Dean Avalanche 7 Guitar Review

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Review by Simon Bradley in Guitarist
Issue January 2001

Dean Avalanche 7

We're pleased to see Dean guitars back in the mainstream. So pleased in fact that you'll find some more conservative Dean electrics elsewhere in this issue. They've been available in the UK, but you had to look hard to find one. The Avalanche 7 is just one in a range of Music Man look-a-likes currently offered in the company's substantial range...

Things are nice and simple here ? master tone and volume, a three-way lever switch and through-body stringing. The latter is one of the oldest methods of retaining string stability - check out that Fender Tele some time - but here it allows the strings themselves to have a tighter tension as there's more actual wire present.

The finish is what you or I would call pewter - Dean themselves refer to it as 'metallic charcoal' - and here we get 24 frets, with a long enough scale to provide efficient tension for the potentially flopsome low B. In fact, the neck, both in construction and appearance, would glean complements if it were bolted to a guitar twice this price. The abalone markers are gorgeous and the frets, even though extra jumbo in dimensions, have been crowned perfectly. Top marks.

The joint between the neck and the basswood body has been shaped slightly to allow an easier widdling access, a feature further assisted by the Fender-esque body contours. It's a smart a design indeed.

However, under-powered pickups leave this Avalanche somewhat short of total village-flattening potential. But the overall sound is nicely rounded and full, but not so much as to blow your tent over.

Clean, things are much better as all three pickup selections possess a twang, rather than an overpowering roar. Whether anyone will plug this axe into a clean channel is another story, but you could raise a few smiles if you pulled this out at a blues gig ? it wouldn't let your ears down and you'd be able to pull off a 12-bar in B as well.

We very much liked the cool and understated look of the Avalanche. The finish is excellent and the through-stringing gives an undeniable touch of class to a guitar that fortunately doesn't feel the need for the ridiculous pointy bits of many of its stablemates! The overall sound and playability are much better than average too. So, an Avalanche you'll want to run towards, not away from then.
DEAN AVALANCHE 7 SPEC CHECK

PRICE: £339
ORIGIN: Korea
TYPE: Double-cutaway solid-body
BODY: basswood
NECK: maple bolt-on
NUT WIDTH: 47mm
FINGERBOARD: rosewood
FRETS: 24
BRIDGE: tune-o-matic w/through-body stringing
HARDWARE: Chrome
TUNERS: Grover
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 10mm (centers)
ELECTRICS: Two Dean humbuckers
OPTIONS: Avalanche Ultra with Floyd Rose Licensed Tremolo
LEFT-HANDERS: Yes
FINISHES: Metallic charcoal (as reviewed), metallic black, trans red
CONTACT: Bill Lewington Ltd. 01268 413366
WEB: www.bill-lewington.com