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Where are Reverend basses made?

#21
I ordered a Rumblefish 5L when they first came out (sight unseen) over the phone from the owner, Joe Naylor, while he was showing them at NAMM. I believe this was early 2001. There are really two Reverends The earlier, American-made instruments don't have wooden bodies. They are of built up phenolic laminate and came in some whimsical finishes. The whole line is made in Korea and gets a hands-on set-up here.

I didn't care for the Rumblefish 5L pick-ups and replaced them. Now I have three Brad Houser 5's and want the remaing 77.
 
#22
Currently Korea. I just came back from a jam where I played guitar using my rather bland but super nice custom shop strat, the whole evening I wished I'd had my reverend Sensei with p90s, it's absolutely on par at less than 1/2 the price. Great quality, sound, price, they just rock. I've dealt with Joe and Ken at Reverend on a couple matters over the internet, really nice guys too!
 
#25
I played a Thundergun in Vintage Clear with a reversed, black painted headstock. It really surprised me. At first, I picked it up as a novelty; how could something so odd looking sound good? Plugged it into one of the new Ampeg combos and was just blown away. It sounded great, played fantastically, and was surprisingly light, especially given how chunky looking it is. I really fell in love with that one but didn't have the readies to take it home. I was in the shop again about two weeks later and somebody else did. I'm still hoping I get one of these someday. I don't need it at all, but...doggone it, I want it.
 
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#26
I try one of them yesterday in guitartex. That thing sounds incredible and looks amazing I compare the tone between a jazz bass and a musicman. I asked about the fabrication process and they tell me that the parts are made in Korea but the assembly pickups and set up are made in USA. The knob configuration is smart, the Pickup knob and the tone are set opposite to the Fender layout. I preferred this bass against any MIM and some MIA.
 
#27
Iridescentone said:
Are you talking about the guitars or the basses? Only ever seen "Eastpointe MI" on Rev guitar headstocks, was not aware it was on the basses also.

Big Fish fan here, would love to see a pic?
Click to expand...

You are correct, Eastpointe is on my Spy. It's not on my MIA 4 string 'Fish from the same period but I figured they were made in the same place. Sorry for any confusion.

Here's a picture of one of my early 'Fish showing off it's versatility by doing double duty as a countertop. :)


Beer and a Bagel.JPG

I swapped out the pickups and knobs and removed the banjo armrest. It's dressed by Labella in their 760N nylon tapewounds.
 
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#28
Haji said:
I played a Thundergun in Vintage Clear with a reversed, black painted headstock. It really surprised me. At first, I picked it up as a novelty; how could something so odd looking sound good? Plugged it into one of the new Ampeg combos and was just blown away. It sounded great, played fantastically, and was surprisingly light, especially given how chunky looking it is. I really fell in love with that one but didn't have the readies to take it home. I was in the shop again about two weeks later and somebody else did. I'm still hoping I get one of these someday. I don't need it at all, but...doggone it, I want it.
Click to expand...

The pickups are not made in the USA. To the best of my knowledge all assembly is done overseas. All final setups and inspections are done in the US though and the signature on the back of the headstock (with the serial number) is the guy who checked it out. It is one guy who does all of the inspections/setups.
 
#30
Made in Korea by Mirr Music. I may be mistaken, but I think they also make Eastwood/Airline guitars. I have owned 3 basses from the new Reverend lineup, a Decision, Dub King, and Meshell Ndegeocello signature. I have played all of them. I would say to buy without fear. It will likely need a setup when you get it like any new bass, but the necks hold setups for a very long time. I like really low action, and the Reverend basses are the first non-graphite necks on which I can get the action where I like it without a fret leveling. They do, buy in large, neck dive, but this is correctable with a wide strap or Hipshot tuners in more extreme cases. My Decision had to have the tuners swapped out because of neck dive. The Dub King just needed a wide strap. The Ndegeocello signature does not neck dive at all. I continually recommend Reverend basses to anyone who will listen. They are tough to beat at their price point. Also, as a sidebar, I know where you can get a great deal on a Mercalli 5 with the Amber finish over flamed maple and black pickguard. Send me a PM if you're interested.
 
#33
If you're looking for USA reverend bass info checkout revfan.com a lot of usa guitar and bass info.Production #'s colors ect.The tops and backs were "phenolic" textured formica I belive called "sparkle".All kinds of diff. finishes wee avail. alum. ect. Checkout revfan.com for a detailed info.Sadly I never owned a usa bass but had 5 of the guitars over a period of years.
 
#36
TripleDouble said:
Currently Korea. I just came back from a jam where I played guitar using my rather bland but super nice custom shop strat, the whole evening I wished I'd had my reverend Sensei with p90s, it's absolutely on par at less than 1/2 the price. Great quality, sound, price, they just rock. I've dealt with Joe and Ken at Reverend on a couple matters over the internet, really nice guys too!
Click to expand...
That's the other thing. Reverend's customer service is excellent.
 
#37
From Reverend's website FAQ page

WHERE ARE REVEREND INSTRUMENTS MADE?

Reverend guitars are built in South Korea by Mirr Music Co. This company is owned by Hank Cho, a third generation guitar builder who’s attention to detail, high quality control, and ability to accurately produce our unique designs (as opposed to the same old knock-offs) made Mirr a perfect partner for Reverend. These guitars are top-notch in every way… the wood is properly cured, the finishes are thin, the neck pockets are tight, the frets are polished, the components are high quality, and the overall fit and finish are first rate.

Every guitar model is designed by award-winning luthier and Reverend founder Joe Naylor. All components, woods, dimensions and materials have been specified by Joe for maximum performance and serviceability.

Our goal is not to build the cheapest Korean guitar, but rather to raise the bar for performance. It costs a little more to do that, but the result is a pro level guitar that is gig ready right out of the box.
 

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