KH : We are growing by about 20 percent per year . We ’ ve more than tripled the business since 2010 . There are so many artists coming to us that I don ’ t have to actively pursue .
PD : How many guitars can you realistically make in a year ?
KH : There doesn ’ t have to be a ceiling . We ’ re still so small , even compared to a company like Schecter . We can keep expanding at the same rate that demand grows .
PD : What do you think led to this growth ?
KH : The value thing is certainly there . And it sounds like a cliché , but there really is room in the market for people who are doing something different . We bring something you don ’ t always see . Again , I hate the cliché , but we really are offering a look and feel of a vintage instrument but with a modern playability . Joe Naylor has the ability to design a guitar that looks like a vintage instrument , but still has a new or different angle , so that ’ s one piece of the puzzle .
And then there ’ s the longevity piece . We ’ ve been at this for 20 years and people need to see something so many times before you believe it is legitimate . I think the uniqueness of Joe ’ s designs along with some of these shapes being around for 20 years now — it ’ s all starting to click . And we ’ ve been around long enough that players are taking us seriously .
Finally , we ’ ve had a couple of very successful models with the Descent ( baritone ) and the Airwave ( 12-string ). We sell a lot of those two guitars . When Joe set out to design both of them , he didn ’ t just slap a longer or thicker neck on a standard guitar . He set out to build each from the ground up . The Descent doesn ’ t play like a baritone because of where the bridge is located . It plays like a guitar and you can solo on it . And with the Airwave , we worked closely with Chris Funk from the Decemberists . He was using vintage 12-strings and they suffered from neck dive and tuning instability . So , Joe set out to build a 12-string that doesn ’ t suffer from those problems .
PD : How long have you and Penny been at Reverend ? Did you start in the artist ’ s relations role ?
KH : I started as an artist in early 1999 and built a relationship with Joe . I started going to NAMM and other guitar shows , which led to a job as Sales Director in 2006 . In 2010 Penny and I bought the company from Joe so he could focus on the creative side . As the company starting growing , Joe was spending more and more time in a managerial role handling the day to day operations , taking his focus away from why he got into this business in the first place . We were lucky enough to work it out so Penny and I took over the business end and Joe has the freedom to do what he does best : design guitars .
PD : How many staff are you guys up to ?
KH : 10 total .
PD : Is Zach still doing all of the setups ?
KH : We are growing by about 20 percent per year . We ’ ve more than tripled the business since 2010 . There are so many artists coming to us that I don ’ t have to actively pursue .
PD : How many guitars can you realistically make in a year ?
KH : There doesn ’ t have to be a ceiling . We ’ re still so small , even compared to a company like Schecter . We can keep expanding at the same rate that demand grows .
PD : What do you think led to this growth ?
KH : The value thing is certainly there . And it sounds like a cliché , but there really is room in the market for people who are doing something different . We bring something you don ’ t always see . Again , I hate the cliché , but we really are offering a look and feel of a vintage instrument but with a modern playability . Joe Naylor has the ability to design a guitar that looks like a vintage instrument , but still has a new or different angle , so that ’ s one piece of the puzzle .
And then there ’ s the longevity piece . We ’ ve been at this for 20 years and people need to see something so many times before you believe it is legitimate . I think the uniqueness of Joe ’ s designs along with some of these shapes being around for 20 years now — it ’ s all starting to click . And we ’ ve been around long enough that players are taking us seriously .
Finally , we ’ ve had a couple of very successful models with the Descent ( baritone ) and the Airwave ( 12-string ). We sell a lot of those two guitars . When Joe set out to design both of them , he didn ’ t just slap a longer or thicker neck on a standard guitar . He set out to build each from the ground up . The Descent doesn ’ t play like a baritone because of where the bridge is located . It plays like a guitar and you can solo on it . And with the Airwave , we worked closely with Chris Funk from the Decemberists . He was using vintage 12-strings and they suffered from neck dive and tuning instability . So , Joe set out to build a 12-string that doesn ’ t suffer from those problems .
PD : How long have you and Penny been at Reverend ? Did you start in the artist ’ s relations role ?
KH : I started as an artist in early 1999 and built a relationship with Joe . I started going to NAMM and other guitar shows , which led to a job as Sales Director in 2006 . In 2010 Penny and I bought the company from Joe so he could focus on the creative side . As the company starting growing , Joe was spending more and more time in a managerial role handling the day to day operations , taking his focus away from why he got into this business in the first place . We were lucky enough to work it out so Penny and I took over the business end and Joe has the freedom to do what he does best : design guitars .
PD : How many staff are you guys up to ?
KH : 10 total .
PD : Is Zach still doing all of the setups ?
14 INTERVIEW // Bow at the Altar : A Chat with Ken Haas at Reverend Guitars