Reverend Club King 290

A 2007 Korean made version. 22 fret, 2 P-90's, semi-hollow body, bolt on neck. No tremolo on my model (the source for Reverend quit making them in late 2007) I've got the black body version.

Great. This is my first guitar, so I'm still learning, but if you want to hear what genius can do with it, check out "Unknown Hinson", he's using this model now. Seems like mostly a C&W rockabilly machine (that's why I got it), but easily stretches into rock or jazz.

Perfect for me. No finish flaws. Mine was bought slightly used off the web. A little fret buzz, but a quick trip for a new set of strings and a setup, and it plays great. As a beginner, it's nice not to have to question your instrument - any bad sounds are my fault, and I can concentrate on developing some technique instead of compensating for a weak guitar. The only thing that seemed a little wrong was the angle the cord plugs into the guitar - it was right where I wanted my thigh to be when sitting on the stool. Again, I'm a begginer, I adjusted.
The hard case is also from Reverend. It could easily have included more internal storage space, and some of the latches are slightly misaligned. But it is a solid piece of luggage.

Seems solid to me, but hey I'm new.

The company doesn't offer replacement pickguards for this model - hopefully that will change. Would like to have the Trem option as well, seems like that was something they could have thought ahead on.

One anecdote: When I took it into the shop for my post-purchase setup, the very experienced, grizzled, small shop owner looked at me like I was a sucker who got "took" on the purchase. He very grimly went through the motions of writing up the service slip. When I went to pick it up a few days later, he made a point of coming up to the register from his shop, smiled, and told me "This, is a good guitar. Great neck. Sounds nice. You'll enjoy this".
Great entry guitar. I'm using a Line 6 modelling amp (75W), and occasionally a VOX amplug and headphones. I am very happy with this purchase. Just kicking myself for not getting into this earlier.

cool body shape, large but not big, comfortable.good quality wood, P90 pickups,execellent tone, very distinct, bright bouncy, different from a strat. this guitar stays in tune. well set up. big case for cords and such.

great friggin tone. very versitile,extra bass volume knob works great, good rock, great blues, jazz and country.
our little band covers country, modern, and classic rock. johhny cash, incubus, tim mcgraw, black crows. , i

set up perfect right out of the box. no flaws.

solid, excellent

I've heard good thing about the owner and company, no issues though.

been playing 35 years. I am the pickiest player when it comes to fret buzz and intonation issues and overall tone, there is so many crappy guitars out there,and overated too. this is a very inspiring guitar. I cant tell you how happy I am. my american tele is my still my number one... for now. I just sold a gibson les paul standard and replaced it with this. best decision I've made in a long time. pocketed over $1000 and got this great guitar. I would go buy another one right away if this was stolen.

Excellent body and neck design - both very comfortable despite size and weight (relative to other Revs). Good quality P90s, Wilkinson EZ tuners and Gibson type bridge/tailpiece.

Beautiful two-tone vintage sunburst over nice, tight grained spruce told.

Classic Reverend neck profile, fingerboard is a nice thick rosewood slab w/medium jumbo frets. Very comfortable to play.

Blues, blues, blues - the CK290 is designed for blues but can also do rock, alt. country and really nice Grant Green type jazz tones.

Not as versatile as many of the other Reverend models but great for what it's intended to be.

Played great straight out of the box - just like every other Reverend I've ever played.

I've owned it for 6 months - no issues although the finish on the neck seems more prone to chipping than the finish on the US Revs.

Wouldn't hesitate to gig without a backup.

Reverend are well-known to be one of the best in the business.

Has to be one of the best import priced guitars out there and is something any blues player should consider as a gigging alternative to vintage 330s and 335s.

As you've probably read, these Reverends blend Fender elements (25 1/2" scale bolt-on, rosewood-on-maple neck, 6-on-a-side tuner configuration, Tele style control layout) with Gibson elements (stop tailpiece, mahogony body, wide aperture pickups, in this case P90s) into an interesting and distinct whole. I purchased mine slightly used from an Ebay dealer. It is signed and dated Feb '06, and appears to be one of the last of the Detroit made models, built before assembly shifted to Korea. It features a lovely red-wine finish, applied to a flat spruce top that sits atop the chambered body, with a stylish sound hole on the upper half. (The seller had switched the pickup covers from cream to black--a nice call.)

While everything works fine as might be expected, two particular features are worth mentioning. First, the case was a nice surprise, not only sturdy but well-thought out, with simple fulcrum latches instead of those God-awful spring latches (which always break way before the shell wears out), with one of the latches having a metal loop to attach a lock. (I do wish the tolex was applied with a slightly stronger glue, it is lifting in a spot or two.) More importantly, the Bass Contour control, added to the Volume and Tone controls, works beautifully, adding substantially to the 290s tonal range without the hassle of active circuitry (and the overly thick cloaking effects that sometimes comes with it). A superb circuit, much more useful than separate tone controls for the pickups.

I'm a professional player and teacher in the southern California area, with a collection of fairly expensive instruments, several of them custom built. In my 40s, with my arsenal essentially complete and a family to provide for, purchasing additional guitars at $2000 and up isn't practical. But the quality of comparatively inexpensive instruments has just exploded in recent years, as we all know, and I thought I might treat myself to something a bit unusual. My goal for the 290 was different than how most people use it; I've put quite heavy strings on it (.013-.056) for use as a slide guitar, a "hot" jazz guitar, and a practice and everyday guitar, to keep some of my more expensive instruments a bit more coddled.

As a slide guitar, it is just superb. Played ith a glass bottle slide and run through my Demeter TGA2, the tone is just thrilling. The 290s have a wonderful voice for this, especially the bridge pickup. I am looking forward to taking this out on some gigs and recording with it.

As a hot jazz guitar, it was a very pleasant surprise. Jazz is really my passion, and I have several jazz-type guitars with humbuckers, which is my personal sound. But I've been digging early electric jazz players from the 40s and 50s--before the Humbucker was invented--and thought it would be nice to capture that spanky, wide-aperture single-coil sound. The 290 responded very well to the heavy strings, producing a HUGE sound; the combination of strings, pickup and body resonance, as well as some low-end boost from the Bass Contour control, produces a quite good early electric jazz sound. While it won't kill an old Gibson ES150, it's also more sturdy and versatile, and a lot less expensive.

This guitar is fun to play, and taking it to lessons and classes and leaving the other guitars doesn't feel like a compromise at all. Even well set-up, .013s are work, but I enjoy the exercise. It's not really all that hard to play, and the tone is great.

The 290 is well put together, with excellent attention to detail. I was particularly impressed with how well the neck handled the transition to heavier strings--the type of thing that would have exposed mediocre or poorly treated woods. My one concern was some lifting of the fretboard over the body, causing frets 15-20 to fret out pretty badly. (I had noticed this even when it had .010s on it, so it wasn't necessarily a sting-tension thing.) Luckily, a local tech was able to correct it pretty easily with some fret leveling. Good thing too-refretting and fingerboard planing are expensive, and would have seriously dampened my enthusiasm for it's price/performance charm.

I have only had it a few weeks, so I won't assign it a number. I have no worries about its durability, though; it seems to be quite solid.

I haven't had to deal with the company, but feedback on these pages, and some comments from knowledgable friends, suggest that they are a solid bunch.

At this point, I am no longer surprised by excellent guitars well under $1000. I am however, surprised by a guitar like also has a real personality; it's all very fine and good to get a good cheap Tele, Strat or Paul, but getting an instrument with a strong voice is, to me, better and more interesting. Joe Naylor and his gang appear to be superb designers, coming up with an instrument that is unique yet practical, distinct yet malleable, funky yet professional. As for the price, it's really kind of astonishing that it only costs what it does. I am totally knocked out by this guitar; though I wouldn't say it outplays my pricey custom guitars, when I play it I never feel like I am playing anything but an excellent instrument. If the Korean-built models can maintain the quality set by the Detroit builders, then this will continue to be a superb purchase. If you're looking for something a little different, then you must check one out; I'm sure glad I did.

2006 model, made in Korea. 22 medium jumbo frets. 2 P-90 pickups, hence the Club King 290 name. Wilkinson EZ-lock tuners. Came with case. Semi-hollow, "shooting star" F-hole which looks way cooler than other F-holes. Rosewood fingerboard, bolt-on maple neck which is amber tinted and satin finished. Tune-O-Matic bridge with a stop tailpiece. Controls are volume and tone with a bass contour knob, 3-way. I thought the features on this guitar were phenomenal.

I generally play rock, some Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Zeppelin, etc. but I also like to play blues. I think this may be one of the best sounding guitars suited for that style of playing. This things screams, but the clean sound also sounds brilliant. I play through a Vox AC-30 (not a real one, the Custom Classic) and it sounds freaking amazing. I also plugged it in through a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier and this thing pumps it out. Not recommended for full on heavy metal, but it'll crunch too. Now, I know metal is a very broad category, but when I say metal, I'm talking Cradle of Filth, Pantera metal, not Disturbed, Evanescense and those other faux-metal bands. The sound is full, not as fat as a humbucker but not NEARLY as thin as a normal single coil. The Reverend P-90s is the perfect example of what would happen if a '57 Gibson Humbucker and SRV's single coils made love. I love the way they sound. I used to be purely a humbucker guy, playing through Seymour Duncans and PRS 'buckers, but these P-90s have so much more diversity.

Out of the box, I couldn't ask for a better setting. I haven't messed with the setting because I liked it so much. The neck is smooth as silk. The pickups were perfectly adjusted and the guitar had zero flaws. Hell, it even came in tune.

Yes, this guitar is built like a tank. It feels like a custom shop guitar in my hands but it also feels durable. The hardware was very tight. I have had bad experiences with Gibsons and Fenders with some of the hardware being slightly loose when it arrived. I would definitely use this guitar at a gig without a backup. In the near future I would like to add another to my collection for a different tuning if need be.

Every time I e-mail them, I either receive a detailed reply in around the hour I sent the e-mail. Everytime they reply they answer very well, sounding way more personal than most sales-employees at Guitar Center. I asked them for recommendations and they never sounded like they were trying to sell me anything more or just trying to get me to buy something extra. Before I ordered this guitar, someone at Reverend told me they were trying to change their outlook on imported guitars. Excellent Customer Support.

I've been playing for close to four years now. I've played quite a few guitars: PRS, Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, Ibanez, Ampeg (Dan Armstrong), just to name several. I wish I would have asked how much it would have costed to have a Club King 290 made with 3 P-90s. If this thing were stolen and I didn't have insurance, I would order the same guitar again, hands down, no questions asked. For $549, I feel like I'm getting a better version of a Custom-22. Except with this guitar, I don't feel like I have to keep it under lock-and-key. I feel as though it is the same quality, the same attention to detail. This guitar has totally changed my outlook on import guitars. Sure, it was made in Korea, but I feel like it was made down the street from some guy who's been doing it for years. I've never been more satisfied with a guitar purchase.

Made in Korea. Basswood body, solid spruce top, two P90 pickups, 22 frets, T.O.M. bridge with stop tailpiece. Wine red finish. Three-way pickup selector, bass contour, volume control, tone control.

I can't give this a perfect score because I haven't played a whole lot of very fancy, expensive guitars. However, as far as this price range goes, it sounds fantastic. This is one of the most versatile, "moldable" guitars I've ever played, thanks largely in part to its two tone knobs. It's got a regular tone knob used to trim off higher frequencies, and a second "Bass rolloff" knob which contours the lower fequencies. Between these and the three pickup positions, you can really get practically any sound you want out of this. The bass contour is pretty subtle; when turned all the way up, the sound can get a little boomy, which disappears as you turn it down. The P-90's are more similar to humbuckers than single coils, although ultimately they fall somewhere in between the two in overall sound. Not quite as bassy as humbuckers, not as twangy as single coils. Very cool!

I was slightly disappointed when I first got it in the mail. It felt too stiff and hard for my liking, but over time it's grown on me. Maybe my fingers have just gotten a little stronger. The neck is getting worn in pretty well--at first the finish on the neck was uninspiring, but the more I play it, the more buttery it gets. Slightly chunky feeling, but that's just my personal taste speaking. Everyone else who plays it loves it. While it may not be my dream guitar in terms of playability, I still like it a lot, don't get me wrong.

The guitar feels solid and there are no noticeable blemishes anywhere. The neck looks nice and snug in its pocket, the tuners are strong so far, and the finish is gorgeous. I got the wine red, and it's a nice deep color, but just translucent enough that you can see the woodgrain through it if you look closely. There are a few little knots in the spruce, but for the most part it looks pristine.

I've only had the guitar for a few months, but it seems pretty dependable. The pots feel a little bit jiggly and loose, which I'm not too excited about. The string trees look pretty high tech: they're like little wheels and the strings pass along their underside. Oh, also the strap buttons seem a little small, but I've had no problems with those so far.

Really haven't dealt with them much at all, but I hear that they're good to their customers.

I think this guitar is awesome, and I'm proud to own it. It's stylish, versatile, and reliable. I definitely recommend it, and judging by this, anything else in the Stage King line (Korean-made) would be a worthy purchase as well. That may seem like free advertising, but I swear I'm not on Reverend's payroll!

2 of Reverend's wonderful P-90's in a hollowed-out thinline.
This is a great Fender-meets-335 type set-up.
This guitar was the first Stage King to be outfitted with a "Les Trem", which will be a Reverend option soon. I guess Joe figures that if I can use it, anyone can! It fits replaces the Stop Tailpiece, and with Roller Bridge Saddles, gives you a stay-in-tune, comfortable Vibrato without any major modification to your guitar! Easier bend than a Bigsby, but I don't get much "flutter" when bending. Stays in tune with double-stops and big bends!!
Standard 3-way swith with the P-90's, hum-cancelling in the middle.
Bass Contour Knob brings some "oomph" to your sound, or backs it into a more transparent, clear sound when needed. VERY useful!
"Shooting Star" F-Hole in a Cedar top over a Basswood hollowed body.
3 Chambers help "tune" the sound to bring out crisp highs and tight lows.

I was always a single-coil guy, but sometimes liked that extra "kick". You get it with the Bass Contour. Great for adding dynamics. The knob will take a Humbucker and take it down to a single-coil voicing that is crystal clear.
I go from Motown to Soul to gritty Blues to kicking Rock and Roll, and it covers it all well.
If I had to pick a "side", I hear that 335 openness with some Gretsch twang...but she'll scream like a 55 LP Jr if you want, too.
One comment I got, when playing it through my Reverend Kingsnake Amp was that I sounded like "Chet Atkins and Les Paul on a Surfboard".

Reverends always have sweet necks, and they leave arrive set-up very well. Neck pocket is very tight, finish is top-flight. The Les Trem was perfect out of the box, something that Joe Naylor and crew always makes sure happens...it's gig-ready!
Neck has a satin-feel but it's stained a nice vintage hue...not that washed-out pale look that so many companies use now!
Back and sides are Black, top is Cherry Red / Cream binding. Has a nice Es-3335 vibe.

Reverend never skimps on wiring and electronics, which is a major concern in Imported instruments. Everything meets Reverend spec, which are very high.
I took this guitar right to a gig where I doubled on Bass (using a Rumblefish), and the only learning curve was the Bass Contour Knob, which after 2 songs, I had a perfect feel for!
I'll do 50 more gigs through 2006, and I am sure it'll weather that storm well.

Reverend has a strong reputation for caring about the people who buy their guitars. Lots of pride here. Always a friendly voice who wants to help.

Reverends have always been a "familiar" feel to a Fender guy.
This model and a few others reach for a "Gibson" guy by using Humbuckers and "un-Fender" shapes and set-ups.
The Club King is a larger body, and the sound reflects it.
Lots of "bang-for-the-buck". It took them a long time to bring in their Import line because they wanted it to be perfect...the wait was worth it.

AND...wait until you see the faces on other players. They gravitate to a Reverend and always ask "Are they as good as I hear?"