Dean Guitars is an American manufacturer of guitars. It was founded in 1976 by Dean Zelinsky in Chicago, Illinois and is currently under the ownership of Armadillo Enterprises in Tampa, Florida.

Dean Guitars was founded by Dean Zelinsky in 1976, when Zelinsky was 17 years old. Oscar Medeiros gained ownership of the brand in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Armadillo Enterprises, under the leadership of Elliott Dean Rubinson then purchased the Dean trade name in 1997. Rubinson continues to run the company today and is also an active musician. He tours as bass player for the Michael Schenker Group as well as for Uli Jon Roth.

Dean is best known for their line of electric guitars that include the ML, V, Z, Cadillac, Splittail, Soltero, EVO, Custom Zone, Vendetta and Deceiver models. In 2012, Dean Guitars debuted it's 35th Anniversary Collection including reissues of the original 1977 ML, V and Z.

Dean also has many signature electric guitar models. Dean offers numerous Dimebag Darrell models, including some signature ML models and his own original shapes, the Razorback and Razorback V. Dean also has signature models for Dave Mustaine, Bret Michaels, Michael Schenker, Leslie West, Michael Angelo Batio, Michael Amott, and other artists.