Dean releases a heavily relic'd, limited edition Leslie West Signature USA Thoroughbred
The Mountain frontman/guitarist collaborated with Dean on the Leslie West Tattered N Torn TBZ before his death in 2020
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.
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.
Get the MusicRadar Newsletter
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.
The hand-signed models retail for $9,999, with the remainder priced $5,460.
See Dean Guitars for more details.
"Even if people think it is ludicrous, it's an entry point. And people were just ready for a bit of fun”: Blossoms explain why they named their album Gary
With up to 80% off, Sweetwater currently has the biggest Black Friday savings musicians will find online right now – and the deals are even better than last year!
Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.
"Even if people think it is ludicrous, it's an entry point. And people were just ready for a bit of fun”: Blossoms explain why they named their album Gary
With up to 80% off, Sweetwater currently has the biggest Black Friday savings musicians will find online right now – and the deals are even better than last year!