Dean Guitars is a manufacturer of musical instruments, covering everything from electric guitars, bass guitars, acoustic guitars, an bluegrass instruments such as the mandolin and banjo. Dean Guitars was created in 1977 by luthier Dean Zelinsky who began building guitars at an early age. Zelinsky thought that rock guitar design had stagnated and decided to do what he could to change things. The first Dean guitars were released in the mid-1970s and featured designs including "pointy" guitar bodies and large V-shaped headstock. These designs quickly gained popularity because of their radical look.