00:00What's up, Paul here from Guitar World, and today we're going to be checking out a strikingly
00:07cool guitar from Reverend Guitars, the Billy Corgan Signature Z1.
00:12Let's check it out.
00:15Whether you know it or not, Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has been collaborating
00:28with Reverend on his signature models for over six years.
00:32This brand new Reverend Billy Corgan Z1 is the third signature collaboration between
00:37Billy Corgan and Reverend, and while the Z1 looks similar to Corgan's original signature,
00:43there are some significant differences.
00:45The Z1 looks high-tech stunning with the contrast of the brushed aluminum single-piece pickguard,
00:51graphic etched chrome pickup covers, and chrome hardware against the midnight black or metallic
00:57silver frieze finish.
00:59What's cool is the circle-enclosed Z on the headstock replaces the usual Reverend R logo.
01:05You can see the cutaways have a concave sculpt that provide easy access to the upper frets
01:10and complements the angular offset body shape and contour.
01:21The body is made of alder in its chamber to enhance resonance and decrease weight.
01:28The roasted maple neck with maple fingerboard is almost identical to the first Corgan model
01:33with a medium oval neck profile and featuring a 25.5-inch scale, 22 jumbo frets, 12-inch
01:39radius, and dual-action truss rod accessed at the headstock.
01:43Controls consist of a master volume with treble bleed circuit, tone, and a passive bass contour
01:49with low-profile top-hat style chrome knobs.
01:53And the three-position blade switch accesses bridge, both neck settings.
01:58The heart of this guitar is the pair of specially voiced Railhammer Z1 humbucking pickups.
02:07These pickups feature Railhammer's distinctive combination bar for the low E and A D strings
02:12and three-slug G, B, and high E strings design, as well as a unique etched spiral and star graphics.
02:28Reverend says that the Z1 is inspired by the heavier songs in the Smashing Pumpkins catalog.
02:32And yeah, you can say that with these high-output Railhammer pickups, which deliver a distinct
02:37mid-range voice along with a mellower treble and a tighter bass for thicker and heavy rock tones.
02:44The bass contour focuses and slightly thins the tone to help the guitar cut through a dense mix.
02:49Listen to how the bass contour knob works here on a clean setting.
03:07The guitar features a string-through-body design with stainless steel saddles for a
03:31ringing and percussive attack and maximum sustain.
03:37Finally, a high-quality pure tone output jack is mounted to the side.
03:56The Reverend Billy Corgan Signature Z1 is a hard rock machine with a futuristic look
04:00and a neck profile that maintains Reverend's reputation for speed and comfort.
04:05And thanks to the versatility of the newly-voiced Railhammer pickups, suffice to say, this guitar
04:10is smashing.
04:11Definitely.
04:12Check it out.
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