Reverend Volcano

The features have been mentioned in detail by a previous reviewer. I would only add that unlike the Gibson Flying V the body is raised under the strings, where the pickups are.

The only dislike I have in this department are the Wilkinson tuners. The machines work fine, but they have this odd approach to locking the strings whereby you have two holes that you must pass the strings through. The bottom hole is where you insert the string like a regular tuner, but then you must wrap the string around the post and stick it into a second higher hole. The purpose of this is to make act like a locking tuner. However, having this second hole makes removing the old string a chore because --once tightened-- there is no way to pull the string that is wound between the first and second holes without prying it out with a small screwdriver or some other implement. Of course, I guess you can just use the first hole and wind the string as if it where a regular tuner. I do find this system very cumbersome and not really useful. I knocked off a couple of points just for this reason.

I'm fairly eclectic in my playing. I play everything between jazz, Blues, Rock, Pop, R&B, Metal, and even some Country. This guitar's sound covers a nice range in the Blues, Rock, Pop, and even Metal styles. In general I am partial to "The Gibson Sound" (Les Paul, SG, ES) that seems to stand out both in mixes and live more than other guitars (of course, amps are important too). A couple of weeks after I received the Volcano I brought home a Gibson Explorer which supposedly has the hottest pickups that Gibson makes. A lot of metal players use the Explorer, as well as being the favorite guitar of The Edge from U2. However, when I played the Explorer next to the Volcano, the Volcano came out the winner in overall sound and flexibility, an it even surpassed the Explorer for Metal because it sounded hotter. I went back to the store and exchanged the Explorer for a Gibson ES-335 Satin (which is a great, albeit more expensive guitar). I was somewhat surprised at this result but there it is. While the Volcano does not quite match the growl of a Les Paul, it's stock pups are very good and it sustains almost as much as my better (and more expensive) guitars. The Bass Contour pot is just an added bonus that can be quite useful with Blues and Pop tones.

I was looking for a relatively low priced guitar that was flexible and sounded good, but that I would not mind beating up in gigs or jam sessions. I hate buying guitars sight unseen by mail order because it is usually a crap shoot. Nevertheless, I decided to take a chance on the Volcano after watching the Guitar One Magazine video review on youtube. So, I went to Ebay and found one from an authorized dealer.

When I received the guitar I was pleasantly surprised. The setup was good and the finish was superb. As the previous reviewer mentioned, this appears to be a solid block of mahogany which is surprising in a guitar of this price. Either that or they have put a mahogany veneer over the top and back because I noticed that there are two different wood grains on one side. Hmmm. In any event, it looks great (I have the Honey finish).

It did have a couple of issues. First there was a slight buzz on the 5th and 6th strings, probably the result of the high summer humidity where I live. I adjusted the truss rod a little and everything was perfect. The other issue (which seems to be a problem with just about every guitar I've played in the last few years) was the imperfect filing of the nut slots. The fourth and third string where sticking a little, making tuning a little unstable. So, when I changed the strings, I put some Nut Sauce on the slots and that fixed the problem (I highly recommend Nut Sauce. I use it on all my guitars and it makes tuning much easier; it's cheaper than having a tech fix or change a nut). After that the guitar has stayed perfectly tuned for days, even under some of my more brutal blues bends. So, I knocked off a couple of points for the slight buzz and the nut, but these were minor issues, and compared to most guitars that I have purchased in recent years, including some that cost many times more, the setup, fit and finish of this guitar is excellent.

I've only had it for about a month, but this guitar exudes quality and I have no doubt that it will last for a long time.

Have not had to deal with them.

I have been playing since I was 11 years old in 1970 (you do the math). I have owned many guitars that included Gibson, Fender, PRS, Ibanez, Parker, Line 6 Variax, etc. I currently have 15 guitars that include four Les Pauls, an SG, a Tele, a couple of Strats, the aforementioned ES-335, and a few odd balls like an Ed Roman Quicksilver with P-90's and a Aria Pro II CS-400 (manufactured by Matsumoku in Japan) which I bought new in 1981 and is still a great guitar, though very beat up from my younger, wilder years.

I have never given any guitar a 10 (because it doesn't exist?). However, the Reverend Volcano does get a well deserved 9 because it is a tremendous value. This guitar is made in Korea and setup in the USA. My hats off to Reverend's design and its Korean manufacturer for building a quality instrument at an unbelievably low price. For $499 you get a guitar that sounds really good, plays very well, is superbly built, and can cover a lot of ground. I am very happy with it and feel that I succeeded in my quest to get a "beater" that I plan to use quite a bit for jamming and gigging. It is definitely a keeper.

By the way, the Reverend Volcano has received the Guitar Player Editor Pick Award and the Guitar One Gold Award. Check out the Guitar One video on youtube.

BODY
solid mahogany with raised center section. 20" x 15-1/2" x 1-3/4" (center) x 1-5/8" (wings).
PICKUPS
two Reverend humbuckers, output/tone calibrated for each position.
NECK
glued-on, one-piece mahogany, tilt-back headstock.
TRUSS ROD
dual-action, access at headstock.
SCALE
24-3/4".
FINGERBOARD
rosewood, 12" radius.
FRETS
22 medium jumbo.
NECK PROFILE
medium oval.
NUT
1-11/16" (42.86 mm) width, graphite.
TUNERS
Wilkinson EZ-Lock tuners.
BRIDGE
TOM w/ stop tail.
TREMOLO
(OPTIONAL) Les Trem tremolo with precision roller bridge.
CONTROLS
custom volume & tone, Bass Contour, 3-way.
STRINGS
10-46.

I play mostly classic rock and blues for which this instrument is well suited. Medium output humbuckers voiced slightly to the brighter/chimey end of the scale.
With Bass contour control rolled back, pickups sound more single coil
in output (sort of like some low output filtertrons).
I really like the bass contour control. When rolled back it sort of acts like a selective volume control, knocking back enough bass and low mids to really clean up an overdriven amp without cutting off the high end. It's really a very nice feature

The setup on this instrument was excellent from the factory.
Fret work, action, intonation great right out of the box.
Hardware and Finish excellent also.
The body appears to be a single solid piece of mahogany, which is very unusual for a $500 guitar.

Too soon to tell.

Haven't needed to use.

Been playing on and off for 30+ years. Currently own about 25 guitars including Strats, Teles, PRS, Hofner, Showmaster, etc.
Play through DrZ, Greer, Victoria, Fender SF and Tweed.
I would buy this instrument again in a heartbeat.
It's lightweight and quite comfortable to play.
My bandmates think it sounds great in the band mix.
For the money ($600 w/hardcase), this is a bargain IMO.
Plus it looks really cool :)