80s Dean Cadillac price check

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paulyc

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Hey guys, looking for any info on pricing a potential 80s Dean Cadillac buy, I don't have many details as of now, but I'll update this post when I have more, all I know right now is it has a hard shell case and the original pickups have been swapped for DiMarzios (guy still has originals though)... Thanks.
 
Great guitars, haven't checked in a while but depending on condition I'd say 700-1500? Original zebra dimarzios sound great but can be microphonic
 
I found a website that says all Cadillacs have 3 pickups, and IF it's a real, original unaltered Caddy should be up around 2450 because they are rare, there was another model with the same shape but didn't have 3 pups, no block inlay, some had no maple tops or binding, VERY confusing.
 
Depends on the year. If it's early 80s,mid 80s or later the prices are way different. Not all caddys had 3 pickups. Most of them were custom ordered.

Need pics and the serial number so I can look it up in the books(yeah,the build books are available and tell us a lot of info).

The guys asking for more than $2k for vintage deans never get it. I have some great deans,so I keep up with prices pretty close. I know a lot of the Dean collectors too.
 
I haven't seen the guitar yet, so I may be talking out of my ass here, but a friend of mine that plays saw it at his friends house once and he thinks it's a natural finish, which I've never seen (it's not a sunburst or painted), he didn't know how many pups, what inlays, etc...I'm waiting on pics to see exactly what it is
 
Ok, so I got pics. The Dean is a Cadillac/E'lite body shape, trans red/brown color, binding body and neck (but NOT headstock), block inlays, Schaller tuners and 456 fine tuner bridge (both chrome), volute on back of neck near the headstock, serial # 82 053xx. Any ideas on what it is and what it's worth ? Thanks guys.

One last thing, original pickups out of it (but included in the sale) and has Dimebag's signature on the front of the body (holds no significance to me).
 
82 is a great year for USA deans. Is it single ply binding,or multi ply? Is it trans red over a flame top(called the standard series) or trans red over plain mahogany(called the flame series...yeah I know sounds stupid to me too)? Note,the original DFH was trans red over mahogany(the cheaper flame series model)before it was repainted.

If the pickups were changed,was the wiring changed too? Standard wiring from the factory back then had this out of phase thing going on when the selector was in the middle. This get changed often when people change the pickups.

IMO given the info you have provided,it's not a big ticket guitar. Actually,few vintage deans command big bux. If it's not a flame top in minty condition,I doubt you could get more than $1200. Just my opinion. A decked out black caddy with 7 ply binding and gold hardware of the 82 vintage might be able to get to $2k,but it would only come from a collector...who probably already has one in the collection. Dean collectors are few and far between...but they are pretty rabid.

Ps,if you pm me the full serial number,I can text it to my bro who has the complete books from the very beginning of Dean guitars. He could tell you/us when it was made,the specs,and who it was ordered from/sold to and for how much.
 
No curly maple, no 7 ply binding. I'm looking to buy, not sell, what do you think it's worth ? 1200 then ?
 
Maybe $1200. If it has the V carve on the neck,I'd buy it for that. But I am a sucker for a good Dean with a V neck.
 
I PM'd the whole serial number, did you hear from your buddy ? Is it the guy that operates that Vintage Dean Guitars website ?
 
paulyc":3upfprtr said:
I PM'd the whole serial number, did you hear from your buddy ? Is it the guy that operates that Vintage Dean Guitars website ?
Click to expand...

I just texted him your serial number. I am sure he will get back to me tonight. He is not the guy whom runs that website. That guy is cool dude with tons of great info,but I imagine there is a reason his name is not featured on the site. He,along with myself and many others,have issues with what has happened at Dean HQ as time went on...read the bottom of his page. It's not the quality of the USA custom shop guitars,they are amazing guitars. For some it's the devaluing of limited runs that bother us.
 
I did read it...sad. I have a custom shop Rusty Cooley 7 string baritone Dean that's killer, I owned a Baby Z back in the 90s, single humbucker with a Kahler, I sold it.
 
Its an E'lite deluxe. Walnut with cream binding. Ordered 8/9/82. Delivered 9/15/82 to strings N Things in Mass.

Damn! Imagine ordering a custom guitar,and it getting hand built and delivered in 5 weeks.
 
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