Dennis Fano, the lauded guitar designer/builder known for his Novo Guitars and Fano Guitars brands, has always wanted to make his guitars accessible to as many players as possible. In 2015 Dennis launched his import line of guitars, Rivolta, which exists under his lauded Novo Guitars. Every Rivolta gets inspected, setup, and shipped from the Novo factory/headquarters in Nashville, TN. 

Man oh man, it's hard to argue with this Mondata VIII, right? It looks amazing, and luckily for all of us guitar nerds, it is amazing. This design is an evolution of Dennis' early JM offset-style guitars (the renowned Fano JM6 to be exact) and folds in some decidedly Firebird-esq appointments - three Rivolta "Fumante" mini humbuckers and a raised center block on its German-carved, chambered, mahogany body. Combined with a 25" scale, 24 frets, and set maple neck, the Mondata VIII pays tribute to these guitar styles while also carving its own path. 

Mini-humbuckers are known for their combination of humbucker-like output and fat single-coil clarity. The Rivolta made "Fumante" pickups make good on this marriage and do indeed sound like really great, fat single coils. The clever switching setup (note the two 3-way switches) allows for every possible pickup combination, making this guitar extremely versatile.

Like all Rivolta guitars, the Mondata VIII feels fantastic in hand. Dennis has managed to produce an incredibly well-made, killer looking, resonant and soulful guitar at a very reasonable price point. We're super impressed by these guitars - check them out! Priced with gig bag. 

• Chambered mahogany body w/ mahogany top
• German carve top w/ raised center block
• White binding on front and back
• Set maple neck
• ebony fingerboard w/ white binding
• Full width moto block inlays
• 3+3 peghead w/ white binding
• 25" scale length
• 1.687" nut width
• C' shape neck carve
• 3x 'Fumante' Mini-Humbuckers
  -Bridge: 42AWG / Alnico V / 7.5kOhm
  -Middle: 42AWG / Alnico V / 6.8kOhm
  -Neck: 42AWG / Alnico V / 6.2kOhm
  
• Master volume, master tone, 2 toggle switches
• Kluson style tuners
• Tune-o-matic bridge w/ traditional nylon saddles & stop tailpiece