Long Time P-Bass Player Considering Rivoli/EB-2

[wildbill53e]

Greetings all. Long-time lurker, first-time poster. A little background on me: I have been playing since 1985. I started on bass and eventually migrated to guitar to better facilitate songwriting. I also found over the years that it is much easier to sing and play guitar than it is to sing and play bass. I don't really play in any bands at the moment. I am content writing and recording songs when the mood strikes.

Anyhow, I have a 1978 Fender Precision (natural, thin maple neck) bass I purchased in 1985. It is my one and only bass and I don't think I will ever sell it. Three years ago she was finally re-fretted and the stock bridge was replaced with a Leo Quan Badass. That took care of the sustain problems I was having. I have always played GHS Bass Boomers (45-105). After hearing Robert Levon Been from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club hold down the low end in that 3-piece band, it got me intrigued.

As I have been doing some research on the Gibson EB-2 / Epihone Rivoli, I came across a lot of people who swear by flat wound strings for that kind of bass. This would also be new territory for me since I've always played rounds. I was fortunate to test drive an old 1967 Rivoli EB-232 at the Gibson Garage in Nashville recently. I was on headphones connected to some type of amp with a headphone jack, and when I toggled that "bottom" switch on and off I was absolutely floored by the amount of low end available in that thing.

I would love to hear from anyone who was in a similar situation: primarily playing P-Bass but looking to expand the sonic low-end palate with a Rivoli/EB-2 and the differences encountered playing on flats after may decades on rounds.

Thanks in advance!

 

[GretschWretch]

I went the opposite way: Gibson EB-2 (which I had to sell; otherwise I would still have it and might never have moved to long-scale) to P-bass. A thing to keep in mind is that when the EB-2s and Rivolis were launched, it was flatwound strings or nothing. Rounds were not yet a thing, so the basses/electronics, etc. were designed for flats. The low-end on these basses is awesome, but they can produce sounds other than mud. YouTube videos of sixties British Beat bands can attest to that.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Greetings all. Long-time lurker, first-time poster. A little background on me: I have been playing since 1985. I started on bass and eventually migrated to guitar to better facilitate songwriting. I also found over the years that it is much easier to sing and play guitar than it is to sing and play bass. I don't really play in any bands at the moment. I am content writing and recording songs when the mood strikes.

Anyhow, I have a 1978 Fender Precision (natural, thin maple neck) bass I purchased in 1985. It is my one and only bass and I don't think I will ever sell it. Three years ago she was finally re-fretted and the stock bridge was replaced with a Leo Quan Badass. That took care of the sustain problems I was having. I have always played GHS Bass Boomers (45-105). After hearing Robert Levon Been from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club hold down the low end in that 3-piece band, it got me intrigued.

As I have been doing some research on the Gibson EB-2 / Epihone Rivoli, I came across a lot of people who swear by flat wound strings for that kind of bass. This would also be new territory for me since I've always played rounds. I was fortunate to test drive an old 1967 Rivoli EB-232 at the Gibson Garage in Nashville recently. I was on headphones connected to some type of amp with a headphone jack, and when I toggled that "bottom" switch on and off I was absolutely floored by the amount of low end available in that thing.

I would love to hear from anyone who was in a similar situation: primarily playing P-Bass but looking to expand the sonic low-end palate with a Rivoli/EB-2 and the differences encountered playing on flats after may decades on rounds.

Thanks in advance!

What I want after 38 years with my StingRay is an Epiphone Rivoli because Chas Chandler. Is that not enough? lol. What I buy is this Chowny CHB-1. Give it to my luthier, who tells me "if ever a bass needed flats, it's this one." The bass wears Pyramid Gold flatwounds



It's not a Rivoli, but dang it gets close. Had my luthier rewire it Gretsch style with a master volume. The tone pot is a Nordstrand Tone Drop: a DPDT push/pull potientiometer. It has one cap in down position, and when pulled up, it adds a second cap in parallel. Since they are .047 Orange Drops, it becomes ~0.094 µF when pulled. All the low end I ever need is on tap

The bass plays differently because of its ergonomics. It can't be played like a FSO, or at least I never found a way to do that. I studied photos of Jack Casidy for hints.

Hard to believe the Chowny will be seven years old this summer. I completed two Music Theory for the Bass Player cohorts on the Chowny. It's plugged in now, by chance.

 

[HelpImaRock]

Having gone from Precision to short scale, and rounds to flats, my best advice is to keep the flats the bass comes with and replace them with rounds. See how you like the rounds. If you don't like them, put the flats back. Also, flats take a long time to break in. New flats can sound bright like rounds.

 

[GretschWretch]

What I want after 38 years with my StingRay is an Epiphone Rivoli because Chas Chandler. Is that not enough? lol. What I buy is this Chowny CHB-1. Give it to my luthier, who tells me "if ever a bass needed flats, it's this one." The bass wears Pyramid Gold flatwounds

What? Paul Samwell-Smith and the guy from the Nashville Teens aren't good enough for you?

 

[JIO]

Like a fretless bass, every bass player should own at least one hollow-body. They can be vintage or new, short, medium or long-scale and one or two pu's. There are many out there to choose from at varying prices.

 

[ajkula66]

I would love to hear from anyone who was in a similar situation: primarily playing P-Bass but looking to expand the sonic low-end palate with a Rivoli/EB-2 and the differences encountered playing on flats after may decades on rounds.

Thanks in advance!

I've owned many P-Basses (always strung with rounds) in the past, and a '68 EB-2 for a few years. My take on the latter:

These are quality-built but somewhat "niche" instruments. They require a lighter touch and different EQ approach than Fender basses. No passive four string bass - apart from possibly Ovation Magnum - will offer that amount of low end. I've always found the "baritone" switch useless, and played the bass in its normal (deep) setting. One needs a *really* good cab in order to properly transmit the immense boom that these basses can offer.

Volume pot is your friend. At around 7, the sound becomes very sweet yet stays deep enough for most applications.

I've used both flatwounds and tapewounds - Pyramid in both cases - on mine and preferred flatwounds since they were a little bit cleaner sounding in my environment. YMMV.

Getting an EB-2D with an additional bridge pickup would be my recommendation. Many more sonic options become available this way.

As much as I loved mine, I found little use for its "woof" - do bear in mind that I own several other Gibson basses from that era - and eventually let it go. Ergonomics played a part in that decision as well.

Hope this helps, and that you end up locating an instrument that will provide you with decades of enjoyment.

 

[GretschWretch]

These are quality-built but somewhat "niche" instruments. They require a lighter touch and different EQ approach than Fender basses. No passive four string bass - apart from possibly Ovation Magnum - will offer that amount of low end.

Must respectfully disagree with this. The neck pickup soloed on both the vintage Gretsch 6072 and the Kustom Craft Bone Buzzer bass offer formidable low end.

 

[wildbill53e]

Wow. Thank you all so much for the detailed replies. I just pulled the trigger on that '67 Rivoli from the Gibson Garage I test drove. I think it was meant to be. My girlfriend and I were walking back to our hotel in Nashville and we came upon the Gibson Garage. I had no idea it was there and had never heard of it before. Lo and behold, in the section of the building that has the mock stage sat the Rivoli on a stand. I made a b-line for it and later plugged it into a headphone amp. The bass felt great, though awkward as I haven't played any other bass.

It feels like a whole new world is about to open up, but I kinda feel like I'm cheating on my P-Bass.

 

[ajkula66]

I just pulled the trigger on that '67 Rivoli from the Gibson Garage I test drove. I think it was meant to be.

It sure sounds like it.

Play it in good health and enjoy!