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Reverend Rick Vito signature guitar

Sure, it looks like it should come with members of the cast of 'Grease' draped over it, but does the retro-tastic new Reverend signature model sound as good as it looks?

Wednesday, 19. February 2014 - by Enrico Gosmar

Reverend guitars have a reputation for doing things in some style, and they've certainly pulled the stops out for this model. Look at it! The guitar was designed as a collaboration between Reverend Guitars and blues guitarist Rick Vito, the one-time Fleetwood Mac member who has worked with an impressive roll-call of artists including Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, John Fogerty, John Mayall and many more.

The new model used Rick Vito's Les Paul as a starting point, then took it to the Reverend Guitars custom shop and remodelled everything until this art deco racing car of a guitar emerged, gleaming, into the light of day.

Features

Body: solid korina
Pickups: Reverend P90's (neck), Reverend Dual-Pro (bridge).
Neck: glued-on, one-piece korina, tilt-back headstock.
Scale: 24-3/4".
Fingerboard: ebony, 12" radius, single-layer binding, pearloid block inlays.
Frets: 22 medium jumbo.
Neck Profile:medium oval.
Nut:1-11/16" (42.86 mm) width, graphite.
Tuners:Reverend pin-lock tuners w/stairstep buttons.
Controls:Volume & tone, bass contour, pickup pan knob.

Feel

Sticking with the custom racing car vibe, this guitar feels very light (about 3.5kg), with a medium oval neck that's thinner than a standard Les Paul and very quick and easy to play. It's also gorgeous, boasting beautiful art deco graphics and body design as well as some lovely attention to detail on the tone pots and headstock.

Sound

Before we got anywhere near an amp we noticed how resonant this instrument is: even unplugged it delivers big volume and a surprisingly balanced tone. Once we plugged in it got even better - we were very impressed by the wide range of sounds and by the top quality tone. The P90 at the neck has been moved slightly closer to the bridge to gain extra bite and has a very warm clean sound, while adding some overdrive results in a nice dirty growl, great for the blues.

The really big news is the reverend dual pro bridge pickup. It's not a classic humbucker but a single coil pickup with a second blade polepiece added to the standard screw polepieces. To get a better idea of the range of tones it can produce, have a look at our video.

Although the two pickups are effective individually they're at their best when used together, really allowing you to dial in that signature Reverend / Rick Vito sound. The twin tone pots help – both simple and effective, they shape and enhance the characteristics of the overall sound.

Overall Rating

The Reverend Rick Vito signature edition is certainly a looker, but it's also versatile. It has style, comfort, tone and is a joy to play. For the guitarist looking for something smarter than the average Strat, Tele or Les Paul, this baby is well worth your time. It's systomatic. Hydromatic...well, you get the idea. Hop on and enjoy!