Epiphone's Equivalent of the Gibson ES-335

This guitar weighs in at just 7.90 lbs. and has a nice, fat nut width of 1 11/16 inches and a standard Gibson scale length of 24 3/4 inches. Single-bound laminated maple top, back, and sides with maple central block, one-piece mahogany neck, and rosewood fretboard with 22 medium jumbo frets and inlaid pearl single-parallelogram position markers. Early-style "short" headstock with inlaid pearl Epiphone script logo and pearl cloud inlay. Individual dual-line Kluson Deluxe tuners with oval metal buttons. Three-layer (white/black/white) plastic pickguard with silver Epiphone stylized "E" logo. Two PAF mini-humbucker pickups with black plastic surrounds and outputs of 7.08k and 7.50k. Four controls (two volume, two tone) plus three-way selector switch, all on lower treble bout. Black plastic bell-shaped knobs with metal tops. ABR-1 Tune-O-Matic retainer bridge with metal saddles and Epiphone Frequensator tailpiece. All hardware nickel-plated. Model number ("E360TD" and "Riviera") typed and serial number ("109420") stamped in black on a rectangular blue label inside the bass f-hole. The serial number is stamped on the back of the headstock as well. This guitar is in exceptionally fine (9.00) condition, with minimal belt buckle scarring on the back, a couple of tiny marks on the top, a few small marks on the back of the neck, and some light finish checking. Housed in its original black Epiphone hardshell case with royal blue plush lining (8.50).

Introduced in 1962, the Riviera was Ephiphone's equivalent of the Gibson ES-335 and had the same maple central block. Sunburst was added as a finish in 1965. The Royal Tan finish was discontinued by 1968. Rivieras were used by many great players, including Stevie Ray Vaughan and Lenny Kravitz. This is the earliest Riviera that we have seen -- Epiphone's version of the world-conquering ES-335 is far, far rarer than its Gibson counterpart.

In the July 1, 1963 Epiphone Price List, the Riviera in Royal Tan finish listed for $325.00 (Walter Carter, Epiphone: The Complete History, p. 120).