Reverend Warhawk HB electric guitar by Emile Menasche - Guitar World Magazine
GUITAR COMPANIES HAVE long known that "hot-rod American
designs" plus "overseas manufacturing efficiencies"
equals "cool and affordable stuff." Reverend delivers
a nice example of that equation in the latest member of its Stage
King line, the humbucker-equipped Warhawk HB hard tail (tremolo
and single-coil versions are also available). This ax oozes vibe
and tone and costs less than a month's worth of premium unleaded.
Features
At first look, the Korean-built Warhawk seems pretty basic: a
solid mahogany body mated to a bolton maple neck with a 25 1/2-scale,
22-fret rosewood fingerboard. But there's more here than meets
the eye. In addition to its sleekly rounded lines (which allow
for excellent upper-fret access), the body's middle is thicker
than its sides, a design intended to increase resonance, clarity
and sustain.
Hardware includes a stop tailpiece, Tune-O-Matic style bridge
and Wilkinson EZ-Lock tuners with staggered heights, mounted on
a black-lacquered reverse headstock (more on this later). Action
is low and fast, and the neck's 12-inch radius makes for easy
bending. Overall, it's a pleasure to play.
Performance
The Reverend's natural unplugged tone is dynamic, and its pickups
far outshine typical import electronics. The specially calibrated
humbuckers—a slighty hotter bridge and a somewhat cleaner
neck pickup—are hot enough to rock but are also capable of
real sensitivity. Controls include a three-way switch, master
volume, tone and a very effective bass-cut, which lets you dial
in single-coil clarity without sounding like you're playing a
gutless split-coil. This hawk will sing for you, whether your
tonal vocabulary is clean or dirty.
While I'm thankful we're past the days of conservative-looking
cookiecutter guitars, I'm not a fan of the Warhawk's reverse headstock.
Like the raised body center, it's a nod to the Gibson Firebird,
but it makes tuning a chore. That aside, it does look cool, although
I'm not convinced this makes up for the trade-off in tuning difficulty.
The Bottom Line
The Warhawk HB hard tail has distinctive looks, versatile controls
and great sounds ranging from clean to dirty. The bass-cut pot
is a real plus, given this guitar's attractive low street price.
PRO:
Playable, stylish, excellent tone, bass-cut control offers
single-coil-like detail.
