Dean Exotica QSE Guitar Review

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Reviw by Jerry Unwins - Issue May 2000

DEAN EXOTICA QSE
Dean’s previously electric-only horizons have been broadened by a line of acoustics. Jerry Uwins picks on an Exotica grand auditorium and discovers practicality as well as handsome cosmetics.

ALTHOUGH DEAN IS best known as an American brand name, these days the vast majority of instruments bearing this banner are made in the Far East, while a few are sourced from within Europe. Despite Dean’s hitherto emphatically electric-only approach, the new acoustic catalogue is no mere toe-in-the-water exercise, but a fairly comprehensive and diverse range, touching on resonators, basses, 12-strings and Takamine-like mini-jumbos, plus the expected handful of dreadnoughts. Many models are electros, mainly employing Shadow’s five-band EQ system, and one of these is dubbed the Exotica, a deep-sided, grand auditorium six-string that in profile bears a resemblance to Taylor’s ‘14-type’ models, due mainly to the similar Venetian-meets-Florentine flattish cutaway. The overall instrument also looks uncannily like grand auditoriums in Crafter’s revamped Pro Series, to such an extent that one speculates whether they share the same production line. The body is 407mm (16in) wide and maximum rim depth is a generous 126mm cavernous enough to give the guitar near-jumbo stature. Sporting a solid spruce top, the review Exotica is the QSE version (there’s also the rosewood-backed RSE, costing an extra 50 quid). The ‘Q’ denotes laminated back and sides of lushly quilted maple, and these look an eye-popping treat under see-through gloss-blue lacquering.

PEARL & DEAN

Historically, Dean’s solidbody electrics have sometimes flirted with wacky styling, so it could be supposed that, even in this acoustic context, the Exotica might involve some off-the-wall design elements. But this isn’t so the name tag refers to a suitably lavish cosmetic workover which, apart from the maple quilting, takes in an abalone-inlaid soundhole and top purfling, a mosaic back centre line that serves nicely to highlight the wood’s bookmatching, and a fingerboard and headstock bound in white to complement the body edging. Very smart it all looks too, and appearances are matched by an exemplary standard of tidiness inside the instrument. Quality here is definitely more than skin deep. Talking of headstocks, the deeply V’d peghead that is a hallmark of many a Dean solidbody is radically toned down here to a gently scooped crown, underlined by the brand’s familiar wings-in-flight motif, and while the pointy, asymmetric rosewood bridge does look a bit left-field, the shape is in fact common to all Dean steel-strung acoustics apart from the resonators. The QSE’s scarf-jointed neck is specified as maple, but the graining indicates that it’s far more likely to be mahogany. A moderately cambered rosewood fingerboard carries neatly fitted pearl dot markers, along with 21 thin-medium frets that are well dressed and with reasonably rounded ends to avoid any sharp-edged feel along the binding. Overall the neck handles very comfortably, thanks to a moderate depth, an evenly rounded ‘C’ profile and the slick, body-matching gloss finish. Width is average and there’s an airy 56mm string spacing at the bridge to satisfy fingerstyle requirements.

SHADOW BOXING

As on most Dean electros, powering is courtesy of an active Shadow piezo system in this case utilising the P7 preamp, which provides five bands of EQ (sub-bass, bass, middle, treble, bright); an ‘anti-feedback’ switch (in reality a phase reverse facility); and an LED which illuminates momentarily when the jack is inserted, confirming battery status. Mounted handily near the shoulder, the control panel also incorporates the battery compartment, accessed by a slide-off cover. With such extensive EQ, the system promises plenty of scope, although physically the unit suffers as do other Shadow preamps by having small slider tops that are the same shade as the black control panel. This makes settings very difficult to see at a glance, and Shadow really should consider highlighting the tips in a different colour to make for easier position indication.

PERFORMANCE

As is often the case with maple-backed instruments, the Exotica QSE’s acoustic delivery isn’t especially forward or rich for what is a fairly large body, and there’s a hint of tightness in the attack. The upside, though, is well-poised balance and definition across the strings at all positions, and there’s sufficient warmth underpinning the low end to prevent the guitar from sounding unduly thin. The Shadow system does indeed offer an extensive tonal palette, not only giving the instrument a lot more substance than its acoustic delivery would suggest, but enabling creative use of the way the EQ bands work. By this I mean that sub-bass/bass and bright/treble are interactive, so the audible effect of boosting sub-bass and bright is dependent on the respective settings of their counterparts. For example, with bass at full cut the sub-bass plays little or no role, but increase the former and the sub band then makes a more discernible difference. In practical terms this degree of control allows, for example, the sound to be endowed with plenty of resonant depth but with less risk of low-end boom. The same abilities apply to the high end bands, and similarly achieve a nice bright, chiffy edge, but without the treble as a whole sounding too scratchy or harsh. The procedure takes experimentation to discover, but the time spent is well rewarded. Another preamp characteristic shared by other (and different) Shadow models I’ve tried is the way the sound blooms after the initial attack, as if there’s some kind of subtle compression built into the circuitry. Could it be my imagination? No, there’s definitely something happening here, and it proves an enhancing trait, adding body and richness to the instrument’s inherent sustain. Less successful is the P7’s volume slider which, also as previously encountered on Shadow units, delivers nearly all its gain in the final tweak of travel. Reducing the control towards the halfway mark effectively shuts down the system and output graduation really should be more evenly ramped.

CONCLUSION

The Shadow system may have its handling foibles but serves this Exotica QSE well as far as sound quality and versatility are concerned contributing to a guitar that gives a surefooted account of itself for the dosh, particularly as an electro-acoustic, and as a handsome, well put-together example of a style of instrument enjoying increasing popularity. The shops are already awash with brands, but if the Exotica QSE is typical of the kind of quality offered by Dean’s foray into acoustics, then the brand name certainly deserves a slice of the cake as a worthy contender at this market level.

AXEFAX:

Origin Korea Body
Solid spruce top laminated quilt-maple back and sides
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Rosewood, 21 frets, 642mm (25.27in) scale
Bridge: Rosewood
Electrics: Under-bridge piezo pickup; Shadow P7 preamp with five-band EQ, phase switch and battery-status LED
Hardware: Chromed Grover tuners, bottom strap button/jack socket
Weight: 2.36kg
PRICE: GBP 399.00
CONTACT Bill Lewington Ltd. Tel: + 44 (0) 1268 413366
E-mail: Sales@bill-lewington.com
Website: http://www.bill-lewington.com