[Please see our listing of used Dean guitars following this brief history of the company.]
Dean Zelinsky founded Dean Guitars in 1976 after having built guitars from an early age. The company produces electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass guitars as well as banjos and mandolins.
Zelinsky's belief was that the production of rock guitars had grown stagnate and needed change. His instruments started to be released in the mid 1970s, and featured a large v-shaped headstock and pointed body designs. Because of these radical designs the guitars become very popular. He also used beautiful models in suggestive poses with his instruments for advertising. This started to be widely copied by other manufacturers also. Dean has since discontinued this advertising strategy.
Zelinsky decided he no longer wanted to manufacture guitars in 1986, and sold the company to begin making furniture.
In the late 1990s, Elliott Rubinson (CEO of Dean Guitars) revived the brand name. He later brought Zelinsky back aboard as an executive and creative consultant. Dean Guitars has since grown into one of the leading guitar companies in the world.
In 2008, Zelinsky left Dean Guitars. Nate Karls became the lead engineer for Dean in late 2008.
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