1. Art and Diseño

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SOUNDCHECK
For video of this review, go to
GuitarWorld.com/Feb2015
The Action Is Go
REVEREND BOB BALCH SIGNATURE By Ch ris G ill
T
HE REVEREND BOB BALCH
Signature is not named after
some rockin’ preacher. Rather,
it’s a Reverend brand signature
model made for guitarist Bob Balch of the
iconic Southern California stoner rock
band Fu Manchu. The model is based on
Reverend’s popular Sensei model, but
Balch suggested a few mods that make the
guitar the equivalent of one of the sweet
custom rides often pictured on Fu Manchu
album covers. While the guitar is designed
to deliver when dealing down-and-dirty
fuzzed-up grooves, it’s as ideal for straightedge players as much as it’s sure to please
those who walk on the wild side.
FEATURES Like the Sensei, the Bob
Balch Signature has a korina body with an
offset, pointed double-cutaway shape and
glued-in set neck design, but the body is
more generously beveled to give it a sexy,
CHEAT
SHEET
96
LIST PRICE $1,139
MANUFACTURER
Reverend Guitars,
reverendguitars.com
GU I TA R WOR L D • F EBRUA RY 2015
comfortable feel. Those bevels and a tone
chamber under the pickguard result in a
lighter weight than the Sensei as well as
more dynamic, resonant and responsive
tone. Another important enhancement is
the specially wound Railhammer Bob Balch
Signature humbucking pickups, which
share the same hybrid blade/pole design
as regular Railhammer Chisel humbuckers
but feature a brass cover and baseplate that
reduces output and treble while enhancing
midrange.
Other features are identical to the
standard Reverend Sensei model, including
master volume, master tone and bass
contour controls, as well as Reverend pinlock tuners, a Tune-o-matic bridge with
stop tailpiece, and a three-piece korina
neck with a 24 3/4–inch scale, rosewood
fingerboard, 22 medium-jumbo frets, a
12-inch radius, a medium oval profile and
a dual-action truss rod. The guitar comes
Railhammer Bob Balch
Signature humbucking
pickups feature brass covers
and baseplates to reduce
output and treble while
enhancing midrange.
with either a golden resin-shaded Violin
Brown or a traditional Tobacco Burst finish.
PERFORMANCE Thanks to its light
weight and tone chamber, the Reverend
Bob Balch Signature’s natural acoustic
properties deliver dynamic response and
powerful punch that only get better when
the guitar is plugged in. The relatively
conservative output of the pickups allows
the guitar to provide jangly, sparkling
clean tones and maintain its personality
even when using the most violently
distorted fuzz pedals. The bass contour
control can even make the pickups sound
like single-coils, if desired. Although the
pickups aren’t high output, the guitar’s
tone is big and ballsy, and the incredibly
comfortable playability of the fast-feeling
neck means that the aggression comes
from the player’s fingers instead of the
electronics.
A tone chamber located
under the pickguard and
body bevels reduce the
overall weight of the korina
body while enhancing
resonance and dynamics.
THE BOTTOM LINE
You don’t have to be into
stoner rock to appreciate
the big, ballsy and dynamic
voice, classic tones and comfortable feel of the Reverend
Bob Balch Signature.