Currently unavailable.
We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.

Dean Boca 12-String Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar, Classic Black

3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 30 ratings
Currently unavailable.
We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.
Brand Dean Guitars
Color Classic Black
Top Material Type Rosewood, Mahogany Wood
Body Material Mahogany
Back Material Type Rosewood, Mahogany Wood
Neck Material Type Maple
Fretboard Material Type Rosewood
Guitar Pickup Configuration H
Hand Orientation Right
Guitar Bridge System Adjustable

About this item

  • Mahogany Top
  • Bolt-On Neck
  • Rosewood Fingerboard
  • Chrome Hardware
  • Mahogany Body
  • Semi-hollowbody with arched top
  • Dual humbuckers
› See more product details

Looking for specific info?

Customer reviews

3.6 out of 5 stars
30 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the guitar well-made and easy to play. They praise its good sound quality, balance, and value for money.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
Build qualitySound qualityToneValue for money
4 customers mention "Build quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the guitar's build quality. They say it's well-made and worth the price.

"...In sum, then, nice guitar, worth the price." Read more

"Love this guitar. Can't put it down. No complaints. Easy to tune and it stays in tune. Great for playing Byrds, Beatles, Eagles and of course Petty...." Read more

"A very well made, good sounding guitar. It's not a Rickenbacker but comes darn close and nails it with the proper EQ/effects...." Read more

"Great Value, Lovely Instrument..." Read more

3 customers mention "Sound quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers like the guitar's sound quality. They say it's effortless to play and sounds amazing.

"...I really like how the fingerboard feels, and I like how the guitar sounds unamplified...." Read more

"...string before and it's still almost effortless to play, and it sounds Amazeballs. But that's just me though...." Read more

"A very well made, good sounding guitar. It's not a Rickenbacker but comes darn close and nails it with the proper EQ/effects...." Read more

3 customers mention "Tone"3 positive0 negative

Customers like the tone of the guitar. It's easy to tune and stays in tune. They also mention it balances nicely while standing while playing.

"...Stays in tune very well. It's now my go-to guitar. The value for the price is phenomenal...." Read more

"...Can't put it down. No complaints. Easy to tune and it stays in tune. Great for playing Byrds, Beatles, Eagles and of course Petty...." Read more

"...if I secured the strap at the head, like an acoustic guitar, it balances nicely now while I stand and play. I recommend this guitar...." Read more

3 customers mention "Value for money"3 positive0 negative

Customers like the guitar's value for money. They say it's a nice guitar worth the price.

"...Stays in tune very well. It's now my go-to guitar. The value for the price is phenomenal...." Read more

"...but tuning errors drive me crazy, and I think this guitar is worth the money and effort...." Read more

"...I recommend this guitar.Great deal for the price. And, oh yeah, I ordered it from Amazon Warehouse...." Read more

Great 12 String Guitar For Its Price
3 out of 5 stars
Great 12 String Guitar For Its Price
I only received the guitar a week ago and didn't have a chance to spend some substantial time with it yet.Out of the box it was out of tune. Not that I expected to find it in tune but I read several other reviews for this and other guitars, here and elsewhere how the guitar just received was in tune, ready to play.The neck relief and 12th fret action seem to be OK. So seems to be the action at the nut.I did a quick tune up and played it shortly. The unplugged sound is pretty good. Plugged in, it sounds good but nothing out of the ordinary.There is a little buzzing but I think that comes from the bridge, from the infamous ABR-1 retainer spring wire. I'll need to investigate that more.The neck feels very good. It is wider than on 6 string guitars but that's a positive, at least for me and my fat fingers. I do have to get used to it though. But in the end I prefer this width for a 12 string.The Grover tuners feel good and operate smoothly.The fretboard is much darker than what is shown in the pictures. That's another good thing as I will not have to ebonize it now.The frets could have been better polished. They look polished but feel a little rough when bending. I will address this when I go thru the full setup.Now for the "not so good" part. The neckplate has a smudge that I tried to clean up and I can't. It is probably some dried up glue of polyurethane that was used for the finish. I tried scraping it with my fingernail and it looks like very little came off. I don't want to use anything harder to scrape so I do not damage the chrome plating. I contacted Dean. Maybe they can suggest something to help remove this smudge or maybe they'll send a replacement neckplate. Interestingly, a couple of the tuner buttons seems to have the same kind of smudge but much smaller.While the black finish on the back and sides appears good, on the front there are some fine abrasion marks between the bridge and the upper F-hole. They are barely visible when looking at the guitar from a certain angle. I don't think it will be a problem with a good polish, such as Player's Kit Guitar Polish and Scratch Remover by Eternashine.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • S. Wussow
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Value, Lovely Instrument
    Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    We could not be more pleased with this guitar! It is so easy to play - softer touch than an acoustic steel string, yet not so "wiggly" as a regular electric. Stays in tune very well. It's now my go-to guitar. The value for the price is phenomenal. We were a little concerned about ordering without trying it first, but our fears were completely unfounded.

    We were so impressed with it that we ordered a Dean Electric-Acoustic bass.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Tim Mooney
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very nice guitar with some flaws that can be fixed
    Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I like this guitar. I mostly play it without amplification. It's easily loud enough to practice that way. I really like how the fingerboard feels, and I like how the guitar sounds unamplified. It is heavy, and also top heavy, as others have mentioned, but I'm ok with that. I noticed a comment here about how it won't stay in tune, but I haven't had that problem, though I have had other tuning problems.

    This guitar comes with a bridge that applies the same compensation to a string and its octave, so you have to split the difference. If you play much past the 5th fret, the strings with octaves aren't going to be in tune with each other. So I replaced the bridge with an "ABM 12-String Tunematic" from allparts.com. [Amazon deleted my link, maybe because it was to a site other than amazon.com. It's "www dot allparts dot com slash GB-2580-010-ABM-2412-C-12-String-Tunematic_p_1643 dot html". Sheesh, Amazon!] I felt sort of stupid spending almost half the guitar's cost on a replacement bridge, but tuning errors drive me crazy, and I think this guitar is worth the money and effort. I had to drill out the mounting holes in the Tunematic, and then file them to get the bridge to sit in just the right spot, but now all 12 strings are in tune from the second fret all the way up the neck.

    Another problem for me is that the nut is cut too high, so the first fret is a little out of tune, because you stretch the string when you press it down. I plan to cut the nut grooves a little deeper, and maybe compensate the nut as well, but for now I just put a capo on the second fret and avoid that whole problem.

    There is also the problem that if you press the wound strings down really hard against the fingerboard, they go as much as 30 cents sharper than if you press them just hard enough to meet the fret. 30 cents is just way out of tune. All guitars have this problem to some extent, of course, but it's more of a problem for me on this one, maybe because the frets are taller than those on my other 12 string (Martin D12-20), or maybe because of the strings I'm using (.008-.040 Slinky's). Probably I'll get an aggressive fret job done someday, but for now I'm just trying not to mash the strings down harder than necessary.

    In sum, then, nice guitar, worth the price.
    5 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Ankur
    5.0 out of 5 stars I'm a huge fan of this guitar.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I absolutely love this guitar!!! I've never played a 12 string before and it's still almost effortless to play, and it sounds Amazeballs. But that's just me though. I have mostly played it acoustic, but I am also a fan of the pickup settings. They provide a great range, even more so than an epiphone LP that I've played, and if you're writing your own music or not super interested in matching the exact sounds, you probably don't even need a processor. I will caution though that it does take a while to tune, and doesn't stay in tune for a whole lot of time but come on it's a 12 string, what do you expect? Oh and it came with a gorgeous sticker :)
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • George H
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great guitar.
    Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Love this guitar. Can't put it down. No complaints. Easy to tune and it stays in tune. Great for playing Byrds, Beatles, Eagles and of course Petty. Total Music Source scores again. Get this guitar!
    Helpful
     Report
  • real talk
    5.0 out of 5 stars play baby play
    Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    this guitar is as good as my les paul and my ricky...ordered a 2nd one sure to be a classic....
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Fuzzy John
    3.0 out of 5 stars Great 12 String Guitar For Its Price
    Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2015
    I only received the guitar a week ago and didn't have a chance to spend some substantial time with it yet.
    Out of the box it was out of tune. Not that I expected to find it in tune but I read several other reviews for this and other guitars, here and elsewhere how the guitar just received was in tune, ready to play.
    The neck relief and 12th fret action seem to be OK. So seems to be the action at the nut.
    I did a quick tune up and played it shortly. The unplugged sound is pretty good. Plugged in, it sounds good but nothing out of the ordinary.
    There is a little buzzing but I think that comes from the bridge, from the infamous ABR-1 retainer spring wire. I'll need to investigate that more.
    The neck feels very good. It is wider than on 6 string guitars but that's a positive, at least for me and my fat fingers. I do have to get used to it though. But in the end I prefer this width for a 12 string.
    The Grover tuners feel good and operate smoothly.
    The fretboard is much darker than what is shown in the pictures. That's another good thing as I will not have to ebonize it now.
    The frets could have been better polished. They look polished but feel a little rough when bending. I will address this when I go thru the full setup.
    Now for the "not so good" part. The neckplate has a smudge that I tried to clean up and I can't. It is probably some dried up glue of polyurethane that was used for the finish. I tried scraping it with my fingernail and it looks like very little came off. I don't want to use anything harder to scrape so I do not damage the chrome plating. I contacted Dean. Maybe they can suggest something to help remove this smudge or maybe they'll send a replacement neckplate. Interestingly, a couple of the tuner buttons seems to have the same kind of smudge but much smaller.
    While the black finish on the back and sides appears good, on the front there are some fine abrasion marks between the bridge and the upper F-hole. They are barely visible when looking at the guitar from a certain angle. I don't think it will be a problem with a good polish, such as Player's Kit Guitar Polish and Scratch Remover by Eternashine.
    Customer image
    Fuzzy John
    3.0 out of 5 stars Great 12 String Guitar For Its Price
    Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2015
    I only received the guitar a week ago and didn't have a chance to spend some substantial time with it yet.
    Out of the box it was out of tune. Not that I expected to find it in tune but I read several other reviews for this and other guitars, here and elsewhere how the guitar just received was in tune, ready to play.
    The neck relief and 12th fret action seem to be OK. So seems to be the action at the nut.
    I did a quick tune up and played it shortly. The unplugged sound is pretty good. Plugged in, it sounds good but nothing out of the ordinary.
    There is a little buzzing but I think that comes from the bridge, from the infamous ABR-1 retainer spring wire. I'll need to investigate that more.
    The neck feels very good. It is wider than on 6 string guitars but that's a positive, at least for me and my fat fingers. I do have to get used to it though. But in the end I prefer this width for a 12 string.
    The Grover tuners feel good and operate smoothly.
    The fretboard is much darker than what is shown in the pictures. That's another good thing as I will not have to ebonize it now.
    The frets could have been better polished. They look polished but feel a little rough when bending. I will address this when I go thru the full setup.
    Now for the "not so good" part. The neckplate has a smudge that I tried to clean up and I can't. It is probably some dried up glue of polyurethane that was used for the finish. I tried scraping it with my fingernail and it looks like very little came off. I don't want to use anything harder to scrape so I do not damage the chrome plating. I contacted Dean. Maybe they can suggest something to help remove this smudge or maybe they'll send a replacement neckplate. Interestingly, a couple of the tuner buttons seems to have the same kind of smudge but much smaller.
    While the black finish on the back and sides appears good, on the front there are some fine abrasion marks between the bridge and the upper F-hole. They are barely visible when looking at the guitar from a certain angle. I don't think it will be a problem with a good polish, such as Player's Kit Guitar Polish and Scratch Remover by Eternashine.
    Images in this review
    Customer image
    Customer image
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • robert lerma
    2.0 out of 5 stars this is not going to satisfy the 12 string sound you want!!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2019
    this dean boca 12 does not have the sound I wanted! I am playing it through a fender twin and it does not perform! such a shame! but it does record ok on a single note basis! if you think you will get the sound of a Ric it will not happen!
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Catfishman
    5.0 out of 5 stars What a deal.
    Reviewed in Canada on October 21, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    For a little over $400, this guitar is an amazing deal. After failing to find an electric 12 string in every music store in my town (except for 1 rick that cost more than my car!) I decided to take the chance on an online purchase. The guitar arrived within a couple of days and after lowering the action (which I do on every guitar I buy) and tuning up was pleasantly surprised by the nice bright tone of this guitar. Fit and finish are good for the price. I would recommend moving the strap pin to the back of the guitar - it balances better - the semi hollow body makes the neck feel very heavy with the 12 tuning keys.
    Report
  • Kootenay Joe
    4.0 out of 5 stars Cheap and workable. Good deal.
    Reviewed in Canada on December 7, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I bought this when the price went down to $378. Given the free shipping and Canadian dollar pricing there was no way to beat that deal. No local stores carry 12-string electrics either. After I ordered it the price went way up so I feel good about that.

    Arrived in 5 days with pretty sketchy packaging and some serious dents in the double boxes. Almost no protection really and a big dent in the box just over the bridge of the guitar.

    Left it to warm up for a day and then opened it. Very nice looking guitar - better than the pictures. Often the case for black finished guitars.

    Strings seemed to be just about off the fretboard on the low E-string side down by the neck pickup. Not centered correctly on the pickup pole pieces. To all appearances the bridge was placed off center. Luckily I've seen this before with bolt-on necks. It just means that the neck has shifted in the pocket so the headstock has moved to the right relative to the bridge. It looks dramatic, but it isn't a big deal. I slacked off all the strings (it was delivered with them pretty detuned), then removed and replaced the neck bolts one by one soaping the threads (to make the next step easier). Then I loosened up all the bolts, grabbed the neck and pushed it to the side. When the strings looked centered I held it tight (hardest part) and drove the screws back in.

    The result: perfect string placement on the neck and over the pickups.

    I put some graphite lubrication on the bridge and nut slots and tuned it up. It tuned quite easily after I got the hang of all the tuners and which string they belonged to. Very light gauge strings. Much lighter than I would have tried myself, but after playing it I think they are a perfect match for this guitar (and the nut seems to be cut to fit them almost exactly).

    Very nice low action and quite good around the first 3 frets (unusual for a cheap guitar with factory nut). Frets were good. Not super polished, but just fine for any use. No buzzing. Intonation was perfect for the non-octave strings and predictably not so for the octave strings. No surprises there. That's what you get with a 6-string style bridge. Just gives a nice chorus-like sound after the 5th fret and only becomes cringe-worthy around the 14th. I may replace the bridge a year or so down the road, but there's no immediate need to.

    Nice wide neck. Really important (at least to me) on a 12-string. More like an acoustic 12-string in width. Neck profile itself is a shallow C which I don't really love, but I'm fine with it. Any other profile and it would be even more neck-heavy. Which brings me to the one design flaw. It is just plain old unbalanced and neck heavy. The "mini" semi-hollow body design doesn't give the body enough weight or leverage arm on the upper horn to counter the headstock with all those nice (but heavy) grover tuners. Shifting the strap bolt to the heel of the neck like a Gibson SG might help, but the neck pocket heel is tapered (for that all important 21st fret access on a 12 string :-) ) and gives very little room for drilling a neck bolt hole. Now that I've tightened the neck bolts I'll likely just hang the strap like on an acoustic guitar (tied to the headstock) like another reviewer suggested.

    So the balance is horrible, but it is playable.

    Pickups are overpowered and a bit muddy. Basically stock 6 string cheap rock guitar pickups. Great for a cheap 6 string used primarily for distorted rock - not so good for electric 12 string. I just lowered them way down and balanced them front to back so the middle switch position sounded good. I've got lots of spare pickups to try in this guitar, but I'm not in a hurry to do so. It sounds fine this way for now.

    I've been playing it for several days and it has held its tuning quite well.

    All in all a really good deal for a very functional electric 12 string. As long as you are prepared to set it up and deal with any minor problems yourself (or pay to have it done). You can't expect something at this price range to have an actual professional setup. As long as it has been constructed well enough to start with (and it was), you can use the built-in adjustments to get it playing nicely. I suspect some of the reviewers discussing tuning issues could have benefited by checking and tightening the neck bolts. Its something to expect with a cheap bolt-on neck guitar and exactly why bolt-on necks are such a good idea on cheap guitars.

    I got a great deal and I'm very happy with it. After a bit of setup out of the box it is a perfectly usable instrument with no modifications. As an inexpensive platform for future modifications it is fine as you're starting with something well built and workable.
    Report
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guitar for the price
    Reviewed in Canada on October 12, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    It was on sale the day I bought it. Excellent guitar for the price.
    Scratches the 12 string , arch top and semi hollow itch in one package

    Not a lot of padding in the package
    Report
  • Mikey Gorley
    5.0 out of 5 stars I am impressed by Dean Guitars.
    Reviewed in Canada on May 21, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I have to agree with the comments from other buyers . It is heavy top end with a light body but quality at this price for a 12 string Guitar is amazing . I own a Yamaha Acoustic Guitar and the Dean Boca Guitar did impress me the for quality at this price. It sounds great for a budget entry level Guitar. I took notes on the Tunematic bridge for 12 strings. thanks for the info it is greatly appreciated .
    Report
  • Grace Jackson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Happy husband
    Reviewed in Canada on November 7, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Beautifully made and husband loves it
    Report