Epiphone - Riviera Sparkling Burgundy

Epiphone has crafted the Riviera Sparkling Burgundy as a semi-hollow electric guitar, featuring an ES/Archtop-style body in the Riviera format, finished in a glossy Sparkling Burgundy colour that really catches the eye under the spotlights.

The 5-ply maple body – comprising the top, back and sides – surrounds a solid maple centre block that reduces feedback at high volumes without closing off the sound. A short single-ply binding on the top, back and fingerboard adds a crisp, clean finish.

The mahogany neck, glued to the body, features a Rounded C profile over a scale length of 628.65 mm (24.75 inches), with a double-action truss rod to adjust the neck curvature. The rosewood fingerboard, with a radius of 304.8 mm (12 inches), features twenty-two medium-jumbo frets and mother-of-pearl parallelogram inlays, whilst a 43 mm Graph Tech nut defines the string spacing. The Sloped Dovewing-style headstock features a 60s-style oval mother-of-pearl inlay and a crescent-shaped truss rod cover.

A LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge and a Frequensator tailpiece regulate intonation and distribute string tension, beneath a three-ply pickguard stamped with the aluminium ‘E’ logo. The Epiphone Vintage Deluxe tuning machines, with a nickel-plated finish, maintain tuning stability through temperature changes.

The HH pickup configuration combines a PRO Mini Humbucker R neck pickup and a PRO Mini Humbucker T bridge pickup, both housed in nickel covers, delivering a tone that ranges from mellow to biting depending on the position of the 3-way toggle switch. Two CTS volume and two CTS tone controls, fitted with black Top Hat knobs featuring silver inserts, adjust the mix before the signal is output via a 6.35 mm jack. White plastic parts complete the overall look.

Strings calibrated from .010 to .046 are fitted as standard, and a premium gig bag is included with the instrument upon purchase. Epiphone has been building this range since 1873, from the Stathopoulo workshop right through to its move to New York, with models that have left their mark on jazz, rock and pop – a continuity that explains the loyalty of several generations of guitarists to the brand.