Is it a good trade? Hope so.
Dean MLX is a Lovely Art Object
Even my almost 5 year old grandson agrees.
“Opa, that guitar looks pretty.” – Grandson
He is absolutely correct. The Dean MLX is both pretty and unique.
Unfortunately I rarely play it. Its shape feels awkward to me and I still haven’t perfectly figured out its tone controls.
Looking to Trade the Dean MLX for a Telecaster
In late July, 2025, I thought, I wonder if anyone would trade me something for my Dean MLX. I especially would like a better telecaster. So I looked on Facebook Marketplace and searched for the phrase “guitar trade”. This picture listing in Chicagoland popped up.
Well I wanted a telecaster so I dug deeper into the ad. More pics below.
So very clearly, this seller wanted a Dean ML. He also was offering a Cort 5 string bass. I have always wanted such a bass. I owned the Dean MLX so I sent a message to the owner/seller proposing a trade: my guitar for one bass and one guitar.
Liam Wants To Trade for my Dean MLX
I sent Liam on Facebook a photo of the Dean MLX and he wanted to trade. If you’re into heavy metal, this Dean is a good place to start.
Liam and I made arrangements to trade at a Starbucks near 80th and Cicero (Chicagoland) in about 10 days (he was on vacation).
Meeting in a Starbucks to make a Facebook Guitar/Bass Trade
We met at a Starbucks in the south Chicago suburbs. Dependable safe space, electrical outlets, nobody bothers you if you play your guitar with headphones.
Liam Loved the Dean MLX
It took Liam less than 10 seconds to fall in love with the Dean MLX.
This was the Dean MLX that my house contractor gave me for free. Dusty, broken string, wires dangling from a missing guitar jack hole. Here’s a link to the free Dean MLX story on my website.
$125 in parts and labor by my guitar guy Paul G. and the Dean MLX was as good as new. Built in I believe 2009 in China.
I liked the sound of the Dean MLX but I never fell in love with the shape of the Dean MLX. But Chicago southside Liam loved the Dean MLX the first moment he held it. Wow.
Richard Liked the Cort Action DLX V Plus
Liam handed me the Cort Action DLX V Plus to play.
Wow, this thing is light for a bass. – Shoshin Guitarist.
I would later learn the Cort weighed only 6.8 pounds. That’s 2.4 pounds lighter than my Deltatone bass guitar. This old guy was delighted with a lighter bass.
And oh my goodness, the Cort Action DLX V Plus was pretty (on Facebook ad) with a cherry sunburst top. See below.
I didn’t notice the knick on the left side immediately. Liam, an honest seller, declared the nick on the finish. Not a horrible nick, but not good. See the scarry close-up shown below.
But in person, the nick was 2 inches long and not as bad as originally thought. My guitar guy Paul G. already said he could fix the small gash for a reasonable price ($50).
I played the Cort bass with headphones on my Orange 12 amp. It sounded OK. How much can you test a bass with headphones?
I could not test the on-board pre-amp because there was no battery available for the pre-amp. But I hoped that there would be no problems with the pre-amp later on. (I was correct, no problems later).
Richard “Tolerated” the Squier Sonic Telecaster (2024)
Liam, if you are reading this, don’t be offended 🙂
The Squier Sonic tele, although almost brand new and hardly played, felt like average workmanship at best.
Almost all of my electric guitars felt better to me than holding a Squier Sonic tele for the first time. I wanted to like it, but my heart wasn’t in it.
SOUND TEST: The Squier Sonic Telecaster, with headphones, had a strange sounding low E. Buzzing? Something not quite right. And I was disappointed in the low output of the neck pick up. I had hoped I would be a little impressed with the Sonic pickups. After all, the same pickups are used in the 2024 Squier Affinity Telecaster.
So I knew my guitar guy would need to fix or do a setup on this Squier of marginal quality. Looked great, but it sure didn’t feel or sound great.
I tried to hide my Squier Sonic tele disappointment from young Liam (a very nice young man).
Was the Dean MLX for Squire tele and Cort Bass a Good Trade?
Yes, it was.
Liam got the Dean guitar he wanted. Not quite a Dean ML, but certainly a Dean MLX for playing or upgrades.
Richard traded in a little used guitar (Dean MLX) and received a working guitar and bass.
My $250 in value (Dean MLX) probably netted $350 in value (Squier tele and Cort Action DLX V Plus bass guitar). But more importantly I received a bass I really liked and a Squier tele I could hopefully improve with a good guitar technician.
But since I will put $100 into the Cort Action DLX V Plus bass for repairs and minor set-up, let’s call the trade a financial “0” net gain. That’s fine with me.
Good Facebook Trades aren’t just About Money
So it’s not just about money.
Liam acquired the Dean MLX he wanted. I acquired a pretty, light, 5 string Cort bass and a Squier Sonic tele.
So I think this was a good trade, a fair trade, between a 19 year old guitarist and a 74 year old retiree (me). That’s what I love about guitars and basses. You get to meet and to like people you would never normally meet in your life.
Cool, isn’t it?
Thanks for Visiting Shoshin Guitarist Today
In the early days of a website, there are often very few visitors.
So thanks for visiting my website. Shoshin is a Japanese word that means “beginner’s mind”. It’s approaching every day of guitar and bass with an eagerness to learn, just like a beginner.
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