Hohner Revelation RTX

I own a Revelation ATX 27 fret guitar which I have no info on apart from the fact very few were made and mines got no mention of Hohner on it, no serial numbers, wilkinson trem. maple neck ebony fingerboard the real deal I love it, question is how much is it worth - anyone that can help me would be appreciated,

thanks Colin

Phoned Hohner Newport in Gwent to confirm the rarity of the ATX but didn't ask what it was worth as I bought it to keep not sell at the time.

The finish on this guitar is a red semi-transparent one and has some long cracks in it, so I think it might actually be the much coveted nitrocellulose finish. I believe the body and neck are both alder. The tuners look like mini-Schallers to me, but I am not an expert- they do say 'Made in W. Germany' on them. This is #899 from - I'm guessing here - October of 1992. It still has the original British-made ATX pickups on it. The Wilkinson USA trem had some surface rust on the set screws when I bought it, so I disassembled the bridge and cleaned the rust off. I also had to clean and oil the rosewood fingerboard and set the intonation. There is no discernable fret wear, so I think it just sat in someone's garage for years or met with some similar fate. When I saw this listed for $129 on eBay, I just had to bid on it. There's something about a guitar that has a USA trem, English pickups, West German tuners, and an assembly process that occurred in Czechoslovakia that was just too cool to ignore. I mean, two of those countries don't even exist anymore! Anyway, I understand that some of these had 27 fret necks (like the Hamer Californian I used to have) and a split tuner arrangement, but mine is just the plain production 24 fret with the six-in-a-line arrangement like a Telecaster. With the single volume, two tone controls, and the push-push that must be a coil-tap, changing the sound is a bit strange and I'm still getting used to that - I think others who have posted here understand the controls better than I do. I haven't taken the pick guard off to have a look at the electronics yet, but the pickups look like three single coils with two of them placed right next to each other and wired to act like a humbucker, but I can't verify as yet.

The sound is bright, almost like an acoutic on some settings as I've seen others remark, but I've been able to get a range of tones out of it. I'm using it with a Marshall G100RCD and an Alesis Q2 and it sounds pretty good compared to my Valor custom and my Carvin H2, although the pickups on both of those guitars are cleaner and seem to have more low-end. I don't notice a lot of noise from the electronics.

I can't say much about this because the guitar had been through a lot before I ever saw it - finish cracks and a number of dings in it.

I think this guitar would be OK live, but I would have a backup. I haven't played it enough yet after setting it up to be certain how well it stays in tune. Someday I might put locking tuners on it if that turns out to be needed. Overall, I'd say the build quality and the parts used are very good.

I can't speak for this category. Haven't used it!

I have been playing for 31 years, sometimes more off than on. I already mentioned my other electrics. I have a Hohner B2B bass and an old, cheap Franciscan 12 string that I had some refurbish work done to and it is the best playing/sounding acoustic I have ever encountered. I also have an Alesis Fusion and a Kawai K5000 additive workstation. I would be sad to lose this guitar because it has great action and access all the way up the neck like my Californian did, and because it was made from parts from all over the world - how cool is that? I just put a bid on this thing on a whim, but I love the darn thing. The look and feel are very special and don't resemble anything else I know of! I am interested in hearing from others who have one of these and also hearing what other information they may have about these guitars. The only thing I might change is adding locking tuners, and maybe swapping in a Carvin single coil pup or two...

my revelation rts - not rtx but the difference is marginal, rts is a cheaper version of rtx - was made in 1997 in czechoslovakia. it is a 24 fret version as almost all revelations. die cast tuners, wilkinson vibrato with .09 roller nut, three single coils. basswood body, maple neck with rosewood fretboard.

the neck is very thin, fast and extremely comfortable. it is bolted inside the body so you can reach the 24. fret even with very short fingers. the body is thin and light, in a strat-like shape but a bit pointier, very comfortable, too.

as i have bought it used (for 250 euros on ebay) it was already modified with different pickups which sucked. i have modified the guitar with full shielding, a different circuit allowing serial and parallel pickup combinations, and active claim by schaller pickups. i have also provided the guitar with kluson locking tuners, 0.10 roller nut and other small goodies, thus making an almost perfect guitar out of it.

too bad it wasn't a full rtx which is a perfect guitar already.

can't say much about the sound because i have changed the pickups. but i have used the entwhistle-white pickups - which are the original pickups for this guitas - in my other axes and they are great. the only problem with the revelation is bad sustain because of such a thin neck.

the action of this guitar is nothing less than amazing and on the whole the guitar is very well made, although very badly shielded. but this problem is shared by almost all guitar on the market, maybe except ibanez.

as i never have played live i can't say anything about it.

bought it used and modified it quite a lot. warranty? we don't need no stinking warranty.

i am quite a beginner and playing for about two years now. still i own about 6 guitars, one of them a project guitar made by myself. i have also modified all of my guitars to suit my needs better so i can say i know a good guitar ;-)

i damn wish i have bought my revelation earlier because they were cheaper two years ago and these are best guitars i know of. the guitar is just great and most important for me, very comfortable and that wilkinson vibrato is in my opinion better than floyd rose. the neck is a dream.

if it were stolen i would hunt the thief down and beat him senseless ;-)
no, really, i would buy another one without second thought.

I bought it new years ago, and so i got the little booklet with it that tells you how to adjust the pick-ups using the switches - you can put the bridge pick-up in, and out of phase so you have either a single coil or a humbucker, which is really useful on stage as you can play a fender-ish sound for rhythm and switch to a gibson for lead ( or vice versa ). Ive never had any trouble with it. All the other reviews say it was czech made but it was only put together there
it is more a sort of euro-fighter of a guitar; the neck is sweedish (hagstrom) the hardwear is all grover (aren't they dutch?) the electronics are british (rtx - is(was) a british subsiiary of hohner) the body is german (hohner) it was put together in czechoslovakia in the hohner factory there.

I don't gig anymore and so hardly use it but it is versatile you can get an acoustic aproximation by taking the volume down to 9.

great

i giged it for 10 years without a back up I still play it has been dropped and once got soaked in beer. (don't ask)

I wouldn't replace it if lost or stolen - I don't gig anymore and I have five other electric guitars

It was made in 92 in Czekoslovakia.
I also get a fly case with it!

I play rock n roll, Blues, Funk. The sound suits this styles perfectly. I would say the sound is a kind of modern sound, it's totally different with a vintage stratocaster. It's very bright. The humbucker produces a load of harmonics.
I plug it in a frontman 25R with a boss ME6.

I dislike some facts:
There's not enough sustain.
I would like the neck pickup to have the same sound as a stratocaster one, but it's very different.

The Action is very good, and you can have a very good set-up.

The two screws that maintain the selectors became oxidized.
I had some problem with the electronique.

So i don't know if i would use it on stage...

Impossible to get the wiring diagram at the company....

I've been playing from ten years. If it were stolen I would buy something else this is a good guitar, but now i think having two very different instuments is better than one wich try to have every sound.

I would prefer buying a mexican Stratocaster.

early 90s I believe. Made in Czekoslovakia! I have the 24 fret model.
Strange finish, like sort of a plastic coating around the whole guitar. It looks like a red marble counter top..lol.. It has some finish cracks that are not deep just long. I think this is a common problem with the finish though. It has STX pickups that give some punch and a cool tone control pot.
Passive electronics but I assume it is coil tapping in the Humbucker.
Bridge is a Wilkeson trem from USA. Routes the strings in reverse.
Schaler tuners. Thin neck and fast!

BOOOMY fo sho! Not the cleanest in the world but it is loud and has some decent sustain.
I use an older 212 Tube from Yamaha. Digi-DSP21 and TCelectronics DSP. I love loud and with a deep end.... it has it.

Starnge finish type... The surface cracks in the finish are not that big a deal but do make you wonder what they were doing. The light weight is great! fast as heck fretboard and low action. The trem stays in tune real well.

Great so far.....

I have played for 15 years and own a ton of rigs. This one stands out for the simple fact that it has been reliable and is LOUD! Also has some collector value I am told.

The Revelations RTX I have is a 1997 model, the latest I have seern for this guitar. It caught my eye because it was the only guitar I had ever seen that was made in Czechoslovakia, and i am very happy to have found it. The model I have is a 24 fret version, with a sigle coil in the neck and a paired Single coil at the bridge acting as a humbucker. Wilkinson tremelo, 3-way selector, and some pretty odd electronics. The First tone knob has a push/pull option, where you can lift it to act as a control for the second tone knob, or push it down to act as an adderd trebel boost- all in addition to acting as a standard tone knob. The second tone knob works standard unless the first knob is in the pull position. In this case, the Knob acts as a bass/mid boost, as it is notched at the midpoint of the knobs turn radius.
The neck is super thin and fast, and the huge double cutaway allows completely unristricted access to the highest frets, even on the 6th string. Body is light weight and durable.
The wilkinson tremelo offers the option of stringing the guitar in reverse, with the nut of the string up on the Schaller tuners. This allows the guitar to stay in tune more effectively when playing those crazy van halen dives.

Loads of sustain. The pickups (ATX's from england) could be better, but they sound very good in this guitar. I have played in many hard rock and heavy metal bands with this guitar, and it holds up very nicely with an overdriven amp. As for clarity of tone for all you jazz players- replace the pickups.

The construction of this guitar is exceptionally solid, and after a good setup it has great intonation. I give it a full set up every time I record, so I know that this guitar can be bitchy- you have to keep your eye on it.
This may have to do with the fact that It got tossed down a flight of stairs, however. The fact that I dropped this guitar down a metal staircase (one full story)without it's case and I still play it has made me a believer in it's strengths. nothing broke, cracked, or even fell out of adjustment, with the exception of the finish.

Adam's review tells the details. I love the nice, thin neck and the full-scale fretboard. The body is nice and lightweight. The tone system is a bit strange and I'm still working on trying to discover its "unique secrets." At first I thought the tone pot's were bad since I got no response, until I discovered that I had to pop up the upper one in order to set the tones.
The pickup switch is 5-position as opposed to 3, and I like that. The guitar stays in tune fairly well despite the tremolo bar, which has a bit of a whammy-bar variable up and down action to it.
The whammy has lock-down screws, and when I got it the strings were mounted backwards, ie the rings were on the tuners and the strings were locked down, to help keep the strings in tune with the whammy. I changed the strings and did them the same way. The guitar was missing the back plate, though, so sometimes the string ends stick in my clothing but that's solveable.

I have no problems playing whatever I want on this thing, regardless of style. I recorded one song with it, and someone thought I'd used an acoustic, the tone was so rich and full. Then, I can switch and get a nice hot strat-style twang from it as well.
I've used it on various amps and it performs consistently well. It sounds really decent with some effects and boost, yet without going overboard or getting too tinny-sounding.

The finish has a good number of coats on it, as related below.

The guitar had a few nicks when I bought it, and the yellow-glow finish seems to make them look worse than they really are. The paint didn't chip off though, so I'd consider this thing pretty darned durable.
I'd have no problems playing a gig with this without a backup. It's so lightweight that it won't tire me, either.

I've been playing for 38 years, and have over 30 guitars. If I could find another one of these, I'd consider buying it as a backup right now. This is one of my guitars of choice when playing anything.

The Revelation RTX guitar was made in 1993, but shortly afterwards production of the guitar they stopped making the guitar as it didn't become comercially successful. I also believe that some guitarists didn't go for a guitar like this because of the way it looked. It's a real shame too, because this guitar is so unique in the way it sounds and also the way the tonal controls are handled. I think the RTX stands for "Real Tonal Control" or "Revelation Tonal Control". It's smaller than most usual electrics and it contains the following features:
27 frets, 2 pickups (Combo humbucker doubles as a 2 single coils) S/H or S/S/S , 3-way selector, a volume control, 2 tone controls gig bag.
The neck is quite fat, but no more fatter than your usual stratocaster. The body is quite wide at the bottom, and I'm not sure if it's also partly hollow inside. The body is cut away in such a way that there is easy access to the higher frets, which makes things much easier when solos go way beyond the 22 fret barrier that most guitars insist on having. I've never understood why anyone would stop at 22. I remember reading an article on Brian May, and he mentioned this too. He also added that his guitar has 24 frets, which is a nice way to finish things off, a neat double-octave, which helps a great deal. If he thought 24 was good, I wonder what he thinks about 27? The pickups are from Hohner themselves and they were made in England, this includes one single-coil and one humbucker. But the interesting thing about this control system is that the humbucker can be split into 2 single-coils along with the other single-coil. This can drastically change the sound from a thin (but full) sound, to a dark humbucker acompanied by the single-coil. I personally find this amazing, as I've never seen anything like it. But if someone out there has, then I'd like to know what make that guitar was.

Excellent for my style (Rock, alternative). I've used the guitar with a Korg AX300G, which has many great effects to play about with. I've mainly been using it for distortions, and the guitar pumped out some really dark tones when used with the humbucker. I still marvel at the sound as I'm not really used to hearing such a rich and full sound. The guitar isn't very noisy at all, on either humbucker or single coil settings or even any of the 3-way selector switching. I'm a follower of Queen, and I've always loved what sounds Brian could get from his guitar. Until recently I'd had a few patches for my Korg AX300G that were very nice (Made by me), but they only came so close, and I despaired when I couldn't get closer. I'd been using my old Fender Squire Strat (Haven't got enough for a Stratocaster.. yet), and the sound of this was quite good for the sound I wanted. I'd molded most of my patches into something quite convincing, but until I'd used the Hohner, they never sounded full enough. Happily this guitar is very good for what I want. It can churn out nice jangly sounds along with some nice (almost acoustic) clean tones. But this guitar doesn't seem like it was made with things like that in mind, and you only realise this when you plug a distortion unit into it and let rip! The sound is just amazing, I mean whether it's the humbucker or even just the single-coils, it always seems to sound great. However not everything is so great. The clean tones while nice aren't really clean enough. I'd rather plug my Squire Strat in for clean stuff! Because of this point I must mark down the score from 9 to 7. This is quite unfortunate as I was beginning to think that this guitar could do no wrong. Even with the humbucker split into 3 single-coils, it doesn't work as well as.. say a clean Fender. And with this unfortunate problem, the only real way to combat this is to either use an EQ or something from an effects box to help brighten up the sound.

This guitar was purchased 2nd hand and the action was a little too low on the higher strings. This made it quite hard to do solos, and it also interfered with my playing a little because the top 'e' was too close to the edge of the fretboard. Everything else about it was well set-up. The pickups are nicely fitted, and they don't need adjusting as they were cleaned and fitted at the time of purchasing in the shop. Since the guitar was 2nd hand, there were a few minor problems like the bottom of the guitar having a nasty chip out of the body, which has been covered with a piece of black tape. Another thing I noticed was that the pick-guard was cracked in a few places. But apart from that, there isn't anything badly in need of attention. There really isn't much to say about this, as it's well set-up.

I have no worries about using this guitar live. However, at the moment I'm in the middle of recording stuff in the studio, and things aren't going to go 'live' for a while. But I think the guitar would be pretty damned good. When you look at this guitar, you certainly don't think that the guitar is 5 years old, and the hardware is no different. Even when my friend came over to have a look, he thought that the guitar was brand new! The finish is nice and should last for many years to come, and if I was asked if I could depend on this guitar.. I'd say, "No problem!". I've never gigged without a backup, basically because anything can and will happen. Though surprisingly lately things haven't been too bad. Since the guitar is small and solid, it don't have a problem with it. The only real thing which I don't like, is the weight. It's quite a bit more heavier than a Stratocaster, so carrying it around would be quite tiring.

I have no idea about how well the company could support this guitar. It's a guitar that was originally stopped not too long after it had begun being made, so for all I know, Hohner may try to be of some assistance. But I get the feeling that things might not be too easily handled by them. The shop gave me a l year cover for the guitar, so until then things should be ok. And in the long run? Who knows?

I've been playing for about a year and a half, and over that time, I've owned three guitars in all. But until now I haven't been fully satisfied with what I'd bought. This guitar represented a turn-around for me, as it gives me more to play with and gives more back. If I lost this guitar in some way or another I'd be devastated, because this guitar is such a one-off. It's the only one left of its kind, so losing it would be hard. But I suppose I could find another guitar to replace it. However the guitar that would replace it, would have to be pretty damned good. I just wish that it had a 5-way switch instead of just a 3-way, as this would give even more tones, and possibly better clean sounds. I just want to say, that if you enjoy playing a guitar with many styles, you'd like this guitar. If you change your style and need to change your sound, it's possible with this guitar. If you can find one of these in a shop somewhere, try it out and see what you think. It's definitely something rather special.