Epiphone Rivoli II Reissue questions

[awfulguitarnois]

Hi,

I'm sure some of these questions have been answered before, but I could not find them looking through search results. If anyone could answer one or more of these, I would be extremely grateful.

I just traded for a 1999 Epiphone Rivoli II. It's got great 'bones' (great neck, super straight, nice balance, etc...), but I am not sure on a few things:

• It appears to have Gretsch-style wiring in that the volume(s) need to be off max for the 'baritone' switch to work. But no matter what the volume is set at, neither of the tone controls seems to work. It's possible the pots are just jacked from being old, but I wanted to see if I was correct about how they should work.
• The sound almost sounds overdriven all the time with the volume up. I have a feeling it might be from sympathetic frequencies from the bridge, but it's hard to say. Do these basses tend to be 'hot'?
• I want to put flats on it, and wondered about recommendations for a vintage sound. And I know it's short scale, but wanted to check that I wouldn't need medium scale strings for any reason. Obviously, it isn't a trapeze bridge. And what gauge might work best for this?

Again, apologies for all the questions, but there just isn't a lot of detailed information on these basses that I can find. Thanks very much!

 

[ajkula66]

The "baritone" switch should work regardless of the volume pots level. There's some miswiring going on there, especially given the fact that the tone pots are out.

Here's the wiring scheme (scroll down to the EB-2D section) that would be both appropriate and functional:

Gibson EB2 bass wiring diagram and photos >> FlyGuitars

You should be OK with standard short scale strings.

 

[bobyoung53]

I use either La Bella light or standard gauge Deep Talkin' flats on my EB-2 (.104 vs .105) and they really sound good on these basses, I also unhooked the choke which is under the bridge, it opens up the sound. It does sound like someone fooled with the wiring to me too.


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[awfulguitarnois]

Thanks guys for the responses! I found a wiring diagram for the single pickup Rivoli/EB2, but not the two pickup version (Rivoli ii). i'll have to figure it out. I really want to get this guy sorted because I love playing it, just not the sound right now. It always sounds overdriven.

I'm a big LaBella fan, so I'll definitely grab a set of those.

 

[ajkula66]

Thanks guys for the responses! I found a wiring diagram for the single pickup Rivoli/EB2, but not the two pickup version (Rivoli ii). i'll have to figure it out. I really want to get this guy sorted because I love playing it, just not the sound right now. It always sounds overdriven.

Not much to figure out, just look at the diagram for EB-2D from the link I posted. "D" stands for "double pickup".

Rivoli II would be a re-issue equivalent of an EB-2D, with some (non-electronic) differences.

 

[awfulguitarnois]

ajkula66, sorry I totally missed the D when I scrolled down... I've looked at so many pages I can't keep things straight... you told me exactly what to look at... duh.

 

[ajkula66]

You're very welcome.

Please post an update once the bass has been correctly wired and set-up.

Good luck.