Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar Black

Comments about Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar:

I bought the brown one about 6 years ago, from MF. I hadn't played in quite awhile and had sold all my gear a few years previous. I bought to see if I had any desire to continue. Great choice. The pickups are fine, the neck is fast, the tuners are solid and the look is pretty cool. It stays in tune very well. I have since bought a few other guitars and this is still in the mix. I've tuned it open and use it pretty much for slide, only. I will say, it's got a good enough tone for pretty much any music. The neck isn't so narrow to make open chords difficult. No fret buzz anywhere on the fretboard. It kind of feels like plastic or like it has a paper finish over some really lightweight wood. It makes it very neck heavy, but if you sling it a little lower while you're standing, it's not a big deal. Two humbuckers and a three way switch actually give you three very distinct tones. That's not always a given on a low end guitar. Neck position is actually a really good rhythm tone with some dirt mixed in. The middle takes the bridge pickup shrill tone down a little bit. I don't use the bridge position alone too much. No shielding in the electronics cavity, but I really don't notice much noise. The humbuckers really keep the unwanted noise down. Even when switching, I don't hear any discernible pops or clicks. I can't say enough about the neck. It's not glossy on the back, so you can really get around pretty quick. I worry about the durability of the body wood, but I can't see any problems where the neck meets the body. The strap buttons do loosen up occasionally, but I'm a bit afraid to really torque them down as I think it may split the wood on the upper and lower bouts. I may just put some superglue in the holes. Overall, just a fantastic guitar for the price point. I think if someone were looking for a guitar to mod out, this would be the one. I think I might play around with the pickups and maybe do some cosmetic things, but it doesn't really need a thing. In fact, I'm gonna get off this computer and go play it, right now.

Comments about Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar:

I am going to make this short and sweet. I dare you to find a guitar this good at this price. I played my Uncle's Paul Reed Smith 1,500 guitar and this sounds just and good and feels just as good. I can't believe Dean makes such a quality product for such a low price. I am forever going to be a Dean Guitar fan and on a side note, Musicians Friend customer support recomended this guitar and their support staff was amazing over the phone. Thank you guys. I love my new axe!!!

Comments about Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar:

I ordered this guitar in black for my wife to learn on. When the guitar arrived I noticed that it was a solid matte black not a black wood grain, also the headstock was damaged. I contacted customer service and the guy on the phone was very kind and helped me dertermine that the guitar sent was the wrong model as it had a whammy bar and the one I ordered does not. He sent me a ups label to send the guitar back and said he would expedite the shipping for the new one since I had been so calm and understanding. He also said I could expect the new guitar on Friday (this was Monday). I dropped the guitar off at ups the next morning. On that Thursday I received an email stating that the wood grain was not as noticeable as it was in the pic. I called in to verify the new guitar had been shipped as the wording of the email made it sound like they were not sending it. I was informed that the new guitar had not shipped because they had not received the first one back. They asked me if I had the ups tracking number because they said they did not see one in their system. Eventually he said I could expect the new guitar by Tuesday (one week and a day after the first one). On Monday (one week)I received another email leading me to believe a new guitar was not coming. I called in again and went through the same confusion of the rep not finding good notes. Eventually he said it would ship out Tuesday morning (the day I was told the second time it would arrive). Tuesday evening I decided to call to check in again this time about ready to try and cancel the order. The gentleman this time was able to find all of the notes and that the new guitar had still not shipped so he placed me on hold to look into it. When he returned he told me it would ship out the next morning (wed. 1.5 weeks after first guitars arrival.). I said ok irritated and in disbelief after the previous calls. The next day I finally received a shipping notice and today, exactly two weeks after the first one arrived I received a new guitar. When I opened the guitar I found it to be un damaged but still not as advertised with the wood grain. It is a solid matte black finish no matter how much light you shine on it.

Comments about Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar:

This guitar was a gift for my little bud back in Kansas. The guitar came in earlier than expected and he loves it, and thats what counts.

Thanks.

Comments about Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar:

Got this for a killer deal with a price match at MF. Gave it to my girl friend for Christmas, but I played it for a couple hours. It sounds, feels, and plays good.

Better than any guitar I've played in this kinda price range.

Comments about Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar:

I have had this guitar for a few years now, and I play it at least once every two weeks on stage. Its solid and it's lasted. I have considered putting better pickups in it... but in the end I always hesitate because I really like the stock sound.. Its unique and very versatile, you can get cleans that shimmer for some U2 type sounds, and some dirty Nirvana and really mad metal sounds. I love it. Its also very light, and very easy to play. I'd recommend it for beginners, and experienced players on a budget, like myself.

Comments about Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar:

The other reviewers commented on how light the body is. What they fail to mention, is how soft the wood is. It's actually softer than Basswood, kind of like Cedar. Which fails this guitar for any sort of longevity. Screws strip the wood so easily, that alone rules it out as a contender.
The Neck is C shaped. Not Schecter or Ibanez thin, but it still feels good.
The Pickups are great for that Rock, Grunge/ Garage type sound. Not bass heavy, Very raw sounding with lots of bite.
My other gripes may have been reserved to my guitar alone. It came with the Nut slotted too deeply, lots of high frets, and curved parts of the body seemed whittled by a knife, not a CNC machine.

Comments about Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar:

Poor shipping: Headstock chipped, and input jack was loose. Overall if those things had been fine. This would have been very nice.

Comments about Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar:

As soon as I got mt Dean I took it to the local shop to have the tech there to give it a once over and tune it. He was surprised when he picked it up that it was so light. Annotation and action where great no warping or buzz. Electronics were solid. As for sound I couldn't tell ya, I own a Yamaha 25w practice amp that just won't die, a friend gave to me. But it does sound good through the Rocksmith in-game amp mode through my A/V rack. Pick-ups seem a bit low, volume seems muted (game&amp) beats the heck out of my hollow-body Stagg though!
A few blemishes on the body by the knobs. Also an error in the headstock finish. The cover for the electroics is fimsy at best.
Love this guitar plain and simple.

Comments about Dean Vendetta XM Electric Guitar:

For the price it is a very good guitar. The construction is sturdy. The sound is good. Fun to play and lightweight.