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Want a good laugh? Check out some of the advertisements and catalogs Dean Zelinsky used in the late Seventies and Eighties to promote his guitars. Look! There's Dean himself, perched in his beanbag chair with one of his creations by his side and a come hither smirk on his face, as if to say: "I'm rich, I'm young, I'm fabulous.. and I've got an out-of-control Seventies mustache!" Look! there's a big-haired, groupie-lookin' chick in from of a Lamborghini, caressing a Dean guitar while the ad copy screams something like "Feel the Difference!" or "Rock your Baby all Night Long." Dean Guitars: not exactly endorsed by the National Organization for Women.

Still as funny as the marketing was, those gorgeous early Deans are no laughing matter, especially the Gibson Explorer and Flying V inspired models. Neither are the guitars currently being manufactured in Florida and Korea under the Dean brand name. Zelinsky, who got into the guitar making racket largely in response to Gibson's shoddy Seventies output, was a stickler for quality, and his demanding standard is evident on the two Korean built models we reviewed. The Cadillac X 0 is an entry level, bolt-on design, while the set-neck Standard ML is essentially a copy of Dean's late Seventies Flame ML model.

These two guitars share several common features. First, both instruments are finished with polyester, use high quality Grover tuners, have 22 fret rosewood fingerboards, medium jumbo frets and wide, 1 3/4-inch necks with 24 3/4-inch scale lengths and deep, "C"-shape profiles. As for electronics, the Standard ML and Cadillac use two high output humbuckers, albeit with different volume and tone configurations; the Standard ML uses two volume pots and a tone pot (ala Gibson Flying V and Explorer guitars), while the Cadillac X has independent volume and tone post for each pickup.

Built entirely of mahogany, the Standard ML has the kind of midrange presentation you'd expect from a set-neck mahogany design. It's also really big and really heavy - weighing as much, if not more than a Seventies Les Paul Custom or an Explorer. The Standard ML is also remarkably well made, with beautifully polished frets and a neck/body joint that's nearly invisible. Our demo model was rigged with super-light (they felt like they were .008's but were .009's) gauge strings that seemed to rattle more than hum. A quick changeover and setup with .010's was like night and day.

Plugged in, the Standard ML's beefy, high output pickups (mated with the mahogany's warmth) nicely drove my reference 100 watt JMP Marshall head. Compared to a '59 Les Paul Junior, the Standard resonated in the upper midrange. But its punchiness and warmth are what you need for rock and roll. And, as if you can't tell from its body shape, the ML Standard is not exactly built for the Grand Ole Opry or for playing "Mmmbop" at a Bar Mitzvah. This thing was born to rock.

The Cadillac X, believe it or not, isn't a whole lot different form its fancier stablemate. With a bolt on design using a basswood body and a maple neck, its tone is lively and warm. It's not a resonant as the ML Standard, and a tad stiffer. Still at three and a half bills, it's a steal.

If the Dean body shapes appeal to you, so will the overall performance of the latest crop of Deans. Buy the ML Standard and keep the Cadillac X as a backup. Pretend you're Dimebag Darrell or Nancy Wilson of Heart. Life doesn't get any better.