Praise the Loud!
by Mike Bieber
Maximum Guitar Magazine
Product Reviews: Reverend Rocco, Avenger & Blackcat Guitars

I knew something was up when the crazy, blue-haired birdie downstairs started in with her broomstick-and-ceiling routine, and I wasn't even plugged in. It then occurred to me that these here Reverend guitars are really loud unplugged.

Strange coincidence that the rather audible, Art Deco-meets '57 Chevy Bel Air tail-fin-reminiscent Reverend guitars are designed by Joe Naylor, who is also the brains behind those loud Naylor guitar amps and loud Naylor loudspeakers. After parting ways with the company that bears his name, Joe recently started Reverend with the not-so-unusual goal of building "affordable guitars that sound as good or better than vintage ones." And the Reverend guitars are definitely in the "affordable" range, currently priced from $859 to $899 (Or slightly more, depending on options). With regard to sound, playability and Naylor's lofty quest of something "as good or better than vintage" well read on, brothuhs and sistuhs.

The Reverend's unmitigated resonance while unplugged is largely (if not entirely) the result of a semi-hollow body comprised of a wood-based phenolic (which is sorta like formica) top and back that are laminated to molded sides and a mahogany center block with a steel "sustain bar" bonded to it.

Right out of the box, the Reverend's defining characteristics--a simultaneous booming and crisp, sparkly voice, and a lingering sustain that keeps coming back for more--were immediately apparent. The sonics are nicely complemented by the Reverend's better-than-average playability, thanks largely to a 25 1/2 inch bolt-on maple neck with a 22-fret rosewood fingerboard, jumbo frets and a nice club-like (my fave) shape. The action was quite low, and the guitars aforementioned sustain seemed infinite regardless of how far you bent a string. And while the fretboard has some of the new guitar "stickiness," most noticeable when you bend strings, the Reverend is nevertheless enjoyable to play-especially chords-gotta love those chords!

Joe Naylor sent us three models to review--all quite similar except for electronics and an adjustable chrome armrest available on the two more expensive models. The Blackcat is a two-pickup design (an overwound single-coil and a hot humbucker), and is considered the low-end, "stripped down" version of the line; the Avenger is (electronically) Strat-inspired, and uses overwound single-coil pickups; and the Rocco uses two humbuckers with coil-tap switches for each. All guitars come stock with sealed die-cast tuners and fixed bridges, as well as volume pots that use a capacitor and resistor network for tone del maximo at lower volumes.

Plugging in, The Reverends (believe it or not) actually drowned out my Marshall at bedroom levels--they're that loud acoustically. So, in order to truly get a sense of the guitar's electric tones without having another run-in with my downstairs friend, it's off to the rehearsal pad. Using a stock 50-watt master-volume Marshall half-stack, the Rocco revealed itself to be an absolutely gorgeous-sounding guitar--warm and midrangy but with the perfect amount of upper-end shimmer and jangly sparkle. Open-string chord voicings yield a nice harmonic complexity as well, and single-line players will love the Rocco's ability to sing like there's no tomorrow. Using the coil-tap switches will open additional (a total of eight) tonal varieties. So, while perhaps not as fat as a Les Paul imitation, and not bright enough to be Fenderesque, let's just say that the Rocco has a defined, aggressive tone all its own.

Next up, the Avenger and it's three single-coil array which, of course, opens up all comparisons to a you-know-what. And of course, the Avenger can do the Strat thing. It serves up much of the same harmonic quotient and can-depending on pickup settings-cover the Strat bases, ranging from fat and chunky front-pickup tones to bright, ballsy and twangy in the lead position. But the Avenger's midrange warmth-endemic of the entire Reverend line-is a far cry from the overt treble of my reference Strats. Also, with its hotter, considerably less noisy pickups, the Avenger simply feels more refined. It can nevertheless kick it out , and then some-great for blues and rock and whatever else (techno'?).

Thrashers, however, may want to consider the Blackcat, which sounds much like its brethren but with a considerably hotter pickup, which drove the Marshall into the ear-splitting tone. All bow down and pray for mercy: here comes the Reverend!

Reverend notes: The Blackcat has been replaced by the Commando, which has a coil tap for the humbucker, a tone control, and a chrome armrest. See price list for details.

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