Review of Dean Custom Zone Bass Guitar

If you have set your sights on becoming a hardcore rock bassist, then the Dean Custom Zone Bass Guitar will stand you in good stead. Dean Guitars have a reputation of creating fretted string instruments that are very lightweight with fretboards that are super tight and fast.

This Custom Zone Guitar from Dean Guitars will be an invaluable addition to your bass collection owing to its robust construction, excellent craftsmanship, and high aesthetic appeal.

Both pro and amateur bassists will warm to the Custom Zone because of its immaculate ‘precision bass’ contour. The double cutaway-styled body carved out of basswood and alder-varieties of softwoods makes it convenient for the guitarist to handle the instrument without compromising on tonal quality. The headboard, 34-inch neck, and the fretboard have been chiseled out of Maplewood that makes it easy for the user to wave the guitar around.

The block inlays are jet black that makes the 20 frets remarkably distinguishable. The black hardware seems to perfectly contrast with the luminous green of the bridge and the fretboard.

It’ll take some doing before you can set the intonation range according to your convenience and once you’ve fine-tuned it, you can expect a pickup that’ll simply be pleasant and tuneful.

Salient Features

The Dean Custom Zone Bass owes its origins to the celebrated Zone bass that was a sensation in the eighties. You get a real kick out of playing the bass in its state-of-the-art avatar as the instrument allows customized tuning for a solid pickup and is also remarkably tactile. You can use this bass for practicing, jamming, recording, and giving electrifying performances in rock concerts and small venues.

Following are some of the salient features of the Custom Zone Bass that makes it a real humdinger:-

• Precision bass profile
• Double cutaway construction
• Hardtail bridge
• Master volume control
• Master tone control knobs
• Bolt-on neck joints
• Middle Pickup Type: P Pickup
• Total number of frets: 20
• All hardware have a jet black color tone
• Features a ‘Series Standard’ neck outline
• Body shaped out of alder and basswood contributing towards making the instrument lightweight
• Neck and fingerboard/fretboard fabricated from maple
• The black fingerboard inlays have a rectangular outline
• Standardized hardtail bridge with four strings wired into a blackish plating
• Single pickup at the front categorized under the Dean Guitars’ Edge and Zone series
• On one side of the headstock there are a total of 4 black die-casted tuning pegs

Pros

• The build quality is very much above par as the entire musical instrument has been chipped out of premium grade of lightwoods: guaranteed to last long
• Lightness of the bass enables to guitarist to wave and flail it around giving him or her full leeway to strum
• Super flexible fingerboard comes in handy for setting intonation as per your preference
• Bass level is good, the lows are somewhat guttural and the highs are hard-hitting
• Can be synced perfectly with the effect loop (FX loop) of an electric guitar’s headstock for tweaking the preamps and the equalizers resulting in some immersive sound effects
• The fluorescent green coupled with the black hardware makes the bass appear impressive from all quarters
• The instrument stands out when it comes to plucking, muting, picking, and slapping
• This bass is ideal for those who’re looking to master the strumming skills

Cons

• The fragile feel of the neck may give you the feeling that the instrument will break
• The guitarist may experience some buzzing on the E string
• The garish green color may not be appealing to all
• The finishing on the fretboard or fingerboard is not up to the mark

Expectations from this product: How will the guitar help to hone your strumming skills?

This Dean Custom Zone Bass would be for immaculate for picking up and honing rock bass skills, for jamming, practicing and recording sessions as well as for playing in school rock bands and small concerts.

The guitar comes in totally handy for neophytes and budding rock bassists who can expect the same tonal quality as they’d from an electric guitar minus the FX. If you’re looking for a sound bass guitar to start with, then this is the one.

The fretboard is slim and extends quite a lot in between the body and the headstock giving you a pretty light guitar to hold. Moreover, the inclusion of flexible fingerboard is pretty handy when it comes to setting intonation as per the preference of the user.

A guitarist using this can also quite easily sync the effect loop in order to tweak the preamps as well as the equalizer that results in offering immersive sound effects.

Dean Custom Zone Bass, Nuclear Green vs. other options

Comparing the guitar against some closest competitors would bring up the names of Squier by Fender Vintage SS Modified Special Jaguar Bass – Candy Apple Red and Squier by Fender Affinity Jazz Beginner Electric Bass Guitar – Rosewood Fretboard, Brown Sunburst. Both these variants differ from Dean Custom Zone Bass in terms of wood quality.

While the two variants are made from rosewood, the guitar by Dean is made of Maplewood. Moreover, these three are also priced in the same segment but come with some distinct features. Hence, it has a rich as well as a better feel when held.

Verdict

The guitar has been made from top quality materials and comes with a smooth basswood body. The bolt-on neck along with the maple fingerboard are some of its striking features. This product is popular mainly for its affordability and the aspect of funkiness that comes along. Weighing merely 10 pounds, it is certainly among the most lightweight options that are available in the same budget segment.

Hence, you can go for this guitar as an option irrespective of the fact that you are a beginner or an expert. Its solid construction and affordable pricing are largely two of the main reasons that make it a preferred choice.