In 1976, while his peers were navigating college or traditional trades, a young Robert Zelinsky, at just 19, embarked on an ambitious journey: establishing the Dean Guitar Company. This wasn’t a typical path for a teenager, but Zelinsky was driven by a unique blend of passion, grief, and an unwavering entrepreneurial spirit.
Zelinsky’s path was profoundly shaped by the loss of his father, a pilot whose life was tragically cut short due to an aviation accident. This deeply personal event led to a settlement from Cessna, which, while unable to fill the emotional void, provided Zelinsky with the seed capital to pursue his dream. He channeled his grief into action, determined to build a company that would honor his father’s memory and fulfill his own aspirations in the rock and roll world. Although trained as a repairman, Zelinsky’s ambition extended far beyond individual craftsmanship. He envisioned a manufacturing operation capable of producing high-quality, innovative guitars on a larger scale – and thus, the concept of Dean Guitar Company began to take shape.
From Repair Shop to Factory Floor: The Genesis of Dean Guitars
Despite his youth and limited experience in large-scale manufacturing, Zelinsky possessed a potent combination of natural talent, relentless drive, and a knack for problem-solving. He had honed his skills as a guitar repairman and built a few custom pieces, but the leap to factory production presented a daunting challenge. How could he ensure consistency and quality across thousands of instruments? This question became his central focus.
Zelinsky was not interested in becoming a traditional luthier, crafting guitars one at a time. His vision was broader: to design and build machinery that could replicate his designs efficiently and consistently. He believed that if he could create a superior guitar, it should be accessible to all musicians. Manufacturing, therefore, was the only viable path to realize this vision for Dean Guitar Company.
Capturing the Modern Rock Spirit
In the mid-1970s, rock music was evolving. Concerts were becoming grand spectacles with lasers and multimedia, and rock stars were style icons. The guitars of the 1950s, however, seemed out of sync with this new era. Zelinsky recognized this gap and aimed to create instruments that resonated with the modern rock aesthetic. He wanted Dean Guitars to be more than just instruments; they were to be “classy works-of-art” that players would be proud to wield on stage.
His designs incorporated sought-after features from vintage guitars, such as flame maple tops, fully bound bodies, and ebony fingerboards. He also prioritized components mounted directly into the wood to enhance sustain, and developed a distinctive V-neck profile for playability. Understanding the importance of tone, Zelinsky chose DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups, making Dean Guitars the first production guitars equipped with these high-output pickups straight from the factory, a feature that was revolutionary at the time for Dean Guitar Company and the broader market.
Building the Factory and Iconic Designs
The first Dean Guitar Company factory was established at 2125 Dewey Ave. in Evanston, IL. Zelinsky, still living with his mother, undertook a grueling commute and relentless work schedule, often working from early morning until midnight. His drive was fueled by the dream of future success, envisioning the lifestyle he was striving to achieve as he commuted through Chicago’s affluent suburbs.
During this period, design and manufacturing processes consumed him. He dedicated himself to perfecting his guitar designs and figuring out the most efficient production methods for Dean Guitar Company. He knew he wanted to build V-shaped and Explorer-style guitars, but aimed to surpass Gibson’s original designs. To achieve this, he needed accurate templates of 1950s Gibson models. Vintage Gibsons were scarce and contemporary models were not faithful to the originals. He turned to Ibanez, known for their accurate Gibson copies. With the help of a friend, Gary Gand, Zelinsky acquired Ibanez Korina V and Explorer guitars, using them as the basis for his patterns, even sacrificing them in the process to ensure accuracy for Dean Guitar Company’s new models.
The Birth of the ML and the Signature Headstock
While developing tooling and processes, Zelinsky also focused on finalizing the Dean Guitar lineup. He recognized that while the V and Explorer shapes were familiar, Dean Guitar Company needed something unique. He conceived the ML model by combining elements of the V and Explorer, creating an asymmetrical yet visually striking design that became a hallmark of Dean Guitars and a testament to Dean Guitar Company’s innovative spirit.
The final piece of the design puzzle was the headstock. Zelinsky was drawn to the idea of a V-shaped headstock, inspired by Gibson’s earlier asymmetrical attempts, but felt they missed the mark. He envisioned a bolder, more impactful V shape that would be instantly recognizable. He famously modeled the Dean headstock by mirroring and scaling down the V body shape. This oversized V headstock became a defining visual element of Dean Guitars, contributing significantly to the brand’s identity and recognition, making Dean Guitar Company stand out in a crowded market.
Naming the Vision: Dean Guitars
With designs taking shape, the question of branding arose. Gary Gand suggested naming the guitars “Dean Guitars.” Zelinsky initially resisted, disliking his own name. However, Gand persisted, arguing that “Dean” was a cool and memorable name for a guitar brand. Eventually, the idea grew on Zelinsky, and “Dean Guitars” was chosen, marking the official birth of the Dean Guitar Company brand.
The Iconic Winged Logo: A $30 Masterpiece
To complete the visual identity, Dean Guitar Company needed a logo. A local artist, Gary Mann, who had previously worked with Zelinsky, offered to design it. Mann’s initial winged logo concept, while rough, resonated with Zelinsky. To refine the design, Zelinsky enlisted Wayne Kibar, a professional graphic artist. For a mere $30, Kibar created the polished winged logo that became synonymous with Dean Guitars. This logo, initially a departure from Mann’s version, quickly became iconic, perfectly complementing the bold designs of Dean Guitar Company instruments.
Building the Production Foundation
With designs and branding in place, Zelinsky turned his attention to production tooling. He meticulously planned the tooling in his mind, often lying awake at night, visualizing fixtures and processes. He aimed to have the entire production system conceptualized before even finalizing the factory lease, showcasing his meticulous planning for Dean Guitar Company’s operations.
To execute his tooling vision, Zelinsky hired Mirza Yousef, a woodworker from Pakistan. Yousef, despite lacking guitar-making experience, possessed strong woodworking skills and a willingness to work with machinery. Together, Zelinsky and Yousef worked tirelessly, building and testing tooling for every stage of guitar production. They developed patterns for bodies, necks, fingerboards, and headstocks, designing machines for tasks like fret slotting and fingerboard radiusing. This extensive custom tooling was essential for Dean Guitar Company to begin manufacturing guitars at scale.
Infiltrating Gibson: Sourcing Secrets
Beyond tooling, Zelinsky faced the challenge of establishing a complete production process and sourcing materials. He needed to find suppliers for everything from lacquer and buffing compounds to ebony and binding. In the pre-internet era, information was scarce. Zelinsky ingeniously decided to “infiltrate” Gibson to gain insider knowledge.
He placed an ad in a Kalamazoo newspaper seeking guitar builders, hoping to connect with Gibson employees. While a Chicago job didn’t materialize for the respondent, the contact proved invaluable. This Gibson insider connected Zelinsky with various Gibson employees who, through backchannel phone calls, provided crucial sourcing information. Zelinsky discovered Gibson’s suppliers for lacquer, buffing compound, binding, and ebony. This direct sourcing network was invaluable for Dean Guitar Company, allowing him to secure high-quality materials and even learn about Gibson’s specific formulations, such as the plasticized lacquer crucial for guitar finishes. He even managed to secretly purchase lacquer directly from Gibson’s supplier and parts directly from Gibson for a period.
In-House Metalworking and Team Building
Sourcing truss rods and brass plates proved difficult, leading Zelinsky to establish in-house metalworking capabilities at Dean Guitar Company. He purchased raw steel and brass and set up equipment to manufacture truss rods and brass parts, further enhancing Dean Guitar Company’s self-sufficiency.
As production processes developed, Zelinsky expanded his team. He hired a furniture finisher to manage the guitar finishing operation and trained workers in buffing and other specialized tasks. He prioritized hiring individuals based on their work ethic and trainability, rather than prior guitar-building experience. Guitar players were later brought in for final assembly and setup, ensuring a blend of manufacturing efficiency and guitar expertise within Dean Guitar Company.
Marketing Dean Guitars: Launching a New Standard
With production taking shape, Zelinsky turned to sales and marketing. His uncle connected him with Zan Skolnick, a marketing professional. Skolnick, after learning about Zelinsky’s vision and the industry landscape – where Gibson and Fender had been sold to larger corporations – immediately grasped the opportunity.
Skolnick quickly developed the bold advertising slogan: “A New Standard of Excellence…The Finest Guitars Since You-Know-Who Sold Out To The Big Boys!” This aggressive and confident message positioned Dean Guitar Company as a challenger to the established industry giants.
Skolnick became Dean Guitar Company’s first Marketing Director and spearheaded early marketing efforts. Recognizing the importance of industry events, he insisted on Dean Guitars exhibiting at the upcoming NAMM show in January 1977. This decision set the stage for the official launch of Dean Guitars and the next chapter in the Dean Guitar Company story.
The Journey Continues
The setup of Dean Guitar Company was a monumental undertaking, filled with challenges and innovations. From initial designs and factory setup to sourcing materials and building a team, Zelinsky’s journey was driven by vision, determination, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Despite early production hurdles and learning curves, Dean Guitar Company was poised to make its mark on the guitar world, ready to introduce its groundbreaking instruments to musicians at NAMM 1977. The launch at NAMM and the subsequent rise of Dean Guitars is a story for another time, but the foundation laid in these early days was crucial to the enduring legacy of Dean Guitar Company.
