In 1976, a young man named Dean Zelinsky set out to design a progressive boutique line of guitars that would eventually go on to define the sound of many top name guitar players around the world. Some of these players, past and present, include Randy Rhodes, Sammy Hagar, Nancy Wilson, ZZ Top, Chuck Goff (Toby Kieth), and the late Dimebag Darryl. As I sit here, I wonder if the young Zelinsky could have predicted the power house that Dean Guitars has become.

From the Hardtail to the Cadiillac, Dean Guitars have inspired novice and professional players through innovative designs and quality construction. The most notable player for the purposes of this review would be Billy Greer from Kansas, who plays the very guitar I received from Dean. This guitar is a cool little number called the Tribal, and this is the guitar Billy uses on stage to play Dust in the Wind.

The Tribal by Dean Guitars





The Tribal represents Dean Guitar’s commitment to building guitars that stand out from the popular traditional styles that have dominated the market for so long. This guitar features a solid sitka spruce top with mahogany back and sides in a thin body (3 ¾" deep) design. It comes in a classic black finish that serves as the backdrop for the remarkable looking "barbed wire" inlays formed in pearl on the rosewood fretboard and around the sound hole. The inlays are precisely done and look outstanding. The binding was set cleanly with no bleed through along the edges.

To round out the look of this guitar, the Tribal is fitted with a classic Dean swooped acoustic bridge piece and their trademark wing logo on the headstock. Personally speaking, I loved the look of this guitar - it's edgy without being overdramatic.

Grover tuners and a Fishman "Classic 4" preamp with undersaddle transducer pickup make this a great guitar for live gigs.



The limited 5 year warranty is one of the best in the business. This warranty covers material and workmanship defects for the entire 5 year period. Keep your receipt though, since any repairs require an original purchase receipt at time of service.

All Dean guitars are hand inspected and adjusted prior to shipping. When I opened the packing for this guitar I found a personally "inspected by" checklist that informed me that this guitar was examined for finish, electronics, neck adjustment, bridge adjustment, frets, hardware, and pickup adjustment. This guitar also underwent a play test before shipping from their factory. I was very impressed with Dean Guitar's commitment to quality.

Out of the box, the Tribal was set up very well. The action was easy and the neck was comfortable. The intonation was perfect along the entire fretboard. I found that the smaller body on the Tribal made it very easy to hold and play for extended periods of time. Believe me, you'll love this guitar during long gigs and jam sessions that tend to last well into the small hours of the morning.

A nice surpise to me was that string bending was particularly accommodating for an acoustic guitar. I attributed this to the low profile of the strings to the fretboard. The tuning keys felt solid and held the guitar in tune. This is certainly not surprising since Grover's are among the best tuners available. The Tribal comes standard with D'Addario strings.

The Sound Test

Using a pick, I played some of my favorite "unplugged" tunes using both strumming and arpeggio style playing. The Tribal has the definite brightness that I have come to expect from thin body acoustic guitars. The sound projection exceeded my expectations, however, for a guitar with a smaller sound box. This guitar really opened up when finger picked. The brightness that I experienced with the pick was replaced by a very nice rich and softened tone. I was blown away at how much the sound mellowed out.

When plugged in, the Fishman "Classic 4" preamp gave plenty of tonal control. The "Classic 4" is by far the industry standard in acoustic pickup designs, and is a solid, well balanced performer. For my own style of plectrum playing, I was able to dial back some of the brightness using the three band EQ in conjunction with the "brightness" control. Using the same controls, I was able to go in the opposite direction and further accentuate the brightness for those cutting acoustic sounds common to today's most progressive music.

The sound from the Classic 4 is fairly natural but it still is a piezo pickup. In the studio, I would mic a guitar like this in addition to using the transducer pick-up - this will thicken and round out the sound for better recording dynamics. Nevertheless, it is convincing enough for live applications where mic’ing is just not an option.

Final Thoughts



Beside the compelling combination of looks, feel, and playability, this guitar adds versatility that will work well with almost any style of music. From the limelight to the porch light, the Tribal would be as at home on a chaotic stage as it would be on your front deck on a lazy summer evening.

I very much enjoy playing this guitar and I am convinced that it deserves our 2005 Rig Ready Award. If you have the opportunity, you should check out some of the other acoustic guitars from Dean, like the Zen, the Key Largo, and the Denim. I would like to extend a special thanks to Mick at Dean Guitars for sending me the Tribal to review.



By Gary Allen