The Justice: A Twist on the
Familiar
From the moment I pulled the “Chronic
Blue” Justice from its case, I puzzled over
the simultaneous familiarity and oddity of
its design. Reverend admittedly dubs the
Justice their “take on the classic ‘J’ setup,”
and there should be an emphasis on take
rather than copy. I’ve played a Fender Jazz
since the late ’70s, so I know its nuances
well. Like a J bass, the Justice bears a pair
of skinny pickups in the neck and bridge
positions. On closer look, these are not
the usual noise-prone single-coils, but
instead have a humbucking rail design and
are appropriately named J-Rails. Unlike a
J bass, you’re free to blend the pickups to
any proportions without inducing hum—
the neck or bridge can even be soloed
with confidence.
This emphasis on take carries over to
some other features. The body is certainly
a departure, both in its shape and slab-cut
top. The usual J-style design includes
a pickguard that’s separate from a metal
control plate, but the Justice combines
everything on one plastic plate— much
like a P-style axe. One of the attractions
of a J bass is the skinny nut width, usually
spec’d at 1 1/2". Instead, the Justice sports
the same nut width as the Thundergun at
1 21/32". And the Volume-Tone-Blend
setup is yet another departure from a traditional
J bass with its Volume-Volume-Tone
arrangement.
Some other design features help out in
the resonance category. The bridge (same as
the Thundergun) has a solid feel going well
beyond the customary bent plate of a J bass.
Locking saddles enhance the transmission
of energy from the strings to the body, and
stringing can go through the body or through
the back of the bridge for a somewhat different
attack and sound. On the flip side of the body,
the neck is attached with six screws—rather
than the usual four— also enhancing the
instrument’s resonance.
Tone-wise, Reverend once again designed its
pickups to work with the characteristics of their
locations. They created a bridge pickup that
emphasizes highs and mids, and a neck position
pickup that covers the lows and less of the
highs. In an instrumental blues rehearsal with
electric guitar and drums, I favored the sound
of the neck pickup with its warm and focused
tones. Even though the neck pickup didn’t produce
a lot of highs, its note definition made it
easy to hear in the mix.
In all, the Justice might be a good choice
for a J bass player looking for something a little
different—both sonically and visually. And
unless you’re a J bass traditionalist, the added
benefit of humbucking pickups makes the
Justice all the more appealing.
Justice Rating:
Buy if...
you like a bass designed from tradition yet with a take all its own.
Skip if...
you need a bright, aggressive bass, both in looks and sound.
Rating...
The Verdict
Reverend has returned to the bass scene after
several years with some new designs that
build on bass guitar traditions, yet head in
new directions without blasting off to another
planet. Like their predecessors, these basses
bring a quality build with top-drawer components.
While they are no longer made in the
US, they are set up in Michigan by Reverend
veteran Zach Green (look for the “ZSG” in
silver ink alongside the serial number on the
back of the headstock).
Although their appearance is based on
familiar designs, the sound is not. Be sure
to give a good listen to the Reverend you’re
considering to make sure it meets your needs.
The pricing is just on the brink—higher than
a typical import, but a little lower than basic
models built in the US.