Been meaning to share some thoughts on this bass, and I finally made time to do a video.
I got this one a few weeks back and I’m pretty much blown away by how good it feels and plays. This bass is the first 32” scale that I’ve played. It has a chambered body (also a first for me), and I wasn’t sure if it would have any kind of acoustic sound to it. It doesn’t at all, I was glad to hear. The neck is dead straight and the fretwork is perfect. Out of the box they were dressed and the ends rounded off. Extremely comfortable to play after I set it up to my liking. The pickups are single coil with a master volume, master tone, and a blend. However, I think I’m going to convert it to a VVT setup and see how that sounds. Fit/finish is wonderful, and overall, this bass is nicer than the price point would suggest.
Pickups sound massive but not boomy. It actually reminds me a little of my Ibanez Musician. I can tell this axe will record nicely, as it was easy as can be to get a good tone going through my interface in the video. I’ve had a great time playing it live and have gotten a ton of compliments on it. Also comes with an extremely high quality gig bag. Hardware is good quality. The bridge is a 5 hole pattern just like a vintage style Fender top load bridge. I have yet to see if the screw pattern is exactly like a Fender bridge though. If so, I could definitely see a nice Babicz bridge or another high mass bridge as a worthy upgrade to add weight to the body, if for nothing else.
The cons are minimal, but here they are- it does have a bit of neck dive much like a Jack Casady, but nothing that makes a gig uncomfortable or anything. I’d do away with the chambered body if I were the manufacturer. Heavy + good balance on a strap beats light and neck divey any day of the week. The bass also came to me with the worst strings on the planet. They were buzzy to the point I thought the neck may have had a twist that I couldn’t detect visually. For what it’s worth, the strings were also long scale, which is super dumb. Anyway, a fresh set of medium scale strings solved that. I always put fresh wires on no matter what the bass is anyway. The neck really is perfect.
Also, there’s no specific hardshell case made for this instrument. That’s a bummer. Getting one made through G&G or someone like that would cost hundreds. But I imagine there’s something out there that will fit well. That will take a little research. And of course the color selection for us lefties is a whopping single choice- burst. Yeah.
The upside down version comes in several kick ass finishes as you might expect. Enough of my babbling. Here’s the video. Don’t be afraid, it’s barely 3 minutes long.
https://youtu.be/yxcQfN0QngU
Here’s the website so you can check the specs out.
https://www.rivoltaguitars.com/products ... a-bass-vii
