Dean B Zelinsky (DBZ) Barchetta Guitars $169 with FREE Shipping

Posted in another thread:

I got in on the DBZ Barchetta last time around (Gun Metal Gray, awesome color). I was actually surprised at the different tones I could get out of it - the coil tap pull really quiets down and clears up the sound. I can get a pretty convincing Strat-like SRV Lenny blues sound on the neck pickup which I would not have thought possible looking at the guitar.

However, it was in desperate need of a setup (no biggie), the coil tap knob is EXTREMELY loose (as in you can almost spin it, again no biggie as I can fix it), and the action is high (again, fixable). The only thing that got me bugging is the intonation screw on the A string is frozen in place ... and the flippin' A is off by like a quarter step.

I haven't really had a chance to do a full restring and setup to try and fix it, but those issues aside, I have to say it's one hell of a guitar w/case for $200. I was going to flip mine but even with those issues I'm keeping it. And I'm actually leaning towards another one after seeing this thread lol.

Oh yea, the case has a weird handle, but otherwise is rock solid - I was really surprised at that too.

Quote from codefreak13 : Posted in another thread: I got in on the DBZ Barchetta last time around (Gun Metal Gray, awesome color). I was actually surprised at the different tones I could get out of it - the coil tap pull really quiets down and clears up the sound. I can get a pretty convincing Strat-like SRV Lenny blues sound on the neck pickup which I would not have thought possible looking at the guitar. However, it was in desperate need of a setup (no biggie), the coil tap knob is EXTREMELY loose (as in you can almost spin it, again no biggie as I can fix it), and the action is high (again, fixable). The only thing that got me bugging is the intonation screw on the A string is frozen in place ... and the flippin' A is off by like a quarter step. I haven't really had a chance to do a full restring and setup to try and fix it, but those issues aside, I have to say it's one hell of a guitar w/case for $200. I was going to flip mine but even with those issues I'm keeping it. And I'm actually leaning towards another one after seeing this thread lol. Oh yea, the case has a weird handle, but otherwise is rock solid - I was really surprised at that too.

You're off to a good start here! Thanks for sharing the details of your DBZ experience. I have found that a lot of the "cheaper" guitars are really hit and miss on the setup out of the box.

Can I play this left handed or am I stuck with having to special order?

Quote from TetterkeT : Can I play this left handed or am I stuck with having to special order?

IF you have the know how to reverse the direction of a few parts etc you can make most guitars playable for a lefty. http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/co...lefty.html

MANY people would tell you that you should learn to play "Righty: but if that isn't in the cards for you then you are sort of doomed to a lot less choices or more hassles to get guitars that you like to play your way.

Your local guitar store would probably be willing to do a conversion and set up for you for around $40 if you chat them up. This will make sure the switch is done RIGHT that the intonation and playability are all up to snuff etc. Good luck.

Quote from Renaissanceman : MANY people would tell you that you should learn to play "Righty: but if that isn't in the cards for you then you are sort of doomed to a lot less choices or more hassles to get guitars that you like to play your way.

If someone was gay would you tell them they should just have sex with the opposing gender? I was born this way and I don't appreciate it when people tell me I should just do things their way or use words liked "doomed" when referring to my dexterity. But thank you for the suggestions nonetheless.

Quote from TetterkeT : Can I play this left handed or am I stuck with having to special order?

You can play any RH guitar left handed - ala Jimi Hendrix.

And while I understand your reluctance to play guitar right-handed, you actually have an advantage if you do. If you think about it, the hardest part of playing guitar is all in the fretting hand, which us right-hand dominant people have to do with our NON-dominant hand.

My best friend growing up was left-handed. He decided to learn to play right-handed - he became one of the best guitar players I know and very quickly. I had a much harder time getting my left hand to do the things I needed it to do. I probably should have learned to play lefty!

Back to the DBZ guitar - that guitar made me throw-up in my mouth a little. Unless you're a pre-pubescent metalhead, I would suggest getting a better used guitar to start with. A used made-in-Korea ESP/Schecter/Epiphone (anything made in the Cort/Samick factories), etc would stomp all over this guitar and be in the same price range. With a proper setup (essential), it would be a much better investment.

Quote from TetterkeT : If someone was gay would you tell them they should just have sex with the opposing gender? I was born this way and I don't appreciate it when people tell me I should just do things their way or use words liked "doomed" when referring to my dexterity. But thank you for the suggestions nonetheless.

You might as well have said "non analogous arguments for $100 Alex" as this is NOT a fair comparison at all.

NO one is "born gay". Some who reject the notion of homosexual pathology continue to speculate about a "gay gene," but that theory has been rejected by both the scientific community and national homosexual advocacy organizations.

The genetic link theory has its origin in 1991, with the work of UCLA researcher and homosexual activist Simon LeVay, who claimed that there were some minute physiological differences between the brains of heterosexual and homosexual men. His research was heralded by pop media outlets as proof of a genetic link to sexual orientation, but even LeVay, upon publishing his research, noted, "It's important to stress what I didn't find. I did not prove that homosexuality is genetic, or find a genetic cause for being gay. I didn't show that gay men are born that way, the most common mistake people make in interpreting my work."

Another researcher, Dean Hamer of the National Cancer Institute, believes some homosexuals may have chromosomal similarities. Like LeVay, Hamer's research was also heralded by media outlets as proof of a genetic link to sexual orientation. Like LeVay, Hamer insisted, "These genes do not cause people to become homosexuals ... the biology of personality is much more complicated than that." This is from the article b yMark Alexander, Gender Identity, The Homosexual Agenda and The Christian Response which can be read in its entirety here http://kjv-truth-ministries.org/?page_id=197

PLUS, please keep in mind that I didn't tell you to learn the other way. I simply pointed out CORRECTLY that many would advise you to. This was IMMEDIATELY confirmed by the very next poster.

Right haded people routinely use their "dumb hand" to do the most complicated part of playing guitar fretting, chording and sliding etc. But YOU could never have your weak hand do less than we do? Seems much easier for a beginner to tell their dumb hand to pick and strum than to fret...

Quote from DealHo : You can play any RH guitar left handed - ala Jimi Hendrix. And while I understand your reluctance to play guitar right-handed, you actually have an advantage if you do. If you think about it, the hardest part of playing guitar is all in the fretting hand, which us right-hand dominant people have to do with our NON-dominant hand. My best friend growing up was left-handed. He decided to learn to play right-handed - he became one of the best guitar players I know and very quickly. I had a much harder time getting my left hand to do the things I needed it to do. I probably should have learned to play lefty! Back to the DBZ guitar - that guitar made me throw-up in my mouth a little. Unless you're a pre-pubescent metalhead, I would suggest getting a better used guitar to start with. A used made-in-Korea ESP/Schecter/Epiphone (anything made in the Cort/Samick factories), etc would stomp all over this guitar and be in the same price range. With a proper setup (essential), it would be a much better investment.

As to your comments on the Barchetta. HAVE you played one? Those who have seem to like it. The body design and the 5-way pick ups with coil tapping don't seem designed strictly for metal, BTW, I am 39 years old and I think this guitar would give a lot of versatility for the price.. The Gun Metal Gray looks very nice to me and when you look up pics and vids on the net instead of looking at the stock images these guitars look beautiful with richly detailed paint jobs.

Agreed with everything else said though.

Quote from TetterkeT : If someone was gay would you tell them they should just have sex with the opposing gender? I was born this way and I don't appreciate it when people tell me I should just do things their way or use words liked "doomed" when referring to my dexterity. But thank you for the suggestions nonetheless.

<... Southpaw here.
When I learned to play, left-handed guitars were few and far between; I kinda had to learn to play right-handed (money)... and I'm thankful for that. Life is easier if you can learn to play right-handed; you can play ANY guitar for the rest of your life.
If you have a physical limitation that forces you to play left-handed, then you should bite the bullet and buy a proper left-handed guitar.
There are lots of potential pitfalls to converting a right-handed guitar to left-handed...
and you'll find instructions on how to play chords, upside-down, pretty rare.

Quote from Renaissanceman : As to your comments on the Barchetta. HAVE you played one? Those who have seem to like it. The body design and the 5-way pick ups with coil tapping don't seem designed strictly for metal, BTW, I am 39 years old and I think this guitar would give a lot of versatility for the price.. The Gun Metal Gray looks very nice to me and when you look up pics and vids on the net instead of looking at the stock images these guitars look beautiful with richly detailed paint jobs. Agreed with everything else said though.

No offense meant...if you dig it, awesome. My comments were based purely on the headstock design; IMHO, Dean Z. has one of the worst design aesthetics of any guitar maker I've ever encountered (especially when headstocks are concerned). I don't need to play it...it's made in the same Indonesian factory as every other low end Squier/Ibanez/Epi, etc. I've been in the guitar industry for 15 years now - as an incurable gear junkie, I've fondled pretty much every guitar under the sun. IMO, Cort factory made (and to a lesser extent Samick) made guitars are the greatest values in electric guitars. If you look at a "MIK" (Made in Korea) guitar and it has a "C" serial number, it was made by Cort (Ibanez, Schecter, Fender Special Editions, Lakland Skyline basses, all the upper end Epiphones, etc). These guitars are pretty close to MIJ (Made in Japan) guitars in terms of quality.

You'll really notice it in the fit and finish, primarily fretwork. The Indonesian guitars may look fine, but the woods used are typically much cheaper and the fretwork is atrocious. Details like nut slotting, soldering, etc are far worse as well.

If you're looking at this style of guitar, I would suggest looking through craigslist and eBay for a good condition used Schecter - they pretty much wrote the book on mid-tier metal guitars and typically have many of the same features (like coil splitting). They usually include Duncan Design or EMG-HZ pickups which, contrary to popular belief, are not crap, (just overseas made, passive versions of their US counterparts). My favorites are actually MIK ESP and Hamer guitars. You can also find some really good older MIJ Fernandes and Ibanez guitars at the $200 price point.

With any guitar, take it to a pro for a setup - make sure you specify your preferred playing style. Neck relief and intonation will need to be adjusted based on your string choice as well. Then tighten all the jacks/potentiometers and spray them out with contact cleaner. The cheapest things on any import guitar are the electronic parts - replacing pots, switches and jacks with better CTS/Bourns/Switchcraft parts will increase the reliability of the guitar in the long run.