck and fingerboard (12-inch radius) that provides stability and rigidity, 24 jumbo frets that widen to more than 2 ¼-inch at the last fret, abalone dot inlays, direct-mount Seymour Duncan TB5 and APH-1 sandblasted zebra parchment finish pickups, single volume knob and 3-way toggle switch, a recessed Floyd Rose 1000 Series tremolo system and Grover (18:1 ratio) tuners.  

Performance

What’s striking is the satin-finished maple neck on the MD24 is so fire-roasted, it displays more of a nutty chocolate hue compared to the more common caramelized color of roasted necks that have been in vogue as of late. 

It’s a beautiful contrast that complements the sharp look of its vintage orange finish, but beauty is only skin-deep, right? Roasted (or “torrefied”) necks have been popular for their sturdiness and brighter tone that makes notes and harmonics pop from the fretboard – and the MD24 delivers just that with explosive definition and detail. The slender C-profile neck feels relaxed because it’s smoothly carved and contoured uniformly from the 1st to the 18th fret, right where your palm meets the heel. 

What’s nice is the blockish heel found on typical bolt-on guitars has been decreased to a slightly sculpted one that you can hang onto without feeling obstructed. The jumbo frets are skillfully polished and feel great under your fingers, and having 24 of them allows you to scream notes in those upper registers not found on most guitars. 

The guitar’s Seymour Duncan TB5 bridge and APH-1 neck pickups are a complementary pair that telegraph the right amount of kick and punch while being firmly articulate. The TB5 has that enhanced Marshall midrange bark and top-end sparkle with a hot output that stays focused, while the APH-1 neck dishes out that classic Alnico sweetness – think Slash’s neck pickup tone in Sweet Child O’Mine. 

I spent a lot of time with the MD24 Floyd Roasted Maple ripping countless notes and whammy bar dives, and can still say it’s a big sounding guitar that’s substantially well-constructed with a setup that’s prepped for one speed: fast. And considering its bold look, you’ll agree you can no longer ignore the orange guitar in the room.

Specs

• PRICE: $899 / £699
• TYPE: S-style doublecut electric guitar
• BODY: Basswood
• NECK: Roasted maple, bolt-on
• SCALE LENGTH: 25.5”
• FINGERBOARD: Roasted maple, 12”
• FRETS: 24, jumbo
• PICKUPS: Seymour Duncan APH-1 Parchment ZebraPickup (Bridge), Seymour Duncan TB5 parchment Zebra (neck)
• CONTROLS: Master volume, three-way pickup selector
• HARDWARE: Floyd Rose 1000 series double-locking vibrato, Grover 18:1 tuners
• CONTACT: Dean Guitars

It might only be the middle of winter, but 2022 is already heating up with plenty of awesome guitars, amps and accessories. To see just how hot it is, we welcome you to Guitar World’s New Year New Gear guide.

In this first installment, Guitar World’s Paul Riario and Alan Chaput select metal six-string shred machines and exciting new stompboxes that are guaranteed to get 2022 off to a red-hot and rockin’ start.

First up is Dean’s latest batch of shred-erific Exile models – the Exile Select Floyd Arch Top Quilt Maple Satin Black Burst, Exile Select 7 Floyd Fluence Gloss Natural Black Burst, Exile Select Floyd Fluence Gloss Natural Black Burst and Exile X Floyd Satin White guitars.

The new axes boast a host of high-end features, with materials and appointments that include alder bodies with burled maple tops and three-piece slim “D”-shape maple necks with 16”-radius ebony fretboards.

Other features include 24 jumbo frets, abalone small offset dot inlays, Fishman Fluence Modern pickups, Floyd Rose 1000 bridges and Mini Grover 18:1 tuners, not to mention hot, hot looks to boot.

Next is something special, indeed: IK Multimedia’s new AmpliTube X-Gear pedals, the company’s first-ever range of physical guitar stompboxes.

AmpliTube has long been the first and, in many users’ eyes, unparalleled option when it comes to software effects. Now IK has put its first-class tech into physical pedals. Consisting of four designs – the X-Drive, X-Time, X-Space and X-Vibe – the stompboxes boast studio-grade effects algorithms and encompass a variety of overdrive, delay, reverb and modulation tones and effects.

Each pedal features 16 different effects drawn from the most popular AmpliTube models and tweaked via a multitude of onboard controls, and there’s also newly designed reverb and delay algorithms that offer up a range of vintage and contemporary tones.

Additionally, the X-Gear pedals all feature up to 192kHz internal processing with four times oversampling, as well as a 5Hz–24kHz frequency response to capture the full sonic spectrum of your guitar. They also work as an audio interface and come with AmpliTube 5 SE and an exclusive virtual X-Gear version of the exact same effects for use in AmpliTube 5. So you can record, tweak settings and save presets back to the hardware pedal for world-class tone anywhere.

Finally, Paul and Alan check out Godlyke’s TWA Triskelion Harmonic Energizer Mk. III effect pedal. Godlyke first introduced the Triskelion pedal – essentially, the company's recreation of the legendary '70s-era Systech Harmonic Energizer used by Frank Zappa, Joe Walsh and others – back in 2010.

A few years back the pedal, which the company characterizes as “a parametric midrange filter with adjustable peak and an obscene amount of gain,” was tweaked and trimmed down to create the Triskelion Mk. II. And now it has undergone further upgrades in the form of the new Triskelion Harmonic Energizer Mk. III.

The new model takes the best aspects of both earlier versions, including an extended high-frequency range and expression control over the filter sweep, and shrinks the whole thing down into an even smaller, even more pedalboard-friendly footprint. Which means that the original Triskelion's Variant Mass Boost switch – which adds an “ear-shattering” upper range – is back, as are the 30-odd hertz of low frequencies that had been deleted from the Mk. II.

Other features include the Mk II’s improved, pro-audio-quality noise floor and a gain level that can be switched on and off via either a top-mounted mini-switch or an external footswitch connected to the side-mounted mini-phone jack. There’s also a second mini-phone jack to connect an expression pedal or, if tap-tempo modulation is your bag, the TWA Side Step.

To find out more about Godlyke’s TWA Triskelion Harmonic Energizer Mk. III and all this amazing gear, check out the video above.

We all remember where and how we got our first favorite guitar. Many people receive it as a gift from family, or save up to buy it for themselves.

For Fallon, a young guitarist from Colorado, the guitar of his dreams – a Dean Dimebag Darrell ML – came courtesy of the generosity of a complete stranger. 

On its Facebook page, Hart Music – a music store in Grand Junction, Colorado – relayed the story of how an anonymous customer noticed Fallon playing the Dean in the store one day and, moved by his obvious passion, returned to the store after Fallon and his family had left, purchased the guitar, and asked Hart employees to gift it to Fallon anonymously the next time he stopped by.

It would be another eight months before Fallon returned to the store, but when he did, the Dean was waiting for him. A delighted Fallon was all too happy to plug right in and, naturally, show off his dive bomb face for the camera.

"This is Fallon," Hart wrote on its Facebook page. "Over the last couple of years, he would visit the store from Montrose. His request each time was to play the 'Pantera' guitar, meaning the Dean Dimebag Darrell ML. 

"We were shocked he knew some Dimebag riffs. Fallon is impacted by Williams Syndrome and has an excellent knowledge and a love for music. His dream was to own this guitar.

"Eight months ago, when he was in the store playing it," the post continues, "another customer took notice of Fallon. It moved this customer so much he returned to the store later, purchased the guitar, and asked us to give the guitar to Fallon anonymously the next time we saw him.

"However, we didn’t see Fallon until today. We tried finding him to no avail. Today, his family came in the store, and we learned they had moved to Texas and returned this week for a visit. 

"It was a wonderful experience to gift Fallon his dream guitar as a gift from a kind stranger. His mom burst into tears, and Fallon beamed with excitement. It was a special moment. There are still good people in this world."

Dean has long been the first name in six-string shred machines, and the streamlined MD24 Floyd Roasted Maple, loaded with a Floyd 1000 Series tremolo system and direct-mount Seymour Duncan TB5/APH-1 sandblasted Zebra pickups, is another hot-rodded winner.

And if you have a sneaking suspicion this guitar looks somewhat familiar, says Guitar World Tech editor Paul Riario, “you’d be correct – the MD24 shares the wider cutaways, 24 frets and wide script headstock logo of the Dean DS90 superstrat from the early ‘90s.” 

But, he adds, “that’s where the similarities end. This bolt-on constructed MD24 is not a remake at all, but an inspired, barebones model with tight refinement and tactile ergonomics.”

And just what do you get with the MD24? In addition to the Floyd and the Seymour Duncans, there’s a basswood body with flat top and contoured arm cut, a 25 ½ inch scale, a combined roasted maple neck and fingerboard with a 12-inch flat radius, Grover 18:1 tuners, 24 jumbo frets, abalone dot inlays, a single volume control, a three-way toggle switch, black hardware and a choice of two hot finishes – Vintage Orange and Vintage Blue.

“What’s striking to me,” Paul continues, “is that the satin neck looks like it’s deeply fire-roasted. Obviously having this kind of roasted neck is great for its sturdiness and brighter tone that makes notes and harmonics pop from the fretboard. And I also love the slender C profile neck and the slightly sculpted heel that you can hang on to.”

In short, Paul says, “the MD24 Floyd Roasted Maple is a spartan superstrat with big rock tones and a super-comfy roasted maple neck that feels next-level fast. Definitely check it out.”

For more information, head to Dean Guitars.

The holiday season is in full swing, and what better gift is there than a brand-new guitar?

This year has seen incredible innovation on the guitar front, with elite manufacturers packing more power, features and versatility into their builds – at a lower price – than ever before.

With that in mind, Guitar World has assembled a list of 10 killer guitars that can get you anywhere your creativity takes you – from no holds barred punk rock to introspective, delicate folk – without breaking the bank.

Epiphone Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Junior

Based on Armstrong’s go-to vintage Les Paul Junior, this electric stands out with its minimalist appointments and striking Classic White finish.

The Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Junior features a slab Mahogany body and a set neck for great tone and sustain. The Indian Laurel fretboard features 22 medium-jumbo frets to work with, while single master volume and tone controls shape the sounds of the guitar’s powerful PRO P-90 pickup. Its simplicity and power makes it a rock-solid choice for pros and beginners alike.

In keeping with the guitar’s aesthetic minimalism, its only signature touch is Armstrong’s autograph emblazoned as an emblem on the back of the headstock. It does, however, travel in style, coming as it does with a deluxe leopard, faux fur-lined custom hardshell case.

You can take Epiphone’s Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Junior home for just $549.

Kramer Baretta

This head-turning hot rod of a guitar comes in an eye-catching finish: Blue Sparkle with Flames.

The flashy instrument has a history, too. The hand-painted original version of the guitar – custom-designed by Kramer Custom Graphic Artist Chris Stemmer – got a lot of attention at the 2020 Winter NAMM Show and was such a hit that Kramer soon made the guitar available to everyone.

Inspired by the glittery, collectible and insanely popular Hot Wheels cars of the 1960s, the fiery look of the Baretta conveys its speed-demon playability, perfect for fretboard-melting leads and tapping acrobatics.

The Baretta features an alder body, 22-fret hard maple neck, and a single Seymour Duncan JBTM zebra-coil humbucker pickup. There’s also a Floyd Rose 1000 series tremolo with an R2 1000 series locking nut, and a EVH D-Tuna Drop-D Tuning System.

To keep tuning stable with the D-Tuna, there’s also a convenient Floyd Rose LRT-L40 Trem Stop. Put all that in a package with the aggressive finish, and you’ve got one seriously hot guitar in your hands.

You can drive one of these Hot Rod Barettas off the lot – flames and all – for $999.

Dean MD24 Floyd Roasted Maple Vintage

The shred-ready Dean MD24 Floyd Roasted Maple Vintage comes in two fresh satin finishes: Vintage Blue and Vintage Orange. Both models feature a neck and fingerboard made from dramatic roasted maple that adds to the guitar's clean-and-simple good looks.

The guitar is built with a solid, flat top basswood body and a bolt-on, 25.5’’ scale “C”-shape neck with a dual-action truss rod. With 24 jumbo frets – and abalone dot inlays – the MD24 Floyd Roasted Maple Vintage plays fast and easy right out of the gate, with plenty of room for high-register explorations.

Sonically, the guitar features a pair of direct-mount Seymour Duncan TB5/APH-1 sandblasted Zebra pickups, controlled – in true superstrat fashion – by a single volume knob and a three-way toggle switch.

Elsewhere, the MD24 boasts a Floyd 1000 Series tremolo, Grover 18:1 tuners and sleek, black hardware that looks great on the satin finish.

The Dean MD24 Floyd Roasted Maple Vintage is lean and mean, and can be yours for just $899.

ESP LTD Black Metal Series

When ESP first launched it a few years ago, the LTD Black Metal Series offered players build quality comparable to the company’s LTD Deluxe “1000 Series” instruments, but with a twist: the Black Metal Series sported a dark and menacing design theme: an all-black finish, components, and hardware with just a single premium-quality pickup and Macassar ebony fingerboards without even an inlay to violate the look.

Possibly the darkest guitars on the planet, these guitars are only distinguishable on stage by their glow-in-the-dark side markers, and a specially-designed black metal LTD logo on the headstock.

The EC-FR Black Metal adds a Floyd Rose 1000 bridge to the existing EC-Black Metal model. It offers set-thru construction at 24.75” scale for smooth access to even the highest frets. This guitar also features stainless steel frets, a single direct-mount Seymour Duncan Blackened Black Winter pickup and a push-pull control on the volume knob for convenient coil-splitting.

Any guitar in the ESP Floyd Rose Black Metal Series can be had for $1,049.

PRS SE Custom 24-08

For PRS fans, there’s really nothing like the iconic design that started it all back in 1985. Changes to these versatile and highly-respected instruments tend to add something special and the PRS SE Custom 24-08 is no exception.

While the Custom 24-08 keeps all the foundational specs of the original design, this model offers some special sonic and visual updates.

It’s built with a maple shallow curve top, mahogany back, and maple neck with the PRS double-acting truss rod. The wide/thin neck shape and 10” radius rosewood fretboard with 24 frets and 25” scale length make the guitar perfectly playable.

The guitar features PRS TCI “S” humbucker pickups in both the treble and bass positions that provide sweet, vintage-informed tones, plus two mini-toggle coil tap switches that individually split its humbuckers into true single coils for a total of eight distinct pickup configurations.

Elsewhere, the guitar boasts the PRS patented tremolo at the bridge and PRS-designed tuners.

The sonic versatility, great-looking finishes (Eriza Verde and Vintage Sunburst), and playability of the SE Custom 24-08 are – for $929 – a tough combination to beat.

PRS Fiore

The elegant Fiore is one of Paul Reed Smith and co’s most notable new releases of the year.

A signature model for American guitar maestro Mark Lettieri, the Fiore gets its name from the Italian word for “flower,” because Lettieri wanted it to be a “free space in which its player’s personality can unfold” – like a flower opening up.

The Fiore model continues PRS’s journey into the bolt-on, single-coil guitar world and this new design in particular offers players at all levels a super-creative tool.

The guitar’s newly-designed pickups were carefully voiced by Lettieri and PRS to allow players a platform to explore and find their inner voice. To that end, the Fiore-S single coil offers exceptional malleability in tone on everything from whisper-quiet melodies to full-on funk and rock styles. Whatever it’s asked to do, this pickup tracks and reacts right along with the player.

The Fiore features a single volume and two push/pull tone controls, which further adds to this guitar’s tonal versatility, but the magic goes right down to the coils. The special Fiore-H humbucker in the bridge position was designed and placed to provide more than enough power and punch for high-gain lead tones, but it’s also got a smooth, clean top end – even with the volume knob wide open.

Together, the Fiore-S and -H pickups on the Fiore work to produce balance, clarity and that elusive ‘bloom’ in all five positions.

You can make your music bloom, too, with a PRS Fiore for $2,449.

FU-Tone FU PRO

FU-Tone is a unique company known (until now) mostly for its super tremolo upgrades. After 25 years of specializing in locking tremolo parts for pros to use on Strats, Les Pauls and Teles though, FU-Tone has launched a guitar line of their own.

Armed with a set of stock features that are difficult to find grouped together on a typical production guitar, the FU PRO line of electrics stands out in an increasingly crowded market.

As you might expect, FU PRO guitars come fully loaded with a custom FU-Tone FU2 Tremolo. That includes: a 42mm L brass big block, titanium saddle inserts, an EVH D-Tuna, heavy duty noiseless springs and a brass claw and claw screws.

Add to that a brass tremolo stopper that gives the user the option to float or stabilize the bridge and you’ve got one unique package.

The onboard FU-Tone Custom humbucker pickups provide individual coil tap switches for a feast of tonal options, while a kill switch gives players the opportunity to have some stutter-filled fun.

FU PRO guitars come in a number of eye-catching finishes – including Black, Ferrari Yellow, Natural and Transparent Purple – and come with a heavy-duty padded gig bag with strap locks included within – all for just $1,099.

Sterling by Music Man Cutlass CT50HSS

Recently upgraded with a roasted maple neck, locking tuners and a new finish option, the Sterling by Music Man Cutlass CT50HSS gives you a ton of bang for your buck.

Designed from the ground up with versatility in mind, this model from the popular Cutlass line features the company’s trademark oversized 4+2 headstock, a versatile HSS pickup configuration with switching options, and a vintage-style tremolo for a solid feel and smooth playability.

The guitar is built with a lightweight poplar body with a Roasted Maple neck and fretboard boasting 22 medium jumbo frets at a full 25.5″ scale length.

The HSS pickup configuration – selectable via the five-way switch – makes for a diverse range of tonal options that will work for virtually any style of music you throw at it.

Coming in sleek finishes like Dropped Copper, Rose Gold and the new Firemist Silver, the Cutlass CT50HSS looks just as good as it sounds.

At $549, it brings a lot to the table for a relatively small investment.

Orangewood Echo

A young, up-and-coming company, Orangewood is known for taking the time to carefully set up every guitar before shipment to provide the best “out of the box” experience for its players, and for its commitment to giving back and supporting music education programs through every instrument sold.

Orangewood’s Echo has a dreadnought acoustic shape that produces a resonant voice singer-songwriters are sure to appreciate.

The guitar is built with a solid Sitka spruce top – for a bold, crisp sound – and back and sides of ecology-conscious layered Pau Ferro wood. There’s also scalloped “X” bracing, and a mahogany neck boasting an Ovangkol fretboard with elegant abalone detailing.

The Echo Live acoustic-electric model, meanwhile, comes equipped with a Fishman Flex Plus-T EQ System and a built-in tuner to get your sound just right, as well as onboard volume/tone controls.

Orangewood’s Echo models come with all of those features – plus a premium padded gig bag – for just $345.

Jamstik Studio MIDI Guitar

The Jamstik Studio MIDI Guitar is really more like two guitars in one.

First, the Jamstik is a headless, 24-fret electric guitar, but it’s also powered by Jamstik’s signal processing technology and super-secret proprietary algorithms, so it’s also a state-of-the-art MIDI guitar.

As an electric guitar, the Studio MIDI has all your usual features, with a standard 1/4'' out so you can plug into amps and other interfaces. In the pickup department, there are two humbuckers with a coil tap option for single coil use. A three-way switch allows the player to choose between bridge and neck humbuckers.

The guitar features a maple “C”-shaped neck with 25.5” scale length, and a rosewood fretboard with 24 frets and a 13.78” radius.

Elsewhere, there are a number of MIDI out options, including USB C, 3.5mm TRS connectivity, and Bluetooth wireless. A Lithium ion rechargeable battery keeps you rocking for 8 hours or more between recharges. You also get Jamstik Creator software for Mac or PC bundled with it for free, so you can get creative right away.

The Jamstik Creator software is VST compatible, and features more than 125 customizable presets and high quality audio samples that were painstakingly recorded by the Jamstik team.

Color options for the guitar, meanwhile, include black, blue, and white matte with all black hardware.

All that – plus a custom padded gig bag – for $799.

The estate of late Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell (Darrell Abbot) has sued Dean Guitars.

Rita Haney – Abbot's longtime girlfriend and the trustee of his estate – announced the estate's lawsuit in an Instagram post, where she also detailed why she chose to end Dean's relationship with the guitarist, which initially ran from 1990 – 1994 before being re-established in 2004, shortly before Abbot's tragic murder at a Columbus, Ohio nightclub.

"After much consideration, it is with great sadness that I announce the longstanding relationship between Dimebag and Dean Guitars is over," Haney wrote. 

"Unfortunately, we were forced to file a lawsuit against Dean Guitars," Haney continued, writing that it was "necessary for us to end Dime's endorsement of Dean Guitars to continue to honor and celebrate his legacy the way he deserves, and in the way he had laid it out.

"We do not make this decision lightly and it is with a heavy heart that we share this news with you, Dime's loyal fans. As you know, after signing the deal with Dean Guitars in 2004, Dime was ecstatic to finally be working with the one and only, Mr. Dean Zelinsky, who's been gone from the company since 2008. Darrell had voiced several times that it was like going home where he belonged. It was something he was enormously proud of.

"I have spent days, re-reading through all of Darrell's guitar notes, lists, letters, and drawings (some not yet released)," Haney continued. "Knowing Darrell's wishes and seeing them written down on paper, once again, after all these years solidifies that he would not have stayed. I want to see Dime's words followed through and to have his legacy reach the level he intended.

"I made several attempts to amicably settle our dispute with Dean Guitars. However, it became clear to me that Dimebag's relationship with Dean Guitars had come to an end when the new CEO of Dean Guitars told me that Dime has been dead for 16 years and they could not make the money they once did (so basically, he's used up?) and then continued on to tell me I should go somewhere else. Well – we will!

"Moving forward, our goal will be to ensure the rightful and respectful celebration of Dime's legacy and the indelible mark he and his music made on this world," the statement adds. "It is with absolute conviction that we say that this can no longer happen whilst continuing to partner with Dean Guitars.

"As fans, we hope that you feel as we do. Our love for Dime has not wavered in the 16 plus years since his passing and he is still as relevant to us today, despite what we have been told by Dean Guitars. We want to capture the 'spirit of the deal' that was discarded by Dean Guitars, like it should have always been done. In this spirit, we soon hope to have more positive news to share with you regarding the future of 'Dime guitars.'"

In a statement shared with Guitar World, Dean CEO & President Evan Rubinson disputed Haney's claims, saying, “We have always treated Dime and his brother Vinnie with the utmost respect and loyalty. We have enjoyed a long-standing, 17-year relationship with Dime and Vinnie, and continue that relationship with Vinnie’s estate on the drum side. We are shocked and saddened to see the actions that Ms. Haney has taken after both the Abbott brothers have tragically passed away, and we wish her the best in her future endeavors.

“However, it is unfortunate that Ms. Haney has allowed her unrealistic demands and accusations to dictate the future of the Dimebag Darrell legacy in the absence of Dime’s immediate family. 

"Dean Guitars is proud to have played a role in ensuring Dime’s legacy not only survived, but thrived over the past 17 years. We have stood by the estate through good and bad. Ms. Haney’s claims – across the board – are baseless, without any merit, and not grounded in reality. We will allow the full truth to come out as the legal process takes its course.”

Only seven months ago, Dean announced that it would reissue the Dimebag Darrell signature Dime Razorback Rust electric guitar, and more than a dozen Dimebag Darrell signature Deans remain listed on the company's website.

We will bring you more updates to this story as soon as we have them.

Dean Guitars has announced the Leslie West Tattered N Torn Thoroughbred TBZ, a limited-edition signature guitar honoring the late Mountain frontman.

Limited to only 50 units, the new electric guitar features a two-piece mahogany body and flame maple arched top with a Trans Brazilia nitrocellulose lacquer finish, C-shaped, three-piece mahogany neck with a 22-fret ebony fingerboard and a classic black headstock. Both the body and neck feature a single-ply cream binding.

Electronics include a pair of Dean DMT humbucking pickups – a Leslie West Signature Mountain of Tone model in the bridge position and Nostalgia Distressed model in the neck. These are controlled via master volume and tone knobs and a three-way selector switch.

Other features include pearl block fret markers, Grover 18:1 ratio tuning machines, a Tune-O-Matic bridge and a distressed treatment courtesy of former Fender Master Builder John Cruz.

West worked directly with Dean on the project prior to his death in December last year; 15 of the guitars sport his signature on the back of the headstock, and the remaining 35 feature an “LW” insignia in the same position.

“If I can get excited about a guitar when I'm 75 years old, that's sayin' something!” West said before his passing.

“I remember the first time he saw it,” recalls West's widow, Jenni West. “I opened the box and pulled it out, [and] laid it on the island of the kitchen. He lit up like a fat kid at a chocolate factory. He laughed out loud in that big booming voice, ‘That's fucking perfect! Looks torn and tattered like me!’ 

“He plugged it into his practice amp, cranked up the volume and played a few bars of Blood of the Sun. That guitar made him smile! He said it made his balls rattle. That's how he judged a guitar; if the bottom end didn't boom, it just didn't make the cut. He was so proud of this model. I am too!”

“We are honored and humbled to have called Leslie a friend” adds Dean Guitars Vice President of Products, Eric Stewart. “While ‘labor of love’ is overused, I can't think of a better phrase to describe how everyone at Dean feels about this project.”

The signed edition of the Leslie West Tattered N Torn Thoroughbred TBZ is available now for $9,999, while the non-signed version is priced at $5,460. Both come with a custom stenciled “Leslie West” hard shell case and Certificate of Authenticity.

For more information, head to Dean Guitars.

Dean has unveiled the new MD24 Floyd Roasted Maple Vintage electric guitar, featuring a neck and fingerboard made, of course, from roasted maple, as well as two fresh finishes, Vintage Blue and Vintage Orange.

The shred-ready guitar also boasts a Floyd 1000 Series tremolo system and direct-mount Seymour Duncan TB5/APH-1 sandblasted Zebra pickups to cover all your high-gain, dive-bombing needs.

Other features on the MD24 include a solid basswood body with a Flat Top and a contoured arm cut, bolt-on construction and a 25.5’’ scale.

The roasted maple neck, meanwhile, sports a player-friendly “C” shape, dual-action truss rod and a satin finish. The matched fingerboard has a 12” radius, 24 jumbo frets and abalone dot inlays.

There’s also Grover 18:1 tuners, a single volume control, three-way toggle switch and black hardware.

The MD24 Floyd Roasted Maple Vintage Blue and MD24 Floyd Roasted Maple Vintage Orange electrics are available for $849 each.

For more information, head to Dean Guitars.

Dean has already had a busy 2021, announcing a new Dime Razorback Rust reissue as well as a more affordable Kerry King Signature V.

But ditching the spiky electric guitars for a hot minute, the company has unveiled another Strat-style model to its range, the Exile Select Floyd Fluence Black Satin.

In terms of construction, the guitar boasts an alder body, three-piece maple slim-D neck, 25.5" scale length and a 24-fret, 16"-radius ebony fingerboard with small, offset dot inlays. It also features a high-access heel joint for uninhibited playing in the upper registers.

Generating its tones are a pair of Fishman Fluence Modern Black humbuckers, controlled via singular volume and tone knobs and a three-way blade selector switch. Push-pull functionality is featured on the tone knob for a greater array of tones. 

Other features include a Floyd Rose 1000 bridge and R3 locking nut, black Mini Grover 18:1 tuners, Dome black control knobs, a dual-action truss rod and a chrome foil logo on the headstock.

The Exile Select Floyd Fluence Black Satin is available now for $999. For more information, head over to Dean Guitars.

Dean Guitars has added some mouth-watering models to its ever-expanding range lately. And the company continues its impressive run with the new Dean MD 24 F.

Why “F”? Because the new 24-fret model comes loaded with an official Floyd Rose 1000 series locking tremolo system.

And while not every guitarist is well-versed in the art of the whammy, we hooked up YouTube guitar specialist Ryan “Fluff” Bruce with an MD 24 F to show just how easy – and fun – it can be to use.

“I’m not a Floyd Rose kind of guy,” Bruce admits at the top of the demo. “I’m a little bit out of my element… a lot out of my element. But we’re going to have some fun with it. I’m going to lean into it.”

And lean into the MD 24 F he does, putting the Floyd, and the guitar itself, through its paces.

Throughout, he also highlights some of the MD 24 F’s standout features, including the resonant basswood body.

“So you don’t get a lot of weight – about eight pounds,” he says. Add in the flat top with arm cut body contour and you get a guitar that “is really, really comfortable to hold and to play for long periods of time,” Bruce remarks.

From there, he goes on to praise the C-shape roasted maple neck and fingerboard. “It’s not super thin, it’s also definitely not chunky,” Bruce says. “It’s right in the middle of the road as far as feel.”

What’s more, he adds, “It has a satin finish on the back that does not get sticky when you hand heats up from playing all those burning leads.”

Pickups, meanwhile, are a direct-mount Seymour Duncan APH-1 at the neck and a TB-5 at the bridge, the latter of which, Bruce says, “sounds really thrashy with a lot of midrange character. It reminds me of an old Megadeth record.”

The MD 24 F’s feature set is rounded out by a 25.5” scale, jumbo frets, Grover tuners, dual-action truss rod, single volume control with three-way pickup switch, black hardware and striking Vintage Blue finish.

And you get it all for just $850.

“I think that’s a lot of value for the guitar you’re getting,” Bruce says. Furthermore, he adds, “It’s a fun experience for someone like me who doesn’t play Floyd Rose guitars. I can sit there and dive bomb to my heart’s content and it stays in tune and accurate.”

The Dean MD24 F is, in Bruce’s opinion, “a lot of fun, with a lot of coolness. Overall, I really dug this guitar.”

For more information, head to Dean Guitars.

We may be just a few weeks into 2021, but the year has already provided us with plenty of great new products from the MI world. 

But have no fear – Guitar World's Paul Riario and Alan Chaput are here to help you find exactly what you need to bring your playing to the next level. They've waded through tons of new equipment so you don't have to (and also because they really, really love it). 

With that in mind, check out three products – Dean’s ML Select 7 Multiscale guitar, Spector’s NS Dimension Series multiscale basses and Maxon’s Custom Shop SSD-9 Super Sonic Distortion pedal – that have grabbed Paul and Alan's attention, in this installment of New Year New Gear. 

Dean has introduced the new ML Select 7 Multiscale, a beast of a guitar that combines the legendary Dean ML shape with serious next-level tech.

Features include a mahogany body and burled maple top in Satin Natural Black Burst, a Slim D three-piece maple neck and an ebony fingerboard with a 16” radius, 24 jumbo frets and pearloid dot inlays.

The 27” to 25.5” scale length, meanwhile, adds tension to the lower notes to keep them in tune, while making sure lead work is comfortable and easy on the hand.

There’s also a USA Kahler tremolo system designed specifically for multiscale guitars, and pickups are an angled Seymour Duncan Sentient at the bridge and an angled Nazgul at the neck.

The multiscale ML is also available in six- and eight-string versions, as well as with Dean’s Exile body shape.

You can preorder the guitar at ProAudioStar.

Also new to the multiscale arena is Spector’s NS Dimension Series, its first-ever multiscale model. The 34-37” length basses combine iconic looks based on Spector’s NS design with next-level multiscale features.

In addition to neck-thru construction, the NS Dimension features a variety of premium tonewoods, including a fully-curved body carved from lightweight ash, a highly-figured poplar burl top, a five-piece maple and wenge neck and a 24-fret wenge fingerboard with a compound radius and Luminlay illuminating side dots.

Other specs include cutting-edge Fishman Fluence electronics, a brass nut and black hardware.

The NS Dimension basses are available in four- and five-string versions and two finishes, Haunted Moss Matte and Super Faded Black Gloss.

You can preorder any one of the NS Dimension basses at ProAudioStar.

On the hunt for some rich, tube-like super saturation in 2021? Look no further than Maxon’s Custom Shop SSD-9 Super Sonic Distortion pedal.

Designed by Tube Screamer creator and former Maxon head engineer Susumu Tamura, the Super Sonic Distortion mod was developed based on suggestions from professional guitarists as to how the stock SD-9 circuit could be improved.

And improve it Maxon did, with a dramatically increased output level to push signal chains harder and allow for use with a wider variety of guitar and amp combinations, and a shift in the center frequency of the pedal’s Tone control for a greater emphasis on lows and lower midrange.

That’s not all. Other mods include: Attenuation of the 1K range that can make the stock version sound “fizzy” in higher settings; changes in several component tolerances to allow for operation at 18 VDC for improved headroom and less compression; and true bypass switching.

The new pedal is available for $199. For more information, head to Maxon FX.

NAMM 2021 isn't taking place in the physical realm this year, but you'll find all the hottest January gear launches in our guide to the biggest guitar, amp and pedal releases of 2021 so far.

Back in April, Dean guitars teased a more affordable version of its USA Kerry King V Limited Edition model, which came with a whopping $8,666 price tag.

Now that new electric guitar, the Dean Kerry King Signature V, is here. Like its older, more expensive brother, the V model boasts a mahogany body and maple top, but in place of neck-through construction the new KK sports a three-piece maple set neck.

There’s also an EMG 85 pickup at the neck in place of a Sustainiac, while the bridge pickup remains an EMG 81 with a PA2 Preamp Booster. The guitar also swaps in a Kahler Hybrid system in place of a Kahler KFK Kerry King signature tremolo.

Other features on the Kerry King Signature V include an ebony fretboard with a flat 12″ radius, 24 jumbo frets and custom “crossed nail” inlays, a 24.75″ scale length and a Black Satin finish (sorry – no Gloss Red Cross graphic this time around).

It’s still, of course, a more-than-impressive metal beast of a guitar, and it now comes with a much-less aggressive price tag: just $1,399.

For more information, head to Dean Guitars.

NAMM 2021 isn't taking place in the physical realm this year, but you'll find all the hottest January gear launches in our guide to the biggest guitar, amp and pedal releases of 2021 so far.

Dean Guitars has officially relaunched the Dime Razorback Rust, paying tribute to late Pantera guitar legend Dimebag Darrell. 

The guitar, which was originally introduced as a limited US custom run, now joins other signature Dimebag guitars in Dean's Artist Series.

Finished with a unique rust-themed graphic design, the Dime Razorback Rust features a bevelled mahogany body, set three-piece mahogany neck and a 22-fret, 14"-radius rosewood fingerboard with razorblade inlay on the 12th fret.

Electronics consist of a pair of Seymour Duncan humbucking pickups – a Dimebucker SH13 in the bridge and a ’59 Model in the neck – controlled via two volume pots, a master tone knob and a three-way selector switch.

Other features include a Floyd Rose 1000 Series tremolo, a locking nut, black 18:1 Grover tuners, a locking nut and Dimebag Darrell’s signature Hi-Voltage DR strings. A Dean hardshell case is also included with every purchase. 

The Dime Razorback Rust is available now for $1,349. For more information, head to Dean Guitars.

Metal specialist Dean Guitars has expanded its ever-growing Select series with the Cadi Select 3 Pickup Classic Black.

The most noteworthy feature of this new electric guitar is, if you hadn't guessed, its triple-pickup configuration, which consists of three Seymour Duncan humbuckers – an SH-5 in the bridge and APH-1s in the middle and neck positions. Controls include single volume and tone knobs, and five-way selector switch.

As with other models in the Select line, the Cadi Select 3 Pickup Classic Black boasts a mahogany body with a five-ply body and headstock binding. Further specs include a V-shaped three-piece mahogany neck with a 22-fret ebony fingerboard and a set-thru neck construction.

Topping off the guitar's all-black aesthetic is the inclusion of black hardware, a polymer black nut and black speed knobs.

Other specs include a Tune-O-Matic bridge, D'Addario EXL120 nickel wound strings and a 24.75" scale length.

The Cadi Select 3 Pickup Classic Black is available now for $949. For more information, head over to Dean Guitars.

Dean has unveiled the Edge Pro Select series of bass guitars, featuring the company’s uniquely-designed Edge body, constructed of swamp ash with either walnut or burled poplar tops in natural satin finishes.

The new basses are available in four, five- and six-string versions, with the four- and five-string models boasting a traditional 34-inch scale length and the six-string a 35-inch scale to balance intonation and string tension for the lowest tunings.

Other features include a C-shaped five-piece maple/walnut bolt-on neck with a dual-action truss rod, 24-fret ebony fingerboard with pearloid dot inlays, custom-designed pickups, Dean’s high-mass bass bridge, Grover tuners, black dome knobs and black hardware.

Additionally, the Walnut Satin Natural finish model sports DMT (Dean Magnetic Technologies) Design Passive Soapbar pickups, with low-mid-high control for the three-band active EQ, as well as bridge and neck volume knobs.

The Burled Poplar top models, meanwhile, feature a Fishman Fluence PRF BS pickup, which offers a split mode as well as a P or J mode with three voice options each.

The Edge Pro Select Series basses start at $729. For more information, head to Dean Guitars.

Dean Guitars has introduced the Edge Select Burled Poplar Satin Natural bass guitar, designed, the company says, with input from “a multitude of players across different genres to find out what they were really looking for in their instrument.”

The Edge Select sports a mahogany double-cutaway body with a highly figured poplar burl top and walnut center.

The three-piece maple and walnut neck features a custom-designed neck joint with an asymmetrical four-bolt pattern and dual-action truss rod, and the pau ferro fingerboard has a 12-inch radius, 24 frets and pearloid dot inlays.

Other features include a 34-inch scale, DMT (Dean Magnetic Technologies) pickups with a five-knob control set – neck and bridge volume controls and a three-band (low, mid, high) active EQ – Dean high-mass bridge, Grover tuners and black hardware.

The bass is available in four-, five- and six-string configurations. On all three models, a polymer black nut sets the respective string widths: 1 1/2-inch on the E4; 1 7/8-inch on the E5; and 2 1/8-inch on the E6. The six-string E6 also boasts a super-long 35-inch scale.

The Edge Select Burled Poplar Satin Natural starts at $729. For more information, head to Dean Guitars.

Dean has unveiled several enticing new models recently, and now the company has added the Icon Select electric guitar to its 2020 lineup.

The new offering boasts a tight-grained mahogany body with carved top contour, three-piece mahogany set-through-neck with dual-action truss rod and satin finish and a 12-inch radius, 22-fret ebony fingerboard with pearloid Icon inlays.

Other features include a Tune-O-Matic-style bridge and Dean Cadi high-mass hardtail, Grover tuners and five-ply multi-binding on the body, neck and quill headstock.

Pickups are a pair of exclusive Seymour Duncan APH-1 (neck) and SH-5 (bridge) humbuckers in custom zebra parchment finish with sandblasted pole pieces, controlled via single volume and tone knobs and a three-way toggle.

The APH-1 Alnico II Pro promises to handle both classic and modern tones, while the SH-5 is dubbed a “P.A.F. (patent applied for) on steroids”.

The Icon Select is offered with a choice of mahogany top and Classic Black finish for $899 or flame maple top with Ocean Burst finish for $949.

For more information head to Dean Guitars.

In the last few months, Dean has been making waves by changing things up a little.

The Florida-based company - known primarily for its beloved, aggressively-styled metal machines - has dipped its toes into more traditional waters with the new T-style NashVegas series and classically-designed semi-hollow Colt Bigsby.

This is by no means to say though, that Dean has abandoned the always-distinct, dependable and attitude-filled builds with which the company made its name - far from it.

As our friend, YouTube guitar specialist Ryan "Fluff" Bruce, can attest, Dean's less traditional builds are still as attention-grabbing - sonically and visually - as ever.

To that end, you can watch Fluff demo one of the company's latest and greatest offerings, the terrific Thoroughbred Select Quilt Top guitar, in the video above.

With a satin neck, 22 jumbo fret ebony fingerboard and exclusive Seymour Duncan SH-5 and APH-1 pickups, this formidable axe brings an incredible amount of sonic versatility to the table - with everything from gorgeous, immaculately detailed cleans to the meatiest of hard-rock chugs an absolute breeze to dial in.

Of course, it being a Dean, you're also just a flick of the switch and a twist of the knob away from the most diabolical of metal tones, as Fluff more than happily demonstrates in the video.

The Dean Thoroughbred Select Quilt Top is available now for $899. For more info on the guitar, head on over to Dean.

Follow Ryan "Fluff" Bruce on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Dean may be largely known for pointy metal axes like the USA Kerry King V Limited Edition, but the company as of late has also produced impressive classic-minded models like the NashVegas Select.

Add to this latter category the new Colt Bigsby with Piezo in Vintage White electric guitar, the latest entry in the company’s Standard Series.

Beyond its stunning white finish and gold trimmings, there’s much more to the Colt Bigsby than what meets the eye.

The semi-hollow guitar sports a vintage-style maple Colt body with an arched maple top and f-holes, a set-through maple neck, ebony fingerboard with pearloid block inlays and an Original Bigsby bridge.

Pickups are a pair of DMTs (Dean Magnetic Technologies) at the neck and bridge, and there’s also a built-in piezo with dual passive outputs.

Players can bypass the piezo and use the magnetic pickup configuration only, use the piezo only, or use both patched independently to a stereo or blended mono setup.

Controls include two different volumes (piezo and passive) and a master tone finished with top hat gold knobs, as well as a three-way mini toggle.

Aesthetically, there’s a Vintage White finish with gold trimmings and three-ply white/black/white binding.

The Colt Bigsby with Piezo is offered for $1,199, with a Dean Deluxe Hard Case or Deluxe Gig Bag available for add-on.

For more information, head to Dean Guitars.

Back in November we introduced you to Dean’s first electric guitar collaboration with Kerry King, the USA Kerry King V Limited Edition.

Now Dean has released a new Pat’s Picks video detailing the guitar’s specs, as well as offering a demo of the V in action, including the tones available via its EMG 81 and Sustainiac pickups.

And while the Limited Edition V is priced at a rather hefty $8,666, Dean Guitars CEO Evan Rubinson recently told Stay Metal Ray that the company is planning a range of King models at lower price points.

"My idea is good, better and best," Rubinson said. “So we have the USA, of course, it's kind of on its own. We have the limited run that we're starting with, but then we're also going to have regular-production USA guitars.

“But the good, better and best will all be imports. The best will be about probably a $1,399 guitar, and that will have Kerry King's signature Kahler on it. It'll have the Sustainiac. It'll have exactly, almost an identical replica of what he plays. it'll just be an import model. And that's going to be the highest end that we make that's going to come from overseas."

He continued, “Then we're going to do kind of a middle tier, probably around $699 or so, and that will still come with a Sustainiac. It will come with a Kahler, but not a Kerry King signature, and it'll have a few downgrades, so to speak. And then we're also going to do probably a $399 or a $499 that may be a fixed bridge Kahler instead of a tremolo system. And that, of course, is going to cater to the intro guys and maybe people that are saving up for that $1,399."

Rubinson also hinted at a possible mega-metal Dean guitar package featuring King, Dave Mustaine and Dimebag Darrell.

“To have Dave Mustaine, Dimebag, as well as Kerry King under one roof, it's incredible," Rubinson said. "And hopefully we're going to do something really cool with a three-guitar package, one with each artist that is super iconic, and it'll be a limited series. 

"This is in the works right now, no guarantees, but something where we'd have one exclusive guitar for each of our iconic artists and we'd sell it as a package as kind of an exclusive thing - hand-signed, artist appearances and the whole deal."

For more info on the USA Kerry King V Limited Edition, head to Dean Guitars.

Dean has introduced the NashVegas Select Series, which boast “classic looks and plenty of original attitude.”

The new electric guitars are available in two finishes, Black Satin and Metallic Red Satin, with a choice of either a Dean Cadi fixed bridge or a Floyd Rose 1000 Series tremolo system.

Features include flat-top basswood bodies with an arm cut “for enhanced playability,” bolt-on maple necks with dual-action truss rods and bound 22-fret ebony fretboards with pearloid dot inlays.

There are also Grover tuners, dome black knobs and black hardware, single volume and tone knobs and a three-way toggle positioned on the guitar’s horn.  

Pickups are Seymour Duncan APH-1N (neck) and PAF-style TB-5 (bridge) humbuckers, which according to Dean “deliver all the desirable tones, from high-gain metal to sparkling cleans and everything in between.”

NashVegas hardtail models are available for $749, with the Floyd Rose-equipped versions offered for $849.

For more information, head to Dean Guitars.

Though Dean made plenty of headlines last fall with its collaboration with Slayer's Kerry King, the $8,666 USA Kerry King V Limited Edition electric guitar, the iconic company's most impressive creation in recent months may have actually slipped under your radar. 

Back in February, Dean released the Exile Select Series, six gorgeously finished new guitars that promised to help players attain “the next level of shredding glory.” Intrigued of course, we asked Dean to send us an example from the new line. 

The guitar that soon arrived was impressive both sonically and - with an absolutely pristine Burled Poplar finish - visually. Handling everything we threw at it with aplomb, the Exile Select proved itself to be the sort of guitar that you can pick up and absolutely fly with right away.

Don't just take our word for it, though. See our own Paul Riario put the test model through its paces in the video above.

For more info on the guitars, step right on over to Dean.

Dean Guitars has introduced the Exile Select Series, a new range in the company’s top-level import line of electric guitar models.

The six guitars, according to Dean, were designed to help players attain “the next level of shredding glory.”

The guitars are available with a choice of burled poplar or satin-finished quilt maple tops, as well as an Exile-shape alder body with beveled edge, three-piece Slim D-shape maple neck and a 16-inch radius ebony fretboard with 24 jumbo frets and pearloid block inlays.

Other features include mini Grover tuners, five-ply body and headstock binding and a Floyd Rose tremolo bridge system option.

Electronics are EMG 57TW / 66TW coil-split pickups with push/pull volume and tone pots and a five-way selector switch.

Finish options are Satin Turquoise Burst or Satin Natural, with a choice of six- or seven-string configurations.

The Exile Select Series guitars are offered at prices ranging from $1,049 to $1,299. For more information, head to Dean Guitars. 

Dean Guitars has announced that Slayer's Kerry King has come onboard the company’s artist roster, and that a new, never-before-seen signature electric guitar design is in the works.

King, who until recently was a signature artist with B.C. Rich, said of the new partnership, “I'm super-stoked to be part of the Dean Guitars family. This has been an insane[ly] long time coming! 

"Together we're going to create some amazing guitars that Dean, Slayer and Kerry King fans will be as excited as I am to play. It's gonna be a wild ride for years to come!"

Dean will kick off the Kerry King line with a limited run of 50 handcrafted USA models signed by the Slayer guitarist. 

Additional product information outlining King's Signature Dean Guitars USA and import models will be revealed over the coming months.

In the meantime, keep your eye on Dean Guitars for updates. Hell awaits...

Back in June, Gibson made massive waves in the guitar community when the storied company sued Armadillo Enterprises, the parent company of Dean Guitars and Luna Guitars.

In the lawsuit, Gibson alleged trademark infringement, trademark counterfeiting, unfair competition and trademark dilution on the part of Armadillo.

The following month, the legal battle took another turn when Armadillo filed a countersuit against Gibson seeking to dismiss the case and alleging “tortious interference with Armadillo’s business relationships and/or contracts.” 

However they fall, the results of these cases will undoubtedly have a tremendous effect on the guitar industry. Should Gibson come out victorious, a large part of the guitar industry would be forced to shut down in the face of the company's monopoly on certain body shapes, according to trademark lawyer Ron Bienstock.

In an interview with ROI-NJ, Bienstock - who is representing guitar brands like ESP, Peavey and Collings in a separate legal case against Gibson - pushed back on a number of Gibson's legal arguments.   

“You’re seeing the impact of trying to put a plug into a large crevice, of Gibson trying to say, ‘You all have to stop doing this’ - but these guitar designs have been in production for decades,” Bienstock said.

“Dean has made Explorer and V-shape guitars since 1977. Calling a Dean guitar counterfeit is ludicrous. Trust me, no one is buying a Dean guitar, looking at the headstock and thinking, ‘I didn’t know I was buying a Dean; I thought I was buying a Gibson.’” 

Bienstock also cited the time it took for Gibson to file for trademarks for its most famous body shapes - which it only did for a number of its most famous models in the '90s - as detrimental to its case.

“If you are going to trademark a guitar shape, what you have to be saying is everyone looks at that design and recognizes your company as the only source,” Bienstock said. “You also need to say that no one else manufactures or sells it. No one would agree with that, because everybody does and has been manufacturing it, too.” 

“Our clients have been making and advertising these guitars for many years and want to continue to be able to be free and clear to do that, which I think is their right.”

Dean Guitars has launched the Play To Win Video Submission Contest. 

One winner will receive a free, brand new Dean Select Series guitar and hardshell case. No purchase necessary. The contest is open to all guitarists in the continental United States, from now until August 12, 2019. 

Here's how to enter:

1) Take a 1-2 minute video playing your favorite guitar. Tell Dean about your guitar, what you love about it, where you got it, what bands or projects you have, and show them some of your best riffs!

2) Submit your video on YouTube and give Dean the link and all relevant entry info at the form here. 

3) Sit back and wait for Dean to contact the winner at the end of the contest (on or around August 17, 2019).

Dean Guitars Marketing and Artist Relations team will watch all the videos and pick a winner based on story, tone, playing, and personality.

For complete rules, head over to deanguitars.com/play-to-win.

Gibson has reportedly filed a multimillion dollar lawsuit against Armadillo Enterprises, the parent company of Dean Guitars and Luna Guitars.

In the lawsuit, which was first reported by Guitar.com, Gibson alleges trademark infringement, trademark counterfeiting, unfair competition and trademark dilution on the part of Armadillo. Particularly, Gibson says Armadillo has run afoul of its Flying V, Explorer, ES and SG, "Dove Wing" headstock design, "Hummingbird" name and "Moderne" trademarks.

Dean Guitars was founded in 1976, the same year the company began offering at least two of the offending models in question.

In a statement obtained by Guitar World, Armadillo Enterprises said that Gibson's claims were "entirely baseless," and that the company will "vigorously defend ourselves and seek to cancel Gibson's alleged trademark registrations."

Gibson reportedly first sent a cease-and-desist letter to Armadillo back in October 2017, when the company was still led by former CEO Henry Juskiewicz. After no action was taken, the company sent another cease-and-desist letter last month, followed by this court filing.

Gibson is reportedly seeking Armadillo’s profits, damages sustained by Gibson and the costs of the action. The company can also pursue statutory damages of up to and including $14 million—$2 million for each of the seven violations.

Guitar World has reached out to Gibson for comment.

A few years back, as part of the expansive Dimebag Darrell coverage that appeared in our February 2015 issue, Guitar World was invited into Dime's home and recording studio—and we got to bring our cameras.

Above, enjoy our exclusive video tour, which offers a private look at Dime's impressive guitar collection, not to mention his home, memorabilia, kitchen, bathrooms (Note: Dime's bathrooms are more interesting than they sound) and a lot more.

Though the 2018 edition of the NAMM Show has already come and gone, it certainly left a large impression, with the unveiling of more impressive new gear than you can shake a stick at. Luckily for you though, we've been keeping track of it all.

Today, we bring you our 2018 NAMM Digital Guide, a handy online mag that brings the excitement of the annual gear extravaganza right to your computer or smartphone.

Featuring all the demos and new gear you could possibly ask for, our 2018 NAMM Digital Guide is the place to go for all of 2018's coolest new products.

Read it here.

GOLD AWARD

Between recording with his band, Day of Reckoning, and being a sought-after clinician and teacher in extremely fast guitar techniques, Rusty Cooley may be one of the hardest-working super-shredders in the country.

His disciplined work ethic, talent and popularity haven’t gone unnoticed either, because Dean Guitars currently offers nine Rusty Cooley signature model guitars for aspiring fleet-fingered axe-men who wish to follow in his speedy footsteps.

While his signature guitars are primarily seven- and eight-string offerings, the Dean Guitars Rusty Cooley 6 String Xenocide is his first and only six-string model available for players who want a more traditional guitar that’s built for speed.

FEATURES

The Xenocide features the same super-strat design with contoured neck heel and a deeply sculpted lower cutaway as his other signature guitars, facilitating wide interval stretches and easy access to the higher fret register. The body is made of alder with a H.R. Giger–inspired “Xenocide” graphic on its top that also matches the headstock.

The bolt-on maple neck features a satin finish, 25 1/2–inch scale length, 16–inch fretboard radius, and ebony fingerboard with 24 extra jumbo frets. The double locking Floyd Rose Pro tremolo is recessed and is setup flush to the body allowing for absolute playing comfort and efficiency for your picking hand. The guitar features a single volume knob and three-way blade switch to control the sonic firepower of the direct-mount EMG active pickups (an EMG 81in the bridge and an EMG 85 in the neck).

PERFORMANCE

The Xenocide is a textbook example of a guitar designed for the sole purpose in attaining maximum speed and performance for hard rock and metal styles. The combination of its alder body and maple neck with an ebony fretboard contributes to a thicker midrange for rhythm and brighter attack for soloing, all of which are the ideal elements for true metal guitar tones. Also, having the EMG active pickups directly mounted to the body intensifies the overall sound. Used with EVH 5150 III and Engl amp heads, the Xenocide didn’t disappoint in accomplishing sheer aggressive power.

The EMG 81 and 85 pickups were superb at delivering detailed clarity and complex definition in high-gain chug for metal. Playing past the 12th fret was equally fun, because the neck carve is evenly tapered to a slim “D” profile that feels comfortable without feeling wimpy. Best of all, the guitar is setup perfectly with low action and a flat radius where you can bend notes two whole steps without fretting out. Add in the recessed Floyd Rose tremolo for all the requisite whammy tricks, and the Xenocide is a beast.

STREET PRICE $899.99

MANUFACTURER Dean Guitars, deanguitars.com

THE BOTTOM LINE: The recessed Floyd Rose Pro locking tremolo system is setup flush to the body, with the fine tuners angled back, allowing a smooth and efficient playing surface for your right hand. The guitar’s slim maple neck is designed for comfort and performance, which makes it a fast-feeling neck profile for soloing and fretting complex chords.

The Bottom Line For speed and precision, the Rusty Cooley 6 String Xenocide is a flawlessly executed six-string shred machine with super-sleek contours, effortless playability and killer metal tones.

Dean Guitars has announced its new Icon Series of guitars.

These well-appointed flame top guitars combine looks, feel and affordability for the discerning guitarist.

Features Include:

• * Arched Flame Maple Top in four finishes: Charcoal Burst, Faded Denim, Trans Amber and Trans Brazilia
• * Natural Scrape Body Binding
• * Set "C" Neck
• * Rosewood Fingerboard
• * Pearl "Icon" Inlays
• * Dean Magnetic Technologies Series Pickups

Those attending the 2016 NAMM Show can be the first to check out the new Icon Series at the Dean Guitars NAMM booth #303B-C. To learn more about Dean Guitars, visit deanguitars.com.

Guitar World’s 2016 Winter NAMM Show Coverage

Check out the NAMM 2016 section of GuitarWorld.com to keep up with our latest gear announcements, photos and videos. You also might want to consider following Guitar World via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, because that's where most of the gear pics will be posted during show hours.

•GuitarWorld.com: NAMM Show coverage
•Twitter: NAMM Show photos and news
•Facebook: NAMM Show photos and news
•Instagram: NAMM Show photos and more
•YouTube: NAMM Show videos.

Dean Guitars has announced the new Eric Peterson Signature guitar.

This guitar features Eric's iconic Old Skull graphic with all the same appointments as his original.

Celebrating 20 years with Dean Guitars, Eric Peterson and Testament have influenced the thrash metal scene for decades. This run is limited to 200 pieces worldwide and will be accompanied with a special matching hard shell case.

Check out several photos, plus a list of specs, in the photo gallery below.

Those attending the 2016 NAMM Show can be the first to check out the new Eric Peterson Signature guitar at the Dean Guitars NAMM booth #303B-C. To learn more about Dean Guitars, visit deanguitars.com.

Guitar World’s 2016 Winter NAMM Show Coverage

Check out the NAMM 2016 section of GuitarWorld.com to keep up with our latest gear announcements, photos and videos. You also might want to consider following Guitar World via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, because that's where most of the gear pics will be posted during show hours.

•GuitarWorld.com: NAMM Show coverage
•Twitter: NAMM Show photos and news
•Facebook: NAMM Show photos and news
•Instagram: NAMM Show photos and more
•YouTube: NAMM Show videos.

Dean Guitars has announced the new Jacky Vincent Signature guitar.

This stunning new offering from Dean combines slick and modern looks in a hum/single/hum with affordability.

Jacky Vincent, of Falling In Reverse fame, embarks on a new metal project in 2016, Cry Venom. A new tour and album are in the works for a guitarist who already is regarded as a true new breed of shredder. Jacky has appeared as a video instructor and columnist for Guitar World and has a guitar-centric video out with Fret 12, titled, "The Sound & The Story."

Features Include:

• * Alder Top & Body
• * Bolt-On Jacky Vincent Spec Neck
• * Maple Neck & Fingerboard
• * Teeth and Roman Inlays
• * 5 Way Pickup Selector
• * Dean Magnetic Technologies Series Pickups - hum/single/hum
• * Classic Black Finish with Purple and Black Hardware

Those attending the 2016 NAMM Show can be the first to check out the Jacky Vincent JCVX Guitar at the Dean Guitars NAMM booth #303B-C. To learn more about Dean Guitars, visit deanguitars.com.

Guitar World’s 2016 Winter NAMM Show Coverage

Check out the NAMM 2016 section of GuitarWorld.com to keep up with our latest gear announcements, photos and videos. You also might want to consider following Guitar World via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, because that's where most of the gear pics will be posted during show hours.

•GuitarWorld.com: NAMM Show coverage
•Twitter: NAMM Show photos and news
•Facebook: NAMM Show photos and news
•Instagram: NAMM Show photos and more
•YouTube: NAMM Show videos.

Dean Guitars has announced the new Dave Mustaine Signature USA VMNT Holy Grail.

This 24K Gold Leaf finish, atop a blood red paint job, is a first for Dean Guitars and introduces a unique design idea by Megadeth guitarist and front man Dave Mustaine.

Celebrating 33 years of Megadeth, only 33 of these one-of-a-kind, hand-laid gold-leaf guitars will be produced worldwide, making it a must-have collector's item for guitar aficionados and fans of the Mustaine series of guitars.

The Dave Mustaine USA VMNT Holy Grail is the pinnacle of the series when it comes to design. The guitar features Dave Mustaine Seymour Duncan Live Wire pickups, Tone Pros Bridge and Dave's D-shaped neck profile.

In Dave's words, "The Holy Grail design was created as the crown jewel of the Dave Mustaine Signature Series of Dean Guitars. This guitar model is based on the main guitar shape in the Mustaine Signature line, the VMNT. The vision was of this guitar being the most valuable possession, the pinnacle of Dean's top endorser, his golden guitar; and the passion, the heart and soul of the instrument—the blood and guts bursting through."

Each instrument will come with a hard shell case, certificate of authenticity, and Megadeth inspired serial number marking a specific year of Megadeth's legacy and history. Additionally, each guitar will have a special Holy Grail chalice cup, engraved to pair with this beautiful guitar.

Those attending the 2016 NAMM Show can be the first to check out the Dave Mustaine Holy Grail at the Dean Guitars NAMM booth #303B-C. To learn more about DEAN Guitars, visit deanguitars.com.

Guitar World’s 2016 Winter NAMM Show Coverage

Check out the NAMM 2016 section of GuitarWorld.com to keep up with our latest gear announcements, photos and videos. You also might want to consider following Guitar World via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, because that's where most of the gear pics will be posted during show hours.

•GuitarWorld.com: NAMM Show coverage
•Twitter: NAMM Show photos and news
•Facebook: NAMM Show photos and news
•Instagram: NAMM Show photos and more
•YouTube: NAMM Show videos.

Members of the Guitar World crew paid a visit to the Dean Guitars booth at the 2015 Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, California.

As you can see in the new video below, we got the run down on Dimebag Darrell's Original Dean from Hell.

For more about Dean Guitars, visit deanguitars.com.

For more NAMM 2015 coverage, visit GuitarWorld.com's official NAMM 2015 Zone, get updates on Facebook and photos and more on Twitter and Instagram. It's like you're at the show!