Dean releases a heavily relic'd, limited edition Leslie West Signature USA Thoroughbred

Dean Guitars has released a "Tattered n Torn" limited edition Signature USA Thoroughbred in honour of the late Mountain frontman and guitarist Leslie West.

West and Dean had been collaborating on the heavily relic'd signature guitar before West passed away on 23 December 2020. The guitar is being released in a very limited run, with just 50 units available worldwide, 15 of which come hand-signed by West himself.

Boasting a similar singlecut outline to the Leslie West Standard, the Thoroughbred is altogether a different beast, a super-premium instrument that has had a comprehensive relic job from former Fender Master Builder John Cruz.

Constructed of a solid mahogany body with an arched flame maple cap, it has glued-in C profile mahogany neck, a 24.63" scale and comes equipped with a USA DMT Mountain Of Tone humbucker at the bridge and a USA DMT Nostalgia humbucker at the neck – both  distressed in keeping with the battle-scarred aesthetic. 

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The control setup comprises one shoulder-mounted three-way pickup selector, with gold speed knobs for volume and tone.

It has aged nickel 18:1 Grover Rotomatic tuners and a matching une-o-matic bridge, a bone nut, and pearl block inlays on an ebony fingerboard, giving it a sort of hybrid Les Paul Standard/Custom vibe. That is the tone we'd be expecting – big sustain, plenty of warmth, and more than a little bite, too. After all, West was peerless when it came to great guitar tone.

While you might not notice another ding in that nitro Aged Trans Brazilia finish, it of course comes with a stencilled signature hard case and certificate of authenticity to keep the guitar as West and Dean Guitars intended.

The hand-signed models retail for $9,999, with the remainder priced $5,460.

See Dean Guitars for more details.