Electric Guitars   Bass Guitars   Acoustic Guitars   Guitar Amps   Effects Pedals   Keyboards   Microphones   PA Systems   Mixing Desks   Studio   Software   Accessories   Books & DVDs   Home Contact Us FAQ Forums

Dean PE Performer

 

Review of the Dean PE Performer by The Man in the Jar 

Features of the Dean PE Performer  

Tuners - The unbranded sealed mini-tuners worked smoothly and accurately.

Headstock - The pinch-waisted headstock with a scalloped top bears the Dean logo and a pair of wings.

Nut - The white plastic nut abuts the fretboard and is tidily cut.

Neck - The mahogany neck is comfortably slim and the gloss black lacquer finish makes it smooth against the hand.

Fretboard - The light chocolate rosewood fretboard has a moderately stripy grain. Everything looks nice and tidy due to the white fretboard binding. Traditional dot fret markers are inlaid in pearloid. 

Frets - The medium-thin frets are well polished and give a comfortably positive playing experience.

Action - A good to medium action straight from the box means the guitar is instantly playable.

Body - The single cut body has mahogany back and sides with a spruce top. The body is bound front and back with white binding and finished off with a double pinstripe. The large round sound-hole has a very attractive abalone rosette which is set of nicely by the black gloss finish. 

Bridge - The rosewood bridge has an interesting "slash" design and supports a plastic saddle that is compensated at the second string. The strings are anchored with traditional bridge pins. 

Pickup - The electric are all Dean designed and branded. The Dean pickup drives a Prener LC preamp.

Controls - The control panel carries an onboard tuner with an LED display which can be switched from auto chromatic to manual. There are four sliders on the EQ labelled Presence, Treble, Middle and Bass. The Volume control is a mini rotary. 

Strap-buttons - There's a single large strap button on the base of the guitar.

Output - There's a black plastic panel on the lower edge of the body that houses the battery compartment and two outputs, one standard jack and one XLR. 

Finish - This Chinese-made instrument is finished well.

 

Sound of the Dean PE Performer

I suspect the Dean is voiced to perform as an occasional instrument in an electric rock band. As such its un-amplified acoustic voice lacks bottom-end. Plugged up I found that this could be compensated in the onboard EQ. By leaving the Presence and Treble in their centre indents and boosting Middle and Bass I was able to get a good solo sound. Playing in a band with loud accompaniment you'd rely less on boosting the lower frequencies and take advantage of the Performer's ability to cut through. 

 

Overall Impressions of the Dean PE Performer

The voice of the Dean makes it less suitable for a solo performer but its looks and temperament make it perfect for those heavy rock ballads where the audience get out their cigarette lighters. The reasonable price of the instrument makes it perfect for the intermediate player taking his first steps into the amplified band environment.

Buy the Dean PE Performer

Visit the iMuso Guitar Forum

What our customers say

Resources

Track TNT Parcel   Reviews of Electric Guitars   Other Equipment Reviews   Learning Resources 
Other Shopping   Bands to See   Studios to Use  

Resource and Learning 

Copyright Musik Produktiv MMV - Home of Electric Guitars Online