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Congrats on the manufacturer hook-up and the customization! Really nice looking instrument. I had a Reverend guitar that I loved but I just didn't have the time to play it, traded it for an vintagey MIJ P bass. I'd love to hear your bass in a band context. Get some Youtube clips going? Play it good health, Sparky!
I have played several shows with this bass now so I feel like I can "review" it knowledgeably. FEEL: Reverend really gets it right, the bass is lightweight (mine is 7 lbs 10 ounces) and even being that light the balance on a strap is perfect, no neck dive at all. The roasted maple neck and fingerboard have a beautiful satin finish to them, and the neck feels like a Precision but is more tapered like a Jazz. Just really comfortable to play. Fretwork is flawless, and it will take REALLY low action with no buzzing or rattling, although personally I run mine higher for more thump. My only criticism of the neck is that I would prefer smaller vintage style frets to the medium jumbo ones Reverend uses, purely a preference that I have developed after owning and playing many basses.
SOUND: The pickups are loud and pretty aggressive, and remarkably well balanced both in terms of string to string volume and relative volume to each other. Lots of PJ instruments suffer from an imbalance where the P pickup is full and ballsy, but the J pickup is weak and anemic sounding by comparison...not this bass! The P pickup is everything I had hoped it would be, it's full and FAT, and the reverse mount of the treble side really beefs up the tone of the D and G strings. The J pickup is mounted considerably closer to the neck than on a Jazz Bass, more like Stingray positioning, and it is loud and full sounding all by itself. It competes with the soloed P pickup really well, and I find myself using JUST the J pickup a lot for fingerstyle when I want that burpy Jaco thing. Blending the two pickups with the Blend knob yields a wide range of great usable tones at every position, and it's fast and easy to do on the fly. Reverend doesn't mention it in any of their specs, but the blades of the J pickup are radiused and that contributes to excellent balance across all 4 strings. I really don't know why more manufacturers don't do this. I was a little concerned when I first got the bass because the pickups have a rather "modern" sound to them, which is not my thing at all. I switched out the factory installed roundwounds for new D'Addario Chromes and it made a big difference, but was still a little aggressive for my taste. Next came a set of D'Addario black nylon tapewounds and BOOM! there was the tone of my dreams! They tamed the modern hard rock vibe I was hearing and replaced it with a HUGE warm round tone that's still bouncy and present in a mix, think "Motown on steroids" and I think that's a pretty good description.
OVERALL: I am really impressed with this bass. All the hardware, electronics, fit and finish are first rate, AND it came with the coolest hardshell case I have ever seen
All of the bands I have played it with so far have complimented me on the fat warm driving bass tone. I contacted Reverend and told them I just had to get another one as a backup, and they agreed, but convinced me to try their new Triad bass first. That didn't take much convincing, so that will be in my hands tomorrow and we'll see whether I end up with that or a second Decision P...I can't lose either way on that deal
SOUND: The pickups are loud and pretty aggressive, and remarkably well balanced both in terms of string to string volume and relative volume to each other. Lots of PJ instruments suffer from an imbalance where the P pickup is full and ballsy, but the J pickup is weak and anemic sounding by comparison...not this bass! The P pickup is everything I had hoped it would be, it's full and FAT, and the reverse mount of the treble side really beefs up the tone of the D and G strings. The J pickup is mounted considerably closer to the neck than on a Jazz Bass, more like Stingray positioning, and it is loud and full sounding all by itself. It competes with the soloed P pickup really well, and I find myself using JUST the J pickup a lot for fingerstyle when I want that burpy Jaco thing. Blending the two pickups with the Blend knob yields a wide range of great usable tones at every position, and it's fast and easy to do on the fly. Reverend doesn't mention it in any of their specs, but the blades of the J pickup are radiused and that contributes to excellent balance across all 4 strings. I really don't know why more manufacturers don't do this. I was a little concerned when I first got the bass because the pickups have a rather "modern" sound to them, which is not my thing at all. I switched out the factory installed roundwounds for new D'Addario Chromes and it made a big difference, but was still a little aggressive for my taste. Next came a set of D'Addario black nylon tapewounds and BOOM! there was the tone of my dreams! They tamed the modern hard rock vibe I was hearing and replaced it with a HUGE warm round tone that's still bouncy and present in a mix, think "Motown on steroids" and I think that's a pretty good description.
OVERALL: I am really impressed with this bass. All the hardware, electronics, fit and finish are first rate, AND it came with the coolest hardshell case I have ever seen
All of the bands I have played it with so far have complimented me on the fat warm driving bass tone. I contacted Reverend and told them I just had to get another one as a backup, and they agreed, but convinced me to try their new Triad bass first. That didn't take much convincing, so that will be in my hands tomorrow and we'll see whether I end up with that or a second Decision P...I can't lose either way on that deal Attachments
Hey sPiKi! I got the Triad and tested it, that's a really interesting instrument. Same body and neck (but with black blocks) but it has 3 Jazz Bomb pickups and a 5 way switch on a Tele style plate. I am in love with the "retro futuristic" design that Reverend has come up with and it screams cool on this bass. As for sounds, it's got a boatload of them. I have never been in the "scooped mids" camp so I didn't care for the positions that combine the pickups, but all 3 of the solo positions are great. Bridge pickup alone is all you would want for that Jaco thing. Middle pickup has the best qualities of the Jazz articulation and Precision heft, and neck pickup is where you find the P vibe, all are instantly available by flipping the selector switch. Very simple and very effective.
After playing both models, I still prefer the Decision P however. That P Blade pickup is magic and I love how I can subtly tweak the low end by adding it in with the blend knob. So the Triad is going back and a Burnt Brick Decision P with roasted maple board is taking its place. I haven't been this excited about an instrument in a long time, it just fits what I do and the music I play like a glove.
After playing both models, I still prefer the Decision P however. That P Blade pickup is magic and I love how I can subtly tweak the low end by adding it in with the blend knob. So the Triad is going back and a Burnt Brick Decision P with roasted maple board is taking its place. I haven't been this excited about an instrument in a long time, it just fits what I do and the music I play like a glove.
You play with Pete Anderson? Sweet! I always loved his guitar work with Dwight Yoakum. Havent heard any of his solo stuff but I'll have to check it out.
Great guitarist!
Yes. Pete is very unique, his original work blends elements of country, blues, and jazz into his own style.
