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Epiphone Rivoli Bass Pickup


mydeadblues

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So I've owned several Epiphone Rivoli basses over the years and even a '69 Gibson EB2d. The problem I have with the Rivoli's (at least the reissues) is that the E string is lower in volume than the rest of the strings. There's a good gap between the pickup and the strings so I'm not sure how much that plays into it. I just find it odd that the E string is the only one being affected. I've tried adjusting the poles with little success. Will a new pickup solve this problem? I've thought about putting in the ugly DiMarzio one pickup or trying to find a good deal on a vintage Gibson sidewinder pickup. Any thoughts? I know both pickups will probably sound better, but will it help solve the unbalanced volume? Any string suggestion that would help create a more even volume?

Thank you!

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I have 2 Rivolis,,a 1964 and a 1997 and the volume is fine on both.

 

You could try turning the pickup round.(You'll probably have to splice in some cable).If the E string is still quiet,then you'll have to look elsewhere.

 

I bought a sidewinder from an EBO to fit on my '64.Although it looks the same,it wouldn't fit.I didn't have my'97 at the time so I don't know if it would have fitted that one.

 

Does it have the original bridge and nut?

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I have 2 Rivolis,,a 1964 and a 1997 and the volume is fine on both.

 

You could try turning the pickup round.(You'll probably have to splice in some cable).If the E string is still quiet,then you'll have to look elsewhere.

 

I bought a sidewinder from an EBO to fit on my '64.Although it looks the same,it wouldn't fit.I didn't have my'97 at the time so I don't know if it would have fitted that one.

 

Does it have the original bridge and nut?

 

It's a '94 all original. I think I might throw a set of new strings on it to see if it helps. I'm leaning toward flats but I'm not sure yet. I thought about turning the pickup around, hopefully there's enough slack so I don't have to do any splicing. Thanks for the info on the sidewinder, I'll probably hold off on switching pups for the time being. How do you like the reissue compared to the original? Do they have similar neck profiles? I'm a guitarist and I rather like the slim neck on these reissues.

Thanks!

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Apologies for taking so long to reply.That's a lovely looking bass you have.

My'64 Rivoli has a deeper neck than the '97 and has been modded a bit.

It now has 2 pickups,both black.The neck pick up is a Japanese sounding thing,,Samshin.The bridge pup is a Schaller,,very trebly and I rarely use it.The bass switch has been removed and a pot pans between the pups.It has been stripped back to natural wood and looks very nice.The bridge has been replaced with a John Birch,but the intonation ain't great.For one song I recorded,I had to sharpen up the D string as I was playing around the 10th fret.

I haven't used the black '97 one much.It has the factory single pup and is not as loud as the '64.The intonation seems fine,but it doesn't stay in tune so well.

R1.jpg

Here is a link when I tried to sell it.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281141010958?ssPageName=STRK:MEUSX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1560.l2649

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Thought this might interest you,,,,,,,,

 

Samshin do not make 97% of Asian made pickups, its actually a very competitive market with a lot of factors at play. The old myth that Samsung make 50% of the worlds guitars is just nonsense - although it was close for a while in the 80s - and only true for electrics.

 

Current players include:

SEM and Samshin (China and Korean branch)

Mings (Korea and China, Wilkinson OEM)

Gotoh (Japan, Sound Garage)

Samsung (Korea, different to Samshin, often confused)

Artec, Korea and China (GFS)

Belcat (Korea and China)

WSC/Partsland (Source from all over)

Tonerider (what list would be complete without them)

Sky (Korea, Armstrong)

Tesla (Korea)

Rising (China)

Lingdian (China)

Billion/Jingyi (Taiwan, China)

and MANY more Chinese companies I cant be bothered to list, or dont even know about.

 

Note that no company is a pure Korea play anymore except Samsung. All the other have assembly or coil winding in China.

 

Asia is not like the US (where Microsoft can take 97% of a market). Unfettered, near perfect competition and risk taking is the name of the game! Capitalism at its finest.

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Wow thanks Corson for all the info! Your Rivoli does look really nice...too bad about the intonation. My Rivoli doesn't seem as loud as my Jazz bass. I'm going to try different strings and mess around with the pickup when I get a chance.

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  • 4 weeks later...

So I've tried raising the pickup screws, raising the pickup itself, and adjusting the action. I think I'm looking for a less slinky E string. Any suggestions for a nice balanced set of short scale strings? Or ones known to have a louder E?

Thank you.

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Before you try new strings,have you tried a different amp,swapping the bridge saddles over or checking the nut?

 

I tried playing direct in while recording and I get the same results. I have a Fender Jazz bass and it is balanced out of the amp. I worked with the bridge saddles yesterday and I set the intonation, but it didn't help. The nut looks fine as well. The E seems to be more slinky or floppy than the other strings. I think I need a set of strings with a thicker/higher tension E. I've read else where that other people with short scale basses had similar problems with certain strings.

 

I actually just switched the strings to Rotosound RS88LD black nylons. I had a set lying around that I forgot about. The tension on the E is about the same. I noticed however, when I palm mute the bass the strings sound a lot more balanced. If I palm mute and play with a pick or my thumb it sounds great. When I play with my index and middle there is volume loss on the E string. I think this is attributed to the E string moving back and forth more over the pickup screw and not staying more or less centered over it.

 

Do you generally play with a pick or thumb?

 

I'm considering another string change for a higher tension E, I am going to have to play this bass with a pick or my thumb in the mean time. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

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All the science,I don't understand,,,,,however ,I believe that short scale and long scale strings vibrate at a different frequency,,,,,maybe you've got wrong strings on it.

 

On a positive note,I bought a Casino about 18 months ago.It had a broken neck,but I had it glued up with some American glue,,yellow stuff,I can find out the name if you want,,,,anyway,it's been perfect since.Your broken head looks like an easy fix.

 

I've got a black Rivoli also,,,,I had the neck re-set around a year ago,,,,no problems.

 

Glue is great stuff. [thumbup]

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@MDB: I see you've got your '94 Rivoli on eBay [blink] Couldn't you get the right outcome on the above issues [confused]

 

Well I've owned 4 of these basses over the years and I've had the same "problem" with all of them. There's no real "problem" with any of them, obviously or else there would be some recall or something. I just think my playing style doesn't produce the sound I want to hear from this bass. I mostly play guitar and I have other basses; so having this one just sitting here not being played is not right. I decided to sell it and just play the other basses I own that I do like the sound of.

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  • 3 months later...

I hate to revive an old dead thread, but I thought you should know that I bought a '95 Rivoli off eBay back in early 2012, and found out during the whole setup/refret process, that one of the coils died. I checked with all of those companies that Corson mentioned, but ended up replacing the pickup with a Curtis Novak EB replacement pickup, specifically his Fatbucker. For $217 (shipping included), it was a perfect replacement for the traditional EB/Rivoli Mudbucker pickup, except instead of it being a traditional sidewinder, it had heavier wire wrapped around the magnet, giving it a humbucker kind of sound. He also has an OEM style Mudbucker replacement that would be to exact specs if you want. That being said, I couldn't be happier with the Fatbucker, so if you still need that pickup, Curtis Novak may be somebody to consider.

 

Curtis Novak Bass Pickup List

 

Here's my Rivoli in case you were wondering,

249158_10151464264718801_609359513_n.jpg

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  • 7 months later...

Hello all, I'm a new member.

 

I found this thread searching on google "sidewinder rivoli problem".

I have the SAME issues on my bass: one string (low E) is very weak and the only way to make it work better it's by playing with palm mute.

I don't think it's a matter of strings, I use Pyramid Gold, they have thin Gs (040) but heavy Es (100).

Another fact that make me think that's a pickup issue it's the fact that I have NEVER had this problem on my Danelectro Longhorns, on my Danelectro Baritone, nor on my Epiphone Viola.

I encountered the same problem when I mounted a Schaller pickup on my Yamaha acoustic: the low E or the high E were very weak because Schaller pickups need a smaller string width. That's the same issue I think to ear on my Rivoli.

 

Anyone has suggestions? There's a way to repair the pickup? Is it normal?

Thank you and thanks to the member who posted the Curtis Novak link: I think that would be a solution, even if an expensive one.

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Hello all, I'm a new member.

 

I found this thread searching on google "sidewinder rivoli problem".

I have the SAME issues on my bass: one string (low E) is very weak and the only way to make it work better it's by playing with palm mute.

I don't think it's a matter of strings, I use Pyramid Gold, they have thin Gs (040) but heavy Es (100).

Another fact that make me think that's a pickup issue it's the fact that I have NEVER had this problem on my Danelectro Longhorns, on my Danelectro Baritone, nor on my Epiphone Viola.

I encountered the same problem when I mounted a Schaller pickup on my Yamaha acoustic: the low E or the high E were very weak because Schaller pickups need a smaller string width. That's the same issue I think to ear on my Rivoli.

 

Anyone has suggestions? There's a way to repair the pickup? Is it normal?

Thank you and thanks to the member who posted the Curtis Novak link: I think that would be a solution, even if an expensive one.

 

not sure if this will work but you could try raising the pole piece (screw) on the pickup.

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