Reverend Guitars has had a shipment of guitars and pickups stolen while in transit.
The theft has been confirmed by CEO Ken Haas, who says that 36 new Reverend electric guitars and 180 Railhammer electric guitar pickups were taken. It seems the guitars were incomplete at the time of the theft, with Haas revealing via an Instagram post that “the guitars have no serial numbers on the headstocks”, and adding that “the pickups are in bulk packaging.”
That will make tracking the stolen guitars down far more difficult, which is why Haas has called on his followers to “keep your eyes open and if you’ve seen any of this stuff, please let us and the authorities know”.
The shipment was made up of Manta Ray, Charger, and Descent models, alongside its flagship humbucker. The pups feature the firm's unique and patented combination of rails – which sit under the wound strings – and poles – which sit under unwound strings. This combo, Reverend says, “Gives you tighter lows and fatter highs far superior to a conventional pickup.”
They feature on several Reverend builds, including Chris Freeman's signature model, while Billy Corgan re-voiced them for his Drop-Z guitar.
Railhammer Pickups sell individually for around $140 apiece, meaning the firm is currently facing a loss of around $2,500 if the ’buckers aren’t recovered. Plus the cost of the guitars.
That’s a big figure, especially so in light of numerous firms highlighting the impact Donald Trump’s tariffs are having on the industry.
Stolen guitars are a sad reality of the music industry. George Harrison famously went to extreme lengths to get his While My Guitar Gently Weeps Les Paul back after it was stolen.
In lighter Reverend news, Jack White is now the proud owner of Vernon Reid’s eye-catching signature guitar after a serendipitous airport meeting. The ‘Totem Mystic Tramp’ was released last year and features googly eyes, because why not?
