Greg Koch is arguably the Roy Buchanan of our time, wrestling squawks ’n squeals, burning blues and a few completely haywire chicken-picking from his guitar. Being not solely a giant expertise however a giant fella at 6’7″, he requested Reverend to construct a Strat-style guitar distinguished (just like the single-cut that preceded it) by a barely elevated physique dimension, plus a raised middle part and a chamber beneath the pickguard to alleviate weight.

Koch goals large, too, and Fishman made his needs come true with its Gristle-Tone Single Width pickups – three genuinely hum-free single-coils wired to allow a bucketful of usable voices. The five-way blade makes the usual Strat stops, every extra full and daring than your off-the-shelf S-types, however nonetheless snappy and tight. Pulling up the Tone knob prompts a lift that provides extra girth (or is that gristle?) and a midrange kick – even the meek little second place can get jacked sufficient to push a low-watt amp to breakup. The Gristle ST manages this mixture of passive and lively voices with a built-in battery that’s recharged by way of USB on the output jack and spec’d for as much as 110 hours of enjoying time.

Tonal prospects deepen with the Mix knob, which lets you add the bridge pickup when the neck is chosen and vice versa. We liked the management this trick switching enabled, akin to including a trebly chunk to a jazzy neck-pickup tone or rounding out the sides for a lead on the bridge. It’s dynamic and endlessly tweakable.

The ST’s neck and fretboard (with 12″ radius) are roasted maple and bolted to the Korina physique, which has consolation countours on the again and decrease bout. A six-screw neck plate creates a super-tight bond, including resonance and stability to a guitar that already feels sturdy sufficient to outlive a van tour in tune. The chrome {hardware}, likewise, is weighty and finely machined. Wilkinson’s vibrato bridge is delicate to gentle touches but has distinctive tuning stability, with credit score additionally because of Reverend’s locking tuners and low-friction nut. You don’t must be a Koch fan to understand an S-type guitar that’s so versatile and, like the person himself, a bit greater and badder. – Wealthy Maloof

This text initially appeared in VG’s February 2025 difficulty. All copyrights are by the writer and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.