1983 Dean Elite Vintage Electric Guitar Black USA-Made Cadillac w/ Lollar Imperial
$2,199.99
$2,199.99
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Up for sale, a 1983 Dean E’lite electric guitar in excellent condition and in perfect working order. Crafted at the original Evanston, IL factory, this early Dean is a shining example of the quality that launched the company’s success and popularity with top artists throughout the 80’s. With an unabashed nod to Gibson, this E’lite shares similar elements with the Les Paul model, with a mahogany body and neck, a bound rosewood fretboard, and pair of humbuckers. The pickup pair has been upgraded in favor of a vintage Schaller PAF-style humbucker in the neck position, and a High Wind Lollar Imperial in the bridge. The Schaller provides a clear, dynamic quality with a broad, airy sound, while the Lollar Imperial is hotter than a typical PAF, pushing your amp towards breakup while retaining the endearing qualities of the original PAF design, with taut bass, balanced midrange, and a harmonically-rich treble register. This Dean balances well on a strap and weighs 8lbs 2oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, spot-on intonation, and low action.
The mahogany neck has a slender V shaped profile, maintaining the V shape with slight shoulders all the way up the neck and measuring .890” deep at the 1st fret and .999” at the 12th. The bound rosewood fretboard features abalone dot inlay and stock medium jumbo fretwire. The frets have good height and meat, with just a hint of wear under the plain strings on the crowns of frets 1-8, and virtually no wear further up the fretboard. The guitar plays well in all registers with a 12" fretboard radius, straight neck, and a responsive, ideally adjusted truss rod. The scale length is 24 3/4”, while the original carved bone nut measures 1 11/16” in width. The V-shaped headstock sports a winged Dean logo and set of chrome Schaller tuners which turn smoothly and hold pitch well, while the serial number and “Made in USA” text are stamped on the back.
All of the electronics work as they should, with individual Volume and Tone controls for each pickup, abd modern Gibson-branded Alpha pots with premium tone caps. The upgraded Hipshot BabyGrand nickel tailpiece has a unique shape which increases the length of the low strings while keeping the high strings short, ensuring more even string tension. Machined from a single piece of aircraft-grade aluminum, the baseplate is super light, extremely strong, and has a liveliness of tone that cast bridges can't match. The stainless steel saddle design couples more of the string's energy into the bridge plate and allows for a huge range of intonation. A new set of black speed knobs has been installed, and the original cream switch tip is present. Cosmetic wear is limited to faint scuffing in the pick path, a tiny finish chip on the top edge adjacent to the rear strap button, and light, targeted buckle rash on the treble side, along with a few faint, scattered finish scratches on the back. The neck profile sports a smooth gloss finish with just a couple minuscule marks that are not distracting to the palm.
A padded gigbag is included.
The mahogany neck has a slender V shaped profile, maintaining the V shape with slight shoulders all the way up the neck and measuring .890” deep at the 1st fret and .999” at the 12th. The bound rosewood fretboard features abalone dot inlay and stock medium jumbo fretwire. The frets have good height and meat, with just a hint of wear under the plain strings on the crowns of frets 1-8, and virtually no wear further up the fretboard. The guitar plays well in all registers with a 12" fretboard radius, straight neck, and a responsive, ideally adjusted truss rod. The scale length is 24 3/4”, while the original carved bone nut measures 1 11/16” in width. The V-shaped headstock sports a winged Dean logo and set of chrome Schaller tuners which turn smoothly and hold pitch well, while the serial number and “Made in USA” text are stamped on the back.
All of the electronics work as they should, with individual Volume and Tone controls for each pickup, abd modern Gibson-branded Alpha pots with premium tone caps. The upgraded Hipshot BabyGrand nickel tailpiece has a unique shape which increases the length of the low strings while keeping the high strings short, ensuring more even string tension. Machined from a single piece of aircraft-grade aluminum, the baseplate is super light, extremely strong, and has a liveliness of tone that cast bridges can't match. The stainless steel saddle design couples more of the string's energy into the bridge plate and allows for a huge range of intonation. A new set of black speed knobs has been installed, and the original cream switch tip is present. Cosmetic wear is limited to faint scuffing in the pick path, a tiny finish chip on the top edge adjacent to the rear strap button, and light, targeted buckle rash on the treble side, along with a few faint, scattered finish scratches on the back. The neck profile sports a smooth gloss finish with just a couple minuscule marks that are not distracting to the palm.
A padded gigbag is included.
