The Delta Snake Review: Musical Gear Review and Music Article Archive: Review: Dean ZX Braziliaburst (Cherryburst Explorer Copy)

Review: Dean ZX Braziliaburst (Cherryburst Explorer Copy)

One of the other doomed but later famous Gibson innovations was the Explorer guitar, which at least had the virtue of being a guitar you could play sitting down. Which was a good idea, as it was pretty heavy, and its shape could find the average air guitarist knocking down lamps and other breakables.

All joking aside, it is a good “stage design.” In other words, a cool-looking guitar for stage use. Past notables who found it a fine live guitar include Rick Nielson of Cheap Trick, and of course, Z.Z. Top, who made the now immortal fur-lined-180-degree rotating model famous.

I have to admit, an Explorer was on my list of “nice to have but not a priority” type guitars. When I found a Dean ZX Braziliaburst (i.e. Cherryburst) for 175.00, it was a no-brainer. The pickups are designed to sound like DiMarzio distortions and do that job fairly well.

Dean is one of those younger companies that have a long or purchased pedigree from the past, and frankly do a better job of putting out inexpensive guitars than the bigger companies. They deal a lot via the internet, like Jay Turser and Agile, and that cuts a lot of costs.

I've noticed that these companies work in reverse of the majors. They use cheaper wood, crafted well, but with better than average pickups. This seems to be a strategy that saves the buyer the trouble of replacing the usual lousy pickups in a cheapie, and, arguably, better pickups are more important than wood quality in the lower price ranges (DeArmond is a good example).

I remember once owning a Jay Turser SG copy, with a single bridge P90. It was purple, and cheesy looking like a Danelectro, but it sure sounded as close to the “Who Live At Leeds” CD as any guitar ever could. It never became my main guitar, but it sure made me rethink my preconceptions about how important pickups were.

The body is basswood, which is acceptable, but watch out for the usual easy nicking and belt rash this wood is vulnerable to. The neck is maple, and well made. Action is very good, and fast playing is effortless. One advantage of the basswood body, though, is that this Explorer is lighter than usual.

Make sure if at all possible to get the right gigbag or case in the deal. If not, you'll get stuck buying a keyboard bag or something, as this guitar will not fit standard or even large gigbags.

The Dean ZX is a wonderful-looking Explorer-style guitar, with decent craftsmanship at a 200.00 internet price and more than passable sound. Also, a string-through bridge with a cool V string plate and zebra pickups make it seem much more expensive than it is.

The only thing I don't like is the garish Michael Schenker-style split headstock, but that's a minor quibble about a guitar that's been made to look spectacular.

Also, its strengths play to its intended use as a full-out rock guitar. Try to play it clean, or jazzy, and the pickups fall flat. Crank the volume and gain, and you are in a mid-70s arena playing KISS or Z.Z. Top.

One could spend a couple of thousand and get a Les Paul that can give you awesome clean tones, as well as powerful noises, but what if you just want to rock? Well, looks like there are companies that have figured out how to sell to that market niche.

I'm not going to say that this guitar should replace the Les Paul in your collection. No sober guitarist would ever say that. However, if you're someone who can only afford an inexpensive guitar that seems to give maximum value (that is to say, good enough sound, good playability, and great looks) at a price cheaper than a bike or iPod, guitars like these are a godsend.

In my case, it added a fun guitar to my collection without having to pay much. Fun enough that I don't feel obligated to play it all the time, if you know what I mean. We all have guitars (like Danos, etc) that are just for fun or one specific sound when needed (well, most of us).

I just pull it out once in a while and just crank it and have a great time playing rock and blues songs at a silly level of distortion and gain. It's been over a year, and I figure in terms of the fun I’ve had, it's already made its 175.00 back.

- Al Handa

2006

Note: This review first appeared on the ePinions.com site in 2006. This and other reviews were short takes that accompanied the link to a business that sold the guitar. As a rule, the guitar had to be at least examined and played by the reviewer (and ideally owned). In my case, a severe case of GAS made it possible to have at least owned the reviewed instrument for a short while. I'm reprinting these as having another source on a guitar never hurts, even if the reviews aren't definitive. Other than minor corrections, these short takes are unchanged from the original text. I figure that it might be helpful to keep the older perspective.

The Quitturz by Al Handa