mydeadblues Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 I just sold my sheraton and picked up a MIK ebony casino and all I can say is wow. I had one of these before and I kicking myself for selling it. The p90s sound great and now my 97' riviera pups sound like mud in comparison. I am now considering doing some upgrades to fall back in love with this guitar. I'm thinking about throwing on some Kluson tuners to give it a cool vintage look, but I'm not sure which ones to get: http://www.ebay.com/itm/TonePros-Kluson-3X3-Bolt-Bushing-Tuners-TPKB3-C-CHROME-/270780781729?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item3f0bcad4a1 http://www.ebay.com/itm/TonePros-Kluson-3X3-Tuners-TPK33-CHROME-tone-pros-/290586483061?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item43a84dd975 http://www.ebay.com/itm/TonePros-Kluson-3X3-LOCKING-Tuners-TPKB3L-CHROME-/300576634278?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item45fbc375a6 I'm hoping just to get a direct fit so I don't have to drill any extra screw holes . What do you guys think of Kluson tuners? I think they look pretty cool but do they work well? I definitely want function over looks... And now pickups... I play mostly 60's and 70's rock n roll. I love Alvin Lee of Ten Years After but also want the bite of 70's punk like The Stooges/New York Dolls. I'm considering either Gibson 57's or dirty finger pickups for the bridge but am open to suggestions . I want something really warm and full for the neck but I don't know where to begin looking there's so many! Something that will pair nicely with the 57' or dirty finger pup. I'm also considering a roller bridge. Something cheap and functional, preferably in chrome to keep the hardware uniform.
jrd2 Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 I'm fraid I can't help with the tuners, but I have a 97 riviera and recently had a bigsby fitted. I ended up spending hours trawling through the internet looking for a new bridge that would be a direct swap with the stock bridge. http://bcsguitars.com/?page_id=332 I've ordered a roller bridge from these guys, they have bridges custom fitted to Korean made Epiphones. I don't have the bridge yet but I'll let you know how it goes with the Riviera. This is the only supplier I know of that does post centre to centre just under 73mm with a 4mm post diameter.
Whitmore Willy Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 Mydeadblues. Very nice looking guitar!!! I'm jealous. I'm fraid I can't help with the tuners, but I have a 97 riviera and recently had a bigsby fitted. I ended up spending hours trawling through the internet looking for a new bridge that would be a direct swap with the stock bridge. http://bcsguitars.com/?page_id=332 I've ordered a roller bridge from these guys, they have bridges custom fitted to Korean made Epiphones. I don't have the bridge yet but I'll let you know how it goes with the Riviera. This is the only supplier I know of that does post centre to centre just under 73mm with a 4mm post diameter. Jrd, Ya know, this is good info. The question comes up all the time. +1 on the link. Please put it up in the DIY: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/51292-the-d0-it-yourself-thread-look-here-for-tech-related-questions/ In time, I'm sure A.F. will find a place for it. Willy
RaSTuS Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 That's a Wilkinson roller bridge, or an oem version of the same, the same ones I did the review on a few months back. Wilkinson Roller Bridge Review
Morkolo Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 How about some push pulls for coil tapping or out of phase sounds?
Whitmore Willy Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 That's a Wilkinson roller bridge, or an oem version of the same, the same ones I did the review on a few months back. Wilkinson Roller Bridge Review LOL....Figures, that was one of my camping weeks. Gibby me time. I'll catch up eventually. Willy
clarkuss Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 Love those Epiphone Bigsbys. Upgrading my Riviera is on my list of stuff to do also. I don't get to play it much though...
jonny_2_owls Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 I put Gibson classic 57 in neck position and 57 plus in the bridge of my matsumoku riviera. It sounded amazing. I very much regret selling it but finances forced it, I'm on the lookout for another at the moment and would upgrade the pickups the same way again.
mydeadblues Posted October 27, 2011 Author Posted October 27, 2011 jrd2, thank you for the info and link on the roller bridge! Let me know how it is when it arrives. I will definitely get one if all goes to plan. Willy, it is a beauty and an awesome playing guitar. It's my favorite yet, I've bought and sold 5 rivieras over the years and this one is definitely the best one. The riviera and my other guitars just aren't getting as much attention right now ever since my casino showed up at my doorstep. It always comes with a cost though, I had to sell the Sheraton to get the casino. I'm loving the casino right now but I'll probably be kicking myself for letting the Sheraton go. Thanks for the info RaSTuS on the other roller bridge, I like that it's less expensive but I'd rather have a direct fit. If the other roller bridge doesn't work out I'll get one of the Wilkinsons. Morkolo, I was considering a push pull button but I'm not sure if I want to go that route, at least not yet. I'm going to install the new pick ups (once I decide which ones) and see how I like them. If they don't satisfy my tonal needs, then a push pull button may be in order. clarkuss, the epiphone bigsby is awesome. I had a riviera with equipped with a real bigsby and I had a Jorma riviera with an epi bigsby and now the cherry vt epi bigsby. As far as I can tell, there's really no difference between the bigsby and the epi bigsby. Both are good quality and are stunning to look at! How could you sell a MIJ riviera jonny_2_owls?? Ha no I know times are tough and sometimes you have to just let them go. I wish I could keep all the guitars I've ever owned...I am really considering the 57s, I might take a trip out to Guitarcenter to play some 335's with 57s to get a better feel for them. The Jorma riviera had epi 57s on it and it sounded really good. Thanks for all the info/suggestions guys, keep it coming! Much appreciated, -Mydeadblues
jonny_2_owls Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 It really was a hard decision to sell the riviera, it had a bigsby fitted too. It was the nicest guitar I've ever played, beat the gibson 339 I had hands down. Very sad day when it went, and even worse when the guy who bought it said how amazing it sounded through his ac30! Your riviera looks stunning though, there is definitely something about a cherry red semi acoustic guitar with a bigsby!!
mydeadblues Posted October 27, 2011 Author Posted October 27, 2011 It really was a hard decision to sell the riviera, it had a bigsby fitted too. It was the nicest guitar I've ever played, beat the gibson 339 I had hands down. Very sad day when it went, and even worse when the guy who bought it said how amazing it sounded through his ac30! Your riviera looks stunning though, there is definitely something about a cherry red semi acoustic guitar with a bigsby!! Oh man ya that's rough sorry for your loss ... What finish was the riviera? I hope you got a pretty penny for it they're really highly sought after. Tough decision between that and a 339. Ya the red is awesome, I'm usually a sucker for vintage sunburst/tobacco burst.
bobouz Posted October 28, 2011 Posted October 28, 2011 Thanks for all the info/suggestions guys, keep it coming! Okay, here's another thought. Since you're enjoying the P90s in the Casino, how about popping some P94s in the Riviera? That'll give you a single coil semi-hollow to go along with your hollow body. Similar, but different, and a sure fire way to lose the muddy tone you're now experiencing with the HBs. Having a Valensi Riviera, I can say that it's a pretty sweet set up.
Blueman335 Posted October 28, 2011 Posted October 28, 2011 Okay, here's another thought. Since you're enjoying the P90s in the Casino, how about popping some P94s in the Riviera? That'll give you a single coil semi-hollow to go along with your hollow body. Similar, but different, and a sure fire way to lose the muddy tone you're now experiencing with the HBs. Having a Valensi Riviera, I can say that it's a pretty sweet set up. Good idea. Epiphone needs to make a version of the Dot with twin P-90's.
mydeadblues Posted October 29, 2011 Author Posted October 29, 2011 Okay, here's another thought. Since you're enjoying the P90s in the Casino, how about popping some P94s in the Riviera? That'll give you a single coil semi-hollow to go along with your hollow body. Similar, but different, and a sure fire way to lose the muddy tone you're now experiencing with the HBs. Having a Valensi Riviera, I can say that it's a pretty sweet set up. How do you like the sound of the neck pickup? I don't it to sound too similar to the casino though...
mydeadblues Posted October 30, 2011 Author Posted October 30, 2011 Hey, mydeadblues--that looks like my closet! your closet, MY GUITARS
mydeadblues Posted March 10, 2012 Author Posted March 10, 2012 So I finally bought a Gibson '57 neck pup, a gibson '57+ bridge pup, and some vintage style kluson tone pro tuners. Now I'm trying to figure out if I should keep the wiring/pots in the riviera or put in a wiring harness I just pulled from a vintage vox cougar bass (335 style). Any ideas? Here's the vox wiring harness:
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