Reverend Guitars

What Reverend Guitars does

Reverend Guitars is a privately held US boutique electric guitar and bass manufacturer founded in 1997 by award-winning luthier Joe Naylor. The company is headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, with all instruments manufactured in South Korea through a long-standing partnership with Mirr Music Co., a third-generation builder-owned operation led by Hank Cho. Reverend designs and specifies every model in-house, with proprietary pickup architectures (Railhammer and Steelhead series), patent-pending hardware such as the Triple-Tree string tree and Vari-Claw tremolo claw, and boutique-grade components including Pin-Lock tuners, Pure Tone jacks, Boneite nuts, and six-bolt neck plates.

The product line spans multiple series — Bolt-On (e.g., Kingbolt H90, Charger H90), Set Neck, Air (e.g., Roundhouse Air HH), and an extensive Signature Series developed with touring and recording artists such as Billy Corgan, Vernon Reid, Mark Knopfler, Reeves Gabrels, Pete Anderson, Robin Finck, and over 300 other professional musicians. Standard guitars are priced $1,199-$1,999, with signature models varying by spec. Every instrument is inspected and set up by the in-house tech team before shipping.

Reverend generates revenue primarily through wholesale distribution to an authorized dealer network that includes Guitar Center, Sweetwater, Chicago Music Exchange, Wildwood Guitars, and Elderly Instruments in the US, plus hundreds of independent music stores across 22+ countries in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East. A direct-to-consumer online store supplements dealer sales with cases, apparel, accessories, and replacement pickups. The company serves professional touring musicians, serious amateur players, and music retailers, with no public listing, no outside investment, and founder/management team control over strategic direction.

Name

Reverend Guitars

Legal name

Reverend Guitars

Website

https://reverendguitars.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Reverend Guitars is a privately held US boutique manufacturer of electric guitars and basses, founded in 1997 by luthier Joe Naylor and headquartered in Toledo, Ohio. Instruments are designed in-house and produced in South Korea via Mirr Music Co., sold through global dealers and DTC channels to professional musicians and serious players.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Guitars and Basses

NAICS

Musical Instrument Manufacturing (339992), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931)

akta.pro primary industry

Musical Instruments (Acoustic & Electric) (MPAIAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Musical Instrument Retail (Guitars, Keyboards, Drums, Band/Orchestra) (CRALAEAA), Audio Accessories & Consumables (Cables, Stands, Cases, Strings, Picks, Heads) (MPAIAJAF)

Keywords

• Electric guitars
• Bass guitars
• Guitar pickups
• Musical instruments
• Guitar accessories

Headquarters

HQ city

Toledo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Guitar Sales: Revenue from selling electric guitars across multiple series including Bolt-On, Set Neck, Air, and Signature models. Prices range from $1,199 to $1,999 for standard models.
2. Bass Sales: Revenue from selling electric bass guitars including models like Basshouser, Decision, Dub King, Mercalli, Sentinel, and Triad
3. Pickup Sales: Direct sales of replacement pickups including guitar pickups ($70-$80) and bass pickups ($80) through the online store
4. Accessories and Cases: Sales of accessories including cases ($150-$325), straps ($20-$59.95), apparel ($14-$50), picks ($6-$10), and other guitar accessories
5. Dealer/Wholesale: Wholesale distribution through authorized dealer network including major retailers and independent music stores domestically and internationally

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Reverend Guitars designs electric guitars and basses across Bolt-On, Set Neck, Air, and Signature series (priced $1,199–$1,999) and sells them through an authorized US/international dealer network including Guitar Center and Sweetwater. Instruments are manufactured by partner Mirr Music Co. in South Korea using proprietary components and are gig-ready out of the box after in-house tech setup. The company also sells proprietary replacement pickups, cases, straps, apparel, picks and other accessories direct through its own online store.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electric Guitars (Bolt-On, Set Neck, Air, and Signature series)

Quantifiable outcome

• Every instrument goes through tech team inspection and meticulous setup before shipping

Named customers19 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fender Musical Instruments: Fender is the largest and most iconic incumbent in electric guitars (Stratocaster, Telecaster, etc.). It overlaps with Reverend across nearly every pro and serious-amateur segment but operates at vastly greater scale with multiple owned brands (Fender, Squier, Gretsch, Charvel) and a massive artist and dealer ecosystem.
• Ibanez: Ibanez is a major incumbent in electric guitars and basses with both mass-market and pro-oriented signature models (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani) manufactured largely in Indonesia and Korea. They overlap with Reverend's mid-tier premium positioning and outsourced manufacturing approach.
• Gibson: Gibson (Les Paul, SG, ES, etc.) is a broad incumbent whose electric guitars span premium to ultra-premium price points. While Gibson's pricing is typically above Reverend, they compete for similar pro-artist endorsements and a similar end-player audience, making them a relevant incumbent reference point.

Direct peers

• Charvel: Charvel, a Fender subsidiary, makes high-performance electric guitars favored by shredders and modern rock players (including signature artist models), in many cases manufactured in Korea. They overlap directly with Reverend's pro-oriented, design-driven electric guitar positioning.
• G&L Guitars: Founded by Leo Fender, G&L builds electric guitars and basses with proprietary pickups in a similar price band to Reverend, also manufactured overseas. They compete for serious amateur and pro players seeking boutique-style features at accessible prices.
• Ernie Ball Music Man: Music Man builds high-end electric guitars and basses primarily for professional players (Steve Lukather, John Petrucci, Maroon 5's James Valentine) at price points overlapping with Reverend. They share a design-led philosophy and pro-artist endorsement model.
• ESP Guitars: ESP manufactures premium electric guitars and basses — including signature models for Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, and others — with significant production in Korea and Japan. This makes ESP a structurally analogous peer: pro-artist signature lineup plus Korean-manufactured mid-to-premium product.
• Suhr Guitars: Suhr is a smaller, highly regarded boutique electric guitar and parts maker with strong pro endorsements (John Mayer, David Gilmour, Pete Thorn). It competes in the same premium price band as Reverend with similar design-driven, quality-focused positioning, making it a direct peer in the boutique segment.
• Schecter Guitar Research: Schecter offers electric guitars and basses in a comparable mid-to-premium price range ($999–$2,500+) with extensive signature artist support. They target many of the same rock, metal, and indie player segments as Reverend, overlapping directly in the under-$2,000 pro-feel instrument market.
• PRS Guitars: Paul Reed Smith makes premium electric guitars and basses in a similar price band to Reverend, with a strong artist-driven signature series (John Mayer, Carlos Santana, Mark Tremonti). PRS is the closest direct peer in positioning — boutique-feel instruments built at scale with a pro-musician marketing engine.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/reverendguitars
• Instagraminstagram.com/reverendguitars
• Xx.com/ReverendGuitars
• Facebookfacebook.com/reverendguitars
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reverend-guitars

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Reverend Guitars