Joe Naylor's Reverend Musical Instruments has decided to avoid going head to head with the house hold guitar names in the stores, chains, and catalogs, and instead offer its products direct to the consumer through the company's Web site. Having already reviewed Reverend's Hellhound amplifier in these pages (JUL/O1), this month we decided to take a look at its newest guitar.

Creation
The Slingshot's Deco design gives it a classy retro look. The injection-molded body rim (which resembles white cloth) and lightweight (about 6.5 Ibs.), semi-hollow construction recalls a Danelectro, but closer examination reveals an instrument that more than justifies its greater expense. A composite top and back (made from wood fibers and phenolic resin) are laminated to a 6"-wide white mahogany center block, to which a small steel sustain bar is attached. Contributing to the bluesy look is a functional chrome-plated armrest.

The neck is solidly mounted with four screws, but the body heel does not come to edge on the lower cutaway side. This appears odd until you realize that it makes for easier upper-fret access. Lovers of vintage instruments should take to the Slingshot's rolled edges, medium oval back shape, and 12" fingerboard radius like a politician to pork-barrel legislation.

One advantage of ordering direct is that you can virtually assemble the instrument of your choice. We chose a Fireball Red glosstone finish, a pair of Naylor-designed P-90 style pickups, and the Revsby—the Reverend version of a Bigsby bridge. Reverend also offers a more typical trem, hum bucking pickups, and a variety of cool finishes.

Testifying
The body-mounted tremolo, employs an ABM rollerbridge. Combined with a graphite nut and Sperzel locking tuners, this setup stayed in tune better than any other bridge of this type I've encountered.

At first strum the Slingshot exhibited the in-tune overtones of a quality instrument. Played acoustically, it sounded wonderfully warm and offered plenty of sustain—uncompromised by the semi-hollow body, its materials, or the trem. Plugged in, a little more of the chambered tone was in evidence, but the guitar still rang like a solidbody—the best of both worlds.

At lower volumes through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, the singing tone was sweet and dark, but still exhibited plenty of presence. On a blues gig, played through a Reverend Drivetrain pedal into a Hellhound amplifier, the Slingshot got the full Reverend treatment. When cranked, it hollered like a backwoods preacher, and you could feel the same controllable, musical feedback potential that you might get with a 335. The neck pickup displayed plenty of bite, and the bridge pickup exhibited soapbar bark but with enough high end to easily produce those Billy "Reverend Willy G" Gibbons pinch harmonics (Reverend ... hmmm, coincidence?). Whether through pickup design or relative location, using both pickups together yielded more power and girth than usual. This, combined with the fact that they cancel hum when they are both on, allows you to play fat lead lines like the one below without any single-coil hum. This model also came equipped with a switch to throw the two pickups out of phase for that T-Bone Walker honk.

The Gospel
While there are guitars at both ends ofthe cost spectrum—from cheapo Silvertones to collectable Guilds and Gibsons—that are similar to the Slingshot, what makes this guitar special is that it offers the funky looks of the former with much of the tuning, tone, and sustain of the latter, at an affordable price in between. Though obviously a terrific instrument for roots music, the Slingshot's style and sound is becoming more and more popular in hard rock, singer/songwriter, and even hip-hop circles. This is definitely a worthy weapon for your arsenal.