Dean Razorback
Encyclopedia
The Dean Razorback is an electric guitar
made by Dean Guitars
. It is a variation of the Dean ML
, and was designed by Dimebag Darrell
shortly before his death. The Razorback was at first a USA only model, but has recently begun to be sold as an import model, making it cheaper to buy. Dimebag Did have the chance to use the Razorback in a couple of live gigs, however his death came the night before he was scheduled to have a photoshoot with the "Rust Razorback" model, which was hand made by Dean Zelinsky
, and the finish designed by Stephen Jensen.
Due to significant sales of the Razorback, Dean put the Razorback V into production. The Razorback consists of a standard 'Flying V' shape, with the signature points of the Razorback on each of its legs; the Razorback also has the notable headstock, a recognizable feature of the Razorback range and Dean guitars.
Dimebag Darrell also insisted that a special Razorback should be made in the style of Eddie Van Halen's 'Frankenstrat
' guitar; this was done, but the standard black, white and red Van Halen style guitar has remained in the Dean Museum at Dean HQ in the USA, the yellow design was given to Van Halen.
2007 saw the addition of three new Razorback designs; the Razorback DB, this is a model with different and lower quality equipment that is aimed for people who feel the Razorback is overpriced but still want the quality and design of a US Razorback, it has Dean pickups instead of the EMG or Seymour Duncan and Dimarzio on the Razorback, it does not have a licensed Floyd Rose or any tremolo, it has a bolt-on neck construction instead of the set-in construction of the Razorback, and is not made of the normal mahogany as is the Razorback; the Razorback 255 is very similar to the Razorback apart from the neck, the neck on the 255 has a 25.5 scale length neck which gives 24 frets and easy access to the higher notes; and the Razorback 7 is very similar in materials and equipment to the Razorback but it has 7 strings (B E A D G B E) instead of the standard 6 on the Razorback and most other guitars. Another trait of the razorback is the double edged razor on the 12th fret of the neck. Similar to Dimebag's necklace and the razor from the Judas Priest
British Steel
album.
One of the most notable Razorback players is Ozzy Osbourne and Black Label Society guitarist Zakk Wylde; his Razorback has the 'bullseye' finish his many Gibson Les Pauls (and Flying V) and Epiphone Les Pauls are famous for. Wylde also uses a Dean Split Tail with this design, as the Split Tail is seen as a cross between the standard Gibson SG shape and the 'Flyng V' shape used by many companies.
On January 19, 2008 Dean Guitars unveiled three new Razorback designs, one in tribute of the Pantera
song "Cemetery Gates". Written across the body of the guitar are the words from the chorus: "will unlock my door, and pass the cemetery gates". Another is the 10,000th Commemorative Razorback in commemoration of ten thousand Razorbacks sold and features a diamond-plated steel finish. The third Razorback is a left-handed version of the Razorback Explosion.
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
made by Dean Guitars
Dean Guitars
Dean Guitars is an American manufacturer of guitars. It was founded in 1976 by Dean Zelinsky in Chicago, Illinois and is currently under the ownership of Armadillo Enterprises in Tampa, Florida.- History :...
. It is a variation of the Dean ML
Dean ML
The Dean ML is an electric guitar made by Dean Guitars in 1977 along with its counterparts, the Dean V, Dean Cadillac and Dean Z. This is the most well known Dean Guitar due to the radical look and V shaped Headstock and V shaped tailpiece. It was popularised by the guitarist Dimebag Darrell of...
, and was designed by Dimebag Darrell
Dimebag Darrell
Darrell Lance Abbott , also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist. He was best known as a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. Abbott also contributed to the album Rebel Meets Rebel, a collaboration between Pantera and David Allan Coe...
shortly before his death. The Razorback was at first a USA only model, but has recently begun to be sold as an import model, making it cheaper to buy. Dimebag Did have the chance to use the Razorback in a couple of live gigs, however his death came the night before he was scheduled to have a photoshoot with the "Rust Razorback" model, which was hand made by Dean Zelinsky
Dean Zelinsky
Dean B. Zelinsky , also known as Dean Z, Dean Barrett Zelinsky or DBZ, is an American guitar luthier who founded Dean Guitars in 1976 and founded DBZ Guitars in 2008....
, and the finish designed by Stephen Jensen.
Due to significant sales of the Razorback, Dean put the Razorback V into production. The Razorback consists of a standard 'Flying V' shape, with the signature points of the Razorback on each of its legs; the Razorback also has the notable headstock, a recognizable feature of the Razorback range and Dean guitars.
Dimebag Darrell also insisted that a special Razorback should be made in the style of Eddie Van Halen's 'Frankenstrat
Frankenstrat
Frankenstrat is a guitar created by Eddie Van Halen.-Overview of the Frankenstrat:The Frankenstrat represented Van Halen's attempt to combine the sound of a classic Gibson guitar with the physical attributes of a Fender. It was originally made from an ash Stratocaster body, with pickup routing that...
' guitar; this was done, but the standard black, white and red Van Halen style guitar has remained in the Dean Museum at Dean HQ in the USA, the yellow design was given to Van Halen.
2007 saw the addition of three new Razorback designs; the Razorback DB, this is a model with different and lower quality equipment that is aimed for people who feel the Razorback is overpriced but still want the quality and design of a US Razorback, it has Dean pickups instead of the EMG or Seymour Duncan and Dimarzio on the Razorback, it does not have a licensed Floyd Rose or any tremolo, it has a bolt-on neck construction instead of the set-in construction of the Razorback, and is not made of the normal mahogany as is the Razorback; the Razorback 255 is very similar to the Razorback apart from the neck, the neck on the 255 has a 25.5 scale length neck which gives 24 frets and easy access to the higher notes; and the Razorback 7 is very similar in materials and equipment to the Razorback but it has 7 strings (B E A D G B E) instead of the standard 6 on the Razorback and most other guitars. Another trait of the razorback is the double edged razor on the 12th fret of the neck. Similar to Dimebag's necklace and the razor from the Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
British Steel
British Steel (album)
British Steel is the sixth album by the British heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 14 April 1980. It saw the band reprise the commercial sound they had established on Killing Machine however; this time, they abandoned many of the dark lyrical themes which had been prominent on their...
album.
One of the most notable Razorback players is Ozzy Osbourne and Black Label Society guitarist Zakk Wylde; his Razorback has the 'bullseye' finish his many Gibson Les Pauls (and Flying V) and Epiphone Les Pauls are famous for. Wylde also uses a Dean Split Tail with this design, as the Split Tail is seen as a cross between the standard Gibson SG shape and the 'Flyng V' shape used by many companies.
On January 19, 2008 Dean Guitars unveiled three new Razorback designs, one in tribute of the Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
song "Cemetery Gates". Written across the body of the guitar are the words from the chorus: "will unlock my door, and pass the cemetery gates". Another is the 10,000th Commemorative Razorback in commemoration of ten thousand Razorbacks sold and features a diamond-plated steel finish. The third Razorback is a left-handed version of the Razorback Explosion.
Notable players
- Dimebag DarrellDimebag DarrellDarrell Lance Abbott , also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist. He was best known as a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. Abbott also contributed to the album Rebel Meets Rebel, a collaboration between Pantera and David Allan Coe...
(PanteraPanteraPantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
, DamageplanDamageplanDamageplan was an American heavy metal supergroup from Dallas, Texas that formed in 2003. Following the demise of their previous group Pantera, brothers Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul Abbott wanted to start a new band. The pair recruited former Halford guitarist Pat Lachman on vocals, and later...
) (though he was never actually seen with the guitar onstage as it was released by Dean posthumously) He does play it in a few recorded videos however. - Zakk WyldeZakk WyldeZachary Phillip Wylde , best known by the stage name Zakk Wylde, is an American musician, songwriter, and occasional actor who is best known as the former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and founder of the heavy metal band Black Label Society. He was the lead guitarist and vocalist in Pride & Glory,...
(Black Label SocietyBlack Label SocietyBlack Label Society is a heavy metal band formed by Zakk Wylde, with nine studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, one EP, and three video albums released since formation of the band.-Formation and Sonic Brew :...
, Ozzy OsbourneOzzy OsbourneJohn Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
) - Matt HeafyMatt HeafyMatthew Kiichi "Matt" Heafy is a Japanese-American musician, best known as the lead vocalist and lead guitarist for the American Metal band Trivium. Heafy is also the vocalist for the band Capharnaum, along with Trivium's former producer Jason Suecof.-Biography:Heafy is Japanese from his mother...
(TriviumTrivium (band)Trivium is an American heavy metal band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 1999. Signed to Roadrunner Records, the band has released five studio albums, eleven singles, and twelve music videos...
) Matt Heafy was notable of playing a white/gold U.S.A. made custom Razorback although this model has been made as a limited edition import model, there were approximately 24-48 made of these imported Razorbacks. - Glen AlvelaisGlen AlvelaisGlen Alvelais is a heavy metal lead guitarist from the San Francisco Bay Area. Alvelais was the lead guitarist for Forbidden and has also played in Testament....
(Tenet, ForbiddenForbidden (band)Forbidden is a thrash metal band from the San Francisco Bay Area. Formed in 1985 as Forbidden Evil, the group was founded by Russ Anderson and Craig Locicero, who are both permanent members. Since their formation, Forbidden have broken up and reformed twice with numerous line-up changes...
, TestamentTestament (band)Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
) - Eddie Van HalenEddie Van HalenEdward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen is a Dutch-American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
(Van HalenVan HalenVan Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
) - Alex Nunez (Black TideBlack TideBlack Tide is an American heavy metal band from Miami, Florida. Formed in 2004, the group is currently signed to Interscope Records and is composed of Gabriel Garcia , Austin Diaz , Zachary Sandler , and Steven Spence...
) - Edsel DopeEdsel DopeEdsel Dope is the lead singer and main songwriter for nu metal/industrial metal band, Dope, originally from New York City. Dope was founded on December 10, 1997 by Edsel and his brother, Simon Dope .Edsel co-produced all of Dope's albums...
(DopeDope (band)Dope is an American rock band from Villa Park, Illinois, formed in 1997 in Chicago, Illinois.To date, the band has released five full-length studio albums, their most recent being No Regrets which was released on March 10, 2009.-History:...
) - Jonas KjellgrenJonas KjellgrenJonas Kjellgren is a Swedish musician and producer, now residing in Grangärde, Sweden. He has played for bands such as Carnal Forge and Dellamorte as their lead vocalist and played guitar for Centinex, Scar Symmetry and bass for October Tide. As a producer, he has worked with bands such as Sonic...
(Scar SymmetryScar SymmetryScar Symmetry is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Avesta in Dalarna County, formed in 2004. The band has released five albums, with six released singles...
) - Dave Rolls