Reverend Musical Instruments, commonly known as Reverend Guitars, is an American manufacturer of

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...

s and

basses Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the b ...

. The company was established in 1997 in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

by noted guitar and amplifier technician Joe Naylor, a graduate of the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery. Reverend guitars are known for their combination of unorthodox construction methods,

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from the past, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. It has been argued that there is a nostalgia cycle in popular culture. Definition The term ...

design, playability and affordable price.

History

The original Reverend models had distinctive body shape made from non-traditional materials. Inspired by semi-hollow designs produced by Silvertone as well as the venerable

Gibson ES-335 The Gibson ES-335 is a semi-hollow body semi-acoustic guitar introduced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation as part of its Gibson ES Series, ES (Electric Spanish) series 1958 in music, in 1958. It has a solid maple wood block running through the cente ...

, the original models were constructed using a core of solid mahogany surrounded by acoustic chambers. A strip of molded plastic provided the frame while the front and back of the guitar was constructed of phenolic laminate sheets in a variety of colors and finishes. All American-built Reverends were identical in body shape, with various models set apart by their pickup choices and tremolos. Although Reverend guitars were initially sold in large guitar stores around the country, Joe Naylor eventually made the decision to sell all of his guitars direct through an internet website for a short time. This move was one of many major changes instituted by Naylor over the years, as Naylor tried to adapt to the changing market. A short-lived line of bass-guitars, called the Rumblefish, received excellent reviews from critics but were eventually discontinued. In 2006, all USA Reverends were to be discontinued in favor of an imported line constructed in

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

. These guitars, known initially as the Stage King series and now known as Reverend Guitars, featured solid wood bodies and a variety of shapes. The new Reverend models have been highly regarded by players for their overall quality, affordable price, and distinctive appearance. In 2007, Naylor announced that guitars formerly made of mahogany would in the future be made of korina (

Terminalia superba ''Terminalia superba'', the superb terminalia, limba, afara (UK), korina (US), frake (Africa), African limba wood, or ofram (Ghana), is a large tree in the family Combretaceae, native to tropical western Africa. It grows up to 60 m tall, with a ...

, also known as African limba) wood instead. Naylor cited more consistent guitar weight and excellent resonance as the reason for the change, which came into effect with guitars over serial number 07468. The company was bought by Ken and Penny Haas in 2010, and Joe Naylor retained his role as the designer and technical advisor. Under this arrangement, the Reverend Guitars line expanded to over 50 guitar models and more than 10 bass models. The company moved to Sylvania Township, Ohio, in 2015. Reverend Guitars bought Joe Naylor's pickup company, Railhammer Pickups, in 2017 under the same arrangement as Reverend Guitars. Railhammer Pickups holds a patent for their design: US Patent No. D737891. Reverend Guitars signature models have been created with several notable artists, including Billy Corgan, Reeves Gabrels, and Mike Watt.

Models

Reverend has over 30 models, including 10 Signature Models. The guitars are made at Mirr Music in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. Every guitar is inspected and set up at the

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

headquarters. Reverend uses their own custom pickups on each model. All of the guitars feature Reverend's distinctive and highly lauded Bass Contour Control (BCC), a knob allowing the player to control tone more finely than conventional bass/treble knobs (which Reverend guitars also include). The BCC allows the player to add more bass for a fuller, richer sound, or to subtract it, allowing for twangier tones that approximate those of vintage single-coil pickups. Bolt-on neck series * The Buckshot, features a Telecaster-style single-coil pickup at the bridge and, for added versatility in tone, a Revtron mini-humbucker pickup at the neck. The Buckshot is an extraordinarily versatile guitar noted for its ability to produce not only

Telecaster The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele (), is an electric guitar produced by Fender (company), Fender. Together with its sister model the Fender Esquire, Esquire, it was the world's first mass-produced, commercially successfulLes ...

-style twang, but also fuller, warmer tones, making it particularly suitable for country, rock, and punk music. * The Charger - a retro-styled but distinctive-looking guitar suitable for country, blues, and rock, with either clean or distorted tones. The Charger 290, featuring two Reverend P90 pickups, was a ''

Guitar Player ''Guitar Player'' was an American magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francis ...

'' magazine 'Editor's Pick', noted for its versatility and snappy attack. The Charger HB has two Reverend humbucker pickups. * The Club King, a semi-hollow guitar prized particularly for rockabilly and jazz, is available in an RT model, model with two Reverend "Revtron" mini-humbucker pickups, and a 290 model, with two Reverend P90s. * The Double Agent has a Reverend humbucker in the bridge position and P90 in the neck position, offering a unique combination of tones. * The Flatroc has two Revtron mini-humbuckers, making it particularly suitable for rockabilly. * The Jetstream, prized primarily by rock players for its big tone, is available in a 390 model, with three Reverend P90 pickups, and the HB model, with two Reverend humbuckers. For Reverend's tenth anniversary in 2007, a special Jetstream model was released in a sparkling silver finish. *The Descent baritone guitar * The Six-Gun 3 has 3 single-coil pickups, the Reverend Salnico single-coils featuring alnico 5 rod magnets, on a sleek body with a traditional tone. * The Kingbolt is the newest Reverend Bolt-on. It has a hot-rodded body with a Wilkinson Trem. It comes with either two Special-H Zebra Humbuckers, or Joe Naylor's Railhammer pickups. *In 2019, Reverend introduced the Trickshot—a single-cut guitar with T-style pickups. Set-Neck Series * The Warhawk 3 has a thicker raised center section increases body mass, while the thinner wings increase resonance. It is available in an HB or a 390 version. * The

Sensei The term "先生", read in Chinese, in Japanese, in Korean, and in Vietnamese, is an honorific used in the Sinosphere. In Japanese, the term literally means "person born before another" or "one who comes before". It is generally used ...

series are all classic double-cutaway models. Each have a pair of Reverend pickups, in a choice of Humbuckers (HB), Revtrons (Reverend's mini-Humbuckers RT), Railhammers (RA), or P-90's (290). * Reverend's vintage V-shaped guitar is called the

Volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most oft ...

. It has a raised center ridge for increased body mass and sustain. The Volcano comes with a pair of Special-H Zebra Humbuckers. There is also a flat, flame-maple version called the Volcano RA-FM. * The full-sized semi-hollow in the line is the

Manta Ray Manta rays are large Batoidea, rays belonging to the genus ''Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, ''Giant oceanic manta ray, M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, ''Reef manta ray, M. alfredi'', reac ...

. It has a 1-3/4" thick body with a solid maple flat top. It comes with a pair of Humbuckers (HB) or P-90s (290). * The Tricky Gomez is based on the Manta Ray platform, but it has mini-Humbuckers, called Revtrons, a 6-in-line headstock, and a Bigsby. The name was based on the myth of a guitar virtuoso who lived in obscurity and could never quite get his career off the ground. * The Bayonet is Reverend's newest set-neck guitar. A modernized body design that is loaded with Railhammer pickups, a pickup designed by Joe Naylor. It comes in hardtail or with a Wilkinson Trem. Signature Series * Pete Anderson has a series of signature models with Reverend Guitars. The PA-1 is a large hollow-body that has been improved with the Uni-Brace system to address the feedback issue common with hollow-body guitars. It has 2 dog-eared p-90 pickups. The PA-1 RT is the same guitar, but with Reverend's proprietary Revtron mini-Humbucker pickups. The Eastsider is on a vintage-T platform that has been chambered around the neck joint. It has a compound radious (10-14) neck. The Eastsider-T has two single-coils and a push-pull phase switch, and the Eastsider-S has three single-coils and a push-pull studio switch to achieve all the pickup combinations. *

Billy Corgan William Patrick Corgan Jr. (born March 17, 1967) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and professional wrestling promoter. He is best known as the co-founder, lead guitarist, primary songwriter, singer, and only constant member of alter ...

has a trio of signature Reverend Guitar models. Th
Billy Corgan Signature
is a chambered-korina solidbody fitted with a string-through hardtail bridge and a pair of Railhammer Billy Corgan Humcutters that blend P-90 snap with humbucker punch, all sculpted by Reverend’s Bass Contour control. Th
Billy Corgan Terz
miniaturizes the formula to a 21.5-inch scale, pairing its Korina body with a roasted-maple neck and a single bridge Humcutter for tight, high-tuned chime. The newes
Billy Corgan Z-One
swaps Korina for alder, adds deeper cutaways, and loads hotter Railhammer Z-One Humcutters with signature etching while a master blend knob lets you sweep from crystalline cleans to molten fuzz without losing punch. * The

Reeves Gabrels Reeves Gabrels (born June 4, 1956) is an American guitarist, songwriter and producer. A member of The Cure since 2012, Gabrels is also known for his work with David Bowie and Tin Machine from 1988 to 1999. He also fronts the band Reeves Gabrels ...

Signature Model 2 is loaded with Railhammers and has many features, including a push-pull phase switch. * The Gil Parris Signature 2 has the Humbucker-Single Coil-Humbucker pickup configuration. With the Bass Contour Control, the guitar is extremely versatile. *

Rick Vito Richard Francis Vito (born October 13, 1949) is an American guitarist and singer. He was part of Fleetwood Mac between 1987 and 1991. Vito took over as lead guitarist after Lindsey Buckingham left the group. He is best known for his blues and ...

's Signature is an Art Deco masterpiece with ebony fretboard, stairstep tuner buttons, pickup pan knob, and included two-tone tapered case. It has a Dual-Pro pickup, hot single coil with a second blade polepiece in addition to the standard screw polepieces in a standard Humbucker cover. * The Reverend

Ron Asheton Ronald Franklin Asheton (July 17, 1948 – Wiktionary:circa, c. January 6, 2009) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter for the rock band the Stooges. He formed the band along with Iggy Pop and his brot ...

Signature Model is based on Reverend's vintage v -- the Volcano. It has 3 P-90s, and features three lightning bolts in the upper horn. Since Asheton's passing in 2009, proceeds of the sale of this model go to the Ron Asheton Foundation. *

Mike Watt Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957) is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded and played bass guitar for the rock bands Minutemen (1980–1985), Dos (1985–present), and Firehose (1986–1994). He began a solo ca ...

Wattplower is a short-scale

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Min ...

) and a decal of a California map with a star on San Pedro on the headstock's rear.

Artists

Reverend guitars have been endorsed by several high-profile musicians over the years. Blucifer

Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter. After establishing himself in the Music of Detroit#Hip-hop, Detroit hip-hop scene, he broke through into m ...

was one of the first major-label artists to be associated with Reverends, after being photographed with a Reverend for the cover of '' The History of Rock'' (2000). * Cedric Gelin, frontman of the French band Sad and Insane, used a Charger 290 on the "Autodestructour" tour between 2014 and 2015. He will make it his main guitar on a few concerts between 2016 and 2017. *

has used Reverends on studio recordings as far back as 2000 and has been seen playing Reverends during television appearances. Corgan used Reverends exclusively on the tour supporting his solo album, ''

theFutureEmbrace ''TheFutureEmbrace'' is the debut solo album by American musician Billy Corgan, frontman of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. Released in June 2005, the album's sound was markedly different from most of Corgan's earlier work, esche ...

''. Nicole Fiorentino, former Smashing Pumpkins bassist, used Reverend basses during her time with the band (though not exclusively). *

of seminal band

The Stooges The Stooges or Iggy and the Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexande ...

used Reverends on stage for current reunion shows with the group, notable for launching the career of

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

. Reverend sells a Ron Asheton signature guitar built to his specifications. * Bassist

plays a signature "Wattplower" bass by Reverend. * Guitarist

is among the Reverend Signature Model honorees. *

Jason Isbell Michael Jason Isbell ( ; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. One of the most celebrated contemporary songwriters in his genre, his lyrics are defined by their raw emotional honesty. Isbell began his career as a me ...

, formerly of Drive By Truckers fame, often plays Reverend Guitars. * Bob Balch, of

Stoner Rock Stoner rock, also known as stoner metal or stoner doom, is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Sl ...

band

Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu ( zh, t=傅滿洲/福滿洲, p=Fú Mǎnzhōu) is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character f ...

, Played Reverends on the recording of the two latest albums, '' We Must Obey'' and '' Signs of Infinite Power''. * Pete Anderson has a series of Signature Reverends, including the PA-1, the PA-1 RT, and the Eastsider. * Guitarist for

The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...

, has a Signature Reverend. *

Dan Auerbach Daniel Quine Auerbach (; born May 14, 1979) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer, best known as the guitarist and vocalist of The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. As a member of the group, Auerbach has ...

owns a few Reverends. * Bass endorsers include:

Meshell Ndegeocello Meshell Ndegeocello ( ; born Michelle Lynn Johnson on August 29, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and bassist. She has gone by the name Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur which is used as a writing credit on some of her mid-career work. ...

and Nicole Fiorentino. * Robert "Bucket" Hingley, lead singer and guitarist of the

ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

band

The Toasters The Toasters are one of the original American Third wave ska, third wave of ska bands. Founded in New York City in 1981, the band has released nine studio albums, primarily through Moon Ska Records. History Englishman Robert Hingley relocated ...

plays a Reverend Eastsider-T and a Club King hollow body. * Greg Koch of The Koch Marshall Trio has a new signature guitar by Reverend Guitars. The Gristlemaster. * Jeremy Porter of Jeremy Porter and The Tucos out of Detroit, Michigan plays two Pete Anderson PA1 hollow-bodies, one tuned standard and the other to open Eb. He also owns a vintage Eastpointe 1998 Slingshot, primarily used for recording. * Geordie Greep of

Black Midi Black Midi (stylised as black midi) were an English Band (rock and pop), rock band from London, formed in 2017. Their most recent line-up consisted of lead vocalists and multi-instrumentalists Geordie Greep and Cameron Picton, along with drumme ...

uses a

Baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

Reverend Descent RA

List of artists endorsed

*Andy Gill (Gang Of Four) *Mike Watt (Solo, fIREHOSE, Minutemen, Secondmen, The Stooges) *Shade Balderose (Code Orange) *Kyle Shutt (The Sword) *Reeves Gabrels (The Cure, David Bowie, Tin Machine, Reeves Gabrels and His Imaginary Friends) *Meshell Ndegeocello *Pete Anderson *Rick Vito (Solo, Mick Fleetwood's Blues Band, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Seger, Jackson Browne) *Gil Parris *Ron Asheton (The Stooges) *Bob Balch (Fu Manchu) *Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins) *Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak, Flock of Dimes) *Aden Bubeck (Miranda Lambert) *Alex Stern (Big D and the Kids Table) *Amit Peled (Ramzailech, Les Rhinoceros) *Andrew Shack (Pravada) *Andy Patalan (Sponge) *Arthur Zubkov (Mi Gang) *Audley Freed (Black Crows, Cry of Love, Sheryl Crow) *Benjamin Williams (The Indigo Girls) *Bernie Williams *Bo Ramsey *Bobby Calabrese (Calabrese) *Boris Pelekh (Gogol Bordello, Hey Guy) *Brad Houser (Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians, Critter's Buggin', The Dead Kenny G's) *Brian Dowling (Crash The Calm) *Brian Rivers *Brook Graeff (Good Graeff) *Browan Lollar (St. Paul and the Broken Bones) *Cathy Richardson (Jefferson Starship) *Chris Bruce (Seal) *Chris Funk (The Decemberists) *Chris Teti (The World is a Beautiful Place and I am no Longer Afraid to Die) *Christofer Drew (NeverShoutNever) *Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music) *Connor Holzmann (Crash The Calm) *Curt Kirkwood (Meat Puppets) *Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) *Dave Smalley (Down By Law, Dag Nasty) *Deanna Belos (Sincere Engineer) *Derrick Anderson (The Bangles) *Durl Purry (Thaylo Bleu) *Elvis Kuehn (Fidlar) *Emily Estefan *Gabe Simon (Kopecky) *Gary Hooker (Brad Paisley) * Greg Koch of (The Koch Marshall Trio) *Guy Fletcher (Dire Straits) *Halston Castro (Joy) *Hannah Rose *J Navarro (Suicide Machines, Break Anchor, Hellmouth, J Navarro and the Traitors) *Jackson Smith *Jake Bonham (Dangerkids) *Jake Woodruff (Defeater) *Jeff Adams (Starship) *Jeff Schroeder (The Smashing Pumpkins) *Jermaine Jackson (The Jacksons) *Jesse Phillips (St. Paul and the Broken Bones) *Josh Canode (Convictions) *Josh Childress (The Plot in You) * Katie Harkin (Sky Larkin, Sleater-Kinney, Flock of Dimes) *Keith Lowers (20 Dead Flower Children/Corporate Avenger) *Kenny Lewis (Brad Paisley) *Kevin Hornback (Reeves Gabrels and His Imaginary Friends) *Madison Velding-VanDam (BODEGA, The Wants) *Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) *Matt West (Neck Deep) *Michael Krygier (Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas) *Mike Bray (Tenacious D) *Mike Poulin (Defeater) *Mitski *Neil Patterson (Downtown Brown) *Pat Smith (Crash The Calm) *Paul Cuddeford (Lisa Ronson, Holy Holy) *Paul Langlois (The Tragically Hip) *Richard Bennet (Mark Knopfler, Neil Diamond) *Rob Baker (The Tragically Hip) *Robert "Bucket" Hingley (The Toasters) *Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails) *Rudy Boy (The Rudy Boy Experiment) *Russell Javors (Billy Joel) *Ryan Scott Graham (Speak Low, State Champs) *Ryan Sweeney (Crash The Calm) *Ryland Dehlers (Citizen) *Sam Williams(Down By Law) *Scottie Frier (The Travelin' Kine) *Semyon Bashmakov (Mi Gang) *Sergie Loobkoff (Samiam) *Steve Amaral (The Nickel Slots, Red Star Memorial, Popgun) *Thao Nguyen (Thao and the Get Down Stay Down) *Tim "Izo" Orindgreff (The Black Eyed Peas, Fergie) *Tim Langford (Too Slim and the Taildraggers) *Tim Palmer (The Polyphonic Spree) *Tito Jackson (The Jacksons) *Tommy Koffin (Koffin Kats) *Zach Myers (Shinedown) *Kevin "The Dood" Doud (Inner Temple)

References

External links

Official website
{{Guitar brands Guitar manufacturing companies of the United States 1997 establishments in the United States