Reverend Rocco

This one was made in 2001. Black with silver pickguard, open zebra HBs with the standard separate coil tap switches, an Eastpointe neck (the earlier Reverend neck profile, a little narrower than their current shape), Tele-style hardtail bridge. The neck and zebras make it a collector's item, but that's not why I bought it when I came across it, used, in a guitar shop. Read on.

I have two other USA Revs -- a Slingshot Custom, and another SSC that I converted to a Rocco with Reverend parts. I wanted a semi-hollow HB configuration, and even my homemade Rocco (with slightly different wiring from Reverend specs) is a wonderful piece, with 8 different pup configurations thanks to the switches. But this one is better. The uncovered zebras have a brighter, edgier sound. I can get Tele bite out of this axe, as well as Paul-ish crunch and growl, and a 335 kind of thickness and whoosh. The sound with slide, my mainstay, is precise, fat and greasy -- a very tough combination to achieve. You can hear all the notes in barred slide chords, including the bass notes, which tend to disappear on most guitars. The high end has a wide but cutting envelope. Whatever you do on this piece is heard.

I changed setup for my style, which involves Landreth-style fretting in front of the slide, partial and barred chords, and regular slide technique. I keep it in open D tuning, Willie McTell's favorite slide tuning, which allows easy transition to straight tuning. I had to adjust the neck, which straightened out fine to my preferred relief. Hasn't budged since. Tuners are standard gotoh-style, work fine. Electronics work fine. I personally think the issue isn't whether a guitar arrives perfectly set up, but whether you can adjust it without things falling apart. Joe Naylor's guitars are built to be maintained, and the maintenance is easy. Of course it's a gorgeous piece if you like the USA Reverend look.

I baby my USA Reverends, probably too much. They've become collector pieces, and that makes me a little nervous. I've seen one on Ebay that was just smashed, holes all over the body, and one in a store where the back was cracked by some jerk who rammed it onto a stand. It's a semi-hollow, and and semi can get hurt. I prefer to gig with my Reverend Jetstream 390, a guitar you could throw down the stairs, pick up and play. But I have played out with this instrument, without a backup beyond spare strings and cables. Soundwise it's the only guitar I need for a night. Since I usually play solo, there isn't an army of people running around the stage. I make sure it goes in a case between sets, and I don't lean it against my amp or a chair. If you take care of these pieces, they should last longer than you. I'm taking off a point only because it's not a solid body.

Matchless. Joe Naylor, Steve Yankee and Ken Haas at Reverend take care of every customer like he or she was Eric Clapton.

This guitar cost me $650 used with a cheap gig bag and tax. It's worth more than I paid for it, partly because Reverend ain't making any more, Eastpointe necks make it rare, so do the zebra pups. But the musical value is off the chart. I'm playing this through portable gear, because I travel light -- Kustom Tube 12A amp (see my review, great value for a practice/stage preamp rig), Zoom G2.1u modeller (battery-powered, put it down, plug into the system or someone else's amp and there's your sound), Crate Powerblock with the G2.1u. It sounds great with this cheap gear. It plays great. It's part of a stable that of high-end guitars that I acquired at low cost after careful searching -- a Washburn SS80 I modded, a Curlee I modded with Reverend P90s, two other Reverends USAs and the Jetstream. I make myself wait before I buy guitars, and when I bought this one I was looking for a conventional semi-hollow, without finding one that suited me. I snatched this Rocco as soon as I saw it -- in keeping with my review below, where I said that if you see one under $800, grab it. I won't buy another because I don't need three of the same model. Believe me, I'm very thankful I own two. It's a shame Joe Naylor couldn't keep Reverend alive with the USA series. Guitar players are very conservative, and not enough of them appreciated the innovation built in to these instruments. To me they're an astonishing piece of guitar history that comes alive every time you play. If this were stolen I'd weep, and I am not sentimental about wood and wires. If I found the thief I'd break his legs, and that's not a metaphor. If you use this axe right it will contribute to your rep as a player. At least, that's my experience.

This was one of the last American Rev's made, Coil Taps and 3 way swtich, Older rev's used Rio Grande pickups, but these newer ones are good enough... But I have Put in string savers and new tuners (old ones were Crap)and lots of stickers.... oh yeah and new knobs and straplocks and all the stuff a gigging guitar needs.

Fairly quiet, ,cleans up good and still gets out the punk/metal/thrash on command, plastic hollow bodies sound awesome.

This was a demo workhorse and was set up for everyone, so I've had to tweak it to my tastes (Raised the action, changed strings etc).
The finish is Phenelonic and Orange so what could go wrong???? Neck is tight in its pocket (I love Reverend Necks Eastpoint or otherwise.
and had just the right amount of relief for me.

People Bitch that Rev's are weak but I swear I have abused this little bastard and it won't die. I mean I've dropped it kicked it and dinged the hell out of the fretboard, I can't see it failing on stage, no backup necassary, Its a damn shame they don't make guitars/amps any more.

I have spoken with Joe on the phone and he and his crew are awesome, I repeat It is a damn shame that he went the outsource route So I can never buy another new reverend ( I don't shop at Wal-Mart Either)

Reverend used to make these great little light, well balanced, affordable guitars but then the bottom line attacked and fucked everything up like it always does in this money hungry out of control country. Rest In peace Reverend we miss you.....

Originallly a Slingshot Custom, bought used (mint) in 2005, converted to a Rocco using Reverend parts from reverendguitars.com. Specs are the same as for all the guitars below. Key feature is separate coil taps for erach pup. I kept the stock Reverend tuners and hardtail Tele-style bridge.

The first reviews on the Rocco were a very mixed bag -- people found them too bright, too dull, not like a Les Paul, or got ecsatic about them. I own both single coil (Reverend P90) and HB guitars (Washburn with trembuckers, Curlee with Dimarzio Super Distortion, Turser JT 134), and I have no hesitation in saying the Rocco is the best thought-out and best-sounding HB config I've ever owned. Leaving the pups in mid position gives four combinations using coil taps, and I do hear them all distinctly, if subtly. The semi-hollow construction is a great plus; I find that to get the most from it, as with a resophonic, you have to play hard. When you do, the bass and rhythmic drive out of this piece is astonishing. My main repertoire is Delta style, thumbpicked bass with partials and slide on material from Handy to the Police. The precision the Rocco delivers across the fretboard on polyphonic lines, typical of Reverends, is something you'd expect from a much more expensive axe.

I set this one up myself. It gets a 9 from modesty.

I do play live with it, never a problem. And never a backup. I'm a solo player and I travel light. The 10 takes into account that it's a semi hopllow -- don't step on it, OK?

The best. I have had contact with Reverend for advice and to buy parts and guitars and have never gotten anything but swift and competent service.

I've been playing over 40 years, live, on the road, in studios, mainly as a part-timer (the kind who gets paid). In France, where I live, I havce a rep as a hot slide player with a very good sound, and that rep took a large step forward in the three years since Reverends became my main axes. The prices of the USA Reverends are exploding now; I bought my second as soon as I knew they were going to an import line and haven't regretted it. If you can find one in good condition for under $800, and you are a gigging or recording musician, jump on it. If you are a collector who puts it in a box, may your dreams be filled with monsters.

two hums with coil split switches for each, very GOOD vibrato (so good that i can imitate a leslie....your milage may vary). vintage neck. critique on hums and neck below.

sounds nice and hollow. the best setting for me is neck split, back full on. i get kind of a pat metheny-ish sound like that. but guess what? that phenlic or whatever they're using sounds just like that: phenolic or what ever the hell they're using. it's good but i can hear where wood would be better.

action is a big problem for me. i CANNOT play anything but 7.5 radius and this one is like 16 inches i believe. the whole thing about flatter radiuses being easier to play is marketing bullshit. 7.5 is THE MOST NATURAL CURVE FOR THE HAND. it is ergonomic. you can bend better on a 7.5 too. vintage neck back is too big for my little hands. spending MEGA MONEY to get the damn thing re radiused plus the back of the neck thinned.

it will last thru a regular gig. i play jazz so i won't be setting it on fire anytime soon.

haven't had it long enough. all i can say is reverend have gone apostate. their rep as an all american company is officially toilet fodder. where are they made now? oh yeah korea.i got this guitar (american made)because one was sitting in a window here. reverend in their infinite wisdom doesn't take AMEX.

i've been playing 30 years. just waiting for guitar companies to realize that 9, 12, 16 inches are NOT ergonomic shapes. why do you think cellos have such an arched radius? because it's ERGONOMIC.
all in all i bought this guitar for the light body. everything else can be switched including the neck. kind of a waste huh? reverend had a good thing going, but they succumbed to the mass market and all the money that OEM manufacturing is tempting people with. the totally said fuck it to their loyal customer base. yes i say all the words they don't print in Guitar Player (yuppie mag). reverend is the jimmy swaggart of american music manufacturers. they fell. and i don't believe for a minute that they couldn't have kept up operations in the States. hell i could copy their guitars in my garage.

Finish= Engine Turned Alum.
Made in the good ol' USA.
Eastpointe Neck maple/rosewood fretboard
Dual Reverend Humbuckers/coil tap mini-switches
One vol. One tone.
Fixed strat style bridge
Three-way p'up selector.

This guitar is great if you play blues/rock/jazz/country. You could probably pull of some metal with it too.
It's got a really unique percussive attack to it due to the construction. Kinda like one of those laminate constructed Danelectros but with a great neck and top notch electronics.
The sound is full and open with lots of natural harmonics.
If you're looking for a Les Paul sound...this is not for you.
It's kinda like a strat on steroids with a fuller sound...kinda hard to describe. Overall a really versatile guitar.
The p'ups sound great split as well
One gripe.....I would rather have a bass contour control like the new Reverends instead of the switches. Other than that....Great.

I found this guitar in a local music shop. It was brand new even though the USA stuff has been discontinued for a while now. The fit and finish are the usual top quality Reverend stuff.Beautiful Engine Turned aluminum finish. No complaints. Pickups, action, neck were all adjusted perfectly(to my taste anyway). The only problem was that the volume control didn't work....it was ON all the time no matter how you turned the knob. No big deal, the guy that owned the shop swapped in a new pot for me on the spot, and then I took it home. I put on some new strings since the ones that were on it were probably the originals(but it still sounded good).

The only concern I have is the durability of the guitar. I'm always extra careful playing it and carrying it around. I don't want to scratch up the aluminum finish. But I'm that way about my wood Reverends as well....
Everything seems really solid...you could kinda think it was extra delicate because of the weight(or lack there of).
I wouldn't go to a gig with just one guitar....but I don't think it would be a problem any way. These are top quality axes...they've earned my confidence.

Never had any issues but every time I've contacted Reverend, they've been more than helpful and willing to deal with you.

I've been playing 20 years +
If it was lost or stolen ...I'd go on a personal manhunt to find it.
It doesn't really compare with any of my other guitars...even my other Korean made Reverends. It's very versatile. I love the neck and the percussive sound quality....the pickups sound great and the finish is awesome! I originally bought it as an investment...since Reverends are selling at around the same as they cost new....some even more. This was a rare finish from what I understand...but having played it now for a while...I wouldn't sell it unless I got enough cash to buy two more! There are only two things I would change...1. I'd like a tremelo of some sort.ie..bigsby etc. and 2. I'd rather have the Bass Countour Control instead of the split coil switches...you can dial in a wider variety of sounds with that.
These USA made Reverends are great...and so are the new Korean made guitars...even though they are different(a more traditional solid body design). I own a Jetsream HB, a Warhawk HB, a Rocco, and I just ordered a Volcano (Revs new flying V). I haven't found anything I'd rather play.

maple necked, dual humbuckers, volume and tone knobs, pickup selector switch, coil tap switch, in-out of phase switch, fixed strat-style bridge w/ individual adjustable saddles, string-through-body, locking sperzel tuners.

basically, it's LOADED! i got it with the gig bag and have had it a few months. it's very well-balanced and light. there's a banjo-style guard on the body, and the only gripe i have - and it's a super minor one - is that the edge on the chrome guard is sharp. it can catch you if you get carrying away, flailing a-la-peter townsend, so beware!

i use it with my Marshall (4- 12" cab) and with my Fender Bassman reissue. with all the switches and pickup combinations, the rocco is very very versatile. i'd say it tends to favor dark tones, like a les paul maybe. but it has much more range. you can play anything on it, but i think it sounds best playing the blues.

action, frets, neck were all set up perfectly - extremely cool for a guitar that you order online.

the people at reverend are really supportive. it's a small american company and they go out of their way to please.

i like the rocco, and if i had any more $$$$ i'd buy all the other models that reverend makes. it's that good. the price for what you get is unbelievably cheap. i tried out a ton of guitars - strats, teles, les pauls, yamaha, etc. - this one was the best.

Black with the metal/diamond patern front. Rosewood fb. About a 12" radius, med jumbo frets. String thru. 2 HB's with taps. 2001 model.

I play clean, fingerstlye---alot in the Tele tradition.
Notes are distinct--treble isn't too shrill.
However there is no real bass/ strong mids. Saw no reason to tweak with new pups, etc. (Then bought a plywood $100.00 beater Tele copy and its front sc pup had much more depth...)
Had a friend sell it on Ebay.

EXCELLENT workmanship!!! For a mid-priced guitar one of the best engineered and set-up guitars!!

With the phenolic top/front...probably not real durable---but so isn't a $40,000 jazz box either!!!

Called once about a bridge question---appreciate the response.
They have a great custome service.

Played 35+ yrs. For my ears I know what is good. I should have been more careful re: the lack of bass/ depth.
On the Reverend site they now have sound samples...and whatever you can discern from mini speakers, etc---their other guitars in clean settings also sound lacking some.
IF I could play one in person---I still would be open to trying one of their other guitars. A good co.

2004 Rocco. Jet black, 22 frets. made in USA, phenolic body with maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. Controls: one volume and tone, two coil taps and five way strat style switch. Two humbuckers. Grover tuners.

When I first got my Rocco I wasn't very impressed with the sound, but after I replaced the stock strings (SIT) with Elixir's 10-46 the guitar came alive and now I love it! The Rocco is the first guitar with coil taps that really work! I've had several PRS's and I've never liked the sound of the single coil setting, the volume always dropped way down and they sounded nasal. The Rocco has a great single coil sound and the different combinations are all useable. The sound is more like a ES-335 than a Les Paul. The front pickup is very sweet sounding and the bridge pickup loves overdrive pedals. The sustain is very nice and the neck is easy to play. I like this guitar!

The action, fit, and finish were all first class and better than some of my Gibson custom shop guitars. No flaws!

It is new so I can't really comment on durability, but is clearlt a well made instrument.

Reverend has one of the best support systems in the business!

I've been playing for >20 years and have several fenders and gibsons, but I have to say that the Rocco is one of the best guitars I have ever owned. The quality is on the level of a $2000 instrument, this is probably the best bang for the buck in guitars on the planet, and maybe the solar system!

two Humbuckers with coli taps and phase switch. bigsby trem, locking tuners, gold aluminum top, roland GK-3 pickup.

Roland GR-20 -> Fulltone Clyde Delux -> Ernie Ball Vol ->Rev Drive Train -> Rev DriveTrian II -> FoxRox CaptainCoconunt2 -> Voodoo Labs SuperFuzz ->Line6 Modulation -> Line6 Delay -> Rocktron Banshee -> Rev HellHound

everything smooth, tight and tuned

this guiter is all the great things people say it is, but this is where i want to comment. i beat the hell out of this thing. its only 9 month old and when i sent it in for a set up, the guys at the factory thought it was much older from all the dents and scratches. literally, at the end of every show i do a Who sort of thing - everthing shy of breaking the neck off - and it is extremely durable. alos, the Bigsby tremelo is exceptional. it it the superior trem when used with locking tuners, a graphite nut, and roller bridge which is how they come. Joe Naylor said he has them on all his guitars. i even had him shave the lock off so i can bring it around a full 360 degrees and then shim it up so i could do more "dive bomb" style trem work. i can push it and pull it and it only goes out of tune when i'm extreme with it - which is only noticable on chords. this is THE trem to get.

the very best customer support i've ever recieved. no question. these guys all play in bands and understand musician's needs. they treat you like they want to be treated.

i've played a few of these and they all sound the same. that is, the base guitar sounds the same. so, when you pick the pick ups, you really change the sound a lot. so, you can get a huge variety of of sound by choosing the pick ups or switching between pickups. the nice thing to know is that unlike other certain large manufacturers, you are no going to get a lemon. alos, they are so acoustic that i often practice without plugging into an amp. i put 13 guage flat wounds on it and had the best sounding jazz guitar ever. i say that because with all the pick up config of the Rocco ( i think i counted 13 ) and the fact that the tone knob actually does something ( without effecting volume ). i sold my '74 Strat to get it. an even trade money wise. i've never looked back...

Custom made Rocco 2003/2004 USA
22 Fret Rosewood Neck.
2 Humbuckers with coil taps for each.
Volume and tone control.
Graphite nut and bridge saddles.
Sperzel locking machineheads.
Semi hollow laminate and polymer body with a block of white mahogany for resonance set in the middle (and boy does it work!)

These guitars have every feature you could possibly want on any high end instrument. The neck has a really sweet vintage strat finish to it, so its really fast and comfortable to play on, probably the nicest neck i have ever played. Just as good to play if not more comfortable than any Parker or PRS.

I play through a rack mount Mesa Rectifier, TC Electronic G - major, with a Samson Compressor just to take off any excessive peaks. This guitar plays like a dream, do NOT let the radical design put you off! just because its made of laminates and polymers does not mean it sounds lifeless! in fact this guitar has more life and bite in it BEFORE you plug it in than a LOT of guitars. The sustain is incredible! Although despite using a high gain amp and being a semo hollow body i have to MAKE this guitar feedback! The guitar has a sound all of its own. Its hard to describe, somewhere between a strat, a 335 and les paul.

With clean sounds all the notes seem to stand out in the right places, a very bell-like chime to them. Its rather bright as guitars go, but thats what i like my guitars to sound like. The coil taps dont sound as dull as they have on other guitars i've played, they really do give you a LOT more options with sound.
With my heavier sounds this guitar can hammer through pretty much anything, the notes sustain forever. The pick ups arent too bass-y although they do have a hell of a lot of punch to them without getting muddy.

I can honestly say that with the right amp, this guitar would suit ANY style you could consider playing!

When you order one of these guitars - they ask you EVERYTHING about the set up, action, string gauge, tuning etc. The intonation was damn near perfect, and considering it had to fly from the US to the UK that is a testament to how these guitars are built! The finish i chose was brushed silver aluminium - which i was told they no longer use, and definately dont have on the website. The neck had been fretted immaculately - it had an ever-so slightly worn in feel. There is absolutely NOTHING i could fault this guitar on.

I've done a small tour with this guitar, and i'm currently in the studio on my bands 2nd EP with it. It is the ONLY guitar i use live or for recording. My band goes from pretty heavy tracks (almost like from autumn to ashes, deftones, faith no more) to very mellow (portishead, massive attack). I can swing this guitar around as much as i like in the heavier tracks, and you can gaurantee it wont need tuning before i go into the softer stuff! i have played this guitar many times without back up, id only need a back up for changing to if i broke any strings. It feels VERY solidly built, but it only weight about 6.5lbs... which makes me think it must be a little fragile, and couldnt take the kind of punishment you could get away with on a les paul. Still, i dont know anyone who buys guitars to drop them or bounce them off things!

Customer support is incredible! calling Reverend is like phoning an old friend you havent spoken to in a while. They REALLY care about their customers! They were fantastic and helpful to the Nth degree when i ordered my guitar, and answered all my questions objectively and in clear terms. I emailed them regularly during the build process, as i knew the guitar had to come a long way and i needed someone to be home to accept it. They replied to every single email i sent them within 48 hours! This company have the best customer service i have EVER encountered. They genuinely care that you are happy with your guitar.

I first fell in love with these when my friend came back home off tour in the US with one, procaliming it was the best guitar he'd ever touched! He let me play on it or about 30 minutes and i was instantly sold! Its taken me 3 years to get myself this guitar and if anything ever happened to it i would be crushed! If it were stolen id order another straight away!
Ive been playing guitar for 6 years. Ive owned Gibsons, Fenders, an ESP (everyone makes mistakes hehe), a Patrick Eggle and a Parker. This guitar blows them ALL away for the fact that
a)its got a beautiful and uniquie tone, and
b)it plays a mile better than many guitars costing twice as much!
Bottom line. Best money i ever spent!

i love the feel of this guitar. i've played all the goodies too (and lots of them), just like everyone else--the paul's, the strat's, the tele's, and i think this tops 'em all.

the versatility of this guitar (even if some "purists" disagree) is astonishing. *no, i do not work for reverend. it just really is. when i purchased mine, i was still a little leary about one sound from the pick-up sounding better than the other (i had previously played a friend's slingshot and been sold on the design overall, and i hadn't had time listening to a rocco in months), but gosh... i plugged it into my friend's line6 ax2 (a pretty good modeling amp if you know how to use it), and it sounded ALIVE, but then i plugged it into a true tester: the vox ac-30tb (with greenbacks)... wow... it lit up that amp like nothing i've heard before. the bridge single-coil setting sounded better than what my friend was using (his vintage tele), but then we switched it over to the bridge humbucker... yeah... WOW. joe naylor just knows his stuff, and he must have some amazing people working for him to get it all to function so well together. needless to say... i'm very impressed.

i think i already described the sound of it. let me just tip this off too... my friend has a gibson les paul studio, and he has tweaked his baby to the max. he used my rocco for about 5 songs in a set we recently did in greensville, nc, and he kept turning around the whole time and just going "wow" with his mouth. he'd be grinding in some beef with the humbucker, and then he'd switch to the single-coil for a more cutting solo... it's weird that one can do that.

the other thing that is pretty strange about reverend guitars is their ability to sustain. i've never played ANY other electric (be it solid or hollow) that sustains so well... it must be that metal beam that they put inside of it or something, but whatever it is, it sure is nice to be able to hold onto a chord or note for so long... majorly smooth, rev.

as for these... it was set up PERFECTLY, and even after a friend of mine flew it down (from michigan to florida), the action and set-up was still flawless. instant playability and satisfaction to the fingers. again... this company does things the right way.

it has so far. i've talked to the few other people that i know who have them, and one guy says, "it's the most forgiving guitar that i own." it's not all made out of wood, and it's super light (only 6.5 lbs), so it's durable--as far as i've known and heard so far.

hey... these are professional people (from the two that i've talked to), but they are also cordial and concerned that their company keeps a good name. maybe it's good that they're not very big yet. my only hope is that they can keep up the great work because dang... i'm sold on this company as a whole.

listen. i'll be square with you. i got sponsored by this company (by reverend) to get my rocco, but my terms with her are already being met... it's getting used at our shows.

there are no other specified terms about me advertising for this company. i was already talking about reverend guitars for months before i got mine.

the story is--literally, i went home to michigan, got hired to sit in at a show, but all my personal equipment was in california. a friend of mine (who is in inthehuddle.net) lent me his slingshot, and i pretty much loved it as soon as i touched it. then i played it and heard it out of a mesa-boogie nomad 45, and even out of a mesa (which, in my opinion is pretty much a high gain amp), it sounded amazing. thanks, nolan, for letting me borrow that one!

i kept asking him questions about reverend, and he showed me the site. from then on, i set out on my mission to acquire one.

so in closing, i HIGHLY recommend this guitar to anyone. if i could have one electric in the entire world--regardless of cost or expediency--it'd be the reverend rocco (and the slingshot would come close in line with a few others). the fact is, it plays awesome, sounds unbelieveable (but hearing is believing, in this case), is exTREMEly versatile, and is rock-solid.

it's about all i could want in a guitar... except, maybe reverend could design some sort of fiberoptic-holographic-design, where you can program even the look of your guitar depending on what you want?

haha. whatever. rock on rocco.

and if anyone wants to check out my band, it's right here:

www.micahtawlksband.com

2003 Guitar Show Demo. Beyond the standard specs (2 humbuckers, coil taps, Sperzel locking tuners, etc.), "flame maple" finish and Bigsby trem.

This guitar can produce many diverse sounds. No, the humbucker positions are not as full as a Les Paul, but that has to be expected due to the materials of construction. Single coil sounds most closely resemble a telecaster, but again with its own voice. Mixed positions give very cool tones. Overall, the sound is very vibrant, bright when you desire, highly unique yet familiar. Joe (Naylor) knows TONE!

Factory set action was great (outfitted with 10s). Bigsby is silky smooth. Guitar is very light and well balanced. No flaws at all! The neck is nice and fast, about the perfect size for my hand. Feels much like my dad's old 64 strat. The teardrop case is pretty sweet as well.

When you order a Reverend, you're getting a custom guitar and that includes string size and set up to your specs. Amazing that they can do this, with quality instruments, for the price.

Guitar construction is very solid (despite being chambered). I tend to wear the chome or gold finishes off guitar parts very quickly, but these still look brand new. Seems highly dependable, although I'll give it minus one simply for having a chambered body.

Reverend customer support is by far the best out of any guitar companies I've talked to. They are always very helpful with any questions about their products, and will steer you in the right direction for your desired tone. How often do you get to talk with the owner of a guitar company?

I've been playing for about 11 years, mainly playing blues and alt-country. This is my first Reverend guitar (I also have their Hellhound Amplifier, which has just been discontinued in favor of an ever cooler sounding amp, the Kingsnake), and hopefully it won't be my last. I have many different guitars, most are hollowbodies since I like a full, rich sound. This guitar can do just about anything, and well! It has great tone and playability! Highly recommended for ANY style (well, maybe not death metal, I'm not sure the pickups would have a high enough output for that style)!

Custom made (2004) in the U.S.
Specs:

- 22 Jumbo frets
- Rosewood neck, 25 1/2 scale
- 2 humbucker pickups with coil taps and a phase switch
- Volume and tone knob
- Double cut away body made from polymers and laminates
- Fixed bridge with Graph Tech saddles
- Graphite nut
- Sperzel locking tuning

This guitar has pretty much every bell and whistle I can imagine (except a trem system). One nice thing is that it's only 6 1/2 pounds. It's balanced nicely though, so on a strap it sits just right. The neck is like a thinner strat. In my opinion it's absolutely pertect, like a strat but more nimble, yet with enough substance to feel right. The satin finish prevents your hand from sticking when you sweat.

I play through I Blues Jr. and a Twin Reverb, for distortion/overdrive I use a Barber SS, and a Tech 21 GT2. I play mostly hard rock, but also a bit of blues, jazz, and reggae. My other guitars are a mid 90s Strat Plus, a 78 Ibanez Artist, and an old Ibanez RG 540 Radius (my first guitar).

This guitar sounds wonderful, forget any concerns about polymers/laminates etc. This guitar resonates very nicely. All of the pickup combinations yield usable tones. The sould is unique, sort in between my Strat and Artist (which is very Les-Paul esq.) I would say it's a bright sounding guitar overall. This makes the neck pickup very usable since it tends to be less dark than my other guitars. The tone is clean with good definition and sparkle. The pickups handle a heavily overdriven tone nicely, but it doesn't sound like a "shredder". There is more "ring" in chords. Basically it's nice and full and chimey in all the right places. The coil taps sould nice as well. I've read that many times coil taps sound weak and are thus useless. Not the case here. Taping the coils really does give you a whole new set of usable sounds. There is however a slight volume reduction. This has become my new main guitar. I still love my other guitars for their own unique sounds but this guitar fills a middle ground that touches enough of the Strat/Les Paul nuaces to give it more utility and any one of my other guitars.

This guitar is beautifully made. Attention has been given to every detail. Everything is so clean! I wasn't able to find even the smallest flaw anywhere. I got the Flame Maple (laminate) option, It doesn't really look like Flame Maple since there isn't any depth, but it does look nice. The action was a little low for my taste but the intonation is flawless. With the Graph Tech saddles, graphite nut, and locking tuners this guitar will not go out of tune. Even the case is a standout.

The hardware is solid, nice chrome knobs and bridge. The three-way pickup selector is crisp (not mushy like my Strat). Strap buttons are solid. I haven't owned it long enough to know for sure, but it gives every impression of quality.

Very responsive and matter of fact. I think the difference between a company like Fender and Reverend is that Reverend is still building it's reputation with every guitar they sell. They really care if you are satisfied with your guitar.

I love this guitar. It makes me want to play more that any other guitar I've ever owned. I consider myself pretty picky. I sat in a Guitar Center and played a dozen or so Les Pauls, Paul Reed Smiths, Gretchs, etc. and couldn't find one that was just right. My next guitar will probably be another Reverend in a different configuration. I consider this guitar a great value because it's custom made in the US for less than $1000. Who else has that kind of deal? I'd get exactly the same one if it were stolen.

2003 black demo w/very minor blemishes. 2 hums/3-way pu selector/coil switches. Nice vintage-like maple neck. Hipshot trem, long whammy bar, Sperzel Tuners, 25 1/2 inch scale, extended cutaway. All the right parts with all the right improvements over vintage designs.

Quiet electronics, great sounds from strat to tele, humbuckers have nice tone but no one will ever say this guitar sounds like a LP. I'm using a Reverend Hellhound head and 2 Reverend 1x12 cabs. All sounds are sweet and useful.

Great set-up first time out of the case. Put together extremely well!

The Rocco should hold up OK as long as I don't swing it around like Pete Townsend. A hollow body will never be as stout as a solid body with good wood. I never play without a backup but this guitar is assembled tight and clean, really nice build quality.

One year warranty. Very hepful, down to earth service. No BS.

I've been playing since 1972. The last 5 years my main guitar has been a 68 Les Paul with torch/crown inlay in headstock, P90s and wraparound bridge converted to humbuckers, tunamatic and stop tailpiece(it was like this when I bought it!) Have gone through various fender and G&L guitars and I'm hoping the Rocco will finally be the right goto guitar for Fullerton/Gretsch sounds. I really like all the modern upgrades (locking tuners, light weight, nice whammy system, expanded electronics, quiet sound, comfortable neck and cool looks. If I could get it to sound like a Les Paul it would be the only axe needed for all the sounds that I use.

The guitar reviewed here is a 2003 Rocco. One cool thing about Reverend is that when your order your guitar it is actually made to order. You specify the specs to it. Reverend e-mailed me after I placed my order and asked how I wanted the guitar set up, floating or non-floating trem, sting gauge, string height, tuning (standard or open). Pretty cool huh? Also when you order it you specify extra features to add like Graphtech saddles, out of phase switching, or various finish options. You are basically getting a custom built guitar. I think that is an excellent feature of Reverend as a company in general. Where else are you gonna get that for the price you pay for a Reverend? Anyway my guitar had the following:

Standard:
Semi hollow light weight body construction, mahogany center block
2 humbuckers with coil taps
locking tuners
22 jumbo frets
Optional:
graphtech string saver saddles
faux mahogany finish
trem with push in arm

This is a very versitile guitar. There is not much more to ask for here so I give it a 10.

I I know so many people love this guitar and I have seen great reviews here and in magazines but I have to be honest and say I don't like the Rocco's sound. I wanted to love it so bad but to be honest I don't. (It will be on eBay soon) I read some early reviews complaining about how Reverends are too bright. I wasn't too worried because I like a bright sound. But when I plugged that guitar in I heard the darkest sounding guitar I ever played. I've owned and American Strat, a Mexican Strat, a Dean (HSS guitar with trem), an Epiphone Casino, De Armond (P-90 style pups) and a Gibson Les Paul. I changed the strings on it but it was still dark. I played the Rocco through my Reverend Hellhound (with a Fulltone Fulldrive 2 for some grind when the amp was set clean) and I also played trough my Line6 PODxt (I played the Rocco with tons of different setting on each). On the Reverend I turned the highs all the way up (the presence too) and I was still wondering why it sounded kind of dark. The tone in general was too round around the edges for my tastes. I missed that bite that I get from my Les Paul. At one point while I was playing I went to switch to the bridge pup thinking I was on the neck but to my surprise I was on the bridge! The bridge sounds more like the middle pickup on a three pickup guitar to me. In time I got used to how dark it was (I played it a lot trying to convince myself that I loved it). But last night I picked up my Les Paul I forgot how great that guitar sounded and how much more I preferred it to the Rocco. To me the Rocco sounds too dark, too mellow, and too soft in the attack. It just always sounds muffled to me. I've read Reverend describe the sound as having just enough bite to cut through the mix. I guess that?s their way of saying they like a dark sound. The Rocco doesn?t sound terrible, its just not my bag. There were some times that I was impressed with it but it didn't really suit my tastes. The pups on the Rocco sound very unique to me. They actually twang somewhat (in single coil mode you get a lot more twang as you should). They don?t really do the big fat Gibson thing. The Rocco has some fatness just not Gibson style. Single coil mode isn?t really Fender either. If you like your sound very smooth, mellow and warm without much bite this is a guitar for you. Think of an amp with the highs set no higher than 12 o?clock and the presence all the way down. To the guitar?s credit it is a very versatile instrument. The coil taps sounded very good. The bridge coil tap was not overtly trebly like some Fenders can be. The three way pickup selector and the two coil tap switches make for 8 tonal possibilities. The guitar cleans up just great when rolling the volume back and the tone control is uniquely voiced and useful. It almost has a wah like sweep to it. To sum it up: For me that guitar is just too damned dark! My first thought when I heard it was that it lacked character. I think it has to do a lot with its construction. With a fresh set of strings on both my Les Paul and the Rocco, acoustically the Les Paul is much snappier and brighter than the Rocco. And by the way it is a semi hollow design and I?ve heard people all amazed at how it resonates and how loud it is acoustically. Don?t believe the hype. It does resonate very well?no doubt about that but my solid body Gibson is still louder acoustically. Great resonance on the Reverend but its not AMAZING like some people say. Sorry all you Reverend lovers but I have to give this guitar low marks on tone.

Even if I didn't like the tone I'd be crazy to deny how well crafted this guitar is. Don't be fooled by the relatively low cost and the platic outer rim of the guitar. This guitar is built like a champ. I've heard people say it plays like a guitar twice its price. Believe that hype. It's true! The guitar is so light and the neck it a dream to play. You'll be hard pressed to find a better playing guitar than a Reverend. The finish was flawless (and by the way I think it's a dynamite looling axe). The factory set up was just great. I really can't say anything bad here.

The unique body construction made me wonder about its durability. The top and back are a phelolic material (similar to formica) and the outer rim is plastic. The center block is mahogany. It may be duarble but since I'm going to sell it I can't really put it through the test of time. The finish looks like it will last forever. That is don't worry about the coating/stain coming off the wood. There aint none! I just wonder about the semi hollow construcion and phenolic top and back. Is it fragile? I wont rate it here because I just don't know.

Reverend gives a year limited warranty against defective workmanship or materials. I called the factory with a question once. I asked why the bridge pup was backwards to common convention (the pole pieces towards the neck instead of the bridge) I thought this may have been the source of the guitar?s dark tone. They explained to me why it was designed that way. They weren't really friendly but they certainly weren?t rude either. They just gave me a 'matter of fact answer' and I was on my way. No complaints here. Just plain old customer support.

I've been playing for about 6 years. I listed a bunch of guitars that I have owned above in the sound section. If the Rocco was lost or stolen I'd be pissed because I wouldn't be able to sell it. And sell it is exactly what I'm going to do. I thought it would replace my Les Paul but it just didn't. It's a shame too because there were many things I really loved about that guitar: it's light weight body, it's fantastic playability, it's veratility, trem system with push in arm, coil taps, volume control right where it should be, locking tuners and great looks. I just wish it sounded more like my Gibson. If there was a guitar out there with all the features of the Rocco but the tone of a Gibson Les Paul that would be the end all be all of guitars for me. It's not a bad guitar but it's tone was just not for me. Mud to my ears. Revernd make a great amp though ;-)

Bought this guitar cheap a year ago, on a Musicians Friend Closeout, then sent it to Reverend to exchange its twin P-90's for twin humbuckers, making it a Rocco. Total cost, just under $500--for a top-line guitar. The humbuckers are split coil and it also has the phase switch. Eastpointe(old style)neck, baby blue phenolic top and back, old-style non-locking tuners. It has everything I need.

I already had a guitar with three P-90's, which is why I had this one switched to humbuckers. I expected to use it as a backup--but when I played it, tried the different combinations, it was so versatile--and each combinations sounded so yummy, it became my #1 axe within just a few days. Now when playing electric, I use it about 75% of the time. The bridge humbucker is ballsy, with just a hint of twang, and if you use the split switch, you get a nice, single coil sound--great twang for country. The neck humbucker is warm, sweet, and both of them take overdrive really well--very thick, creamy sound with a lot of texture.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned on this guitar, is the consistency and predictability of tone along the whole fretboard. I have guitars by other manufacturers in the same price range, and often as you work your way up the neck, the actual nature of the sound changes, you get a different texture, so that you need different settings. Not with this magic child--there's a very steady increase in brightness and cut, so that you can be playing open chords--which I like to do a lot--and then jump up to the twelfth or fifteenth fret, and the sound is very complementary. I've found that to be a very refined quality, and I use it a lot playing blues, either using the neck pickup or both pickups.

The out-of-phase sound is truly nasty, unlike I've ever heard. I don't use it for much--"Smokestack Lightnin'" is pretty close to it. But it's a wonderfully cranky, obnoxious sound. There is a bit of volume loss, but it's easily compensated for.

The sound of this guitar is so refined--you can get B.B. King really easily, or jazz sounds when you want them, or punch it up with overdrive, and the tones are bouncing off the walls. The only limitation is if you want something really raw. Except for the out-of-phase sound, the sounds are so tonally complex, raw is hard to get. In other words, there are some numbers where you'd like to get a kind of "cheap guitar" sound. This thing sounds like a two thousand dollar axe, period. It doesn't know how to sound like a three hundred dollar Ibanez. When I want that, I switch guitars. Which is sort of like faulting filet mignon because it doesn't taste like a hot dog--if you want the hot dog, buy a hot dog. So I'm not knocking off for that.

Same as you've heard before--the action is great, the neck is smoothe, finished like a custom-built G&L, frets smoothe and--and I love this--big enough, it's easy to grab a string for some serious bending. I don't have the tremelo, and never felt like I needed one. You can crank 'em till your fingers bleed, and stays right in tune--so I think the tremelo would be no problem if you wanted to use one.

My only knock--and this is just personal--is that I have rather short, stubby fingers, so the 25.5", Fender scale length is a hard stretch for me. And it's also a bit narrow for me. But that's just personal to me--I don't have real "guitar player's hands." I do have a backup with a 24"(!) scale length, just so I can do some things I can't do with this guitar.

But everyone I've let touch this guitar, the first thing they say is, "Wo, nice neck." Need I say more?

As to finish, the phenolic is practically indestructible--looks good, and is practically immune from scratches or buckle rash. I do think they should have the white plastic edge piece available in black, though, to match the black pickguard. Black with light blue is a killer color combination.

I've gigged with this guitar quite a bit, and play it most every day. It's been hit a couple of times, by accident, and doesn't even go out of tune. Allowing for the semi-hollow body and really light, it really seems like a tank. Any knock on durability is strictly bogus, this has held up to everything I've done to it, and it still looks brand-new, except for some pick scratches on the pickguard.

I dealt with Joe Naylor quite a bit while getting this thing changed over. They don't get any better. Period.

I've been playing about 35 years, but the first 33 was strictly acoustic. This guitar has been ideal for helping me make the switch to electric, first because it's so versatile; second because *all* the pickup/coil/phase combinations are predictable and *really* sound good; third because it takes heavier-guage strings really well (sometimes the locking tuners won't take .11's,); fourth because the electronics are really steady.

Mostly I play blues on it, with a little country and classic rock thrown into the mix. This guitar plays all of them as though it was custom made for that genre alone. And it plays B.B. King-style blues just as easily as Albert King, just as easily as Buddy Guy (I was particularly looking for a guitar that could give me that nasty ryhthmn sound off Buddy Guy's "Sweet Tea" album.) It's exactly the guitar I was looking for when I made the switch from my Martin.

I don't even want to think about this guitar being stolen--shut your mouth.

One particular thing I noticed early, was that it plays better through a cheap amp than my Reverend with three P-90's (slingshot custom) did. When I got a better amp, the P-90's blew me away. But the Rocco sounded great through both of them.

I ordered mine direct in 2002. It is a dragonfly green metal top (very cool color) with a pseudo-Bigsby (I guess they now come with honest-to-goodness Bigsbys). Sperzel locking tuners, graphite nut, and wicked cool case. Beyond that, it's the same as the other reviews.

I play a lot of classic rock and blues. What can I say? I love the tone of this guitar. I got rid of my fingernails on a chalkboard Parker and took a chance on this and boy am I happy. The pickups are quiet as can be. There isn't too much of a drop off in volume when using the coil tap. All of the pickup settings are useful. Dialing off the volume doesn't result in muddy sound. This guitar can't approximate the full low-end sound of Gibson humbuckers, but the guitar just plain sounds great.

I ordered this guitar over the phone and they asked me how I wanted the instrument set up and by golly that's how it came. I checked the entire thing over for some sort of flaw, but the guitar is perfect. The top was properly bookmatched (okay, just kidding). The neck is exquisite (I like it almost as much as my old Parker and those are the nicest necks in the world). Frets are perfect. Action is perfect. The thing is just plain perfect.

The guitar has withstood live playing so far (but I'm not hard on my guitars) and I don't see why it wouldn't hold up for a long time. I haven't noticed that the metal top is easy to dent or scratch. The strap buttons seem solid. I always take a backup, but that's not because I don't trust the guitar. But you never know.

Placing the order was painless and they were always helpful when I checked on the progress of my order.

I've been playing over 30 years, but only seriously for the past 3 years when I started playing live. I also have a Reverend Slingshot Custom that I found used and I'm thinking about ordering an Avenger TL. I also have an 80s Japanese made Tele that's pretty nice tone wise but the neck is shot. I would definitely buy another Rocco if this were lost or stolen. I love the light weight of the thing, the neck length is perfect for my body. Over the past two years, I've bought and sold about 10 electric guitars (I'm hard to please) and this is one of the few I've really fallen in love with. The neck plays very comfortably and it's just well-balanced. And it sounds great. (And I think it looks very cool)

My Rocco was probably made in 2000-2001. Purchased from Musicians Friend. It has a turquoise body with a gray pick guard. This model has the exposed black/white coil p/u's. Hard tail bridge. The other features have been covered in other reviews. I do have one gripe, features wise, about my Rocco. The volume and tone controls are not damped. So the lightest bump or accidental brush will turn the volume control drastically. I've been a strat player for years and am used to playing with my pinky wrapped around the volume control. I can't do this with my Rocco, because it's to easy to accidently roll the volume off. The non damped control, also makes it harder to make slight volume adjustments while playing. I usually touch it and roll the volume off to much. The tone control knob was loose and feel off after a few weeks. These controls are split shaft and the chrome knob doesn't fit snugly over it with out the screw being tightened. No big deal on this. Features wise, this guitar does have them, with both coils being splitable via the mini switches. Other than that it's a no frills guitar.

I bought this guitar hoping it would lean towards a 335 type sound. In other words, lively an fat. I was somewhat disappointed. It felt like the guitar was shipped with 9's strings, which I quickly changed to a 10-46 set. It still sounded plinky on the high strings and a little bright over all. On my strat type guitars I use a 11-48 set to get a little more bite out of the high (skinny) strings.. I haven't tried that on this Rocco. Overall I like the guitar's sound when in humbucker mode, however, I thing the guitar really thins out when shifted into any of the single coil only settings. To my ear the volume drops about 30% and it doesn't sound like a strat at all. When I gig with this guitar I leave it in HB mode all the time. I play this guitar through: Allen Old Flame (2x10), Deluxe Reverbs and at times through a Line 6 Flextone. The guitar is not at all noisy, even in single coil mode. I also own a Guild CE-100 and a Dearmond Jetstar with Goldtones in it. My Rocco's output is about 80-90$ of both of my other humbucker equipped guitars, so I'd say the output of these p/u's is less than a PAF style p/u. Likes/dislikes: I do and I don't. When I'm playing a Strat type song.. this Rocco gets me closer to that sound with the advantage of h/b's and a little more umph hitting that first preamp tube. But when I play a h/b/fat toned type song it just doesn't pull it off like my solid bodies and 335 type guitars do. I usually have to kick in an OD pedal.

The guitar came set-up with low action and was innotated. I play blues and swing type music, so the strings were to light and low for my tastes. I'm sure it would be perfect for the speed demon rock player. The necks and frets on Reverend guitars are really great. I love the frets, they're just right. It's a breeze to play. No flaws that I could see. I'll take off a few points for the NON-damped vol/tone controls and the tone knob that fell off.

This guitar is solid nothing to criticize here, except for the vol and tone controls.

I have also purchased a Rev Spy guitar and a Rev Hellhound amp. You used to be able to e-mail Reverend and get quick polite answers. It seems now that they've started their own mail order they no loger even advertise a contact email address on their web site. If you want support you have to call them on your dime. This is disappointing, the personal service/(email responses) was one of the reasons I purchased my 2nd and 3rd Reverend products. I wanted to replace the vol/tone controls in this Rocco with a damped type pot, but didn't want to have to take the strings & pic guard off to see the value of the pots. I went to the Rev. web site and low and behold.. they don't take emails anymore. -5 , shame on you guys!

Overall, I honestly have neutral feelings for this guitar. It's a professional, good playing piece of laminate and wood and I'll gig with it in certian situations in the future. While it's very unique looking, I don't find the tone to be anything overly exceptional. I really like the tones I get out of my Rev. Spy, I would categorize it as a unique Strat ++. Maybe I should have gotten the P-90 equipped Rev. guitar. I also own the following guitars: 62' Strat Reissue, DeArmond M75-T & Jetstar, (Rev. Spy), Michael Kelly Duce Coupe (335 type, way cool for the money!) and a 78 Guild CE-100 (sweet & fat!). If this was lost or stolen, I'd get something else. I do wish it had chrome p/u covers.. it would look much more sharp, in my opinion.

This is the now-discontinued basic Rocco with zebra pickups and non-locking tuners; two humbuckers with 3-way switch,two coil taps, 1 each of volume and tone controls. Composite wood/ resin top and back with solid mahogany center block and steel sustain bar. Body style is unique but somewhat similar a smaller strat with shortened 'horns'. Neck is very like a vintage strat with a rosewood fingerboard. Classy-looking & slightly retro, with nice subtle details like the chrome armrest and jagged pickguard making a very individual look.

Excelent sound all the way; so many possibilities to try out I still haven't even explored...I play anything from Van Morrison to Robert Johnson to the Ramones to Hank Williams Sr. to Dinosaur Jr. to Stevie Wonder to Portishead to Jon Spencer to Leo Kottke....ok, that's enough. A wide range of interests. The Rocco can cope with just about anything; much more flexible than your basic Strat or Les Paul, for instance, and to my ears sounds better than either. Quieter in single-coil mode than my strat (no out-of phase position, unfortnately) and more definition in humbucker than the Paul. It does exceptional in-between sounds, too- the reviews below have already touched on the sweet single/ hum combinations. The volume and tone controls add soooo much variety to the sound- maybe Reverend should rename them so they wont be confused with the almost useless controls on most guitars. If you want a heavy distorted sound and the humbucker sounds a little too full-bodied but the single is too thin, just roll off the volume a little bit and suddenly it bites without bludgeoning. Perfect! I could go on and on about the different sounds, but take my word- there's almost anything you want in there, and many things you didn't know you wanted until you hear them.

I purchsed this used, the noisy tone control probably can't be blamed on production. Besides that, as far as I can tell, it is extremely well-made and set-up. From what I've heard, Mr. Naylor goes well out of his way to correct any such problems. It might not be the perfect guitar for the light-gauge, low-action string playing guys out there.

Super-light but seems sturdy; It makes me a little nervous because I can be kinda hard on my gear, but I feel less need to baby this one than I do my Les Paul, which is the exact opposite: heavy and fragile (one might say cheap). I feel I can depend on it through normal playing, and I don't think I need a backup- although that is pretty much what it has turned my other guitars into.