ben_ferguson's Reviews

Good so far!

Disclaimer: I only got this last week, I'll update further as I get to know it better. So far it's performing well, all the onboard sounds trigger correctly and the only dropouts I've heard have been while running it through SSD on REAPER using the USB MIDI (through a cheap USB hub on an under-powered laptop). Onboard sounds are OK, not something I'd want to put on an album but more than serviceable for practice (but that's what sampling is for).

I haven't gotten a double-kick pedal for it yet, still researching which will be the best one. I've seen people do double-bass with this kit, but I can see how the kick pad would be too narrow for pedals with beaters spaced too far apart. I'll update this review after that upgrade with news on how it went.

For the money, I have zero complaints!

heavy but versatile bridge humbucker

I put this in a Dean ZX with a Duncan Alnico II Pro neck pickup (both volume pots have a treble-bleed circuit too), and I'm convinced this is the pickup that was meant for basswood bolties. It beefs up the bottom end on this bright guitar, and gets a nice hot-Tele bridge sound when split. I like this pickup clean as well as dirty, but it does take some EQ twiddling and height adjustment for the best sound. Once you do though, you'll get gnarly harmonics, killer thump and a lot more crunchy mids than I ever thought I'd like. Brighter pickups may be better for warmer/darker-sounding guitars, but for a bolt-on I think this one rules.

I cannot understand why Alvarez doesn't still sell these

I picked this up in a pawnshop for $80, no strap pins or low "E" string so still a great deal. Alder body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, P/J pickup configuration. It's very resonant despite a thin guitarist-friendly neck (reminiscent of Ibanez Soundgear or some Yamahas) with a tight neck pocket and surprisingly good workmanship throughout. Mine had a partly-broken machine head, not unexpected for its age but worth mentioning. The electronics are functional with clean and precise wiring, but I badly want to change the stock pickups out for a Seymour Duncan quarter-pound set. I replaced the plastic factory nut with a Graph-Tech "Tusq XL" version and used the bottom 4 strings of a 5-string set to tune it down to B-E-A-D and it still sounds tight despite the 34" scale. Worth picking up if you can find one for a good price.

Good buy for the money, better with mods

I bought my ZX in 1998 during a rough period in the company's history (after Dean Zelinsky sold it, but before Elliot picked it up - back when DBD was with Washburn), so it isn't the best example of what Dean can offer. Mine is a transparent-red finish they don't offer anymore.

The bad: Loose neck pocket resulted in the neck shifting a little, so tuning was unstable until I filled the cracks to tighten it up. Strap pin was originally in the front-bass position neck-mounting screw which got in the way with high-fret playing, I replaced the screw and moved the strap pin to the center of the neck plate to fix it. Stock hardware was sub-par in a few spots; I've done a few upgrades to correct this:

Plastic nut replaced w/ a Graph-Tech "Tusq XL" model

Rattly bridge replaced w/ TonePros locking TOM

Electronics replaced w/ Seymour Duncan Invader bridge/APH-1N neck models & custom wiring harness for coil-selection

The good: Well-balanced Explorer-style body with a fast neck, Grover tuners, and (despite being a cheap late-90's Korean import) it rings like a tuning fork! I've had this guitar for over 20 years, and it's still going strong.

The original, and still one of the best!

I'm not going to recount the long list of classic records that this thing was used on, or all the legendary players who still have at least one in their rigs. This was the first MIDI-programmable tube preamp, and it was quickly copied by both Mesa-Boogie (Triaxis) and Marshall (JMP-1) to great success - to my ears, their copies of this design were the best products either company ever offered. Great cleans, overdrives, and way more gain than anyone could ever need - although there were modifications you could make to tweak the gain and EQ structure to get it exactly how you want it. They are a little noisy (like most tube amps of its day), but the aforementioned mods usually include a noise-reduction tweak to fix this as well. If you can find one, you should get it. No, wait - don't get it, I'd like to buy a few more, and I don't need you all driving the prices up!

Minor tweaks required, but well worth the effort

Mine is the "Green Shadow Flat" finish version from 2009 or so. First, the not-so-great: I had to move the strap pins to make it balance correctly, and added a Goeldo Backbox bridge stabilizer because I'm used to Kahler whammy bridges. I also replaced the wiring harness to add coil-selection options, and moved the 3-way switch up to where the volume control is since I hate smacking the volume knob with my pick hand. The stock Dimarzio pickups are serviceable, but not particularly inspiring. Discontinued, so I can't find a case for it anymore.

Now, the awesome: Maple/walnut through-neck with mahogany wings, locking whammy bridge, ultra-pointy body shape with beveled edges, versatile but metal-friendly electronics, shreddy Ibanez neck profile with bound 27-fret fingerboard. This is just about as good as it gets without spending $5k+ and waiting a year or more for a custom-shop build.

Edit: I finally upgraded the Dimarzio pickups to Seymour Duncans: a Black Winter Trembucker at the bridge and a Little '59 in the neck slot - what a difference! Now this thing is just incredible. WAY better tone, versatility, and character all around.

The original switchless wah, and probably still the best!

I purchased mine during the very first run of these in 1998 (back when the sticker inside the enclosure still said it was a "WAH-SP"), and I've never thought about replacing it. Nearly indestructible, great sound that you can customize (as long as you can work a soldering iron and/or exacto knife), Morley's electro-optical circuit (it really doesn't ever wear out), and NO SWITCH TO NOT ENGAGE WHEN YOU WANT IT TO. If this ever broke, I'd replace it with another Morley switchless model, but I don't see that happening.