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It wouldn't be a Dean without a uniquely wacky headstock

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• Review

Dean guitars are wonderful instruments, and while the recent Dimebag Darrell-designed Razorback and Razorback V guitars have gone down a storm with the metal fraternity, the classic Cadillac is a fantastic all rounder and remains the weapon of choice for many players.

This Cadillac 1980 is the midpriced model, and it can be found online selling as low as £399. The body is a cool mix of pointy Explorer and curvy Les Paul, while the gold-covered pickups are perfect for both classic rock and metal. And, of course, it wouldn't be a Dean without a wacky headstock.

The ultimate challenge for this particular Cadillac was to see how it fared against a US-made Dean Cadillac.

Maybe that's an unfair comparison - the 1980 model is a quarter of the price of the classic American guitar, after all. But as it happened the cheaper Cadillac needn't have worried.

For your 500 sheets you get quality hardware, 22 fat frets, gold hardware and a decent pair of gold-covered humbuckers.

This guitar is so affordable that you could even consider splashing out on a pair of Bare Knuckle pickups. While the US Caddy is preferable, cash permitting, the Cadillac 1980 is definitely no booby prize.

This guitar plays and sounds great. And there's the fact that strapping on this killer-looking instrument will make you feel like an instant rock star (famous Cadillac players include Steve Stevens and Glen Drover of Megadeth). Yep, the Caddy 1980 from Dean is the whole package.