I bought this bass after playing every 5 string I could lay my hands on in the area: Yamaha 5 strings, passive and active, Bass Collection (active), JB Player (passive), Fender (active), and Samick (passive and active). My budget was $1000. I made my purchase bassed (so to speak) on all these comparisons, and I played all of them against my 1984 Greco (read Ibanez) neck through body active 4 string. I also got a deal because it had hung around the shop for a while. Comparable Deans ( I was thinking of ordering a different color) or a Bass Collection Bass would have been $1200. My budget wouldn't take that hit.

Just a note, before I wax poetic about this: I'm pretty sure that this guitar is made by Samick under License from Dean. Samick's Korean factory can make guitars worth from $199 to $9999, depending or hardware, sculpting, electronics, finish, etc. You get what you pay for, most of the time.

The Dean 5 string is an all around good sounding instrument. It's tones, high and low, are quite "bell like" which is more en vogue right now, and, in my opinion, more versatile. The low B is not rattly, and all strings sound good for slapping and popping. I found the soap bar pickup a bit noisy due to RF, but if you're in a hall with bad ground, just use the other pickup. Up the neck there is still lots of punch. "Musical" and "articulate" are word that best describe the sound.

Playablility is good, as the neck is quite flat (which I have always liked, although I'm not sure what the radius is, probably about 10" or more) and fairly thin. The thin neck makes it a must to tune the low b sting before you tune anything else. I find the spacing of the bottom three strings a bit close, but this is more a question of me, the four string player, getting used to 5 strings.

One thing I did not like when I got home is the active circuitry is a little hissy, but the instrument is so bright sounding that knockng down the 3 Khz on my amp solved the problem. As well, I don't hear it when playing live. As for the bass boost with the bass control, WOW!!. Watch your speakers on this! With the bass and treble controls, plus the blend of pickups, you have a zillion sounds to fool with, from slap to old blues.

A few construction features I liked are: the battery is in a seperate compartment, so you don't have to undo a lot of scews, but you still have to undo 2. I'd like a door better. I like the location of the jack: on the side behind the controls. I also like the heavy duty bridge. No bent steel Fender junk here.

Things I didn't like: the typical chintzy strap buttons, and matte finish plastic covers on the electronic compartment, and over the battery and the truss rod adjustment. I think a gloss finish would mark less.

Construction	80%
(I rate $6000 Ferlinetto's as 100's)
Playability	90%
Sound	90%
Value	100%
I think this plays and sounds as goods as a $2500 bass.
Overall	90%
I can't afford a 100, but then not too many can.