• just ok

  
  As reviewed by jROC on 5/23/2010

  Was looking for a nice, lower priced acoustic. Nothing fancy, just something that would sound ok and be easy to play. I ended up ordering this guitar without having the opportunity to play it since the local music stores don't carry much for Dean instruments, and I couldn't find much for reviews online. I'll start by saying that I love the look of the guitar. Very clean looking without a pickguard, and the tortoise shell binding and rosette look great matched with the gold hardware. That's about where the good ends. The tuners do an ok job, but they are not grovers as the specs state which would have helped with the tuning a lot. The worst part of this guitar easily was the action. Extremely high on arrival, and when I removed the saddle to sand it down I discovered two plastic shims raising the saddle. With the shims removed the action was way to low and there was a lot of buzz. I ended up buying a bone saddle blank and making my own thinking it could only help the sound anyways, but I discovered I could only lower the action a little from where it was originally. I'd say look somewhere else if your looking for an instrument in this price range that is going to be the best playable. There are quite a few others that have received good reviews.

  4 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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• Very happy with my new Dean S2!

  
  As reviewed by John O. on 6/14/2010

  Product: Dean Tradition S2, Gloss Natural Acoustic Price Paid: $110 (usually sells for $225) Amazon had a great sale on this one, but it's over now... Features: Acoustic. ~Solid Spruce Top ~Mahogany Body ~Mahogany Neck ~Rosewood Fingerboard ~Abalone Dot inlay ~Die Cast Tuners ~25 1/2" scale ~Celluloid Tortoise Binding ~Wood Parquet Rosette Sound: (10) Sounds great! I was expecting a slight step up from other entry level guitars, but this sounds way better than I had figured it would. Very full deep sound from the solid spruce top. Action/Playability: (9) Very easy to play. It has taken me a few soungs to get used to the scale, as I had been using my daughters Jr. sized guitar, but once that was done, I have had no problems. The neck is straight and true, and the action is good. Craftsmanship/Reliability: (10) Very beautiful guitar. The tortoise binding gives this guitar an extra bit of class, and the wood is beautiful. As to reliability - I've only had it a short time, but it seems very solid. Overall Rating: (10) I was hoping to get a nicer guitar than is typically available in my budget (I was planning to spend ~$125), and the sale on this Dean was just what I was looking for. Most in the lower price range are typically poorly made, or don't sound that good. Now, I can't say for sure that I would have bought this particular model if my budget had been $225, so maybe my review is a bit biased by the sale price I paid. Either way, I'm a very satisfied Amazon and Dean customer! I guess I'm saying while it isn't a Martin or Taylor, it's a fantastic guitar for a beginner - but even more so at the price I paid...

  2 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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