REVEREND EASTSIDER PETE ANDERSON S ELECTRIC GUITAR
Launched in 1997 out of a small East Detroit garage behind a bicycle shop, Reverend Guitars draws on founder Joe Naylor’s industrial design background, luthiery school training, and professional guitar repair experience. Reverend guitars are built in South Korea by Mirr Music Co. to US specifications as designed by Naylor, with the ultimate goal of raising the bar for performance in order to produce pro-level instruments that are gig-ready right out of the box. Some of the company’s endorsees include Kid Rock, Carl Verheyen, Billy Corgan, Reeves Gabrels, and country rock guitarist and producer Pete Anderson. Reverend has joined forces Anderson to design this unique stage instrument.
Based on the Reverend Vintage T models (that are in themselves modeled after a Telecaster) this model has been hot-rodded with a chambered body, stainless steel saddles, compound radius fretboard, embossed knobs, and push-pull studio switch in the tone control pot that gives players two more pickup combinations: bridge/neck, and bridge/middle/neck.
I’m not sure that I have ever picked up an instrument in a music store that felt this good. The chambered korina body is physically well-balanced, the maple neck is extremely comfortable to play, and the guitar feels exactly as a high-level guitar should. The hot-rodded features will no doubt entice any crossover or all-rounder guitarist: there’s the traditional look and sound of a Telecaster-styled instrument, but with three pickups, a five-way selector switch, locking tuning heads and even a gorgeously-set Wilkinson tremolo system.
Tonally, most players will find themselves in heaven with this guitar. The clean sound is pristine and authentic, while the pickup configurations offer room to rock out when required. The tremolo system provides excellent vibrato effects with stable tuning, and the maple neck reacts well to both aggressive and tender approaches. It would be hard to match the features and quality of this guitar from any other company in this price bracket.
The Reverend Eastsider Pete Anderson S Electric Guitar retails for $1599.
SUPRO S6420+ THUNDERBOLT PLUS AMPLIFIER
Supro’s origins date back to the formation of the National Resophonic guitar company in 1926, designers of resonator guitars that became a blues standard prior to amplification. National and Dobro merged in the 30s to form Valco and Supro. Supro amps were eventually amplifying the Chicago scene, creating tones that have been linked to the blues ever since. In the mid ’60s, Jimi Hendrix was playing a Supro Thunderbolt amp whilst touring on with Little Richard and the Isley Brothers, and a few years later Jimmy Page recorded early Led Zeppelin tracks on a Supro Model 24. Current endorsees include the amazing Steve Stevens, Richard Fortus (recently here with The Dead Daisies) and consummate session musician Adam Levy.
The Thunderbolt Plus is a USA-made amplifier featuring class A circuitry, a 15-inch speaker (designed in conjunction with Eminence), 5 tubes (two 12AX7s, two 6L6s, and one 5U4GB), and amazing retro design including blue rhino hide finish and the 50s sci-fi inspired Supro logo.
If you must have the cleanest, most powerful sound available, this is the amp for you. The controls are simple: a high or low input, volume, tone, and a switch allowing the amp to run at 35, 40, or 60 watts. Guitarists who use pedals for all of their effects should get great results from this simple set-up, although traditionally many players used to set the clean tone with their guitar volume levels turned down, allowing the option of a natural overdrive sound when the guitar is cranked back up. Results will vary of course ranging from guitar to guitar, with pickup configurations being a big factor.
This amp has the look and sound of days gone by when rock ‘n’ roll giants walked the earth and legends were made. It will be a hard amp to be for players in the market for simple, classic clean tones.
The Supro S6420+ Thunderbolt Plus Amplifier retails for $1995.
CHRIS GIBBS
Reviewed at The Rock Inn, Mt. Lawley.
