Dean RSE Supreme Acoustic Electric Guitar Reviews 
5 / 5 based on 1 reviewsAfter looking at guitars in the upper dollar range class such as the likes of Martin, Taylor and Gibson, I happened into a music shop in Wichita Kansas called British Sound. On the wall was a beautiful looking electric guitar so I walked over to take a peek. It was a Dean EVO Tiger Quilt electric guitar. I could not believe it, a Dean, looking this nice - no way, I thought they died in the late 70's. It just so happened that my 14 year old son was looking for a new electric guitar. He sat down and played the EVO and this thing sounded better than my $2000 Gibson LP! And was more beautiful! Kevin, the guitar guru brought out two acoustics made by Dean, a QSE and RSE Supreme. I simply fell over! The QSE was priced at $499 and the RSE at $599. After playing both the QSE and the RSE for about one hour, I decided on the RSE. They both were excellent sounding guitars, the QSE was spruce topped with quilted maple sides and back and sounded a little more on the treble side for me. The RSE had a more fuller rich sound because it did not have the maple sides and back.
The RSE is an absolutely beautiful guitar. I have seen Martins and Taylors that don't look this wonderful. The Sitka spruce top is bookended perfectly. No discolerations and the grain is tight. It is a much lighter color than the Engleman spruce. The binding is enlayed perfectly as is the Abalone around the sound hole. From a distance when you look at this guitar it appears there are lights dancing around the bindings! The hexagon Abalone inlays on the fretboard are smooth and tight, and no sloppy cuts can be seen around the inlays. The finish is done expertly and I found no smudges or flaws. The frets are secure, smooth and bright. The Grover brand tuners top off a already well finished inlayed headstock. Add the Fishman electronics and you have one great sounding guitar amped or not. The inside of the guitar is well braced, and I found no sloppy workmanship inside while inspecting with a mechanics mirror. Overall the outside is as beautiful as the inside. The sound is ever so much as that from a guitar costing $2000 or more, and you couldn't touch a guitar for much less than that with the craftsmanship of the Dean RSE Supreme! I also won't have to worry about taking this guitar out and playing it at several events I attend. I usually play with friends at the lake during the summer, and since this baby didn't cost me a fortune like it looks and sounds it did, I won't have to worry so much about the occasional beauty marks I'm sure it will get from this type of enviornment!
I have found some dislikes, but not as many as the likes. I wish the RSE would have come with a strap peg on the neck. I also would have preferred a pick guard. The action is a little higher than I like. As soon as I have the guitar 'fitted' for me by a professional guitar tech, I will have him install a guitar strap peg and also a pick guard.
The overall construction of this guitar is a 10 on the 1 to 10 scale. Dean did not skimp on anything here by any means. Grover tuners, Fishman preamp, Abalone inlays, mirrored finish quality, you go take a look and see what you think. I promise if the Dean RSE doesn't impress you by the looks alone, at least pick one up and play it, first unplugged, and then amped up. If that still fails to get your blood pumping, go look at the higher priced guitars, then play them, then play the Dean RSE again. You'll see.
Since my purchase of the Dean RSE Supreme, I have been completely satisfied. This is one nice sounding and extremely well built guitar. The workmanship is well worth over the cost of this guitar. Next year, I think I'm going to buy the QSE!
Michael Smith rated this unit
on
2003-04-02.
