Rhapsody “B-Stock”? 12-String Basses

In 2012 a handful of Rhapsody 12-string basses were sold on eBay that had a different look to the finish than previous Rhapsody 12’s. Rather than the finish being consistent across the body of the basses, these 12’s have a black painted border to give them a burst finish effect.

The seller stated he thought these were B-stock basses, meaning they were brand new instruments that had some factory flaws. Given that these appeared in 2012 and many 12’s with 2012 serial numbers exist, it seems more likely that these were the first sample 12’s built by a new Korean supplier and the finish was rejected by Dean in favor of their standard transparent black finish.