Music videos that feature EB0 to EB4 and SG variant basses...

[Dave W]

The 70s Japanese Epis weren't called Rivolis, were they? I know they didn't sound anything like the Kalamazoo Rivolis of the 60s and weren't intended to.

[Basvarken]

They were called EA-260 and 5120-E

[Pilgrim]

Those must have been Japanese Epiphones then. Not the American made Rivoli.

That is quite correct. I didn't know the Rivoli was made in the US. 

Tons of Epis were made in the Matsumoku factory in Japan, and as I noted, they are pretty much parts-interchangeable with Univox and Lyle, as well as some store brands.

The 70s Japanese Epis weren't called Rivolis, were they? I know they didn't sound anything like the Kalamazoo Rivolis of the 60s and weren't intended to.

You may be right about that.  I just Googled "Rivoli bass" and most of them definitely look Gibson-esque, like this, which has different bridge, pickup, switch placement and pot knobs than the Japanese models:



Listing page: https://reverb.com/item/5708836-epiphone-rivoli-eb-232-bass-1970-s133?gclid=Cj0KCQiAyszSBRDJARIsAHAqQ4o1N2A_F58cctwlMHgxRGaRNM0aN-dBiD8HYqpqr9wT6kLQWHeFox0aAtplEALw_wcB&pla=1


But there's an "Epiphone Rivoli in Cherry" at Reverb that really looks like the Matsumoku product. Bridge, pickups, switch placement and pot knobs are all Japanese style.

Listing page: https://reverb.com/p/epiphone-rivoli-cherry-1966?gclid=Cj0KCQiAyszSBRDJARIsAHAqQ4oFBXib7lK9jhJ0p2aUNX5dxwi0nCKKwN4FpIMRpX3LyCupBkkNalgaAh7YEALw_wcB&hfid=1461471



Perhaps this is simple confusion about what a Rivoli really is, and the second one is named incorrectly. I think you folks have been discussing the first type, and I was describing the second one.  I certainly would expect them to sound quite different, as they're clearly very different instruments.

[Basvarken]

It's just not a Rivoli. It is the EA-260 or 5120-E

[Pilgrim]

I did some Googling and the images I found for both models looked Japanese...then I found this at WIkipedia:

The Epiphone Rivoli was a semi-hollowbody electric bass guitar designed by Gibson and built by Epiphone in Kalamazoo, Michigan from 1959 until 1970. From 1993 until 1999, the model was reissued as a part of the Korean-Japanese Epiphone line.

After Gibson acquired Epiphone in 1957, Gibson installed an Epiphone production line for archtop instruments in its own factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan, using the stock that Gibson acquired in the takeover, with some models taken directly from Gibson (e.g., the Casino and Riviera), other models specifically designed for Epiphone (Newport, Crestwood) or already produced by Epiphone (Emperor, Sheraton,...). In 1959, the Epiphone Rivoli debuted as a sibling to the then one-year-old Gibson EB-2.[1]

Made on the same production line as the EB-2, the Rivoli closely followed the production of the Gibson model; they shared the same body, neck and hardware. Only certain aesthetic aspects differed, such as the headstock and a tortoise-shell plastic pick guard on some examples instead of the black plastic used on the EB-2.

The Rivoli featured an ES-335-style semi-hollow body, made from laminated maple, a short 30.5-inch scale mahogany neck and one large "Sidewinder" humbucking pickup in the neck position. The electronics consisted of a single volume and tone knob, and a "choke-switch" (from 1959 onwards), which enhanced or cut the bass frequencies.

When Gibson decided to move Epiphone production to Japan (Matsumoku) in 1970, production ended for the Rivoli. Its successor, the Epiphone 5120/EA-260, shared very few similarities to the original Rivoli, and had a bolt-on, full-scale maple neck, other hardware and a redesigned body.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphone_Rivoli

That seems to explain it - two different series with similar names, but very different in design, production location and electronics.

[Dave W]

"designed by Gibson and built by Epiphone in Kalamazoo" isn't accurate. Nothing was built by Epiphone, the company had ceased to exist separately. The Rivoli was the Epi version of an EB-2, nothing more or less.

IIRC Gibson (or CMI, Gibson's parent) bought the whole company for $20,000, including the name, the inventory and parts. The only reason Epi continued to exist as a brand was to market to more dealers without infringing on existing Gibson dealers' territories.

[Alanko]

A bit like Marshall and Park?


I've seen those Japanese basses referred to as 'Rivolis' a few times. I figured it was always wishful thinking on the part of the owner or seller. I think the assumption is that the Japanese bass was envisaged as direct replacement for the Rivoli, but I've never seen this verified anywhere.

[Pilgrim]

It's pretty clear to me that the name was revived for the second issue, but it has nothing to do with the construction of design of the original Rivolis. They evidently just pasted it onto production line Matsumoku basses.

Based on what I saw online when searching for Rivoli images, it seems to have thoroughly muddied the water, too.  If you're looking for an original style Rivoli, you need to know what you're looking at.

[Granny Gremlin]

Billy Sheehan on an Epiphone Rivoli and talking about his hero Paul Samwell-Smith

The bust on that Rivoli is one of the nicest I have ever seen!

[gearHed289]

The bust on that Rivoli is one of the nicest I have ever seen!

Pretty nice bust on this one, but it's a guitar...

[4stringer77]

I'm betting this hasn't been up yet. More Spanish TV gold.

[Granny Gremlin]

Pretty nice bust on this one, but it's a guitar...

LOL.  I'm not even gonna bother correcting that.

[Basvarken]

The knobs are in a weird place...

[doombass]

The knobs are in a weird place...

...and there are two holes to plug in to.

[Dave W]

At least there are only two knobs.