Dean EC BKB Classical Guitar: Full Review

The Dean Espana Classical Guitar is an affordable nylon-string guitar geared towards beginner and intermediate players. This model from Dean Guitars offers solid construction with a spruce top and mahogany back and sides, producing balanced tone expected of a classical guitar. With its nylon strings and wider neck, the Dean Espana facilitates comfortable playability for both picking and fingerstyle techniques. While it may lack some projection and richness compared to premium classical guitars, the Dean Espana presents an excellent value as a budget-friendly option for new classical guitarists.

Construction

The Classical Guitar Dean EC BKB features a solid spruce top, mahogany back and sides, and a rosewood fretboard.

The solid spruce top contributes to the guitar's bright and articulate sound. Spruce is a popular choice for classical guitar tops as its lightweight yet strong properties allow the top to freely vibrate and project sound. Mahogany back and sides offer a balanced and well-rounded tone, providing warmth to complement the crispness of the spruce top. Mahogany is appreciated for its beauty as well as its acoustic properties. The rosewood fretboard is known for its hardness and durability. Its dense nature enhances sustain. The smooth finish allows for effortless playability up and down the neck.

Together these tonewoods allow the Classical Guitar Dean EC BKB to produce a rich and resonant sound optimal for classical guitar playing. The spruce and mahogany pairing offers the balanced tone sought after in Spanish classical guitars. The Dean EC BKB's construction delivers the traditional tone expected from a classical guitar while also providing clear articulation and ample projection. The solid spruce top in particular gives it the crisp, bright voice needed for diverse classical guitar repertoire from Baroque to modern eras. Whether you're a beginner or seasoned player, this thoughtfully designed instrument allows you to sound your best.

Another excellent classical guitar choice for students and seasoned players alike is the Fender FA-125 FS01. This nylon string guitar also features the quintessential spruce and mahogany body construction. The FA-125 FS01 boasts a solid Canadian spruce top paired with mahogany back and sides. Like the Dean EC BKB, this Fender model produces a balanced, warm, and articulate sound. The slim neck profile with comfort rolled fingerboard edges makes playing up and down the rosewood fretboard smooth and enjoyable. The FA-125 FS01's smaller folk body style provides comfort and playability. An ideal instrument for diverse musical settings from the practice room to the stage, the Fender FA-125 FS01 delivers impressive classical guitar tone and performance capabilities in an accessible package.

Sound

The Dean EC BKB produces a warm, balanced tone that stands up well to aggressive strumming. Though it's a smaller-bodied classical guitar, it projects the sound effectively thanks to its solid spruce top. The mahogany back and sides also help give it a rich, resonant voice.

Reviewers praise the EC BKB for its volume and note sustain. While it may not have the same full bass response as a high-end classical guitar, the sound is pleasing overall. The tone exhibits good clarity in the mids and highs. This allows the notes to ring out with definition.

The sound quality exceeds expectations for a guitar at this price point. From delicate fingerpicking to rhythmic strumming, the EC BKB Classical Guitar handles it all. Its versatile acoustic voice makes the guitar a great choice for beginners through intermediate players.

When comparing the Dean EC BKB to other classical guitars in a similar price range, it stands up very well. Many budget classical guitars have an uninspiring tone that lacks richness. However, the EC BKB delivers a balanced, nuanced sound that punches above its class. The solid spruce top in particular helps it project a full, resonant voice.

Those looking for an affordable classical guitar with professional sound will be impressed by the EC BKB. While it may not have the absolute best tone quality, it provides excellent value. The versatile sound production allows for diverse playing styles. From practice to performance, the EC BKB Classical Guitar gets the job done.

Another comparable classical guitar is the Cordoba CP100 3634. This model also features a solid spruce top with mahogany back and sides. It produces a balanced tone across the tonal spectrum. The CP100 has a hand-carved heel that allows easier access to the upper frets. This can help improve the sound quality when playing in that register.

The Cordoba CP100 3634 uses Savarez Cristal Corum high-tension strings. These provide excellent clarity and definition. Overall, the CP100 has a bright, focused sound. The crisp tone allows for precise playing. It exhibits good volume and projection as well. This makes it a nice choice for practice as well as performance.

When comparing the Dean EC BKB Classical Guitar and the Cordoba CP100 3634, they have some sound similarities. Both use solid spruce tops to produce balanced, nuanced tones. The mahogany backs and sides on each model provide warmth and resonance. However, the CP100 may have a bit more crispness across the frequency range. Its customized bracing pattern fine tunes the sound production.

Guitarists looking for an affordable classical model with professional features will be happy with either the Dean EC BKB or Cordoba CP100 3634. Both guitars deliver quality materials and design. This allows them to produce inspiring tones. While they may differ in some sound characteristics, they offer great value for classical players.

Playability

The Dean EC BKB Espana classical guitar offers exceptionally smooth and comfortable playability. The action is low and fast, making it very easy to press the strings and perform trills, scales, and arpeggios across the fingerboard.

The neck has a nice slim profile that fits comfortably in the hand. This allows for easy access to even the highest frets. The neck is also built from mahogany and has a rosewood fingerboard, providing a smooth surface for the fingers to glide over.

Overall, the guitar is very lightweight at just a few pounds. This helps reduce fatigue during longer practice or performance sessions. The smooth neck and low action really help make this classical guitar a joy to play for extended periods. It's one of the most comfortable and playable nylon string guitars in its price range.

Hardware

The EC-BKB Classical Guitar from Dean features quality hardware to provide stability, playability, and great tone.

The guitar has sealed die-cast tuning machines with pearloid buttons. These are smooth and accurate for keeping the guitar in tune. The nut and saddle are both made of bone, which helps transfer string vibrations efficiently.

The nut width of 52mm provides room for fingering complex chords and adds a bit more space between strings compared to many entry-level classical guitars. The compensated bone saddle provides proper intonation across the fretboard.

Overall, the hardware components on the EC-BKB are thoughtfully designed to offer easy tuning, comfortable playability, and balanced tonality. While not as premium as high-end classical guitars, the hardware punches above its price point.

Electronics

As an acoustic classical guitar, the Dean EC BKB has no electronics or amplification. It produces sound entirely through the vibration of the strings transmitted to the body and projecting acoustically without any pickups.

This gives the Dean EC BKB a purely natural and organic acoustic tone, without any colored effects from preamps or EQ. The lack of electronics also results in no controls, knobs, or jacks on the guitar body, giving it a clean look focused entirely on the wood construction.

The tradeoff is that the Dean EC BKB cannot be plugged into an amplifier. It's designed solely for intimate, unamplified practice and performance settings where natural acoustic projection is ideal. Players who require amplified volume or tone shaping will need a guitar with onboard electronics.

Within its intended all-acoustic design though, the Dean EC BKB aims to produce the highest quality natural sound possible from its materials and construction. Its electronics-free approach highlights the guitar's wood choice and body shape.

Finish Options

The Dean EC BKB Classical guitar features a high gloss polyurethane finish that gives it a beautiful, smooth, and reflective look. Its classic concert body shape and rosette design around the soundhole provide an elegant aesthetic that is reminiscent of traditional classical guitars. The gloss finish not only looks attractive, it also protects and seals the wood to prevent cracking or chipping over time. This makes the Dean EC BKB suitable for players who want a classical guitar with a striking visual appearance in addition to great playability and sound. The gloss finish contributes to the traditional classical guitar vibe, making the EC BKB an appealing choice for performances and recitals where looks matter just as much as tone.

Who It's For

The Dean EC Classical Guitar is a fantastic option for beginner to intermediate players looking for an affordable, quality classical guitar. With its solid spruce top and mahogany back and sides, it produces a rich, balanced tone that belies its budget-friendly price point.

The comfortable neck and narrower nut width make the Dean EC ideal for players with smaller hands who are still developing their technique. The high action and heavier gauge nylon strings provide the resistance needed to strengthen fingers and build skills. While more advanced players may eventually want to upgrade, this guitar offers an excellent way for new classical guitarists to get started without breaking the bank.

The Dean EC delivers tone and playability well beyond other guitars in its class. For any budding classical guitarist looking for a quality instrument to learn on and grow with, the Dean EC is an outstanding choice.

Pros

• The Dean EC BKB Classical guitar is constructed from quality materials like mahogany and spruce, which help produce a balanced and resonant sound. The combination of tonewoods provides a warm, rich tone that works well for classical guitar repertoire.

• Considering the price point, the Dean EC BKB delivers impressive sound and volume. While it may not match the projection of a high-end classical guitar, it has good sustain and dynamic range. The spruce top responds well to both aggressive and fingerstyle playing.

• The neck is smooth and comfortable thanks to its slim profile and satin finish. The action is set low but still has enough room for dynamic playing. The wider nut width makes it easy to maneuver for classical techniques like rest strokes and tremolo. Overall playability exceeds expectations for a guitar in this range.

Cons

• The Dean EC BKB Espana Classical guitar comes with rather basic hardware and electronics. While functional, the tuners, nut, and saddle may need upgrading over time as a guitarist advances in their playing. The pickup and preamp system produces an adequate plugged-in tone, but lacks the warmth and nuance of higher-end electronics. Upgrading the components down the line can get expensive. For an upper beginner or intermediate player hoping to stick with one instrument long-term, it may be worth investing in a model with higher-end appointments to avoid the need for upgrades later.