Even the most die-hard metal fan enjoys a break from the confines of a black paint job, so we selected Dean’s Vendetta 4.0 in a cool looking Trans Blue finish…

This Vendetta’s not your usual pick of metal lords Dean’s crop; it fits in a stand for a start. But while the body takes a more standard form, it’s dressed in a striking quilted maple top and back with cool ‘Evil Eye’ inlays glaring back at you from the fingerboard.

Still, it’s not just a pretty face - Dean axes are as big on tone as they are on aesthetics, after all - so you get a solid mahogany body, thru-body neck and stringing, a fixed bridge and a brace of Dean humbuckers that leave you in no doubt that the Vendetta 4.0 is cut from a cloth that’s well and truly ready to rock.

When you strap on this Dean its thin body fits you snugly - it’s comfortable for seated practice as well, unlike some of its spikier brothers. Its neck scores on comfort factor too, as we easily clamp barre chords on the accommodating ’board.

Verdict

Tone wise, the clean sound is sweet enough, with the thru-neck certainly adding some weight to the sound. But it’s when you crank the gain that the metal heritage on which the Vendetta is built comes growling to the fore. The dual humbuckers are a key element to the Vendetta’s tone, but this also make this guitar a shredder, and not particularly rounded.

4 Stars

Pros: Very playable, sexy looks.
Cons: A bit one dimensional.

BUY: Dean Vendetta 4.0 currently available from PMT Online

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