formula73 Posted August 23, 2006 Posted August 23, 2006 Here's a little background: Everybody knows about the Dean vs Washburn crap because of Dime's endorsements. For the longest time, import Washy Dimes were craptastic pieces of shit, especially compared to todays import Deans, and that left a bad taste in everbody's mouth. Well, Boogie Street Guitars started shamelessly cashing in on Dime's death since Washburn owns the right to the Dime3 (slightly tweaked ML) body style, and while they can't put Dime's name on it, they can still make the guitar. I think the guy is an asshole but he's managed to get some pretty sick limited runs made. Last year, the idea for a limited run Chinese Dean DimeSlime based on the new CFH/DFH ML(apparently the Chinese are REALLY trying to make a good name for themselves because these things are rockin guitars) began to come to fruition, and earlier this year Funky Munky Music (www.funkymunkymusic.com) put in for the equivalent except in a Washy based on the existing and vastly improved platform of the Boogie Street import runs. And away we go! Made in Korea, some type or relative of Mahogany 3 pc body/3 pc neck, bookmatched maple veneer top w/matching hs. It has a scarfed hs joint (that's what I call it, right?) like the old Dean Select series, Grover tuners, ebony fretboard with NO inlays, Buzz Feiten Tuning System, weird-but-cool Dime3 diamond volute, and big damned frets. Nice fretwork, too; not a hand-mangler to be found with a nice, smooth transition from the tops to the ends. Not a single file mark, either. Black binding body, neck, and headstock. Washburn Schaller Floyd (the real thing, well, kinda), BLUSA L500XL/ Duncan 59 combo, just like the older USA stuff. 2 volume, 1 tone, 3 way toggle. The only weird thing is that all the pots are 250k (the right ones are on their way from the dealer...factory screwup). It's got a pretty good weight to it, probably 8 1/2 to 9 lbs, and it comes through in the tone. Not quite as beefy as my USA DFH, but a SHITTON more balls than the old DimeOFlame. Overall, a nice guitar, even for $999. BEST TIGHTEST NECK JOINT I'VE EVER SEEN ON AN IMPORT, INCLUDING MY CZECH CADDY. From what I can see, anyway! All the electronics cavities except the switch (WTF?) are painted in graphite paint and the control cover is foil-backed, but I could see NO GAP at all from the small amount of exposed wood above the paint in the pickup route. Impressive, young Jedi. It did come with that stupid foam under the bridge which I immediately ripped out and Sharpied-in, but I can't blame them. It seems like most Floyded stuff comes that way, these days. It does look better, after all, but it hinders pull-ups. Even nice paint in this cavity! You probably can't see it, but the rout starts flat then angles downward from the middle to the bridge for spring clearance. Scarf joint and cool volute: I'm quite impressed with the attention to detail on this thing. The neck joint, while more Gibsonesque than Deans, isn't really an issue unless you're trying to fret notes inbetween the pickups. I don't understand why some people bitch about this so much... Decent wiring with a decent switch. I mean, I've seen much, much worse. At least it's not one of those enclosed junk box things. The bad stuff: 1. There's a finish crack on the treble side of the neck joint which you can see in the pic above if you look closely. Probably happened in shipping but I'm not going to send back the first guitar of a limited run for stupid shit like that. 2. There's a small ding in the top near the controls. There are machine marks on the very end of the fretboard which I'll probably get out without too much problem. See above. 3. The Floyd spring claw sits up too high and presses the cavity cover when it's installed, but it doesn't really affect the operation of the bridge. It's got so much tension from springs/strings pulling on it that a little pressure from a plastic plate isn't going to move anything. 4. That particular logo looks kind of strange on the HS. I think it looks a little bare, myself. I would have used the 'monster' Washy logo like the Dimes had and my POS Snow Camo 333 has. 5. The TRC, while totally cool, ought to be black. The next pics, though, were taken to show the suprising quality of the fretwork and how freakin big they are. Nice! You can kinda see the marks in these pics though, and maybe the earlier pic of the end of the fretboard. Not too bad. Buzz Feiten? It tunes fine through my Boss TU12 and I didn't notice much difference. I played in tune with Matt playing his DOA V no problem. I think it's a bunch of hype, myself. MMMAAAAYYYYBBBBBEEEE an open D major sounded a little closer to in tune, but that's it. It plays like a monster (nice setup Jon!!!!!!), looks damn cool, and sounds great. Keeping inflation in mind and the fact that no, this is not a handmade guitar, I call it money well spent. If it doesn't beat the Dean in my eyes (and the higher-quality hardware is definately a BIG vote for this thing) it sure will give it a run for it's money! That's all for now; thanks for listening!
formula73 Posted August 23, 2006 Author Posted August 23, 2006 A little porn from over at my buddy Matt's house the other night. ...since I couldn't put these in the original post!!!!
darc Posted August 23, 2006 Posted August 23, 2006 Wow, you could cut that headstock off and make a matching V!
formula73 Posted August 23, 2006 Author Posted August 23, 2006 Oh yeah, I forgot just about the most important part: it's got a killer neck. It starts as a hard V by the nut then gradually changes into a slim C by the body. It's comfy as all hell.
BTMN Posted August 24, 2006 Posted August 24, 2006 Some BIG ARSE photos Bubba! Dean boys will be having a fit over that wont they?
jisham Posted August 24, 2006 Posted August 24, 2006 Nice axe. So is funky munky shamelessly cashing in too? (BTW, I've bought two Washburns from funky munky but alot more from Boogie Street.)
formula73 Posted August 24, 2006 Author Posted August 24, 2006 Nice axe. So is funky munky shamelessly cashing in too? (BTW, I've bought two Washburns from funky munky but alot more from Boogie Street.) Maybe, but.... ....I like Jon. He actually told me they didn't use the 'Monster' Washy script so it would be not quite so shameless as BSG. Like nobody'll know Anyway, it rocks!
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