The Reverend club

[Trevorus]

Thanks for the inside peek. I wish I had been at my tech's place when he had mine open for a close look. And yes, that does answer the question about turning a JJ into P/J. Doesn't look that easy to me.

It would involve quite a bit of routing, and the formica/phenolic whatever doesn't hold up well to it. It has a tendency to chip.

 

[matrok]

Yeah, I'll be leaving that alone.

 

[BartmanPDX]

I checked the measurements he pictured against my case. They are a little off, but I suppose that could be normal. Ask if he can show a pic with a Fender style bass laying in it.

I don't have my BH5 with me (in the shop for minor work -- fret sprout and new straplocks; possibly some electronic work), but the cases for my BH5 and my 5L are definitely different, but both Reverend B/W cases. The inside of my 5L case is red, and it is slightly larger/longer than the case for my BH5, which has a black interior. The basses are about the same size, but the cases are definitely different.

 

[BartmanPDX]

Awesome school of 'Fish, Chef! Thanks for the pic.
I rather like the look of your new one. It may not be as swirl-tastic as you'd hoped, but it's still pretty cool in my book.

+1. I think the more subtle swirl looks really cool.

 

[BartmanPDX]

How would you compare the P/J Fish to the Lakland Skyline Duck Dunn or Glaub? And the J/J to the Skyline Darryl Jones? It looks like I might be waiting a while for a Fish and I need a new bass soon so one of these should hold me over. I haven't been able to get my hands on a Lakland, but I am guessing many of you have.

I had a Lakland DJ5, and have played a Skyline Glaub. I love Laklands, but they are really nothing like Reverends. The DJ5 was a classic '70s style Jazz bass -- very aggressive and punchy, lots of treble. Reverends tend to be much more thumpy and have less treble, mainly because the bridge pickup is located further from the bridge. I'd say a better comparison (in terms of tone) would be to the Glaub -- sometimes my 5L sounds a little bit like a 5-string P bass. But in the end, they really have their own tone -- TONS of booty, with a very fat, warm midrange, not much sparkle or sizzle. I have my 5L strung with TI flats, and its nickname is the Reverend Thumpy.

As far as feel, the Reverends are lighter, less neck dive than my DJ5, and the neck profile is a little thicker (front to back) than the DJ5, with narrower string spacing. The Reverend neck also feels like it's been played for 20 years already.

 

[BartmanPDX]

Is there also a metal bar alongide the wood center "for sustain"? I couldn't sse it in the pics. Also anwers my Q about replacing the neck p/u in a 4 to make a p/j being simple or complicated!

I think I might have read somewhere that there was a metal rod located inside the tone block, but I can't say for sure.

 

[Trevorus]

I think I might have read somewhere that there was a metal rod located inside the tone block, but I can't say for sure.

I know the 5L necks had the aluminum reenforcement. I never heard of a rod in the body.

 

[BartmanPDX]

I know the 5L necks had the aluminum reenforcement. I never heard of a rod in the body.

Ahh . . . Here it is . . .

In the book "American Basses," in the section on Reverends, it says "Inside, there's a 6" -wide mahogany center block with a steel "sustain bar"."

 

[Trevorus]

Ahh . . . Here it is . . .

In the book "American Basses," in the section on Reverends, it says "Inside, there's a 6" -wide mahogany center block with a steel 'sustain bar.'"

Ahh, good to know!

The main thing here is the quality of build here, and the awesomeness of tone!

 

[Chef]

Yep, sustain bar inside the wood block.
Gigged "The SwirlMaster" tonight thru the TFB420/Schro1210 rig: awesome!

 

[matrok]

We knew it would be. I really want to get out and give my 1212 a good pounding. Still no word on when the singer's going to be back though. Hopefully just a few more weeks.

 

[Dave Siff]

Hey Trev, thanks for the "operating room" pics.
When I was getting my custom Curbow built (since sold), I had Greg (R.I.P.) take precise measurements of the neck on my blue Rumblefish, and he asked if he could have a look under the hood. He checked it out, and opined that the Reverend "probably cost $100 to build." I always wondered about that. I'm sure it had to be more than $100. Right? Not that it matters, it'd just be interesting to know.

 

[Chef]

I supppose once you had mass production techniques down, mmmmm, maybe.
But setting everything up to consistently machine the sustain bar into the tone block, have the tone block fit the body, fit the front and sides together, join the neck to it and have it fit decent and tight, and in line front to rear, side to side...
Seems pretty labor intensive to me.
It'd be neat to stop by the shop sometime and see whow it all goes together, follow one down the line...I'm sure the guitar line can't very much in terms of "process..."

 

[BartmanPDX]

Hey Trev, thanks for the "operating room" pics.
When I was getting my custom Curbow built (since sold), I had Greg (R.I.P.) take precise measurements of the neck on my blue Rumblefish, and he asked if he could have a look under the hood. He checked it out, and opined that the Reverend "probably cost $100 to build." I always wondered about that. I'm sure it had to be more than $100. Right? Not that it matters, it'd just be interesting to know.

I'm assuming that labor is NOT factored into that. For materials alone, that's probably right. Of course, my Sadowsky probably didn't cost that much more in materials, either.

Any bass is cheap if you look at just the cost of materials. If he's including labor, then he's lost his mind, or was thinking they were put together by Chinese children, a la SX basses.

 

[Iridescentone]

There used to be pics of the Rev build process somewhere on the web, showing the construction steps for the bodies.

I seem to remember there was more to it than one might expect.

 

[Trevorus]

Invalid Link Removed

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Looks a little more hand-done than 100 bucks would warrant, huh?

 

[Chef]

Lots o pics in that link, neat!

Trev-I like your sig.
I sent it to my mom. It confused her, but she's 75

 

[BartmanPDX]

Invalid Link Removed

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Looks a little more hand-done than 100 bucks would warrant, huh?

True . . . and if they only cost $100 to make, and they sold for $800, I'm guessing they wouldn't have stopped making them.

 

[Trevorus]

True . . . and if they only cost $100 to make, and they sold for $800, I'm guessing they wouldn't have stopped making them.

Yep. They obviously cost more in labor. The frets are dressed by hand, everything is tested. And you can see the really nice electronics setup!

 

[Iridescentone]

I should know this, but...

Did Reverend ever offer a fretless 'Fish?