Matt Heafy Signature Dean Guitar
| Matt Heafy MKH Signature Series Dean Guitar | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Dean Guitars |
| Period | 2008 — 2009 |
| Construction | |
| Body type | Solid |
| Neck joint | Set |
| Scale | 24-3/4 in. Scale |
| Woods | |
| Body | Mahogany with a Plain Maple Top |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Original Floyd Rose Tremolo System |
| Pickup(s) | Custom Dean "MKH86" Bridge Pickup, USA "Nostalgia" Neck Pickup |
| Colors available | |
| White and Red Japanese Rising Sun Graphic | |
The Dean MKH is an electric guitar made by the guitar company, Dean Guitars. It is a variation of the classic Dean ML, and this “newer” version was designed by Matt Heafy of the metal band, Trivium in 2008. Originally Matt Heafy first tried to create an original body style when he was approached by Dean Guitars, and he also attempted to make a modified version of the ML body style but he did not like what he came up with because he stated whatever he tried it just turned out to like something that has already been done before, so he picked this body design because he loves the ML body shape. And proof of this is that a lot of his guitars are the Dean ML body shape or altered versions of this guitar. For example, the Dean Razorback which he has in multiple colors like his white with gold trimmed USA Dean Razorback and a couple of Dimebag Darrell's signature models as well, like the USA Dean Dime Explosion.
Specifications and features
The Dean MKH, is a 24-3/4 inch scale ML body with a mahogany neck and body with a plain maple top, the neck on this guitar has had a completely original carve away made where the neck and body meets. (Matt Heafy and the Dean Woodshop guys cut back a lot on the heel of the neck to get the most amount of playability without hurting the tone of the guitar) This guitar also has a new feature for the ML series by adding two more frets to the neck, making it a twenty-four fret fretboard, instead of the original 22 fret fretboards on the MLs and most Dean Guitars for that matter. The fretboard is an ebony fretboard with twenty-four frets as just stated, and at the twelfth fret it has the Trivium "circle" which is part of their logos and there are no other marks on the fret board.(Meaning there are no other dots or inlays on the fretboard) The strap peg which on most ML's is on the notch above the neck of the guitar, but for comfort and convenience it has been moved to back of the guitar, and the other strap peg is still in its original position on the top tail of the body. And not a new feature to this body style but surely a good feature is that the input jack is not on the front of the body on the second tail by the control nobs, but it is now on the top tail right above the strap peg for the fact that the input jack would sometimes break because the amp cable would hit up against something, and in turn, would break the input jack. Another thing is that there is only one control nob and it is the master volume because Matt says that he always has the tone nobs all the way on the pickups anyway, and it’s in the middle nob position so when the whammy bar is used it does not get in the way, and the toggle switch that controls which pickup is selected is in its traditional position on the front tail of the guitar. And to help ensure the sound that Matt Heafy wanted he had his custom USA Dean Matt Heafy “MKH86” installed in the bridge pickup position and a USA “Nostalgia” in the neck pickup position (Matt Heafy and Dean designed the custom USA Dean Matt Heafy “MKH86” when they were making the guitar) The bridge consists of an Original Locking Floyd Rose Tremolo System, and to help with keeping the strings in tune when the tremolo or whammy bar is used he had Grover tuners and a locking nut installed. And for Matt's personal preference he has had lead weights put in his guitar to make the guitar much heavier, and the production model will not weigh as much. (In an interview Matt stated that he likes heavy guitars, because it gives him something with substance to play and beat on) And the last thing is that Matt Heafy's signature is on the truss rod cover. And now this guitar comes in a white and red Japanese Rising Sun graphic that continues onto the head stock with a white and red Trivium "T" that is part of their logo.