I am looking at buying a vintage hollow body bass. Looking at late 60s Epiphone rivoli vs. Gibson eb2. I know that they are pretty similar bases, but wanted to see if one of them is preferred over the other. I have played both and the ones that I have my eye on play well and are in nice shape. Also wanted to take into account overall value of the instrument, will likely be passing down my bass collection to my son someday. Thanks for anybody’s input in advance.
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Hollow body bass
- Thread starter PaulS22
- Start date
Here is my 1968 EB-2, which currently has Labella Tigers Blood Tapewounds
The "baritone" switch is ridiculous..
one setting makes the house vibrate even at low volume through a cheap Ampeg combo
...needless to say I like that setting
Other setting is not so ridiculous and more usable...
Make no mistake, the one pickup (mudbucker) is NOT versatile, not for slapping, no singing trebles, no snarling high mids
Not even sure it has growling low mids, how about mostly rumbly lows, especially at the ridiculous vibrate the world setting
At the same time, great for delta inspired blues, primal thumping, and it makes me want to adapt other stuff to a style that will work on that bass
I really like it, but I am not dependent on it to support my family playing a wide variety of music
The "baritone" switch is ridiculous..
one setting makes the house vibrate even at low volume through a cheap Ampeg combo
...needless to say I like that setting
Other setting is not so ridiculous and more usable...
Make no mistake, the one pickup (mudbucker) is NOT versatile, not for slapping, no singing trebles, no snarling high mids
Not even sure it has growling low mids, how about mostly rumbly lows, especially at the ridiculous vibrate the world setting
At the same time, great for delta inspired blues, primal thumping, and it makes me want to adapt other stuff to a style that will work on that bass
I really like it, but I am not dependent on it to support my family playing a wide variety of music
That is a beautiful bass! Thank you for the info! I do love the baritone switch. I figured that I have other solid body basses that cover a wide range of sounds, and the eb2 and rivoli provide a whole different sound that is nice to have. Thank you for taking the time to reply!
EB-2 and Rivoli were the exact same instrument, with a different headstock and insignia. They were built side-by-side in Gibson's old Kalamazoo factory. The monetary value of the single pickup models is running neck to neck nowadays, and if I were shopping for one I'd pay more attention to condition and originality than to the logo.
To me personally EB-2D is the most interesting out of the entire series, because the bridge pickup does make a difference sonically. Not surprisingly, these command a higher price as well.
Such as ? A "decent" EB-2 or Rivoli in one of the standard finishes is under $2K nowadays, sometimes *way* under.
To me personally EB-2D is the most interesting out of the entire series, because the bridge pickup does make a difference sonically. Not surprisingly, these command a higher price as well.
Such as ? A "decent" EB-2 or Rivoli in one of the standard finishes is under $2K nowadays, sometimes *way* under.
If you're looking at the ones that actually sold you'll come up with the same figure that I quoted.
Gibson EB-2D Sunburst 1966 | Major Minor Vintage & Boutique
Gibson EB-2 Cherry 1967 | Chicago Music Exchange
Gibson EB-2D 1967 Cherry Red | Avenue N Guitars
And a *really* nice EB-2D that was also offered here by a fellow forum member:
Gibson EB-2DC 1968 Cherry, reduced to ,295.00
Some people prefer old instruments, not to mention the fact that there's really nothing new out there that quite matches the feel and sound of a Rivoli/EB-2.
I came across a couple at a local music store, loved the look and the vibe factor. What are some custom ones I could look at? Would be open to those too.
I went through a buy and sell phase with 5 or 6 vintage hollowbody basses back in the early aughts. IME, they all seemed to have some kind of issue or another- (some were fixable, some less so). Watch out for the dreaded headstock snap repairs as they can be problematic. Specifically, I had an EB2, (love me some 'furniture mover' switch, too!), that suffered that snap and it just wouldn't intonate properly so I moved it on. Sounded cool with tapewounds, though. *THUD*
I found a couple of Harmony H22's that were good. They were cheaply made and not what you'd call stage worthy over the long haul but have a distinctive sound that recorded well. No experience with the more recent reissues.
Finally, the guys over at Lakland put their heads together with Michael Tobias and came up with one. They took all that vintage groovy-ness but fixed all the problems of the old Gib's, Yammies, Ekos, etc. for the modern player. I played the 1st prototype bass and fell hard. No neck dive. No dead spots. No worries! I eventually got a US model equipped with mandolin frets, the original Barts and flatwounds and it plays "like buttah'". Sound engineers very often ask me about it. The Skyline model of those basses gets pretty darn close, too- and for about 1/3 the price.
I also have a newer Skyline Hollow30 that is a shorter scale and also sounds/plays fantastic as well. The neck is fast and the pickups are clear and I never feel the least bit worried about not having a back up with me on a gig.
I found a couple of Harmony H22's that were good. They were cheaply made and not what you'd call stage worthy over the long haul but have a distinctive sound that recorded well. No experience with the more recent reissues.
Finally, the guys over at Lakland put their heads together with Michael Tobias and came up with one. They took all that vintage groovy-ness but fixed all the problems of the old Gib's, Yammies, Ekos, etc. for the modern player. I played the 1st prototype bass and fell hard. No neck dive. No dead spots. No worries! I eventually got a US model equipped with mandolin frets, the original Barts and flatwounds and it plays "like buttah'". Sound engineers very often ask me about it. The Skyline model of those basses gets pretty darn close, too- and for about 1/3 the price.
I also have a newer Skyline Hollow30 that is a shorter scale and also sounds/plays fantastic as well. The neck is fast and the pickups are clear and I never feel the least bit worried about not having a back up with me on a gig.
Only played an eb once and dug it.
My mom's side of the family is from Kalamazoo, and my uncle worked at the gibson factory on his 20s! Just a little side note, lol.
My mom's side of the family is from Kalamazoo, and my uncle worked at the gibson factory on his 20s! Just a little side note, lol.
thanks for the info, I appreciate the heads up on the potential issues with the vintage models. If I’m going to invest the $$ I certainly want to make sure it plays well without any large issues from the start. I have heard that the Lakland hollows are really good, Will definitely give those a look. Thanks again for the info.
Ever consider an Epiphone Jack Casady bass? A tad more versatile at a fraction of the price. If you are set on spending some coin the Guild M85 basses are nice.
Vintage Guild Starfires are similar instruments and are slightly cheaper than the Gibson/Epiphone series. New reissues are going for under $1000. Another possibility is the updated Hagstrom Viking bass. Hope this helps.
If you find yourself lucky enough to be in the position of getting your choice of either one, just be glad! Obviously the Gibsons are the higher end and used solid wood instead of plywood, but vintage Rivolis are for all intents and purposes just as good as far as I'm concerned.
The issues are what we all love about old vintage hollowbodies! Who wants all the character built out of them? Not me, that's for sure!
That's exactly it. New hollow bodies don't feel or sound the same as my old Kay or EB-2. That's okay if it's not what you're after, but if it is, then get the old one.
I have the feeling that if I ever tried one, I'd unbelt for it on the spot even if I had to live on ramen and snickers bars for half a year. (I DO wish the headstock was 2+2 though...)
I just bought a used Lakland hollowbody - the 34 inch scale model, not the HB30 short scale. It's carved instead of laminated and came with the Chi-sonic pickups. From the website "inspired by the classic Swedish bass pickups built by Hagstrom in the 1960’s. Utilizing vintage spec’d larger diameter pole pieces, bobbin and coil designs, along with the power and compact size of neodymium magnets, the Chi-Sonics sound is one that is powerful, yet refined. It truly is a harmonious marriage of the vintage and modern sound. Chi-Sonics can also be built using Alnico V magnets as well, for those that prefer a more vintage inspired tone."
Some of the replies in this thread Vintage versus reissue cover my thoughts on vintage. I've owned 1 vintage instrument, a 1960 Gibson Les Paul before they started calling them SGs. It came with a vintage Bigsby tailpiece and stayed in tune about as well as you'd expect. If it were new, I'd have had no compunction about replacing the tailpiece with a stop version. That of course would have made it more playable and dropped the value. I would never have have wanted to play it out. In the end, I sold it to a music store owner who used it as part of a display. And, as many people have said, we're talking about factory built instruments, not hand-made D'Angelcos from the 1940s.
Edit: I should have said I really like the Lakland! I've been a bit cautious about Lakland because nobody in the area carries them and the necks are usually described as thin. It fits me like a glove and I couldn't be happier.
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