Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS Review & Prices

Compare
Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS Review
FIND IT ON:
Musician's Friend logoSweetwater logo
Set a price alert
  • From Reverend's 2021 Signature series
  • Gil Parris Signature
  • Made in South Korea
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Korina body
  • Roasted Maple neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fishman Fluence Single-Width (Single Coil/Active)
  • Middle pickup: Fishman Fluence Single-Width (Single Coil/Active)
  • Neck pickup: Fishman Fluence Single-Width (Single Coil/Active)
  • 1 volume and 3 tone Bell knobs
  • 5-way Switch
  • Wilkinson WVS50K Tremolo (10.8 mm Spacing) bridge
  • Medium Oval Bolt-On neck
  • 22 Jumbo frets
  • Reverend Pin-Lock tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Our Scores and Tone Evaluation

Playability 70
Sound 82
Build quality 69
Value for money 69
Overall Score 74
Tone Evaluation
  • Heavy Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Funk
  • Country
Strengths & Weaknesses
Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS
  • Locking Tuners
  • Expensive Wood
  • Boneite Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Multi-Voicing Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • Made in South Korea
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Price Overview

Its average competitor's price is $1300, which means that the Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS costs around 31% more than the competition. It might be due to it having additional features, but know that you can find cheaper similar alternatives. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 6 strings and Tremolo bridge that are made in South Korea.

SET PRICE ALERT

These are affiliate links. We may earn a fee if you purchase after clicking. These prices are prone to error. Make sure you're buying the right product after clicking on a link from our site. We are not liable if you buy the wrong product after following these links. As an Amazon Associate site we earn from qualifying purchases.

Videos

Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS - demo
From the Circle R Ranch Files: The Gil Parris GPS
Reverend Gill Parris Signature Review | Should You Buy
Testing the Reverend Gill Parris Signature Guitar
Gil Parris, "My Favorite Reverends" and "Basic Rig Rundown"
More Videos

Your feedback

Not all instruments are created equally. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our users who have played this instrument say. If you've played it before, help others by voting below!

Weight

Vote

Tuning stability

Vote

Neck speed (thickness)

Vote

Neck access to high frets

Vote

Neck profile shape

Vote

Fret edges

Vote

Pickups noise

Vote

Pickups power

Vote
View all user feedback

Explore All From Reverend >

Is it Easy to Play?

The Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's a good guitar to start with as a complete beginner. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players to get used to.

New Player Friendliness

Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Locking tuners
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale

Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS's construction is balanced for most hand sizes.

Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this guitar—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.

Big Hands
Small Hands

Scale Length

Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.

Here's the Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS's 25.5" scale length compared to other common sizes:

Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS Scale Length Comparison
Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS's scale length (at the top) compared to other popular sizes

This is the same scale length used in Stratocaster guitars, and it's one of the main reasons they have such a bright sound. It's considered a long scale when compared to most non-baritone guitars.

Since the distance between bridge and nut is relatively long, you'll need to give the strings more tension to get them in tune. This higher tension will allow for a couple of things. First, you can get a lower action (get the strings closer to the fretboard) because the strings won't 'wiggle' too much when pluck and won't cause fret buzz. This can allow you to use lower tunings without increasing your string gauge, and it will make it easier to press down the strings fast.

However, the frets will also have a wider separation between each other, which can make it harder to play, especially if you got small hands. The higher tension will also make the strings feel stiffer, so bending will require more strength.

More with the same scale length:

Neck Profile

Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS Neck Profile
Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS's neck profile

The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.

The Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS's neck thickness is approximately 0.85'' (21.6mm) at the first fret, and 0.9'' (22.9mm) at the twelfth.

These measurements were taken either from the official Reverend website, or, in case this information wasn't provided, by researching multiple online marketplaces and forums where owners of this model have posted their measurements.

It has a C type neck. C-shaped necks like this have been the most popular for the last years. The reason is that they feel good in most hands. It's generally a thin neck that doesn't get in your way when playing fast, but that also has enough mass to give your hands a comfortable grip for chords if they aren't too big.

Thin necks like this make it easier to move your hand across the neck and it helps when playing fast solos, especially if you like to leave your thumb free while playing high on the fretboard. However, thinner necks are also weaker and will need adjustment more often than a thicker neck.

More for different hand sizes

Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.

The Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS has a 12" fingerboard radius.

Here's an image comparing this fretboard radius to other popular choices:

Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS Fretboard Radius Comparison with Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul
Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS's fretboard radius compared to others

This is the same radius that Gibson uses in most of their guitars. When compare to the other popular radius of Fender Stratocasters, you can see that it's a lot flatter. Guitars with this radius are usually made to bring a good balance between single-note and chord playing.

Compound radius fingerboards give the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, the Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS has the same radius across the board.

More with the same fretboard radius:

Playability compared to main competitors

25.5'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.693'' Nut Width
12'' Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.65'' Nut Width
14'' Fretboard Radius

Nut Width

Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS Nut Width
Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS Nut Width

The Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS has a nut width of 43mm (1.693''). This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

Frets

The Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS has 22 frets. Even though 24 frets has become really popular, there's still a good reason to get fewer frets; the pickup at the neck position will be further away from the bridge. This makes the neck pickup achieve a warmer tone. You might want this if you're playing Jazz or similar genres.

However, if you don't care about the warmer neck pickup, more frets will always be better. It's always nice to have the option to play higher notes if you want to.

It comes with nickel silver frets, so they won't last as long as stainless steel frets. If you use your instrument a lot, you might need to replace the frets after a few years. But this is unlikely as most people change instruments before this happens.

More with the same amount of frets:

Fret Size

Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS Fret Size Comparison
Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS's fret size (in orange) compared to other popular sizes

Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.

The Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS's frets are Jumbo size. This is a tall fret size that is becoming increasingly popular because it makes it easier to press down the strings cleanly. With this fret size, you won't feel the fretboard when playing, so if you press down too hard, you will get the notes out of pitch. However, this is something you can overcome by getting used to the taller size.

More with the same type of frets:

Playability Score

Bending & Vibrato Ease 80
Chord Playability 50
Solo Playability 80
Playability 70

Tone Analysis

Wood will have little influence in the final tone of an electric guitar or bass. Instead, the hardware, especially the pickups, will be the most important thing to look at. Bur first, let's see the quality of the wood.

Wood

Limba wood pattern used for guitar building
Limba Body
Roasted Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Roasted Maple Neck
Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood Fretboard

Limba Body: Available in either black or white, it's a type of wood with beautiful natural patterns decorated with long dark chocolate stripes. As a tonewood, it is comparable to Mahogany but with more mid-tones.

Roasted Maple Neck: Similar to simple Maple, but even stronger, darker, and more stable to temperature changes. This is thanks to the treatment process that consists in using high temperatures to drain the water, sugar, and resins from the wood.

Rosewood Fretboard: Since the ban of Brazillian Rosewood, this has become a rare and expensive wood. It's not usually used for guitar bodies because of this, and also because it's heavy. Instead, it's used mainly for fretboards. Sometimes it's also used for necks because it's an extremely hard wood (even harder than maple). Its tonality tends to favor warm tones.

Pickups

This guitar comes with pickups from one of the top brands: Fishman. So you can expect well built pickups with great sound that shouldn't need an upgrade anytime soon.

These are active pickups, so you can expect a lot of output with a highly compressed signal that will give your tones more distortion while retaining a clear, defined sound, which is what many Heavy Metal players need. However, they have the disadvantage of sometimes lacking a fully clean sound when playing without distortion.

The Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS's configuration is SSS. This is the pickup configuration made famous by the Stratocaster. It gives you beautiful clean tones, but also a vintage-sounding distortion. This pickup combination will sound chimey, but you might be surprised at the warmness that you can get from a single-coil at the neck position on a 22-fret guitar. The disadvantage of this configuration is the hum noise that single-coils produce due to their nature.

More with the same pickups

22 Frets
Tremolo Bridge
Fishman Fluence Single-Width Bridge Pickup
Fishman Fluence Single-Width Middle Pickup
Fishman Fluence Single-Width Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Lo-Pro Edge Bridge
Fishman Fluence Modern Ceramic Bridge Pickup
Fishman Fluence Single-Width Middle Pickup
Fishman Fluence Modern Alnico Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Fixed Bridge
Fishman Fluence Modern Ceramic Bridge Pickup
Fishman Fluence Single-Width Middle Pickup
Fishman Fluence Modern Alnico Neck Pickup

Versatility

It gives you a good amount of tone options with its 5-way switch. You can use it to choose at least 5 different pickup combinations.

It has a Multi-Voicing option. This means the pickups can change their output, tone, or sound. Piezo, Fishman and similar are considered multi-voicing pickups.

Diagram

Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS's switch options

What music genre is it good for?

As a 6 strings, Solid Body guitar with SSS configuration and Active pickups, we'd recommend it for genres like Funk or similar. However, you can use almost any guitar for any genre. This is just the typical type of music for this particular one.

Sound Score

Pickups 100
Sustain 75
Versatility 79
Tuning Stability 75
Sound 82

Build Quality Analysis

Country of Origin

Knowing where the instrument is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive instruments are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.

The Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS is made in South Korea. Guitars made here are well-built and tend to have good quality control, even though they focus on mass production. This used to be the most premium option just below Japan or the US, but other countries like Indonesia are becoming great competitors because of even cheaper labor without sacrificing quality.

Bridge

Wilkinson WVS50K Tremolo (10.8 mm Spacing): This type of bridge allows you to change the pitch of the notes by pulling the bridge with the attached bar, which gives you better versatility. Also, since the bridge is not fixed to the guitar body, the bridge will move as you bend the strings. So you'll have to increase the distance of your bends to reach the same tension (note) compared to a fixed bridge. This allows you to perform smoother bends but will also make you slower. Finally, remember that this type of bridge requires a bit more maintenance than fixed ones, especially when changing strings.

More with the same type of bridge:

Tuners

The Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS comes with locking tuners, which helps with tuning stability and makes changing strings a lot faster and easier. As long as they're high quality, these are the best tuning machines you can have. The only disadvantage is that they are a bit heavier than normal tuners.

Nut Material

Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your guitar. A well-cut nut will make sure it stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.

In this case, the Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS has a Boneite nut. This is a synthetic bone material made to look, feel and sound like bone. It's more consistent than bone since it's human-made, so many people prefer this type of nut to guarantee a good nut.

More with the same nut material:

Neck Joint

The neck joint is the part where the neck of the guitar meets the body. There are three main techniques to attach both parts together: Set-In, Bolt-On and Neck-Through. The latter two provide different advantages, although neck-throughs are the most expensive.

This guitar has a Bolt-On neck joint. Even though this type of neck was looked down upon for a long time, nowadays bolt-on necks are well built and provide just as much sustain as any other join method. First of all, it's cheap to make because it consists of simply 4 bolts that attach the neck to the body. And you can travel with the guitar more easily, swap out the neck if you damage it, or upgrade to a more comfortable neck later on.

More with the same build:

Build Quality Score

Quality of materials 56
Features 70
Quality Control 80
Build Quality 69

All Specs

Reverend Gil Parris Signature GPS
General
Brand: Reverend
Year: 2021
Configuration: SSS
Strings: 6
Made in: South Korea
Series: Signature
Colors: Black
Left-Handed Version: No
Body
Type: Solid Body
Body Material: Korina
Bridge: Wilkinson WVS50K Tremolo (10.8 mm Spacing)
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On
Tuners: Reverend Pin-Lock
Fretboard: Rosewood
Neck Material: Roasted Maple
Decoration: Dots
Scale Size: 25.5"
Shape: Medium Oval
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.85'' (21.6mm) - 12th Fret: 0.9'' (22.9mm)
Frets: 22 Jumbo
Fretboard Radius: 12"
Nut: Boneite
Nut Width: 43mm (1.693'')
Electronics
Switch: 5 Way
Knobs: Bell
Pickup Mods: Multi-Voicing
Volume Controls: 1
Tone Controls: 3
Bridge Pickup: Fishman Fluence Single-Width (Single Coil / Active)
Middle Pickup: Fishman Fluence Single-Width (Single Coil / Active)
Neck Pickup: Fishman Fluence Single-Width (Single Coil / Active)

More Comparisons

User Reviews

Help others by sharing your opinion about this guitar. Note: to avoid spam, your review will be submitted for approval before appearing here.

You're reviewing as anonymous. to comment with your account.
Your Rating: