Dean Musical Instruments - Dean Icon Premium

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ABOUT THE ONLY THINGS FROM CZECHOSLOVAKIA that most Americans are aware of are Pilsner Urquel beer and Olympic athletes who abuse steroids. But Dean guitars have discovered that these mysterious Eastern European people can make a guitar about as well as they can fling a shot put, so they hired them to produce Dean's European Custom Select series of electric solidbody guitars. Anyone expecting Cold War-era instruments hacked together from inferior surplus parts is bound to be surprised by the stunning combination of old-world craftsmanship and modern precision and detail evident in these guitars.

We checked out the Dean Icon Premium, featuring one of the first new body shapes introduced by the recently revitalized Dean company, which was previously renowned for its interpretations of radical Gibson models such as the Flying V and Explorer during the late Seventies and Eighties. The Dean icon's shape is much more conservative in comparison, sort of like a double-cutaway Les Paul but with a slightly extended bass-side horn similar to a PRS. The headstock also features a new design and is trimmed down from other Dean models' large, inverted V-shape form.

But there is much more to the Dean Icon Premium than its understated good looks. The guitar is crafted from high-quality materials, including an attractive carved, arched flame-maple top, tight-grained mahogany body and neck and a rosewood fingerboard that's smooth as a marble table top. The hardware is of similar high quality, boasting Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates zebra-coil humbuckers and gold-plated Schaller tuners and hardware. A single layer of wood binding surrounding the maple top adds to the Icon's classy appearance.

Surprisingly, the Dean Icon is a considerably light guitar, which gives it a punchy, lively tone. The light weight in combination with strings anchored through the body ‚ like a Telecaster ‚ contribute to the guitar's acoustic responsiveness and resonance (even unplugged it is quite loud). Meanwhile, the maple top gives it brightness, and the mahogany body enhances sustain. Plugged in, this is one honking plank that gives back everything you put into it. Its tone is fat and warm, but its attack is fast and single notes are well-defined instead of mushy.

Our evaluation model's factory setup was very good, although the action was slightly higher than I normally prefer. But all it required was a simple bridge-height adjustment, and we were rocking. The thin-width, high-profile frets are expertly rounded off, making string bending almost effortless. The neck has just enough heft to ensure solid tone without diminishing playability, and its somewhat flat profile lets your fingers fly with little resistance.

The Dean Icon's controls are about as basic as it gets: a three-way pickup selector and master volume and tone controls. However, the guitar sounds good enough on its own that it doesn't need any assistance from fancy electronic circuits. This is one guitar where your fingers do most of the talking, and with a little attention to expression and nuances, most players should be able to pull all the tones they desire from the Dean Icon. If you want a bright Strat-like sound, pick closer to the bridge and hit the strings harder to make the maple top vibrate. You want Les Paul-like warmth and sustain? Play more lightly between the pickups to coax out the midrange.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Rob Halford once said, "It's not easy being an icon." These words of wisdom may be true, but thanks to Dean, it is very easy to own an Icon. Any guitarist looking for a beautiful guitar that's as easy on the fingers and ears as it is on the eyes should strap on this axe. You'll never think of Czechoslovakia the same way again.

April 1999 -- Guitar World

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