DEAN MACHINE GUITARS?
Recently on the Odyssey guitars page I found a posting for a "Dean Machine" guitar supposedly made by Odyssey....so I'm adding it here tentatively, because apparently, some of Paul's personally branded guitars made it out of the factory or something like that. Furthermore adding to it. Even weirder, maybe this IS one of Paul's actual Loverboy guitars.
The facebook post I found this on is kind of neato. The guy claims he has been looking for a "Odyssey Paul Dean" for awhile, but it looks to me he found the holy grail of them because I've been trying to find pictures of this guitar besides one I grabbed from Tami's Loverboy Page photo gallery way way back when it was still up. Now the real burning question, is this the guitar in that photo to the left?Also more recently, I've been hanging out on Paul Dean Music's page and Paul talked a bit about his current "body parts" Strat he's currently using in Loverboy, and a fan noticed the extra switch where the master volume on a strat usually is, and he (Paul Dean) demystified the controls - the bridge and neck pickups are switched with the 3-way selector, and the toggle turns the middle pickup on and off, allowing Paul to have neck+bridge and all three on - I suppose this is also the same wiring scheme used on Paul's funky ol' strat he rebuilt and this guitar shown here.
While the Facebook group surmises that this guitar is a LATER guitar, I'm quite sure that this is the same guitar Paul Dean has in the photo on the left. For starters - I've already seen 3 Paul Dean guitars with Dean Machine actually visible in some form on the headstock - and that's P-90, The 1984 Canadian Musician Magazine Article guitar (says "Dean Machine" in cursive on the headstock), and this one. To me "The Dean Machine" would probably more mean that PAUL himself built it possibly. So there is a chance here, that this guitar may very well be a true PAUL DEAN guitar - made by the man himself, and not a copy made by Odyssey. It could even be the guitar in the photo for all we know. Curiously it has a gold bridge on it exactly like the "Hot Girls in Love" guitar - except that one, while it had the same pickup layout, had different switches in it. For all we know this is the prototype that Odyssey kept.
Either way, would be kind of interesting to see what guitars Paul built that turn up in the future like this, this is really frickin' cool!
Odyssey Paul Dean
The Odyssey Paul Dean is the hand-made in Canada ancestor to the Hondo Paul Dean II. Early Hondo Paul Dean II Guitars share the same exact features as the Odyssey models, only with small differences in hardware and body wood and shape (and their quality). Build quality ranges from amazing to under-the-QA of the Hondo guitars and can be hit and miss. They are described as to have a "hand made" feel about them - understandably because they were not factory produced but most likely built from start to finish using less fancy computer controlled tools and traditional luthier techniques.
The production of these guitars was limited to 50. At least 2 were Paul Dean's own guitars used on tour with Loverboy, a handful more were given to friends/family, and the remaining lot of them were split in half - one half going to promotions, charities, and raffles, and the other half going to local Vancouver music shops for sale. If you see a "Hondo Paul Dean II" on tour with Loverboy, it's actually one of these guitars, as the script on the headstock is identical. See the History page for more on Paul's personal guitars that he used/built in this style.
SPECIFICATIONS
Only 50 made, commissioned by Paul Dean himself
3 Piece maple Neck, 21 "Custom Jumbo" Frets, Bone Nut, Grover Roto-Matic machine heads, special tuner spacing, 10 degree headstock tilt, "resonance slots" under the fretboard, 4-bolt neck attachment (trapezoid configuration)
Maple Body with custom-tuned routing for special resonance
2x DiMarzio Super II DP104 Single Coils rating around 8.4K Each
1 Volume, 1 Tone, 3-way pickup selector
Leo Quan "Badass" wraparound stud tailpiece with adjustable intonation
Haircell Plastic "anti-scratch" pickguard
Transparent red finish, with black plastic and chrome hardware
Hondo Paul Dean II
The Hondo Guitars hold a distinction of having differences in multiple eras. The earliest guitars are almost identical to the Odyssey versions on down to the paintjob, using a Asian form of ash known as "Sen Ash" in place of the Northern hard ash used on the originals.Some people have told me that the Hondos are better built than the Odyssey guitars in some ways, but weather this is true or not has yet to be proven.
After Paul Dean shifted to Kramer, Hondo continued to use up Paul Dean necks and bodies on variations of the II and III as late as 1985. This leads to some really interesting one-offs including some with non-tilt headstock necks (string guides!!), rosewood fingerboards, regular Hondo headstocks, slightly different hardware, and various other features. Even by then, the finishes went from just transparent red to solid black or even Zebra Stripe finishes. Production ceased as late as even 1986 possibly. It could have also been, as this was a high end model - that some people might have asked for custom options (different paint jobs, different pickups, different hardware).
A bit of a question on origins. I've had the chance to see a lot of these guitars online since buying mine, seems I've sparked them to show up. My early one, as well as many others, have been described as being AMAZING guitars, amongst some of the best Hondo put out in the early 80's, while the later variant was reviewed by MyRareGuitars to seem more modern-Chinese in quality - probably due to changes in hardware and design from the early variations. It is possible - since Hondo supposedly ended in 1984 - that these were chinese built guitars using Japanese parts - to use up overstock.
Specifications
3 piece maple neck, resonance slots, 10 degree headstock tilt, maple fretboard, option of generic sealed machine heads or Grover Rotomatics at an upcharge (I think $60 more), special tuner spacing, 21 jumbo frets, 1" nut width, heel-end hex-bolt truss-rod. Some much later (after 1984) Paul Dean II's came with a regular Hondo 24.75" neck similar to those found on the Deluxe Series models.
2 or possibly 3 piece Sen Ash body, differs from the original Odysseys by some extra wood on the bass-side (neck-shift protection?) and more rounded (likely CNC Computer cut) routs. Later ones may have been using different body woods as it seems some custom finishes showed up around that time (after 1984).
2x Samick X10 Humbuckers (7.8K Each), or 2x DiMarzio Super II DP104 Humbuckers (8.4K, $60 upcharge - option up until mid-late 1984)
1 Volume, 1 Tone, 3-way selector switch
Leo Quan Badass style Import Wrap Around stud tailpiece/bridge w/ adjustable intonation
Haircell Anti-Scratch Pickguard
Initially only came in transparent red like the Odyssey originals, later Hondo started offering more custom options, I have seen at least one other PDII in black, and there may have been some Zebra-Stripe ones as well if the PDIII's are any indication.
Usually these either got a gig-bag or a Chipboard case. Apparently these were custom tailored to the Paul Dean (the chipboard case) though I've seen others around similar in size and shape.
Hondo Paul Dean III
The Paul Dean III differed from the II in that it had 3 single coil pickups, and a tremolo. Thus far, I have been unable to find a variation based on the original II models, seems these had more color and fingerboard options as the oldest example I've seen had a regular Paul Dean profile neck on it with a rosewood board, and it may have had a maple top or Foto Flame finish on a different body wood than usual. The electronics on these are pretty much standard Fender Stratocaster with one addition - a push-pull tone pot (ahead of it's time if you think about it, especially in a "budget" model) that allows for all three pickups or neck+bridge in addition to the standard five pickup combination. It uses a a plain ABS/PVC pickguard, and a standard, import, six-screw strat bridge.
The III's are even rarer than the Paul Dean IIs are, probably because there was no real visual connection of these guitars with Paul Dean - as when he was using these guitars (1981-1984), he was always seen with a Stock Odyssey model, or one of his home made guitars - and these were always red and black, and had a Leo Quan badass bridge on all of them. The PD3 on the other hand, came in a variety of colors, had no anti-scratch pickguard, and therefore are a bit of the black sheep of the lot. The II at least was made in the standard red/black/leo-quan configuration for a year or two. Paul himself even says he was unaware they made a Paul Dean III, so it may have been Hondo was making the III to produce a model with wider appeal. Just like the II, it premiered at $379.99.
Specifications
3 Piece Maple Neck, Rosewood or Maple Fretboard, 21 jumbo frets, 10 degree headstock tilt, special machine head spacing, Generic Asian import sealed-gear machine heads or Grover Rotomatics (upcharge). I have not seen any of these produced beyond 1984 as it was dropped from the list of availible instruments by late 1984.
Paul Dean body style, made out of various woods and configurations, as these seem to have come in more finish options more often than the Paul Dean II.
3 Samick/Hondo X14 Single Coil Pickups, not sure ifa DiMarzio option was ever offered on this model
1 Volume, 2 tone controls, 5-way switch, and a special push/pull tone control to allow for the neck+bridge and all three pickup on pickup combinations. This likely hearkens back to Paul's Strat and one of the early Paul Dean prototypes using a similar scheme with a 3-way switch to allow the same pickup options.
Six Screw Vintage Strat Style Vibrato unit, same one found on other Hondo mid-high end models
White PVC or black Haircell "anti-scratch" plastic pickguard that matches the pickups
I have finally located a red-one on a Canadian auction site that matches the original Paul Dean II's, so likely, just like the II, the early III's were all cherry red with anti-scratch pickguards, then in 1984 to use them up as it seems they did not sell as well, started offering multiple finishes including a tobacco sunburst "flame top" that was likely just a plywood laminated body given how the sunburst "black" would cover the contours, and variations on Zebra Stripe such as black/red like above, or red and white.
Odyssey Sweetheart Model Information
In 2020-2022, a certain someone was supposedly worked with Odyssey guitars on attempting to create a new version of these guitars. I'm not sure where I stand as a webmaster but I decided to document what these were, just for the fun of it.
These new guitars featured the chambered neck of the old design, but with 22 frets, a slightly redesigned body shape (slimmer horns, more Strat-like), slightly different pickguard shape, options of bridge, and ToneRider Generator pickups. Paul Dean used one on the 2022 Unzoomed Tour with REO Speedwagon and STYX before switching to Godin in 2023. Paul Dean does not endorse, nor (anymore) use, nor have any involvement in these (at least, not anymore).
They are being documented on this site more or less to keep a tabs on what an owner actually has. There's only one that can be considered an actual "PAul Dean" model out of this lot, and that's the one Paul himself owns and played on tour (Paul Dean Pro - known as the "Woodshed Prototype" most likely).
Black Bar "S" Models
These were named as "The Player's name" is covered by a piece of tape krazy glued into place so-as to remove the logo. I think Odyssey themselves said it best - here's an anecdote from their Reverb listings...
The story behind the “Sweetheart Black Bar Player series”: Odyssey fans will recognize this guitar. For over a year I worked with a known Canadian musician (hereby referred to as the “Player”) getting an offshore replica created. As a result, these guitars have 2 hollow channels running parallel to the trussrod to create a unique neck tone. The iconic shape has also been produced as a 1980’s Larrivee Super Strat, a Kramer signature model and some unauthorized Hondo’s. The player and I agreed to sell the guitars but to remove his name from the headstock. It's not he doesn't like them, he just wants a major manufacturer to produce his design and having these with his name on might upset or confuse any potential deal for him. And I support that decision. The Players name is under that “black bar”. But the black bar tape is Krazy glued to the finish. So if you tried to remove it, the finish and Players name will also be pulled off. It was a compromise and I appreciate the Player allowing me to sell them. I really do respect the Player, he's one of the nicest people Ive had the pleasure of working with and he has a real passion for the search of tone. I treasure our times together but it just didn't work out. So I am offering 3 models for sale:
It's apparent that "The Player" was totally willing to let him sell these new guitars off, as he likely had a lot of capital invested into them to build them.
The Three Models Offered included the following.....I have kind of made up my own names for these...
PROTOTYPE - This was the "Christmas Prototype" Guitar I saw on Facebook (before I quit Facebook last year, that place is toxic). I think this was one of the earlier guitars, and may also be a Canadian made guitar, possibly even one used by "The Player" himself at some point. It features a Tone-Rider Generator at the bridge, and some kind of rails pickup at the neck. The bridge pickup looks like it was relocated at one point (sounds like something I'd do on my own guitars TBH). Some lucky owner snagged this in 2022, really cool. Looks almost like it was kinda-sorta a burst.
Budget Model - I think this is what the final budget model design was to be, a single Tone Rider Generator humbucker in the bridge, a Leo Quan Badass style bridge, 1 volume, 1 tone, that's it. 22 Fret Chambered neck. It appears Paul brought one of these on stage with Loverboy on tour that year with "Loverboy" printed under the bridge (probably the same one from the "Release" video). For all we know, one of the two or three of these were that guitar. I think what they were shooting for here was quality, not quantity.
Deluxe Model- This guitar I believe first appeared on Instagram (or one similar to it) in the summer of 2022. This was the most expensive of those on Reverb. It has 2 Tone Rider generator pickups in it, Gotoh Floyd Rose recessed locking tremolo, in a dark cherry-red metallic finish. This is about the closest thing you could get to what Paul was actually playing on the Unzoomed tour.
It seems this one may still be available as of 2023. Kind of surprising since these seem to be excellent guitars for the money TBH.
Sweetheart Customs - These are the fully Canadian, hand-built guitars built by Odyssey, which as of 3/17/2023 seems they still have not been put up for sale yet (or maybe it's restricted to local sale). This included a bass (bottom 2nd right), a baridone (bottom right), 2 lefties (bottom and middle left, a caraved top rear-routed one, one in white with chrome hardware, 1 in butterscotch blonde with black hardware, 2 carbon fiber top models with black hardware, and a red right-handed model with a Floyd Rose and angled bridge pickup.
From here you can see the body design is a little different, more slim, sort of like a Odyssey Paul Dean and a Fender Mustang got together and, ya' know. All guitars had the chambered neck and Tone Rider humbucker pickups.