just 17 when he founded Dean Guitars in 1977 with the single-minded purpose of making better instruments for rock and metal players than existed at the time. Using Gibson templates to start with, he created stylish guitars that included the V (Flying V), Z (Explorer) and the iconic ML, which combined the bottom of the V and the upper half of the Z. They all carried a standout element in the V-shaped headstock that defined the Dean look, making them flashier and more rock than any other U.S.-made six-string electrics available in the late ’70s. With artists like Elliot Easton of the Cars, Rich Williams of Kansas, and especially ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill — who flaunted fur-covered spinning customs in the 1983 “Legs” video — Dean hit
