Reverend Greg Koch Gristle 90 Midnight Black

The much-anticipated Reverend Greg Koch Gristle 90 is here presented in Midnight Black with Ebony fretboard. This latest version of the Gristlemaster is fitted with two newly-developed Fishman Gristle 90 pickups for hot-rodded, hum-free soapbar tone. The Bigsby B-50 vibrato has been modded with Reverend’s own soft-touch spring and roller-bridge for supremely smooth action. The scale has also been shortened from the original Gristlemaster for a stronger fundamental, while a slanted headstock eliminates the need for a string-tree.

The Reverend Greg Koch Gristle 90 in Midnight Black is now available from Merchant City Music, online and in our Glasgow store. We are among the world’s largest Reverend dealers, stocking a huge selection of these groundbreaking guitars at all times. Every Reverend we sell receives a rigorous check-over and full professional setup. This, combined with our peerless after-sales service and secure worldwide delivery, allows us to offer the world’s premier Reverend customer experience.

Reverend Greg Koch Gristle 90 in Midnight Black

The Reverend Greg Koch Gristlemaster caused quite a stir when it burst onto the scene a few years back, its slightly bigger-than-traditional body with raised centre block, chambered Korina construction, and active Fishman Fluence Gristle-Tone pickups combining to produce what was, for many, the ultimate Tele. Reverend’s strong working relationship with Greg Koch inevitably resulted in continued development, however, culminating in this new Reverend Greg Koch Gristle 90.

Fishman Gristle 90 Pickups

The Koch Gristle 90 doesn’t replace the original Gristlemaster; instead, it provides a new and unique variation on the hot-rodded Tele theme. Greg is a massive fan of Reverend’s 9A5 P90 pickups, but wanted just a little bit more adaptabiity and, as with his original Signature Gristle-Tone pickup set, no hum. Joe Naylor, Reverend’s chief instrument designer, duly worked with Fishman to produce the pickups fitted here: the brand new Fishman Fluence Gristle 90 set.

With tone firmly bedded in the 9A5’s addictive midrange punch and superb clarity, the Gristle 90 set is completely hum-free, with a little more treble shimmer. At the push of a button on the control plate, an extra level of midrange “gristle” kicks in for true “wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing” adaptability. As with the original Gristle-Tone pickups, the Gristle 90 set has an integral rechargeable battery, charged via an inbuilt USB charge port – no fumbling with batteries here!

Chambered Korina Body with 3-Piece Korina Neck

The Gristle 90’s foundation is still provided by an oversized / chambered Korina body with raised centre block for increased resonance. A three-piece Korina neck is set into the body, resulting in an uninterupted Korina platform onto which those stunning pickups are mounted. A significant deviation from the original Gristlemaster is a the shorter 24.75” scale with slanted-back headstock, resulting in a thicker, stronger fundamental to the tone which suits the new pickups perfectly.

Tricked out Bigsby B-50 Vibrato

Reverend have also now fitted a Bigsby B-50 trem system, but not without some modifications of their own. Reverend’s secret weapon for Bigsby’s is their soft-touch spring, which transforms the feel for a much more intuitive “broken in” action. This is combined with Reverend’s own roller bridge and Boneite nut, resulting in a supremely smooth vibrato which would be almost unrecognisable to Bigsby users of old. Reverend’s pin lock tuners are also an integral part of the picture, providing a highly stable foundation which allows the vibrato to be operated without fear of nasty string slippages.

Reverend’s artist models are no different from the guitars taken on tour by the artists themselves, a unique claim only made possible by the road-ready construction of every Reverend guitar. The Reverend Greg Koch Gristle 90 in Midnight Black fits right into this mould – making it a highly compelling development of the Koch / Reverend relationship.