Dean Guitars E10A CBK 4-String Bass Guitar Review – Dean's Budget Performer

Body And Neck:
Electronics:
Hardware:
Sound:
Value:

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Dean has secured its foothold in the entry-level segment of the market and managed to raise a lot of noise in the process. Their bass guitars are offering the perfect kind of performance combined with awesome features that counter a lot of what ESP and Schecter are trying to trademark in a way.

The Dean E10A is a perfect example of this. It's a sick looking bass guitar that packs a set of active pickups and a tone that is just killing it no matter what type of sound you are after. All things considered, it's among the most versatile basses in the $300 range hands down.

Body & Neck

The body on this particular Dean is a basswood design. While it's not the hottest tonewood of choice in the industry, it sure has its advantages when you are trying to cut down on the cost of the final product. The finishes come in a variety of solid colors, however since the hardware is all black, the black finish definitely looks the best. The neck is a standard maple design with an equally standard rosewood fretboard. This piece comes with regular pearl dot inlays. Overall, Dean E10A is comfortable and smooth to play.

Hardware

When it comes to hardware, Dean has decided to follow the industry standard for entry level bass guitars. They've installed a vintage flush bridge that comes with four fully adjustable saddles. The tuners are also average at best, being a die cast design. Overall, this combo works well and does the job it's meant to do. Since it's all black, hardware gives the black version of this bass a rather sinister appearance.

Electronics

Dean is one of the few brands that offer an active set of electronics in this price range. We have two DMT Design humbuckers which come with black covers. These are controlled by master volume and tone knobs, along with a two-way EQ setup. Hot output and pretty decent definition is something these DMTs are pretty good at.

Sound

When you plug this bad boy into an amp, you will be surprised just how good it sounds. Cheap active pups often raise a few eyebrows, but this time Dean hit the nail on the head. The set of DMT humbuckers on this particular bass offer a good amount of definition and range. Even the highest of notes come out squared away at the amp side of the business. On the other hand, when you hit the low-end response hard, you are not faced with a nasty distortion. All things considered, these pickups are great.

Conclusion

In the grand scheme of things, Dean E10A comes across as a well-rounded bass guitar that brings a great performance in a very attractive package. It might not have the finesse of a 1000 dollar bass guitar, but that is something no one really expected from it. When placed alongside its immediate competition, E10A holds its ground pretty well. There is absolutely no reason for you not to check out this axe if you're on a hunt for your first bass. The price is just too good.

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