What the Bleedin’ Treble!
In part one of this, video I explain what treble bleed is, and how to evaluate and select the right cap. I demonstrate my G&L ASAT III which has a treble bleed cap on the master volume, and I compare that with my Epiphone Riviera P93 which has no treble bleed caps (yet).
The caps I tried are (as shown left to right): Silver Mica 100pf, 390pf and 1000pf, a tiny 1000pf ceramic cap, and Sprague Orange Drop (polypropylene) 1000pf, 3300pf, and 6800pf.
The tolerances on the caps are a bit all over the place. I measured the 1000pf caps on my DMM and all were closer to 1250. The 100pf silver mica was over 250! This is assuming I can trust my Mastech DMM.
Epiphone Riviera P93 Video Review, Part 2
This time in high definition, and more importantly, with a high quality microphone instead of the webcam mic. I just run through a bunch of riffs, both clean and distorted, with the pickups alone and in combination, and also demonstrate the sound of the tone knob.
I’m using a large diaphragm Rode NT1 mic, positioned about 4” away from the grill of the Vox VT30 amp. These recordings will serve as the “before” examples for my upcoming mods.
Incidentally, I had to make a lot of changes in order to record high quality separate voice and guitar audio, instead of using the crappy webcam mic. Windows Movie Maker just doesn’t cut it. So I downloaded a free trial of Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum. It’s so much better than Windows Movie Maker! Has really nice audio editing features, and full HD support.
Next up will be treble bleed…
Neck and Neck
I’ve been asked about the thickness of the Epi Riviera P93 neck, in comparison with other Epi guitars. I’ve also measured the Epi Sharaton II, Dot Studio and Casino, and their necks are all very similar to the Riviera P93, within 1/32” for each measurement (thickness at 12th, width at nut, width at 12th). And they’re all the same 24 3/4” scale and 12” radius. The Epi Les Paul’s and SG’s have a slightly thinner neck (about 13/16” at the 12th fret), but the same width and scale.
Here’s some pictures and exact measurements (in inches) of the Epiphone Riviera P93 compared to my G&L ASAT III, Taylor 714CE acoustic, and a very thin necked old Ibanez 540SBC. Update 5/14/2011: added Vox SSC33.
All measurements in inches:
| Guitar | Thickness at 12th fret* | Width at nut | Width at 12th fret | Fretboard radius | Scale (nut to bridge) |
| Epi Riviera P93 | 31/32 (.97) | 1 11/16 (1.68) | 2 3/32 (2.09) | 12 | 24 3/4 |
| G&L ASAT III | 31/32 (.97) | 1 5/8 (1.62) | 2 1/32 (2.03) | 7 1/4 | 25 1/2 |
| Taylor 714CE | 39/32 (.90) * | 1 3/4 (1.75) | 2 5/32 (2.15) | 12 | 25 1/2 |
| Ibanez 540SBC | 13/16 (.82) | 1 11/16 (1.68) | 2 1/16 (2.05) | 16 | 25 1/2 |
| Vox SSC33 | 7/8 (.88) | 1 11/16 (1.69) | 2 1/16 (2.05) | 12 | 25 1/8 |
* Taylor 714CE thickness measured at 9th fret since neck joint to body begins at 12th
Here’s the Epiphone Riviera P93:
Riviera P93 Circuit Wiring
Here’s the diagram of the electronics in my Epiphone Riviera P93, looking at the circuit from the rear.
It has three volume pots and one master tone pot. All knobs are 500k audio taper. Strangely, there appear to be three different brands of pots used in my guitar, Alpha, JS and a 3rd that I can’t identify.
There’s a .022uF capacitor on the tone knob. No capacitors on the volume pots.
My parts order from Mouser just arrived! Getting ready for lots of tone tweaking!
A new series on guitar electronics
This is part 1 of a new series on guitar electronics. In the video, I demonstrate how to get the electronics out of a semi-hollow body guitar, with some useful tips and tricks.
Once the electronics are out of the guitar, it’s relatively easy to try some experiments on the circuit to see how it sounds. I’m planning a number of upcoming experiments including:
- Experimenting with replacement pots
- Adding treble bleed to the volume pots
- Trying different tone capacitors to see how it changes the sound
- Replacing the jack with one with a longer bushing Switchcraft jack
- Replacing the pickups
- Putting all the electronics back into a semi-hollow body guitar through the f-hole
Every step of the way, I’ll be recording audio examples, how-to videos, and text writeup.
I look forward to hearing any comments or suggestions. Please let me know your experiences too!