Reverend Roundhouse HB-FM

Korea made
Mahogany body and neck, rosewood fretboard, flame maple top
Tuneamatic style bridge
Flat top, not arched
Set neck 22 frets
Volume
Tone
Bass Roll-off (interesting!)
3 way toggle


UTILIZATION

The guitar has a Les Paul vibe, but is distinctly different as well. The headstock is just huge for one, and the top of the guitar is also not arched like a Gibson. The bass roll off feature is very interesting, and I wish more guitar companies would experiment with this control on their instruments.

Playability-wise, it plays pretty much like a Les Paul. It balanced about the same. I'd honestly think this guitar's headstock is more durable than a Gibson - Gibsons are prone to headstock breakage.

Looks-wise, it looks pretty much like a Les Paul. To the uninitiated, it has that familiar look to it. To one that knows guitars, this could be considered like the "quirky" Les Paul clone guitar. It certainly is a breath of fresh air in an oversaturated product market.

SOUNDS

Tonally excellent. The pickups sound great - smooth, creamy, warm, articulate...One can cop all the Slash tones, and about any classic rock sound you can think of lives in this guitar. Great jazz tones as well.

The interesting thing on this is that bass roll-off feature. For a long time, guitarists have argued "that's too muddy" or "that's too bright" or "that doesn't get warm enough" or "this doesn't have the cut that I want". This guitar has all of that. With the controls all maxed, all the cut in the world is there - it gets very bright. With the tone rolled off a bit, it gets creamier, warmer. BUT if the sound is too muddy for your ears with the controls all maxed, the bass roll-off dials that out. It's realllllllly nice - it's like a build in 2 band shelving EQ on the guitar, and I really wish more makers would integrate this idea in their guitars.

OVERALL OPINION

This is a good axe. It's no Les Paul, but it certainly cops the vibe for far, far less. That bass roll-off function is where the real innovation is. Most modern basses have one in their circuit nowadays, but to have it in a guitar is pretty unique. I'm a fan of that, and so this guitar gets a solid 9 for the price. The sunburst finish and the flame in the maple top is great to boot! If they made a version with an arched top and charged a bit more, I think these things would fly off the shelves!