2014 Dean USA "Tracii Guns" Signature Nash Vegas T-Style Satin Black Pinstripe

The Case...

This guitar comes in a Dean Guitars hardshell case that is a form fit for a T-style guitar. It is incredibly well made with a tight fit and a very nice plush interior. The case has some wear to the outside in the form of dings/scuffs but still protects the guitar well. There is a faint dog odor to the case - mentioned mainly if you have allergies to that.

The Guitar! 7lbs 10oz

I've heard these are quite hard to come by! I recently purchased this off of Reverb for someone via my forwarding service but after discovering its true condition, he decided he'd like to hold out for a cleaner one. The original seller was a total ***hat, but that's a story for another day... I'd like to make your buying experience with this out-of-production model, much more transparent.

I'd call this a 7/10. There is a LARGE DING on the treble-side edge of the guitar. The wood was indented, and some finish was lost on the side. Someone has tried to hide this with a sharpie. There are a few other impressions/dings that did not lose finish on the back by the trem cover and bottom edge of the guitar.

There was a sticker on the back of the guitar when I got it. I removed it to ensure no surprises were hiding under there. I was pleasantly surprised to find nothing. To remove leftover sticker residue, I did a polishing to the back. This has slightly buffed the satin black finish a bit and caused some micro-scratches when viewed in the light.

When I got the guitar, the pickguard, body and all hardware were covered in a dirt film/patina. I polished the hardware + guard the best I could and cleaned the rest of the guitar while I was at it - including polishing the frets. Due to this, there are micro-scratches on the mirror pickguard. There is also some patina to the toggle plate cover.

I do not know what I'm doing with floyds. I installed new strings, but the detailed set up and neck alignment will be up to you or your luthier. The neck needs to be nudged a bit as the high e is too close to the edge. While inspecting, I noticed a neck shim was installed - I'm not sure if that is from the factory or not.

I believe the electronics have been altered. I'm not a Dean aficionado, but I can see all other Tracci Guns signatures have the toggle switch in the lower position. There is not enough room in the wires to simply "flip it around." This also does not have that 50s Wiring "bass" tone to the neck position talked about in the official Tracci Guns announcement video. I'm assuming someone modified this at some point for more usual tones. I do not see any markings on the backsides of the pickups so I cannot comment on originality. The neck sounds like an angry stratocaster - The bridge pickup is raunchy but obnoxiously microphonic with distortion - it would benefit from a wax-bath, but you can play it if you roll the volume knob down a bit.

All other Tracii Guns I have seen online do not have a blackplate. I'm going to assume someone installed one on this since there is one now.

Overall, if you can set this up and live with the wiring mods, mild play ware and a gouge on the edge - I think you'll be happy. This isn't clean enough for a discerning collector.