# Picked up a Reverend Charger 290



## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Pretty damn cool guitar. Chambered Mahogony body with a Spruce top, and a fairly chunky C neck. Reverend P-90's, and their "Bass contour' control which is tough to explain, but gives you some cool tone options.

Now onto the tone. The P-90's are sort of somewhere between Gibson P-90's and a single coil Strat tone. So not as hot as some P-90's. The style of the body lends something to that sound as well I am sure.

The Les Trem is pretty cool. It's one thing I was a little worried about when I got it as an option. They list it as an upgrade to a Bigsby on their site though and I would have to agree with that. It's got a really smooth action. Plus you can switch it out with the normal hard bridge anytime.

An extremely versatile and unique sounding (and looking) guitar.


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## -TJ- (Aug 28, 2006)

Congrats, thats a very cool looking guitar. Still has vintage styling but a unique vibe as well. Can you tell me more about those trems? I'm mostly interested in stability, and profile (ie could I close my gibson HSC if I put one on my les paul or sg?)... how easy is it to swap back and forth etc. I wouldnt be divebombing with one, just some tastefull chet atkins warbles every now and then.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I play a lot of Surf, and some Duanne Eddy and stuff. The Les Trem is perfect for that kind of stuff. I personally find it feels more stable and has a better action than Bigsby's I have played.

Unfortunately I don't have a hard case here to put the guitar in (I ordered a gig bag) to test out how it fits. But it appears to me with the bar turned sideways that the profile is fairly low. I THINK the roller bar or bridge setup on a Bigsby would stick up higher then the Les Trem would.

I took a closer look, and the mod does leave 1 screw hole. But, I don't know if that screw HAS to put in or not. It sits right under the spring.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I've been curious about the Reverends. This is the one that has caught my eye.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Ya the Jetstream is pretty nice. The Flatroc's with the Filtrons in them are pretty cool looking too. It was really hard to decide on just one.


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## dolphinstreet (Sep 11, 2006)

Reverend make cool instruments. I had a Rocco for a while and it was a cool looking guitar too. I have a Reverend Hellhound amp that is fantastic. 

That Charger 290 looks so sweet! How do you like the neck? I hope any dealers in Canada get smart enough to take on some Reverend guitars!


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I have always been interested in the Reverend amps, but they are pretty tough to find now.

I find the neck on the Charger perfect. I like necks to be a little chunky, and this one is a fairly chunky C profile.


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...the coolest thing about that trem bridge is that you can adjust the length of the arm. that could lead to some interesting playing techniques.

i wish these guitars were available in canada - i've been intrigued by them for years.

-dh


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## elindso (Aug 29, 2006)

torndownunit said:


> I have always been interested in the Reverend amps, but they are pretty tough to find now.
> 
> I find the neck on the Charger perfect. I like necks to be a little chunky, and this one is a fairly chunky C profile.


They stopped making the amps.

You can find them on the net. Elderley Inst. had a couple a while ago.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

dolphinstreet said:


> I hope any dealers in Canada get smart enough to take on some Reverend guitars!


I think I actually prefer ordering them from Reverend. They set the guitar up to your specs with what string guage you want. You can get what options you want. They are great to deal with.

Here is the really odd thing about this purchase though. They only ship with UPS so I thought I was going to get nailed as usual for thier ridiculous fees. I didn't pay tax, duty, or a UPS brokerage fee on the guitar. I was in shock when they delivered it and nothing was owing.


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## rollingdam (May 11, 2006)

Nice guitars but a shame all made in Korea now


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

rollingdam said:


> Nice guitars but a shame all made in Korea now


IT was a 'Have to stay in business' decision.


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

torndownunit said:


> Here is the really odd thing about this purchase though. They only ship with UPS so I thought I was going to get nailed as usual for thier ridiculous fees. I didn't pay tax, duty, or a UPS brokerage fee on the guitar. I was in shock when they delivered it and nothing was owing.


...gotta love that!

-dh


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Robert1950 said:


> IT was a 'Have to stay in business' decision.


Also it's not like they just order them, and ship em out with out looking at them like some other companies. They inspect and set up all the guitars before mailing. And they seem totally happy with the quality of the instruments, as am I.


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## elindso (Aug 29, 2006)

torndownunit said:


> Also it's not like they just order them, and ship em out with out looking at them like some other companies. They inspect and set up all the guitars before mailing. And they seem totally happy with the quality of the instruments, as am I.


Koreans have to eat. It's too bad we can't compete. We can't though.


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## SCREEM (Feb 2, 2006)

nothing wrong with my MIK parker pm20, although I upgraded all the hardware and pups, the fit finish and build quality is up there with my other guitars and happens to be my most resonant guitar, also the loudest unplugged at a third of the price or more


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

IMO, there is something wrong with MIK/MIC instruments though when the companies perform little or no quality control before shipping them out. Which unfortunately is what most companies, especially the larger ones, seem to do. But it can be done right. Ibanez has great quality control, and as mentioned Reverend sets the guitars up to your specs before mailing them out.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

torndownunit said:


> IMO, there is something wrong with MIK/MIC instruments though when the companies perform little or no quality control before shipping them out. Which unfortunately is what most companies, especially the larger ones, seem to do. But it can be done right. Ibanez has great quality control, and as mentioned Reverend sets the guitars up to your specs before mailing them out.


Other US companies that have good QC on their Korean axes is G&L and PRS. But with Reverend, this is their entire business. Excellent QC is essential.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Exactly. Any of the guitar brands mentioned, I would be completely comfortable buying without trying them out/mail order. I would never try the same thing with an Asian made Fender or Epiphone. It's those big companies quality control practices that are responsible for giving current foreign made guitars a bad name.

Another example on the amp front is Vox. People seems to love the new AC30 and AC15 reissues, and they are made in China.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Well I've never done a scientific study on the subject but I have an acoustic guitar made in Korea and been pretty good as far as durability goes. It's doesn't play like butter, but surprisingly the piezo and preamp sound much better than I would expect. I've been gigging with it for around 15 years.

Not bad for around $300.











The Reverend by the way, looks very cool. Something funky about the shape.


I like it.


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## rollingdam (May 11, 2006)

I have nothing against Korean guitars-I happen to own one.

My comments about Reverend stem from the fact that they were a unique American company with a great concept who now have to import guitars in order to survive, and the guitars no longer have the same Danelectro type construction concept.

I must add that Reverend in the past po'd a lot of dealers by setting them up and then doing an about face and selling direct.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

rollingdam said:


> I have nothing against Korean guitars-I happen to own one.
> 
> My comments about Reverend stem from the fact that they were a unique American company with a great concept who now have to import guitars in order to survive, and the guitars no longer have the same Danelectro type construction concept.
> 
> I must add that Reverend in the past po'd a lot of dealers by setting them up and then doing an about face and selling direct.


Ya but the other thing is they are still doing unique designs. I personally was never interested in the guitars when they made them of composites. I never even thought about buying one. But the idea of a guitar with a chambered mahogany body and spruce top, with a cool tremolo system and P-90's for $500 US is EXACTLY what I have always wanted. A guitar that can sound like my Tele, a LP and a Gretsch. And no one else offers it. Ya they are using more traditional materials, but they are still doing some innovative stuff with them. So it's different strokes for different folks.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Great looking guitar!

TDU got a question. I just noticed the Bass Contour knob, what does it actually do? And what's your take on it? I'm thinking of getting a thinline with P90s and I've recently been lookin at the Fender TC90 but the Reverend Club King 90 looks intriguing.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

It's REALLY hard to explain the bass contour till you try it. In fact almost impossible. It's not like a tone knob at all. It sort of fattens up, or thins out the overall sound. It affects the 'punch' as well at the tone. Where I find it usefull is when I play through my different amps. I wish I could explain it better. All I can really say is that it's VERY useful

I wish I could make soundclips, but I don't have anything to do it with.

I have a Tele as well, and love Teles. I can tell you these guitars can do some Tele twang, and they do have elements of a Fender 'feel' to them. They are pretty much as versatile as you could possibly get.


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## ampaholic (Sep 19, 2006)

*Reverend Gear*

In the past I have had a Reverend Hellhound, an original Drive Train and a couple of their speakers. I have never been dissapointed with the quality or tone. I even bought a t-shirt and it too was fantastic qulaity!
The guitars look great and I read good things about them. Is there a dealer in Canada? I bought the Hellhound at the 12th Fret in Toronto a few years ago.


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

ampaholic said:


> Is there a dealer in Canada?



...man, i wish!

-dh


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

ampaholic said:


> In the past I have had a Reverend Hellhound, an original Drive Train and a couple of their speakers. I have never been dissapointed with the quality or tone. I even bought a t-shirt and it too was fantastic qulaity!
> The guitars look great and I read good things about them. Is there a dealer in Canada? I bought the Hellhound at the 12th Fret in Toronto a few years ago.



No that I know of. I had no hesitation ordering by mail from them though from what I had read online. And as mentioned earlier in the thread, to top off the great service I didn't get charged ANY extra fees when the guiutar arrived. I have no clue how that worked out, but I'll take it hah.

I am sure the dealer markup on these would be pretty high. I'd rather just order right from the source.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I once emailed Reverend a query about dealers in Canada or order direct. The answer was order direct.


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...purchasing an expensive instrument, one that you haven't even played, by mail order is just not a sensible thing to do.

-dh


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

david henman said:


> ...purchasing an expensive instrument, one that you haven't even played, by mail order is just not a sensible thing to do.
> 
> -dh



In some cases that's what you have to do.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Milkman said:


> In some cases that's what you have to do.



Exactly. And if I don't like it, I resell it. Local used prices are just plain stupid on most items, and new prices in a lot of cases don't even make sense when you compare then to US new prices. And that's if you can even find what are looking for in the first place. The exchange rate is so good that it's worth taking the chance importing in my opinion if it's something you really want. Also with Reverend (and most other direct order companies now) you have a 14 day trial period with the guitar anyway. If you don't like it you can ship it back.

Another example is a Fender American Series Ash Tele I just bought. It was $700 total US with shipping. That guitar would be twice that around here. So if I didn't like it when it arrived, it's not like I would lose any money reselling it. And again, the seller I bought it from in the States gives you 2 weeks to try the guitar.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

torndownunit said:


> Exactly. And if I don't like it, I resell it. Local used prices are just plain stupid on most items, and new prices in a lot of cases don't even make sense when you compare then to US new prices. And that's if you can even find what are looking for in the first place. The exchange rate is so good that it's worth taking the chance importing in my opinion if it's something you really want. Also with Reverend (and most other direct order companies now) you have a 14 day trial period with the guitar anyway. If you don't like it you can ship it back.
> 
> Another example is a Fender American Series Ash Tele I just bought. It was $700 total US with shipping. That guitar would be twice that around here. So if I didn't like it when it arrived, it's not like I would lose any money reselling it. And again, the seller I bought it from in the States gives you 2 weeks to try the guitar.



Well really if you buy on E-bay, the vast majority of transactions are via internet (not local pickup).

Also I think high end guitar makers get away with stuff that they shouldn't. Yes, no two guitars will sound exactly alike even if they're made on the same day from the "same" materials but the same workers, but basic quality should be assumed. It is in any other industry.

There's absolutely NO reason that you should ever buy a guitar costing more than $1000. and get a dud.

No excuse for it. All it takes is a final inspector to go through some basic checks.


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