# NG(s)D: Dean Rusty Cooley RC7X and others (56K... good luck)



## OzoneJunkie (May 30, 2009)

So, it arrived today. Very quick from Beat Street Music, seeing how I ordered on Wednesday (today is Saturday). Total price: $999 shipped.

So, bare (bear?) with me - I'm going to post my other guitars here as well, since they never got a proper NGD.

EBMM JP7: Ernie Ball MusicMan John Petrucci 7-string with pre D-Sonic bridge pickup, in Pearl Red Burst. Purchased this guitar new (even though it was 2(?) years old from a local shop). This guitar played well in the store. Once I got it home and adjusted the action a bit, a fret issue revealed itself. A high section with fret 18, causing fret out on the A,D,G strings, when fretting at the 17the fret. I took the guitar back to the store, they agreed there was an issue. The guitar went back to EBMM. Long story short - they decided a new neck was the right thing to do. 5 weeks later, JP7 back in my hands, and it plays beautifully. More on the JP7 in a bit.

Ibanez RG320FM: bought used for $350. Had DiMarzio Evolution pickups installed in both b/n positions.

HM87: Home made (circa 1987) strat style guitar, with Warmoth ebony neck. I did the body/wiring, and a local luthier installed the neck. I did the scalloping myself.

RB2: Rock Band 2 strat - quieter buttons, better strumbar. Enough said. GH3 LP guitar is better in some aspects but hurts my wrist after time. Never played a GH explorer - I hear they're the shizzy.

Ok, on to the Rusty Cooley RC7X in black (metallic black or whatever it's called). So, I'm posting pictures here, from my phone's camera, so the pictures suck. But, here's the rundown:

Bridge/Vibrato system: As you can see, the tuning posts are not low profile. They get in my way... but not so much as that I can't play it. Just causes me to slide my picking hand towards the neck, probably an inch or so more than where I'd normally play from.

Neck: very thin - slightly thinner than my RG320FM. Great access - nothing gets in the way. Big cutaway and contoured neck joint assure that.

Frets/fingerboard: well... certainly looks like rosewood to me. Frets are definitely not what I was expecting - they are no taller than my RG320, and in fact may be shorter. They're also very narrow. Having played a scalloped fingerboard for a long time, I can say that the RC7X does NOT feel like you're playing a scalloped board. Furthermore, the fingerboard/frets have a cheap feel to them. Not completely terrible mind you, but again, cheap feeling.

More on this- looking at the pictures of the frets - they certainly look tall, but again, they are not as tall as I was expecting. The Ibanez has taller frets.

More stuff: I can hear the battery moving around inside the cavity - haven't opened it up yet but it needs to be secured. Case is decent enough.

Overall opinions: Ok, I want to do a little comparison, history, etc. I've been playing since 83. I have not owned many guitars. Here's my history:
1984 American Fender Stratocaster
Korean Jackson - not sure what model.
My home made axe.
and now, again, the JP7, RG320FM, and the RC7X.

The JP7: a total picker's machine. I find my picking most accurate on this guitar. May be the string tension, which I perceive to be higher compared to the Ibby, even with the same string type. The frets are not tall - bending is not as easy as on the Ibby. Sweeps I'm more accurate on the Ibby as well.

Ibanez: Well suited for legato, bends, sweeps. Picking is very good on it too, just not as good as the JP7.

Dean RC7X: Hmm... falls short, in my humble opinion. I prefer both the JP7 and Ibanez. I can get around on the RC7X - in some things I feel it is superior. But I keep coming back to what I perceive to be a cheap feel to the fingerboard/frets. The neck itself I think is really good. Better frets - ones that I was expecting, and this could be a monster.

Will I keep it? I can't decide that after only an hour on the thing. I'll keep it for at least a month, then decide. Also, I have a pending Mike Sherman 8 string, fanned fret coming, so I'll likely wait until I have that, and then decide what stays and what goes.

Feel free to ask questions - and if you have requests for particular pictures, let me know - I'll do my best. Don't have a real digital cam, so again, the pix suck.

PS - adding pix to thread - forgive me if they fall into the next few posts...


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## OzoneJunkie (May 30, 2009)

more pix


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## OzoneJunkie (May 30, 2009)

more


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## OzoneJunkie (May 30, 2009)

a few more things:

The fingerboard may well be ebony. It's lighter than my Warmoth ebony neck, but darker than the RG320FM Rosewood neck. I'd say it looks like Macassar Ebony to me...

When time permits, I'll throw on some different strings. Could effect the feel I'm experiencing when I say it feels cheap.

Playing it a bit more, it's growing on me. Can't say I'm in love with it, but I am liking it more, the more I play it...


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## vortex_infinium (May 30, 2009)

Those are some nice guitars you got there but what's with that baby picture?


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## ShadyDavey (May 30, 2009)

Hrrm....so the RC7X needs some taller frets on to make it truly legendary?

Might have known it was too good to be true  Then again, if thats all it needs I guess it stops being truly good value for money and simply becomes an excellent 7 string if it fits your exact taste?

i.e - it won't ever be better than a JP7/Ibby 7 but with a little love its as good as?

What the hell am I wibbling on about.....*goes for coffee*......


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## NegaTiveXero (May 30, 2009)

You suck, that's the same options on a JP7 I've been wanting for a long time. I loves me some pearl redburst and piezos.


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## OzoneJunkie (May 30, 2009)

Yeah, had to throw in the rubber baby... for fun.

Been playing the RC7X for a few hours now. It's hard to put my finger on it. I like it more and more. I think the question of whether or not it's the right guitar for someone, and if it's worth the money would likely come down to opinion. Like I said - I don't think it's perfect, but the more I play it the more I "get" it...

I have to say regarding the Ibanez - even though it's not a high end Ibanez, there's something about that guitar - the frets and string tension - that some things are just so easy on it. Vai style - big bends and smooth vibrato - it just excels at that. It has a feel that even the JP7 doesn't have. But I love both the Ibby and the JP7. And as I play the RC7X more, I'm digging it as well.

I'll say this - I don't throw money around lightly, but I can afford to buy a $1k guitar sight unseen, and then turn around and sell it at a loss if I don't like it. That's something that I don't normally do, but I've kinda GASed for the US version, but would NOT spend 2700 on the US version - to me that's too much for a non custom. But, hey, if it's exactly what someone is looking for and what they'd want out of a custom, then to some it IS worth 2700.

So, admittedly my words won't help you make a decision - they shouldn't. The smartest thing I can think to say is: try one for yourself. Then decide.

I think next week I'm going to hit the NYC music stores - I thought I had seen the US RC7 in one of the stores. I'd like to see how the US version compares...



NegaTiveXero said:


> You suck, that's the same options on a JP7 I've been wanting for a long time. I loves me some pearl redburst and piezos.



Luck to have found one - especially with the older pickup. Was worth the wait - it going back to EBMM for a new neck. Had it been any other guitar, I'd have taken it back to the store for a return...


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## sevenstringj (May 30, 2009)

I'm no expert, but those craters on the board smack of rosewood. Ebony has a much finer grain. And Madagascar Ebony, while lighter, is typically more exotic looking and definitely more expensive. So I highly doubt that's what it is.

I'd contact Dean and ask what the deal is. I actually contacted them myself to ask about the bridge and the fretboard, but they never got back to me. If it turns out to be rosewood, then I'd demand a small partial refund, because it WAS advertised as featuring ebony. Either that or I'd demand a return/full refund, and I'd even push for the dealer to swallow the return shipping due to false advertising.


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## OzoneJunkie (May 30, 2009)

ShadyDavey said:


> Hrrm....so the RC7X needs some taller frets on to make it truly legendary?



If you look at my home made guitar - and see how deep the scalloping is on that - well, you will never feel the fingerboard wood on that. 

The RC7X - just doesn't seem any different, fret-height-wise, than any other guitar... to me...



sevenstringj said:


> I'm no expert, but those craters on the board smack of rosewood. Ebony has a much finer grain. And Madagascar Ebony, while lighter, is more expensive. So I highly doubt that's what it is.



You might be right. However, I'm basing my "guess" at Macassar (note, not Madagascar) Ebony on a few things:

Looking at the guitars on Mike Sherman's sight, the ones with Macassar - the RC7X fingerboard looks similar in shade/color. 

Last time I talked to Mike - if I'm remembering this correctly (blame me, not Mike if I'm off here): the darker ebony that used to be used often is actually scarcer now, and that Macassar Ebony is easier to get...


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## ShadyDavey (May 30, 2009)

Ah, I see...so as a player who (when I played ) used scalloped necks I might actually replace the frets with jumbos to get something approximating the string control I like 

The local shop is a Dean Dealer so I might wander by and see if they have one, although its run by morons who probably wouldn't get a 7-string on an offchance.


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## MTech (Jun 1, 2009)

So it is an OFR...


FWIW here's the info on the fretwire.
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The 6000 series is the largest wire Dunlop offers. Both tall and wide, has maximum mass for easy bending and a scalloped feel. Measures .058" tall and .118" wide. 18% nickel/silver hard alloy. 
[/FONT]


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## OzoneJunkie (Jun 1, 2009)

And I was expecting tall fretwire. I have not tried the US version. My suspicion is that while the body/neck specs are the same, that the fretwire is different than the US counterpart. I could be way off on this - it could be my expectations were/are off. Again, it's just that my Ibanez RG320FM has taller frets - I was thinking the RC7X would be more like that, fretwire-wise.

Funny that ss.org was down for a day. Had it been up, I was going to list the RC7X for sale. But, now that I've spent more time with it, it's really grown on me. The neck is totally sick, that's for sure. My sweep and bigger stretch stuff is faster and cleaner on the RC7X than my JP7 and RG320.

I'm not sure how I feel about the EMGs. For fast picking stuff there's a clarity there that I like. However, having Evolutions in my RG320, well, I dig those pups for leads - that Vai tone - I like.

It comes down to this: I don't care for the fretwire on the RC7X. It's just not as tall as I thought it should be, and I feel the fretwire is also not as smooth as it could be - doing bends and vibrato - the strings don't glide as smoothly as I'd expect. Not terrible or anything, just could be better.

The RC7X might go up for sale, might not. Need some more time with it. Right now I like my JP7 better overall, but the more I gell with the RC7X the more I dig it...


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## ShadyDavey (Jun 1, 2009)

You could re-fret it I guess. Tall, stainless steel fret goodness.... Then again, I feel that it should be taller as standard and I definately recall Rusty talking about the huge fretwire on the US version....

(oh what it is to own guitars vicariously, I can tell you  )


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## MTech (Jun 2, 2009)

Keep in mind that there's brown looking ebony, it's just most of us are used to the extremely black colored ebony which some companies even use die to get that look. I asked somebody about the Macaaasr Ebony vs Rosewood and was told the way to tell is Rosewood is very consistent color where as Macassar will have definite streaks like the one below.


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## JoshuaLogan (Jun 2, 2009)

I haven't tried the RC7X yet, but the USA version has the biggest frets I've ever used and it's very noticeably easier to play than the JP6 I used to have as well as a bunch of Ibanez guitars I've had.... it takes very little effort to fret notes and tapping/hammer ons & offs/legato in general just feels easier.... I don't know of any Ibanez that come with the massive Dunlop 6000s.... so, not sure why your Ibanez would feel like it had larger frets. I was hoping the RC7X would be just like the USA version, trem & frets & all.... I actually like the trem on the USA version much more than floyds I've used... kinda sucks the RC7X has an OFR and possible smaller frets... I'd still like to try one though. The USA version is by far the easiest playing guitar I've ever touched... the EMGs i'm iffy about... kinda want to change them, but need to figure out how I want to do that if I'm going to...


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## MTech (Jun 2, 2009)

At NAMM they were identical except the trem...so either the NAMM model was "polished" so to speak or they changed some things..


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## silentrage (Jun 2, 2009)

Awesome marketing move, make a kickass guitar that everyone loves, then make a cheaper version that's totally different.


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## Harry (Jun 3, 2009)

Honestly really surprised to hear about the fret wire. Can anyone else that has played one confirm that is has smaller frets than the USA model?
If it does indeed have the Dunlop 6000 fretwire, I'm surprised you find that small, because it is bigger than anything else offered on any production guitar that I know of, apart from an Yngwie Malmsteen strat that also has Dunlop 6000 fretwire.


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## Harry (Jun 3, 2009)

Hmm re reading your original post a little more, I must have somehow skipped over the part where it says narrow frets.
It definitely can't be Dunlop 6000s then, because they are damn wide frets. Dunlop 6100s are still wide and tall, just less so than the 6000s.
The only fretwire I know of that would be as tall as Ibanez fretwire or at least close to, while being really narrow is 6105 fretwire.
It's very much possible you have 6105 fretwire. Perhaps take the guitar to get refretted with Dunlop 6000s to get that massive fret feeling they talk about on the USA series.


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## Mattmc74 (Jun 3, 2009)

Congrats!


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## OzoneJunkie (Jun 3, 2009)

Harry said:


> Hmm re reading your original post a little more, I must have somehow skipped over the part where it says narrow frets.
> It definitely can't be Dunlop 6000s then, because they are damn wide frets. Dunlop 6100s are still wide and tall, just less so than the 6000s.
> The only fretwire I know of that would be as tall as Ibanez fretwire or at least close to, while being really narrow is 6105 fretwire.
> It's very much possible you have 6105 fretwire. Perhaps take the guitar to get refretted with Dunlop 6000s to get that massive fret feeling they talk about on the USA series.



While it's certainly hard to tell from pictures online, I'd say the fretwire looks closest to 6105 width-wise. Still haven't made it to the NYC music stores to check the US version (if they even have it - not sure)...

Fretwire looks similar to this:







here's the RC7x up close:


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## OzoneJunkie (Jun 3, 2009)

I forgot to add these photos in the original post.

RC7X:







Ibanez RG320FM:


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## Seebu (Jun 3, 2009)

I can't see the pictures.


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## OzoneJunkie (Jun 3, 2009)

Don't know why you can't see them Seebu. Works for me here.

So, I went to the music stores in NYC today during lunch. They don't have the US RC7. But I'll say this - almost every guitar I looked at had fretwire that was significantly wider than the RC7X, and in many cases taller fretwire. I'm convinced it's different fretwire than the US version - no way the RC7X has 6000 or 6100.

Oh, and Manny's is officially closed now. They are/were owned by Sam Ash for the past 8 years, but now they're officially done...


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## MTech (Jun 3, 2009)

What are those two fretboards above?


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## OzoneJunkie (Jun 3, 2009)

MTech said:


> What are those two fretboards above?




The first one is the RC7X. Second one is my Ibanez RG320FM. I'll go back and label them. Sorry.

If you look at the post above that one - the one with the tele and the RC7X, and you look at the frets on the RC7X, in particular on the high E side of the neck, you can see that the frets are not wide.

And as I said in my original post, the pictures I took are a bit deceiving, the frets look tall, but again, they are not, in my humble opinion.


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## Apophis (Jun 3, 2009)

Awesome, Congrats


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## sevenstringj (Jun 3, 2009)

PLEASE, use web hosting. Viewing attachments is a PITA.

I'd contact Dean and ask them about the fretwire, as well as the fretboard (ebony vs rosewood). I'd also check the base plate or sustain block of the OFR to see whether it was made in Germany or Korea.

You're not gonna get any info here because none of us made the guitar, and none of us have one either.


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## MTech (Jun 3, 2009)

OzoneJunkie said:


> The first one is the RC7X. Second one is my Ibanez RG320FM. I'll go back and label them. Sorry.



From that pic the fretboard is clearly Ebony so I don't know what you're talking about saying it looks brown or like rosewood.

The fretwire though that's something... I mean look at the frets on the USA.


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## Neoclasiccl (Jun 3, 2009)

I was asked to post pics to help in this discussion.


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## MTech (Jun 3, 2009)

Neoclasiccl said:


> I was asked to post pics to help in this discussion.




I see you got my PM Thanks!!


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## Neoclasiccl (Jun 3, 2009)

NP glad I could help out.


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## silentrage (Jun 3, 2009)

^ That looks like ebony to me too, and the frets are definitely not the same as the RC7 USA.


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## OzoneJunkie (Jun 3, 2009)

The fingerboard is for sure different. Fretwire looks different too.

Neoclassicl - thanks for the help. Also, sick collection man. RC7 looks ace, as does that MAB1 AF!



MTech said:


> From that pic the fretboard is clearly Ebony so I don't know what you're talking about saying it looks brown or like rosewood.



The last set of my pictures, the one from the side- there's black binding, so it looks like ebony. But, look at the early set of my pictures, it's clearly different from the US version. Again, it could be Macassar ebony, but it's definitely lighter than the US fingerboard.


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## Neoclasiccl (Jun 3, 2009)

OzoneJunkie said:


> The fingerboard is for sure different. Fretwire looks different too.
> 
> Neoclassicl - thanks for the help. Also, sick collection man. RC7 looks ace, as does that MAB1 AF!


 
thanks man. I am lovin the RC7 but don't get to play it much lately since I am at work 7 days a week.

Here is a pic for all the Dean Lovers (I got the MAB2 a few weeks ago and decided to take this pic) The new Dean pickups in the MAB2 are amazing.


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## silentrage (Jun 3, 2009)

Those look fucking deadly, the headstock is slightly too large imo but still, lethal looking instruments.


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## OzoneJunkie (Jun 3, 2009)

Neoclasiccl said:


> thanks man. I am lovin the RC7 but don't get to play it much lately since I am at work 7 days a week.



catch 22 (or 33 for you shuggah fans) - gotta work to get the $$$ for all those fine axes! 


seriously nice collection. props.


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## Neoclasiccl (Jun 3, 2009)

silentrage said:


> Those look fucking deadly, the headstock is slightly too large imo but still, lethal looking instruments.


 
thanks man. Although the MAB's are Korean made they are definately well made.



OzoneJunkie said:


> catch 22 (or 33 for you shuggah fans) - gotta work to get the $$$ for all those fine axes!
> 
> 
> seriously nice collection. props.


 
the only thing that makes working 7 days a week is all the guitars are paid for non ended up on my credit cards  Hopefully soon I can go back to a normal schedule. 

thanks again.


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## MTech (Jun 3, 2009)

OzoneJunkie said:


> The last set of my pictures, the one from the side- there's black binding, so it looks like ebony. But, look at the early set of my pictures, it's clearly different from the US version. Again, it could be Macassar ebony, but it's definitely lighter than the US fingerboard.



The first set it's too dark in the room and the only bright pic it still doesn't look so brown.... can you take a better pic.


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## OzoneJunkie (Jun 3, 2009)

MTech said:


> The first set it's too dark in the room and the only bright pic it still doesn't look so brown.... can you take a better pic.



Yeah, sorry about that. It's the camera on my phone, and no flash. Best pictures of it are on the beatstreetmusic site

Dean Rusty Cooley 7 String Metallic Black Electric Guitar and Ca - Beat Street Music - We're Right Around The Corner


You can see the color of the fingerboard really well there - the one where it's head on. It's darker than rosewood - but not as dark as the US RC7.


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## ShadyDavey (Jun 4, 2009)

Neoclasiccl said:


> thanks man. I am lovin the RC7 but don't get to play it much lately since I am at work 7 days a week.
> 
> Here is a pic for all the Dean Lovers (I got the MAB2 a few weeks ago and decided to take this pic) The new Dean pickups in the MAB2 are amazing.
> 
> >>>Pics snipped<<<



I think I have to go to the bathroom. I don't particularly like the MAB models (even though the armour flame is quite nice) but the US RC7 is pure win. Heck, I might even pay for that model over the Import if I find myself flush.

Lovely pics


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## MTech (Jun 4, 2009)

OzoneJunkie said:


> You can see the color of the fingerboard really well there - the one where it's head on. It's darker than rosewood - but not as dark as the US RC7.



Those pictures aren't very good either..but from the looks of them it just looks like a piece of ebony that isn't so solid black..it's only really got two little strips of a lighter color through it.


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## Elysian (Jun 4, 2009)

OzoneJunkie said:


> If you look at my home made guitar - and see how deep the scalloping is on that - well, you will never feel the fingerboard wood on that.
> 
> The RC7X - just doesn't seem any different, fret-height-wise, than any other guitar... to me...
> 
> ...


Macassar ebony is stripy, like seen on this google image search

macassar ebony - Google Image Search

The wood on that RC7X you have is likely rosewood, ebony does not have wide open pores like that. I've got macassar boards in the shop that are gorgeous, and have no visible pores.


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## OzoneJunkie (Jun 4, 2009)

Thanks Adam. You're likely correct. If it is indeed rosewood, beat street should change the specs on their site.


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## Elysian (Jun 5, 2009)

OzoneJunkie said:


> Thanks Adam. You're likely correct. If it is indeed rosewood, beat street should change the specs on their site.



It could be Dean putting out the wrong specs. Either way, its not like rosewood is a downgrade from ebony, just a different flavor. The fretboard looks good the way it is, so I wouldn't worry about it.


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## OzoneJunkie (Jun 5, 2009)

Elysian said:


> It could be Dean putting out the wrong specs. Either way, its not like rosewood is a downgrade from ebony, just a different flavor. The fretboard looks good the way it is, so I wouldn't worry about it.




Yeah, I'm not overly concerned about it. Again my only issue personally is the fret size, with I'm living with for the moment. Neck is pretty darn sweet...


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## Harry (Jun 6, 2009)

OzoneJunkie said:


> Don't know why you can't see them Seebu. Works for me here.
> 
> So, I went to the music stores in NYC today during lunch. They don't have the US RC7. But I'll say this - almost every guitar I looked at had fretwire that was significantly wider than the RC7X, and in many cases taller fretwire. I'm convinced it's different fretwire than the US version - no way the RC7X has 6000 or 6100.
> 
> Oh, and Manny's is officially closed now. They are/were owned by Sam Ash for the past 8 years, but now they're officially done...



Well, judging from your pics, you're right, they definitely are not 6100 or 6000 fretwire. They are also too wide to be 6105 and not tall enough.
6150 is a very likely size, fairly wide but not as wide as 6100s and not as tall as 6100s and 6105s.
If you like the neck, it might be worth getting the guitar refretted with 6000s, or to get the same effect of your fingers not touching the fretboard, 6100s with a slight scallop. Granted it's not the same feeling as big frets, but you say you're used to scalloped necks anyway so it could be a good option.


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## OzoneJunkie (Jun 8, 2009)

Harry said:


> Well, judging from your pics, you're right, they definitely are not 6100 or 6000 fretwire. They are also too wide to be 6105 and not tall enough.
> 6150 is a very likely size, fairly wide but not as wide as 6100s and not as tall as 6100s and 6105s.
> If you like the neck, it might be worth getting the guitar refretted with 6000s, or to get the same effect of your fingers not touching the fretboard, 6100s with a slight scallop. Granted it's not the same feeling as big frets, but you say you're used to scalloped necks anyway so it could be a good option.



Thanks Harry. I've decided to wait until I get my Sherman 8, and then figure out what I'm doing with the rest of my guitars. I may go down to just the 8 and the Ibby 6 for leads requiring a vibrato bar, and sell the rest.

If I do keep the RC7X, yeah, I'll consider a refret


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## silentrage (Jun 8, 2009)

^ Have you contacted Dean to find out if the frets are what they intended to put on?


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## OzoneJunkie (Jun 8, 2009)

Nope. I can't imagine it wasn't what they intended... unless there's a QC issue and the factory ignored the specs? Mebbe...


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## st2012 (Jun 9, 2009)

This is pretty dissapointing. So from NAMM were we were told that this guitar would have the exact specs of the USA model (without being made in the custom shop and thus cheaper) it's now got smaller frets, different fretboard (possibly) a thicker neck and a different trem? 

p.s. IMO the trem change is for the best but when Dean was marketing this guitar they tried to convince everyone that an OFR isn't as "shred friendly" as the trem Rusty uses. Dean fails by the truckload.


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## MTech (Jun 9, 2009)

st2012 said:


> a thicker neck and a different trem?
> 
> p.s. IMO the trem change is for the best but when Dean was marketing this guitar they tried to convince everyone that an OFR isn't as "shred friendly" as the trem Rusty uses. Dean fails by the truckload.



The neck profile is the same, neither the USA or the Import are exactly like Rusty's which was on that Red one they had when they debuted the guitar. The shoulders are slightly different that's all. 

The Tak Floyd is extremely good and in a way better because the fine tuners are out of the way..it doesn't have any problems with tuning stability etc. like cheap licensd floyds have. If Floyd Rose made a OFR7 Pro than I'm sure that'd be on there but for some reason they won't make that trem.


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## Jefonyx (Jun 9, 2009)

Hi !
Just bought one, and it's fabulous !
The frets doesn't disturb me at all.

I have to precise that the guitar looks very ugly in the official photos, but in real, it's not ugly at all.

I made a video with the guitar : 

Do you know what kind of string tension are mounted on this guitar? I don't know, so I can't change my strings now...:/


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## Colin Varville (Jun 13, 2009)

Got mine in a couple weeks ago, its the best guitar I've ever owned

The neck is the thinnest I've ever played and the cutaway is amazing, easily the most playable guitar I've ever touched. 

I'm not sure what the frets are, they don't feel that much bigger to me coming from my previous experience on the Ibanez Jumbo frets on my RG7321, whatever size those are (I think I read somewhere they were 6100s? I don't know much about that) Either way they feel great and its easy to shred.

The neck and cutaway make the guitar itself awesome, plus you get EMG 707's and an OFR with a hardshell case for 900$, well worth the money. I'd recommend this guitar to anyone

YouTube - 4 String Arpeggios

To the above poster: if by string tensions you meant gauge, the factory strings feel like 9's to me, I'd guess 9-58 (or 56)


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## OzoneJunkie (Jun 15, 2009)

Glad y'all are liking yours. I think refretted, it'd the best shred machine out there - maybe the US version already is 

I have a Dean catalog, and they have the RC7 and the RC7x next to each other. The pictures are small, but even from pictures the RC7 frets look wider - they have to be different frets.

Well, enough of the fretwire discussion. Time to shut up and


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## Jefonyx (Jun 15, 2009)

For sure the frets are different, because I can touch the wood with my fingers. It seems to feel like medium fret. I personnaly prefer the Jumbo frets, but it doesn't bother me at all. to play shred and co.

Thanks for the string gauge (tension was not the good word, sorry I'm French 
The shop just told me that it was .10/.56 strings. So I will see if it's true on the next string replacement


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## OzoneJunkie (Jun 15, 2009)

btw, I put on 8s for D through high E. Bends/vibrato are obviously much easier now, as is legato. Picking on those string require a lighter attack now too. But, I like the balance of the strings now.


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## Seven (Jun 16, 2009)

I'm pretty interested in one of these.

How is it that it costs you guys $900 and it will cost me about £950GBP?

I may consider one if I can get it cheaper, do Dean have rules on dealers that they can't sell abroad?

EDIT: It appears Music Farm are willing to ship internationally for free. That's £609GBP current exchange rate. Why the huge price difference for different countries?


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## Jefonyx (Jun 17, 2009)

I don't really know for UK, but I am french and I bought it on Music Farm. THey sent it to me and a received it in 6 days for 715 Euros + 215 Euros for taxes.

I asked another shop for the string gauge and they told me that : .009 .011 .016 .024 .032 .042 .059
This answer seems to be more in terms withs the standard.


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## antipop101 (Jun 26, 2009)

I received mine a week ago.

I agree about the frets. Was really disappointed as that was one of the main reasons I decided to go for it. When playing unplugged it really sounds a bit flat and cheap. But i suppose it sounds good when plugged in thanks to the EMG's. You can definitely tell it's bolt on though.

I have an ESP Ltd 1000-EC Les Paul and those frets seems bigger and taller.

Also to me the guitar does feel a bit cheap although it has grown on me the more I've played it. I find my arpeggios are much cleaner. 

Wonder how much it would cost to refret to 6100's.

I like the size of the guitar too. It's quite small in my opinion especially compared to my Jackson RR24.

Overall for the price I suppose it is good. Would love to try the real deal RC7G though, just to compare.


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## OzoneJunkie (Jun 27, 2009)

Yeah, antipop101 - basically feel identical - as I said I was disappointed with the frets too, and do feel that the guitar has a certain cheap feel to it, but yes, it has grown on me, and my arpeggio stuff does come across well on this guitar.

If I keep the guitar, I will look into a refret with 6100s. Maybe EMG replacement was well...


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## j0hnl0era (Jul 17, 2009)

OzoneJunkie said:


> I forgot to add these photos in the original post.
> 
> RC7X:
> 
> ...




the rc7x looks like so much more of a shred machine it looks like efortless playabilty compared to the ibanez


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## victor5464 (Aug 7, 2009)

so it's an OFR?


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## kherman (Aug 8, 2009)

I think the board is ebony of some sort.

As mentioned, the naturally black tight grained ebony is getting more scarce.

My Carvins have ebony boards.
The Yellow '89 Dc127 is very tight grained with a few natural streaks.
The Blue '89 Dc200 is a little looser grained. All black.
The '94 Dc400 is tighted grained. All black.
The '05 Dc727 is looser grained. All black.
My St300 should be done in a couple weeks. We'll see how that looks.

How old growth the piece is and position from the tree (bottom or closer to the top) it came from does make a difference.

We're seeing the same effect in the Honduran mahogany or South American mahogany used these day.
The pieces just aren't as nice as the old growth used in the past.
A lot of companies have moved to 2 piece bodies instead of one because of it.
Or they've moved to African mahogany.

I'm sure we're seeing the same effect with todays ebony.
Newer growth, different species, etc...


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## MTech (Aug 8, 2009)

posted this in the other thread but I guess people missed it.


I found out the real deal on the trem. They're using an OFR on the import because there's issues getting new trems from Tak and they only have a very limited number of the trems left at Dean so they're saving them to use on the USA's. If they can get them again then it'll switch over but now the only option is a OFR or the Ibanez Lo-Pro and they don't want to put an Ibby trem on a Dean guitar.
The frets however are supposed to be the same.... but as noted here they apparently aren't now.


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## Anthony (Aug 10, 2009)

Colin Varville said:


> Got mine in a couple weeks ago, its the best guitar I've ever owned
> 
> The neck is the thinnest I've ever played and the cutaway is amazing, easily the most playable guitar I've ever touched.
> 
> ...



I didn't know you posted here. I commented on your video a few times.


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## OzoneJunkie (Feb 8, 2010)

Just an FYI, I have this guitar (Dean Rusty Cooley RC7x (Korean version)) for sale now in the forums here... sorry if this is against the rules to mention that here... wasn't sure... I know a few peeps said they were interested in it if I put it up for sale...


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