Reverend Greg Koch Signature Gristle ST Prototype

Wildwoodians, this prototype of Greg Koch's new signature model is pretty awesome, if we do say so ourselves! It's a pretty shade of periwinkle, which is not one of the colors they currently offer for the model. So, it's a pretty rare and special bird! Also, try saying "prototypical periwinkle" five times fast--it's a tongue-twister!

Meet the Mansquatch

As you are walking down a dark, wooded path in the forest, a tall, shadowy figure emerges from the mist and strides toward you. Your pulse quickens. Your breaths become fast and shallow. Though your life doesn't flash before your eyes, the projectionist is warming up the reel. This is the end. The shadowy figure is far too tall and its limbs are too long to be fully human--a Mansquatch, perhaps. It has a weapon of some sort slung over its shoulder, and despite your terror, you cannot help but notice its pleasing contours. As the Mansquatch steps out into the moonlight in a clearing, you can make out the sound of...chicken picking? And his weapon is...a Greg Koch Signature Gristle ST from Reverend Guitars?

You step on a twig, and the Mansquatch looks up from his thunder staff, startled. You have broken his virtuosic reverie. He breaks into a smile. "Why hello there, traveler! I see you've caught a glimpse of my new signature Reverend. I have one important question for you," he says, his voice turning grave. "Can...you dig it?" You give Greg a solemn nod, and the Mansquatch removes his weapon and beckons for you to take it for a spin.

Ten Pounds of Gristle in a Five-Pound Bag

When you first glimpse the Gristle ST, it is as if some eldritch dark magic compels your eyes to fix themselves on the small knob nearest the bridge that seems to beg to be pulled. Do not resist its call, for pulling this "volume knob" is the secret to the Gristle ST's immense power. It's part of Greg Koch's Signature Gristle-Tone Fishman Fluence pickups, and it allows the Gristle ST to cover a wide swath of tonal territory.

If you're not familiar, Fishman's Fluence pickups use an innovative design that promotes versatility, fixes a few annoying problems, and generally makes for an ideal playing experience. Basically, the coils are printed on a circuit board rather than wound around a bobbin. Forty-eight of these circuit boards form one Fluence Core, and each pickup has two Cores. This new-fangled design is sure to delight you when you plug in. There's almost no hum, and the guitar responds to your touch just a hair faster.

But, most importantly, the Fluence core design allows you to have TWO tones in one pickup. That's where the aforementioned eldritch button comes in. Because of this small metal knob, the Gristle ST is a shapeshifter that can go back and forth between two of the greatest single-coil sounds in the history of recorded music.

Vintage Vibe and Hot-Rodded Muscle

Back in 1954, guitars reached strat-ospheric heights when a burgeoning Californian company invented a three-pickup guitar with a killer tremolo and three single-coil pickups, and that configuration has captivated and inspired guitar players ever since. Enthusiasts of these SSS guitar usually only want one thing, which is to have two things: a sweet vintage tone with plenty of sparkle, chime and quack, and a throaty, tone with serious beef and sizzle. However, since six pickups is too many, it's always been an either-or proposition. Now, with the Fishman Fluence technology, SSS enthusiasts can have their cake and eat it do, because it can sound warm and thick AND bright and sparkly!

With the knob disengaged, the standard tone of the Gristle ST is pure vintage magic. It has that beautiful, subtle responsiveness, dynamism and vocal quality of an underwound vintage pickup, with plenty of bell-like jangle and vocal squawk, evoking Hendrix and Gilmour. When you engage the pull knob for the boosted voice, everything obviously gets a little extra oomph, and the midrange develops an open-throated fullness. Overall, the neck pickup is full-bodied yet clear and articulate, the bridge is snappy and focused with sounding tinny, and the middle pickup sits squarely in the heart of the Goldilocks Zone. All in all, it provides a sonic palette with enough colors to satisfy even the highest strata of SSS lovers.

Suitable for Six-String Savages

Next, the Gristle ST's incredible build quality will jump out at you. When you sit down with The Gristle ST, Reverend's impeccable craftsmanship and attention to detail are immediately apparent. A guitarist like Greg Koch needs a guitar with righteous build quality to withstand the onslaught of fretboard savagery that spills forth from his mighty hands, and the Gristle ST is up to the task. Reverend's classic medium oval neck profile is as comfortable as your favorite pair of old sweatpants, and the fretboard has a 12" radius to allow for low setups and easy bending. And, with its pin-lock tuners and Boneite nut, changing strings on the Gristle ST is a breeze, and its tuning stability is top-notch.

All of the above are tactile features that you can feel, but there is more than meets the eye (and the hand!) to the Gristle ST. There are a veritable plethora of enhanced components that make for an otherworldly playing experience beneath the hood. For instance, most jacks have one contact point, but the Pure Tone jack has two for better audio quality, reliability, and grip.

Also, you can find a treble bleed circuit in the volume knob, which keeps your highs present when you roll off the volume--crucial for pedal steel tricks and other Kochian volume knob tomfoolery.

Speaking of knobs, both the pots and caps in this beast are boutique quality. Where most caps and pots have a +-20% rating, Reverend's have +-10% ratings. They're built to tighter specifications, and that means more consistent sound quality.

All of these myriad rough-and-ready appointments add up to a ridiculously dependable instrument that can perform at the highest level in any situation: three-hour gigs, marathon recording sessions, naval battles, day-long practices, medieval siege warfare, the list goes on and on.

The Birth of a 'Squatch

Back in the woods, you get lost playing the Mansquatch's Gristle ST and exploring its many features. You sit on a log playing until the sun peeks over the distant treetops. When you finally come to and look around, you realize that The Greg has wandered off into the woods, leaving you alone with the guitar. You look down at the Gristle ST. It is sturdy enough to suit a Viking warlord with a name like Skorsgard the Skullcrusher, but it is full of inspiring sounds. It almost seems unfair that a guitar should be so dependable AND have such killer tones on tap.

As you contemplate the magnificence of the guitar, you notice that the hair on your arms is growing. You are growing. As you become taller and more muscular, you realize that the Gristle ST is enchanted. Your chicken-picking prowess grows, as does your harmonic vocabulary. As a long mane of dark hair sprouts from your head, you realize that the Mansquatch has conferred some of his powers upon you by giving you his weapon. You are becoming a Mansquatch, too. As the transformation ends, you raise your Gristle ST to the sky and let the Mansquatch's traditional war cry ring out across the hilltops and wooded glens:

"CAAAAAAN YOUUUUUUUUU DIIIIIIIG IT?!?"

There is no answer, because it's a rhetorical question, albeit a loud one. All woodland critters and guitar pickers can dig the Greg Koch Signature Gristle ST. Wildwood Guitars invites you to take one for a spin and be transformed.

B-Stock Report

This Gristlicious guit-fiddle has some checking in the neck pocket, but otherwise it is in brand-new condition with a full manufacturer's warranty. As such, it's a great opportunity to snag a sweet prototype at an awesome value!