In the minds of younger guitarists of the late ’50s, however, Epi barely existed. In the minds of older guitarists, Epiphone was a traditional New York-based company, with roots in 19th-century Greece, that came into prominence with tenor banjos in the Jazz Age and challenged Gibson in the archtop and electric market of the 1930s. The Epiphone Riviera helped reinvent Epiphone in the 1960s as a modern guitar company whose instruments sported such contemporary features as thinline, semi-hollow, double-cutaway bodies and humbucking pickups.

The guitar is acoustically loud and, plugged in, the P-90s coupled with the hollow maple body give it a hefty voice with just the right amount of chime.1967 Epiphone Riviera. The action is low and the tremolo is responsive and returns to pitch. Playability: The slim tapered neck plays smoothly.

This guitar was clearly played, but well-maintained.

The frets are in great shape with very little wear. The binding is intact with no breaks or separations. Most notably, there are some tiny finish dings around the input jack (probably the result of a misdirected cable), a dent in the binding along the upper waist, and some very light wear to the top of the headstock. There is uniform finish crazing, and there are small dings and scratches, typical of playwear on an older guitar. White pickguard, missing logo.Ĭosmetics: The guitar is very clean overall. Two volume and two tone controls with black top hat knobs three-way pickups selector. ABR adjustable bridge and Epiphone tremolo with wooden insert, missing logo. Pickups/Hardware: Two chrome-covered P-90 pickups. Rosewood fretboard with parallelogram inlays. Neck: Mahogany set neck with a medium-slim profile. This beautiful cherry red example is a snappy vintage classic.īody: Hollow thin-line maple body. Summary: The Casino is Epiphone’s most iconic model, exceeding its Gibson counterpart, the ES-330, in popularity amongst players and collectors alike.

1968 epiphone casino