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Designed by Dennis Fano, who has created a few instruments reviewed in these pages through the years, the new Rivolta Duocata is a double-cutaway offering in solidbody and semi-hollow variations.
The chambered Duocata is an f-hole semi with an ash body, 25″-scale maple neck, and 24-fret/bound-rosewood fretboard. The P-90 neck pickup and Tele-style bridge setup make it alluring as a rock-and-roll machine, ready for your roughest riffs.
In hand, it’s lively and punchy; the snappy maple neck and Wilkinson chrome Tele bridge give the axe a decisive bite, begging for tones from Duane Eddy to AC/DC. The neck is long and beefy, something Rivolta calls its “new C++ chunky neck profile.” Thicker over the ninth fret, it’s reminiscent of certain Gibson SG carves.
Amped up, it has a sparkling tone befitting its semi-hollow construction and ash/maple woods. The tester came in a Raccolto Metallic finish and was set up with fast action for chords and quick licks, but you’ll want to raise the strings for blues bends. The P-90 yields big, bassy tones, while the Tele single-coil pickup is treble-focused. It’s a versatile combination for all kinds of styles.
The Duocata Junior is a double-cut with mahogany body and neck, much like Gibson’s student guitars of yore; its Rosso Red finish is another echo of Kalamazoo. Also fitted with 24 frets and a similarly fat carve, it’s a rockin’ plank made for loud, full-throttle playing. Where the chambered Duocata has a ringing chime with Gretsch and Rickenbacker flavors, the Junior brings a no-frills P-90 attack matched with a speedy fretboard setup and smaller body. They’re both double-cuts, but couldn’t have more-different personalities.
In all, these Duocata models aim for the mid-price category and deliver good construction with a typical Asian neck – though 24 frets is a bonus for players who dig that option. Numerous finish choices and premium soft cases heighten their desirability.
This article originally appeared in VG’s July 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
