Reverend has dropped a new suite of electric guitars, with a signature model for Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid chief among them.
Reid's dazzling family of signatures are augmented by another signature model for Greg Koch, and a four-strong series of flame maple top versions of familiar models.
Dubbed the Totem Series, the Living Colour guitarist's signature collection offers three very distinct finishes – The Totem, The Shaman, and The Talisman – with the collaboration first teased back in April.
They each come equipped with a trio of custom-voiced Railhammer humbucking pickups, a Floyd Rose 1000 floating bridge, and pin-lock tuners.
Those signature 'buckers are crafted for tight lows and fat highs as Reverend and Reid strive for a guitar capable of slicing through rock and funk licks alike.
The solidbody guitars are korina through-and-through, with their bodies and three-piece necks made from the lightweight wood. Those necks have been carved into soft V-profiles and capped with 12" radius ebony fingerboards and a score of vivid inlays across 22 frets.
Other features include a bass contour to tighten up the guitar's low end and create P-90 and single coil-esque tones from its humbuckers. A treble bleed control – present in all Reverend guitars – is also on hand to offer even greater EQ customization.
Its unique array of finishes – said to be thinner than on normal guitars to help with reverberation – was initially created by AI. Prompts took inspiration from psychologist Carl Jung's Collective Unconscious Theory, author Joseph Campbell's book, The Hero's Journey, and artwork by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Romare Beardon. Reverend’s in-house designer, Joe Naylor, then gave them his personal touch.
“While visually stunning, these instruments are also refined tools of the trade,” says Reverend. “The recipe of korina, ebony, and Railhammer pickups, coupled with the sheer metallic mass of the Floyd Rose, serves up a tone best described as punchy. The Reverend Vernon Reid Signature Totem Series guitars are genuinely collectible art pieces that sound and play as amazing as they look.”
The Reverend Vernon Reid Signature Series is available now, with guitars priced at $1,999.
Greg Koch is no stranger to Reverend signatures, having previously served up two T-type models, including one stocked with P-90 pickups and a Bigsby vibrato for an atypical Telecaster design.
This time, he's turned his attention to a Strat-alike with the Greg Koch Signature Gristle ST.
Described as a “resonant and responsive reimagined classic infused with Greg Koch’s unique vision,” there's a hidden chamber beneath its Carbonita-esque pickguard to add greater punch to its tonal grit. Three single-coil Fishman pickups and a Wilkinson VS100N tremolo offer premium appointments, with the former said to “boast extra clarity and treble shimmer” and a hum-free operation.
Koch has deviated from an all-korina construction by pairing the guitar's korina body with a roasted maple neck and fretboard, which too has 22 frets.
Elsewhere, it offers three control knobs, for Volume, Blend, and Tone, a five-way switch, and pin-lock tuners.
Priced at $1,799, it comes in a trifecta of colorways: Three-Tone Burst, Avocado Burst, and Blucifier.
Last but not least is Reverend’s new Flame Maple series, which comprises four different solidbody electrics.
Those classy flame maple tops cap korina bodies for “a striking fusion of elegance and performance,” offering new takes on the company's Charger, Roundhouse, Sensei, and Kingbolt models.
They all come with Railhammer pickups, ebony fretboards, and gold hardware, with the Kingbolt RA standing out with its Floyd Rose tremolo. That is perhaps a nod to the Totem Series and a hint that more Floyd Rose-equipped Reverends will be coming soon.
No price has been mentioned as of yet for any of these models.
Head to Reverend to learn more about its new guitars.
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