Epiphone VINTAGE EB-232 Rivoli Bass '68 Cherry

Epiphone is now well known as Gibson's sister brand, but before it was acquired by Gibson in the late 1950s, it was a historic brand that was active as a rival to Gibson, particularly in the archtop field. After the Gibson acquisition, Epiphone began producing solid-body models in addition to archtop/hollowbody models, and many attractive models were born that are loved by guitar fans around the world.

This is the EB-232 Rivoli Bass, an Epiphone-branded version of Gibson's iconic semi-hollow electric bass, the EB-2. This model was released at the Gibson Kalamazoo factory in 1959, following the EB-2, and was produced until around 1970.

【body】
The overall weight is approximately 3.9 kg. The body is a semi-hollow maple construction, similar to the Gibson EB-2. This guitar boasts a relatively limited production run in cherry color, which is a charming feature. The red color is still very much in good condition. The bridge is a later model specification. While there is some weather checking, dents, paint chipping, and tarnished metal parts, the guitar is in relatively good condition. The pickguard, mute, and fence are missing. The control knobs have been replaced with new ones of the same type.

【neck】
The neck is made of one piece of mahogany, and the fingerboard is made of rosewood. There is some weather checking and a few dents on the back of the neck, but it's in fairly good condition. The tuners function well, although there is some variation in the tightness of the windings. The frets and nut show signs of wear, but there are no significant dents in the frets, and playability is good. The nut width is 38.3mm. The neck shape is distinctive.

[Electrical system]
The controls are a master volume, master tone, and preset tone switch. While the switch may have been replaced, the pickups and other control parts remain in their original condition. The woody, warm tone of the tone switch, unique to this style, is appealing, and this guitar is surprisingly well-balanced and easy to use.

Accessories: General-purpose soft case

Weight: 3.9kg
Body Material (Top/Rim/Back): Laminate Maple/Laminate Maple/Laminate Maple
Neck Material/Scale Length: Mahogany 1 piece/768.0mm (30inch)
Fingerboard/Fret Marker/Radius: Rosewood/Pearloid Dot/254.0mm (10inch)
Nut Width/Fret Size: 38.3mm/2.8mm, 20 Fret
Neck Thickness (1F/7F/12F): 21.8mm/24.9mm/25.8mm
Pickup: Gibson EB Large Humbucker, Chrome cover

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