Reverend Slingshot

2004 Workhorse model Slingshot, burgundy red finish, nickel plated hardware. 25 1/2" scale, 22 medium jumbo frets, 12" radius fretboard, 2 Reverend P 90 single coil pickups, standard Gotoh style tuners, non locking, nice roller string trees, graphite nut, hardtail strat style bridge, string thru body.
Neck is maple with slab rosewood fretboard, nice medium C shape, rolled fingerboard edges, cream plastic dot position markers. The body is made from a plastic rim, with a solid mahogany center block and tone bar for sustain, phenolic top and back. Semi hollow construction.
3 way switch, master volume/tone controls. Chrome dome knobs for volume/tone controls.
Single ply white pickguard, unique shape, output jack on the front of the guitar.
Has a chrome plated arm rest on the upper lower bout.
Available with a case, I got the Reverend gig bag for an additional $25.

I gave this category a 10 because you can get many options on any of the Reverend guitars. Mine is what they call their Workhorse model, less available options, non locking tuners, single ply pickguard instead of 3 ply guard. Everything else the same as the Premium versions. Good value for the bucks in my opinion.

The guitar has a very full sound to it, I suppose partly because of the semi hollow construction. I have read some people describe the sound as like a fatter strat, but I disagree. Pickups seem to be medium output, they overdrive my main amp that I use quite well, which is a tweed 5E3 Deluxe I built myself. Hum cancelling in the center position of the 3 way. Overall, a very nice sounding axe, has a unique sound none of my other guitars has. When overdriven can do the classic rock thing well, and when cleaned up can do some nice blues. Gets a nice jazz sound on the neck pickup with the tone rolled off. Very versatile guitar IMHO.

Pretty much flawless as received. I bought it off their website as a guitar left over from a trade show. Only $480 for a USA made quality guitar. Very cool looking, nice vintage vibe unlike any other guitar. Very nice neck, if you like medium C profile necks you will like this neck. Superbly finished frets, they shined like little mirrors, no sharp edges. Nicely rolled fingerboard edges. Nut cut well, one tiny imperfection on it on the bass side, looks like a file slipped, but you gotta really look to see it. Doesn't bother me.
Top looks different, has pebbly grain to it. Hardware good quality, stays in tune very well, and I bend strings constantly since I am mainly a blues player.
When I first got it, the second day it developed a very annoying buzz on the high E string. I put on a new set of strings and that solved the problem. Keep in mind the thing just got shipped 1000 miles or so, with no problems when I opened the box. Action was set very nice at the factory, no complaints there.

Nice solid guitar, more fragile than a tele or strat because it is hollow on the sides, but the hardware and workmanship are top notch. I believe the guitar will be around long after I am gone. No strap locks, but the standard buttons grip very well.

I called once after I got the guitar to ask about the buzzing high E string, talked to Joe Naylor himself. Nice and professional conversation. Other than that, haven't had to deal with them except when I called to order the guitar. Shipped quickly with no problems. No hassles.

Great guitar, and for the money, you just can't go wrong. USA quality at less than $500. Highly recommended. I have been playing over 30 years, and this guitar is a keeper.

American made, red body w/gold pick guard and 2 white P 90's. Metal guard along the top of body where your forearm rests. Plastic composition body w/mahogany sustain block where neck connects to body. The neck is the best feature, highly figured birds-eye maple that fits your hand like a glove. 3 way, Tone and volume knobs, hard tail bridge with tons of sustain. Very light guitar that sounds great unpluged. Got an awesome black/white hard case, really retro style.

When I first received the guitar via UPS, I looked at it and thought "What a peice of shit" BUT....once plugged into my Soldano then 5150....I retracted that statement immediatley! This little guitar kicks some serious ass. The P-90's scream, and overdriven they are awesome. The sustain is incredible! Very quiet though w/no hummm. Nothing negitive, in fact it smokes my Historic Les Paul Special(also with 2 P 90's)that I recently sold. That says it all.

It was set up with 10's and the tech I got it from set it up to perfection. Mr. Naylor, you did a great thing with the SlingShot, it ranks up there with the best guitars I've owned and played(I've been playing for 35+ years). I inspected the guitar and didn't find one flaw. To get a guitar this good for such a low price now days is un-heard of. Do you here that Gibson and Fender? Joe smoked you guys!!!!!

Everything is rock solid and durable, should last a long time. I would like to put an East Point neck on every guitar I own, they are that nice and comfortable. Wouldn't hesitate to use it with no backup, Sperzals would be nice but doesn't detract from the guitars overall quality.

Who knows, who cares. I did e-mail Joe complimenting him on this fine instrument and got an immediate reply. Try that with Gibson or Fender. Though I do own 1 Gibson and 4 Fenders. But the little guys always give the best customer support.

Like I stated above, I own many high end guitars from many different manufacturers and this ranks up there with the best. Been playing for over 35+ years and this guitar continues to impress me. I would replace it but maybe with the Custom that has 3 P-90's. If 2 are this good 3 must be better! If you get the oppertunity to play or purchase one....go for it, you wouln't regret it.

mine is an american-made, light-green metal finish 2002 model.
It has a smooth, fast, luscious maple neck and two P-90 pickups (as so all slingshots, i believe) with a 3-way selector switch, and single tone and volume knobs. I also got it with a 'revsby' (think bigsby) tailpiece which never ever goes out of tune, and Reverend's standard locking tuners
the reverends have a unique construction, as they are semi-hollow bodied guitars, but look like solid bodies. mine a brushed green aluminum finish over a masonite-like body, with a solid mahogany center block. it sounds weird, but the whole design is meant to enhance the resonance, and man did they know what they were doing!

no matter what i'm playing ranging from clean rock n' roll, surf melodies, fast distorted mid-90s pop/punk, to heart-wrenching sorrowful ballads, this guitar sounds perfect.
clean, it has crystal clear tone with a full crisp bottom end, reminiscent of jimi's strat.
distorted or overdriven, it keeps its crispness and incredible full tone, great sustain, and really packs punch.
there is no buzz whatsoever or feedback from the body.
i use it through a 100w marshall head on a mesa-boogie 4x12 cab, and when i'm trying to be quiet through a little fender single 12" amp. either way, this guitar sounds like none other.
i've actually put aside my '65 jaguar, les paul, SG, and '67 coronado and my other 9 guitars since i've owned this instrument. its tone, action, playability, and overall sound are so fine and versatile that nothing else is quite as much fun to play...or sounds so crystal clear.

like all factory-ordered reverends, the guitar was built according to my specs, down to the action and string gauge.
it arrived at my door in perfect playing order, and i've been playing it as is ever since.
the finish is beautiful, the workmanship flawless.
i feel a little silly being so unabashedly complimentary, but this is truly a fine well-built and beautifully done instrument.
i find myself saying this every time i finish playing it.

i haven't played out with it since i bought it (since most of my live stuff lately has been acoustic), but i play it hard at home and recording and it never gives up. it always plays well, almost never goes out of tune (even using the tremolo).
it's a sturdily built little guitar in every aspect, with a solid 4-bolt neck, locking tuners and sturdy hardware. and it's super-lightweight.

i have never had a single problem and have never needed to call them. but i understand that they're good.
they were great to deal with when ordering the instrument and everything arrived exactly as i asked....

like i've said, i can't say enough about the sound, playability, and quality of this guitar. i would recommend a reverend to anyone I know who appreciates a great rock and roll guitar.
i've always loved the sound and feel of vintage american instruments, which led to my collection of '60s fenders, gibsons, and other such guitars....but once i came across a used reverend by accident a few years ago, i knew i had to have a non-vintage guitar like this of my own; and i have not been disappointed. it has the feel and sound of a great vintage american instrument, combined with the durability and reliability of a modern guitar.
and for the money i think there's nothing comparable.
you have got to get one.

You've heard it before. Nothing more than necessary, but not packed with bells and whistles. This is an older model with cream body/gold pickguard combination. Came with the case.

Nothing I've ever played sounds like this guitar. Because it is semi-hollow, it is surprisingly loud even without an amp. When you plug it in, it resonates well and has a nice rich tone. In fact, the whole body resonates like a good accoustic, which is a sign of quality in my book.

The P-90's have a bluesy tone...notes always sound like they have rough edges even when the gain on the amp is low. They're not as loud as the pickups on my 52 Tele, but they aren't as quiet as humbuckers. The tone is best when the gain on your amp is about halfway up. This causes the tone to break up just enough to get a nice bark without getting too much feedback. At uber-volumes, the tonality begins to suffer. I have not been happy with the tone when I try to make it perfectly clean...this just doesn't seem to suit the pickups well. I typically cut all the mids and keep the tone knob on the guitar pegged so that I get a nice biting sound.

I wouldn't say that "variety" is the strongest suit of this guitar. What it does, however, it does incredibly well. If you're playing roots-oriented rock, blues, or even country, this guitar will fit the bill. Don't use it for super-clean jazz or death metal.

The setup was perfect. Every domestic guitar manufacturer (Gibson, wake up to some quality control!) should use Reverend as an example of how to ship instruments in the proper shape to play.

The phenolic-laminate top is consistent in both appearance and tonal response. It still looks like the day I bought it.

The neck on this guitar is probably its strongest feature. It just feels right...almost like I've been playing it for decades, wearing down all the rough edges. The money they saved by not having to bookmatch tops was certainly put into the construction of the necks. They are Fender-like and delicious.

Bulletproof? Nope...too hollow to be kicked around a lot. However, its also not a delicate flower. I'm sure it will last forever with only minor adjustments.

Never had to deal with them.

Reverend is a model company, in my opinion. They make daring, innnovative guitars at affordable prices. Their first priority is tone, tone, tone and they build guitars that are absolutely comfortable to play. This is a guitar built for musicians rather than built to attract the eye of passing teenagers...even though it is certainly eye catching. If I lost it, I'd buy another. I would probably order one with a tremolo, however. That is the only option I would add to this otherwise perfect guitar. Most guitars don't deserve a ten...my Les Paul doesn't...but this one makes the grade. I only hope that the word that is being spread around about this great comany doesn't cause them to lower their standards to meet demand!

Older model phenolic top Slingshot, 2 P-90's, standard tuners, one volume and one tone control, three position switch. Not alot of features, but it has everything it needs. I was going to replace the tuners with locking tuners, but it stays in tune very well with the standards. Great bridge, nice frets (not too wide, fairly tall) make for easy bending of notes. Wonderful neck! It came with a gig bag, but I bought a Reverend case to keep it in when not in use.

You know a guitar is gonna sound good amplified when it sounds good before you plug it in. This guitar rings like a bell! When you do plug it in, you have the great sound of the Reverend P-90's. I had a '65 SG with P-90's and the Reverend sounded as good or better. I play blues and old rock'n roll using a Carr Rambler amp and the tones I get are outstanding! You can get alot of different sounds by using just the pickup switch, the tone and the volume. Sounds great with effects as well. I have a Fulltone Fulldrive, a Barber Burn Unit, a Boss chorus, a DOD digital delay and a Morley Bad Horsie Wah that all work well, but sometimes I don't use any effects at all. Maybe the only thing better would be a Slingshot Custom (3 pickup) with a Bigsby, but this guitar delivers the goods!

By now you have probably heard that Reverend guitars come set up better than most others. I my case it was certainly true. The setup on my guitar was spot on, and in the three years I've had it, it has only needed one minor neck adjustment. Excellent workmanship! And it looks as good as it did when I first got it!

I have played dozens of gigs with no problems. I don't expect any, either. You might think that such a lightweight, mostly non-wood instrument would be prone to problems, but such is not the case. I take care of my guitars, but I don't baby them either!

I contacted Reverend with questions before I got the guitar and got a personal reply from Joe Naylor. I later emailed him to thank him for making such a quality product and received another personal reply. He seems to be one of those folks who really care about what they do. If I had any problems I'm sure I would get any assistance necessary.

I have been playing for over 30 years and countless gigs and have owned dozens of guitars. The Slingshot is my main axe and has been since I got it. If it was lost or stolen I would get another in a heartbeat. I also play a Tele Special, a Daion, an SD Curlee and a Galveston resonator. My next guitar may be a Reverend Rocco. You owe it to yourself to check out Reverend instruments! Best of all, they are made right here in the U.S.A!

Made in 2003, this beauty was supposedly a demo but confound it if I can see any signs of it. Beautiful aged yellow finish. Great neck--thin, but not too thin. I had them put phase switching in--very cool.

I'm really digging the P-90s. I've never had a guitar with them before. Great sound. I always heard they were noisy, but these aren't. I'm playing through a Peavey Classic 30 and the sounds I get with this guitar are varied and rich.

I liked the factory set-up. I'm not super picky about this. Can't be too picky when your first guitar was an Emperador acoustic that seemed best suited for slide.

I don't play out so this guitar won't be put to that test. However, it's seems quite sturdy for a semi-hollow body.

I received an email from Joe Naylor in reply to one I sent thanking Reverend from the guitar. The sales rep was great, very friendly. The guitar's under warranty for a year, but I don't anticipate I'll be needing it.

My other guitars are parts guitars--a Strat style and a Tele style. I love 'em but I don't know if anyone else would. This is the first time I've bought a guitar and haven't wanted to change something about it. I got the Slingshot to be different from my other guitars and it is--I wouldn't have it any other way.

I would definitely replace my Slingshot if need be.

This is the current ('03) model. Don't own it, tried it out at the Dallas guitar show. I will buy this guitar when I can afford it. Features have been covered adequately on other posts. This is a unique instrument that achieves great results. Phenolic top and custom-wound p-90s that really deliver the goods if you're into that type of sound. One thing worth noting is that all the components are quite well laid out. Joe Naylor himself informed me that they went to a lot of trouble to put things in the right place. Basic features, but flexible overall design.

I play mostly songwritten rock with lots of open note droning, open chords and other somewhat unconventional approaches which often stretch guitars to their limits. This guitar delivered exactly what I was wanting to hear. I regularly play a Mexican strat w/ upgraded pickups, but these p-90s deliver a much fatter single coil sound with plenty of sizzle and a lot of body. The pickups are well balanced and the unique phenolic/mahogany centerblock/steel bar body lends a great tone. This guitar sounded awesome!

The setup was flawless as far as I could tell. The thing was perfectly in tune--which is no small feat considering how many people had been giving it hell all day long. The neck felt great, no noticeable flaws of any kind (jagged fret ends, screwed-up nut, etc.) The composite body was, of course, flawless. But then again, there's really no reason it wouldn't be, considering it doesn't have to be finished.

I loved pretty much everything about this guitar. It's got snazzy looks, a great feel to it, simplistic but flexible features, and an attractive price tag. Also, Joe Naylor and the entire group from Reverand are a great bunch of folks. I'd happily do business with them any time. The only thing that would make this guitar better is if it came with it's own record deal or something.

Purple (discontinued top) older Slingshot, 22 frets with older bolt-on "Eastpointe neck" - has a thicker profile and standard non-locking tuners (no longer available, now Sperzels are standard on a slightly thinner neck). Very simple - 2 P90 pickups, one 3-way pickup selector switch, one volume knob, one tone knob. String-thru construction. Rosewood neck. Can't give it the highest score on features, but I'm sure any experienced guitarist has a gee-whiz guitar with active electronics, multiple switches etc...that they don't play very much :). I know I do. The guitar is like the bastard offspring of a Telecaster and a Danelectro - it looks pretty funky in a cool way.

This was my first P90 guitar - and all I can say is that it won't be my last. P90s are single coils with (to my ears) a thicker midrange and an upper end bite. They do hum but this can be partially offset by using both together. The P90s on the Slingshot are not quite as noisy as my Telecaster's single coils but there is noticeable 60Hz noise. The best tone can be obtained with this guitar with a slightly overdriven tube amp. I tend to leave the pickup selector on the central position and go direct into my Tophat Club Deluxe. This combination gives me an amazing tone that makes me want to play forever. I've literally laughed out loud at the tone I've gotten from this combination - it is that good. However, I must say that the guitar is probably not for uber-gain freaks - it does feed back more than any of my solidbody guitars. The pickups also are not as high gain as metal players might like. They are incredible for blues, and fine for rock. So there might be a versatility problem if you're looking for a death metal guitar. However, I doubt any of those guys are looking at these instruments anyway.

Anyone bought a Gibson recently? Was it properly set up? Was the fretwork any good? I have an SG Standard with poorly aligned inlay - you can see the filler used to fill the gaps around the inlay. My Les Paul Classic frets out above the 15th fret - spend $1300 on an instrument, then pay for a fret job? The Slingshot was the best set up new guitar I have ever purchased. It was properly intonated from the beginning. I lowered the action just a little to suit my tastes. Nut cut was right on and the frets feel great. If you're tired of paying $1000 or more and getting flawed instruments... walk away from Fender and Gibson. Buy a Reverend. I will never buy a new Gibson ever again unless they can address their quality control issues. Reverend gives me hope that American companies might still be able to give a sh!t and ship a great product for a reasonable price.

I've owned the instrument for 4 months now, it seems very solid but I don't gig and therefore realistically I should not answer this question. As with all semi-hollow instruments, I would assume it is slightly more fragile than a solibody but the phenolic top looks like you could fry an egg on it (don't try it, just kidding).

Reverend is a great company to deal with - great service, great products, all made in USA. Call them up and you will get someone who knows the product and will answer all your questions. Gotta love it. There is hope for America as long as we have small luthiers who are able to craft excellent products at a reasonable price!

I've been playing 19 years and own 27 guitars of various makes, including all the big names. I would highly recommend Reverend instruments to anyone who might remotely be interested in them. Resale value on these seems to be pretty reasonable, if you should turn out not to like it. Be aware that the neck is a Fender-type longer scale neck, if you are a Gibson player. The neck profile is also pretty fat, so people with short fingers may have some issues. If those facts don't bother you, go buy it - you will not regret it. I will probably get another Slingshot in the future, most likely a 3-pickup Custom with a Bigsby.

This is an '01 Slingshot with a lovely cream-colored phenolic-laminate body and metallic-gold pickguard. Its serial number is in the low 2000's, and I believe that this color combination is no longer available, at least from looking on their excellent website.

It has a maple neck with 22 frets, two P-90 style pickups with a 3 way selector switch. It has a simple, fixed bridge and through-body strings running into chrome Sperzel tuners.

It's body design is very unique with a somewhat cockeyed shape and a cool future-retro theme. Under the unique laminate top, it has a solid chunk of white mahogany with a steel sustain-bar attached.

I bought this guitar after Reverend decided to sell direct rather than putting their inventory into guitar stores. The store was just trying to get rid of their last Rev guitar, and I got it for a song. The deal included the case, which is a snazzy two-tone job with a unique shape.

The only feature I wish it had was a whammy-bar.

I'm not going to make any clever religious puns in this review. I just want to communicate exactly how special this instrument, and its company, are. This guitar is built for one purpose above all others, and that is to deliver tone. It accomplishes this with such class, attitude, and affordability that it puts larger companies to shame.

I originally noticed Reverend guitars because I thought they were sort of stupid looking. Like many guitar players, I'm quite conservative about my instruments. I love vintage gear, and still gaze lovingly at my Les Paul when I'm not playing it. The Reverend style, at first, turned me off. When I saw them in the music store, however, I picked one up on a lark. I had heard that their tone was pretty amazing.

Within a few seconds, I almost put down the 52 Telecaster reissue I had come to the store to purchase in order to buy the Reverend. It was only the look that turned me off, and I bought the Tele. I love the Telecaster, but the tone of the Reverend has been echoing through my brain ever since until I had to go back to the store and buy one.

The first thing I noticed was how strong the instrument resonated even without an amp. It hummed like my Taylor 514 accoustic, and was wonderfully light. When I plugged it in and played it clean, the sound bowled me over. It was bright, clear, punchy, and perfectly intonated. Bends had this singing quality that worked on all three pickup settings. Chords also rang out with amazing clarity, with the P-90's and the accoustic pockets combining to give a rich wash of overtones. I was sold on this guitar even without using overdrive and playing off a crappy Marshall valvestate combo.

When I got the guitar home and plugged it into my Mesa Rect-O-Verb amp, it got the distortion test and passed with flying colors. It has this nice, raunchy sort of tone that I've never experienced before. Again, I suppose this is the result of the pickups combined with the body design and materials. Where the guitar sang clean, it growled and barked when driven. Power chords had the fullness that my Tele lacked while avoiding the muddiness of my LesPaul.

The natural voice of this guitar is extremely bluesy, which is good because that's what I play more than anything else. Clean, it almost twangs like a Telecaster, particularly on the bridge pickups. Distorted, it sounds like a fat Strat/Tele hybrid. It doesn't crunch like a Les Paul, but that's okay. It nails so many other tones that it can leave the stomping to the LesPaul and not be left out.

Lovely. Lovely. Lovely. I'll deduct one point because it isn't doesn't do *every* tone well.

I can say, hands-down, that this guitar had the most exacting setup I've ever experienced straight out of the box. The pickups level, string height, and intonation were absolutely perfect. This is unique in my experience, even with extremely expensive guitars. This guitar was not sent out of the factory until it was ready. This is depressingly rare these days.

The action of this guitar is so sweet that only my Taylor has a comparable feel. The neck fits my hand perfectly and the action is so nice it's a little creepy. It doesn't buzz, yet its extremely low and fast. I've found that playing higher frets is easier on this guitar than on any of my others. The quality of the neck and action is so good that it is worth the asking price by itself.

Well, it doesn't have a delicate finish to worry about. I would imagine that that phenolytic laminate could stand up to a lot without a scratch. The body is about 40% empty space, so I do tend to be careful with it, but I'm careful with all guitars. Seems solid and dependable.

Haven't had the pleasure. They seem nice, though. You have to love a company that puts their serial numbers on by hand with a marker.

I've been playing for eleven years. I own 7 other guitars including a Les Paul Standard, a 52 Reissue Tele, a Mexican Fender Strat, a Taylor 514CE, and several others.

This guitar stunned me when I played it. I don't believe in giving guitars a perfect 10 rating unless they make the cut. This guitar deserves it. My Les Paul is an overpriced show-pony. I love it, but I feel that Gibson charged at least double what it was worth. The Telecaster was more reasonably priced, but its vintage frets and neck are harder to play and it takes a lot more work to get the tones I want. The Reverend, on the other hand, feels and plays wonderful with almost no effort. It just fits my style and my hands like a glove. The Reverend company has proven that a small outfit can produce quality guitars that deliver the goods at reasonable (hell, beyond reasonable in my case) prices. I stumbled onto such a good deal that I bought the guitar on the spot, even though I hadn't planned on buying one until next year. I got a ludicrous deal on it, but it would have been worth twice what I payed. If it were stolen, I would buy another one immediately. It is that good.

I love guitars, and I'll never get over my addiction to vintage-style gear. Fender and Gibson will rip me off again in the future. For now, I feel smart because I've purchased an instrument that is actually worth *more* than I paid. The thought that anybody would plunk down 800 bucks for a crappy Fender American Standard Tele or Strat when they could purchase one of these babies for the same price makes me sad. There is no better guitar for the money. Period.

I'm not sure of the year it was made. It's made in the USA
The top and back are phenolic with a mahogany block down the middle. The top is morracan gold with creme pickups and pickguard. It's a very attractive guitar.
It has 2 -P90s, a 3 way switch, master volume and tone, passive.
It's sort of an offset waist strat shape, but then again, not.
This one is a hard tail, w/ string through the body.
Locking tuners, long scale neck, I got a gig bag with it.
It's hard to rate features, I has all it needs.

It is very versatile. The tone controls work real well and offer lots of great sounds. I use it with a hand wired custom made 4- 10 amp, similar to a 59 bassman with an extra gain stage and reverb. The P90s can be a little noisey, but that's how they are.
Very rich sound with lots of overtones. As another reviewer said, I can feel the resonance in my belly when I play it, I feel real connection. I use it for blues and classic rock.

This guitar is superbly built. I got it from an ebay auction. I lowered the action a little and it plays like a dream. Pickup heights are good. Overall, a very well made instrument. I was intested in a Reverend and I saw this one on ebay and the colors are what I would have chosen if I had ordered it new, so I decided to bid to win it.

It seems tough enough for a lot of years of use, good hardware, good strap buttons, I will probably put locks on it. I never play without a backup guitar.

I've never had to call them.

I've been playing for 40 years, pro and semi pro. I have 2 Strats, a '79 and a '94, a Les Paul Classic, an Am Std Tele, a G+L ASAT,
a '65 Les Paul Special, and a '97 reissue Firebird. I love them all. This Reverend is a good guitar. The construction, the materials, and shape are well thought out and work for me. If it was stolen. I would get another one. I like the weight, the feel and the tone. I can't think of anything that I don't like about it. It has a gig bag and I think I'm going to order a case. I've always liked thin line guitars with P90s.