Brad Houser Reverend Rumblefish

Also Known as The Hoserfish Blame Steve Barr! This thing was on eBay and I was chatting with Steve one night, saying I liked it. "Do you really like it?" he kept asking me - I thought he was just incredulous that I could like such an odd thing. "Yes!" I repeatedly answered. And before I knew it, he'd hit the BIN and said, "Happy birthday!" He is, of course, completely and certifiably insane. Eventually we worked out a deal which would get him his money back, but it was close. I was scared he was going to make me his sex slave. The finish is called "Lava Swirl" and I think (not sure) that it has been discontinued, so no, you can't have one just like it and I know you want one so don't even try to tell me you don't. The electronics: a volume knob and a voicing switch control each of those massive humbuckers, which are actually made up of two Jazz-style single-coils. The master tone knob affects both. It's a 35" scale but with that Hipshot bridge, regular length strings fit with no problem (those are TI Flats on there now). It has Hipshot Ultralite tuners and weighs in at 9 pounds. Here's a partial review from Bass Player magazine: The Houser signature is closely inspired by Brad's original specs, his arsenal of vintage, fretless, and hollowbody 4- and 5-strings, and the low sound of uprights and keyboard basses popular on electronica albums. "I really liked how the low end in trip-hop bands like Portishead sounded like Fender Rhodes keyboards and big hollow basses, so I started going for that sound." What A Body! Like the Rumblefish, the Houser is hollow except for a 6"-wide mahogany center block fitted with an internally mounted "steel sustain bar" to enhance attack and support the bridge. The top and back are made of a wood-based phenolic material laminated to the center block. The aluminum-reinforced maple neck is done in a vintage yellow satin finish; and like the original, the Houser's rosewood fingerboard has rolled edges for a broken-in feel. But the similarities stop there. Houser specified Hipshot Ultralite tuners for a classy look, and Brad says he chose the lighter, adjustable Hipshot bridge for its vintage tone. (For those who want a more compressed, heavier sound, Brad recommends switching it out with Hipshot's adjustible brass bridge.) The biggest differences, however, are the neck's wide spacing-1" wider at the bridge than the 5L-and the twin set of custom-designed Reverend humbuckers and controls that feature three knobs and two 3-position switches that offer parallel, single-coil, and series voicings. Low-Down & Dirty Our test Houser bass was very well set up. The frets were impressively polished, sanded and crowned. Overall, the Houser looks and feels solid-from the six tight bolts that join the neck and body to the securely mounted right elbow rim. At first glance, the bass's small body seems to accentuate its wide neck, but most players had no trouble with the satin-finished, well-balanced board. The Houser comes with a set of nickel NR45-125L (.045-.125) S.I.T. Powerwounds, and right out of the box, it sounded consistently full and meaty through a Hartke HA4000 head and HA4200 4x10. A Gallien-Krueger GK1001RB 2x10 combo kept the lows but hinted at the bass's semi-hollow side. Staffers were pleasantly surprised by the Houser's distinctly thick, "passive and ballsy" personality. The B, defined without being growly, sounded good down to the 1st position, and notes were even throughout the fingerboard. The knobs and switches offered several options that weren't wildly different, but every setting was hum-free. Though the bass's aluminum top and bridge contribute to the Houser's supple lows, the high end is pingy; if you're looking for a biting, Marcus tone, this probably isn't the bass for you. I preferred the bridge pickup all the way open, a touch of neck pickup, and both switches set to series for a pleasing mix of low end and definition. Reverend's 5L sounds passive in comparison. The Houser's high output may have you looking for the battery cavity. A set of heavy Ernie Ball flatwounds brought out a different animal. Run through a Trace Elliot V-Type V4 all-tube 2x10 combo, the Houser assumed its true identity as an organic, resonant Old School axe with massive low end. At an R&B-based jamband's rehearsal, a stubborn Precision-and-groundwound player praised the Houser's tight, precise sound through his Fender BXR 300 head and Mesa/Boogie 1x15. The flats purred with ballsy fundamentals, and the B was deep and defined. Upper-register B and E -string notes were particularly clean and sustained-think Paul McCartney and "Penny Lane"-and plucking the same notes over a wide-open neck pickup in series approached the grainy lows of a B-3's bottom registers, perfectly suitable for the electronica textures Brad favors. Overall, the bass offered no stunning clarity or bright, modern tone, but thanks to the Reverend circuitry and semi-hollow design, it had a strong sound all its own. We recommend it to low-end lovers looking for a versatile 5 that evokes passive hollow- and semi-hollowbodies of the past. The Houser's looks will always stand out, but its sound and price will definitely turn heads-and with flats, it'll move a dance floor, too.