NGD: Reverend Contender 290

[Drew617]

Hey! Figured I'd share this Contender 290 which arrived today. I picked up my first Reverend not long ago, a Trickshot, which has been fantastic (aside from the dreaded MOTS.) The Contender was my second choice at the time and I regretted not picking that one up, so I picked one up anyway.

Like the Trickshot, nothing too earthshaking here, just a thoughtful, sorta-unique and sorta-traditional guitar with impeccable fit/finish and fretwork. Reverend's thing is apparently a G&L PTB-style bass pot on every guitar (the Tele too) which makes them real versatile.

The Contender is 6.5 pounds and nicely splits the difference between a Les Paul and a LP Special... with Fender headstock, tummy cut and contour. I've always found real LPs ergonomically awful. I love a P90 Special but the Gibson Tribute DC I had a few years back was way too little guitar for $1K, muddy as heck and came with the driest fretboard I've ever seen to boot. This is much, much better.

Really digging this so far. The neck P90, with volume and bass rolled back, cops a believable Strat sound. The guitar also does normal P90 things. Might be worthy of a Les Trem.

Cheers,
Drew

 

[aging_rocker]

Nice!

I really like the Reverends, the few I've got close to anyway.

 

[brookdalebill]

Congratulations!

 

[davidchagrin]

They're a beautiful pair. Reverend creates some of the absolute best mass-produced electric guitars on the market. Congrats on your ngd!

 

[John C]

Congrats; thanks for the review! I've had my eyes on the Contender 290 for a while. I also tried out a Trickshot a few times and thought that it was a really cool Tele alternative.

 

[DavidP]

Welcome to the congregation! Reverend makes good stuff!!
I still have my ca. 2005 USA phenolic Slingshot Custom -- 3-P90s sounds like nothing else!

 

[That Cal Webway]

Really nice.

Rev makes great, well thought out instruments.

 

[Dan German]

Thanks for reminding me that I miss my Buckshot…

 

[gitold]

I have 4 Reverends. Great guitars! Congrats!

 

[Killing Floor]

Rockin!

 

[Sparky472]

Beautiful - congrats! I just got a Reverend as well. Charger HB. Reverend really does it right.

 

[johnnylaw]

Nice looking axe there.
Reverend does great work.
I’ll bet it sounds as good as it looks.

 

[Drew617]

Congrats; thanks for the review! I've had my eyes on the Contender 290 for a while. I also tried out a Trickshot a few times and thought that it was a really cool Tele alternative.

I have 4 Reverends. Great guitars! Congrats!

Beautiful - congrats! I just got a Reverend as well. Charger HB. Reverend really does it right.

Thanks guys! Yeah, the Trickshot is great too. I don’t normally go for “alternative” just for the sake of being different, and both of these are fairly traditional as Reverend goes. Not a traditionalist either - my “Teles” have generally been G&Ls and Yamahas because I found those to be more consistent, refined, and generally less expensive than Fenders.

One nice thing about both of these Reverends is that the pickups feel very refined. Not quite “polite” but they are characterful and otherwise very much what they’re supposed to be, and there just aren’t many harsh sounds available in them. That’s especially true for the Trickshot.

Yamaha pickups get swapped, and G&Ls are very much their own (good) thing.

 

[bsman]

I have the same guitar in a Wildwood exclusive blue color:

 

[Drew617]

I have the same guitar in a Wildwood exclusive blue color:

That’s gorgeous, congrats. I’m a sucker for LPB (or similar) on just about any guitar.

 

[fattboyzz]

Hngd !