1967 Epiphone Riviera Blonde/Natural

Most of you know what a vintage blonde ES-335 costs and since they only made them from 1958 until 1960, there is little to compare this 1967 Epiphone Riviera to. Gibson made Epiphone from the late 50's until the late 60's were made in Kalamazoo by the same workers and on the same assembly line that made ES-335's. A Riviera is, essentially a 335 with mini humbuckers. Same construction, same wood, same design except for the headstock. This is the only blonde Riviera I've ever seen. Blonde wasn't an option on this guitar so it is likely a special order and if there is another, I've never seen it. There were a handful of blonde Sheratons and they have sold for well over $20,000. There is no sign that it ever had a different tailpiece-so the Bigsby was probably special ordered as well as Rivieras usually came with the "Trem-o-tone" tailpiece or the "Frequensator" trapeze. Most parts are original. The tuners in the photos are wrong and have been changed to a correct set of metal button Klusons. The pickguard is vintage correct but not original. Pickups are patent sticker and are nickel covered. The bridge is probably original and is a Gibson ABR-1 (not a patent number) and is chrome. It has plenty of neck wear, checking, some minor finish damage (near the bridge pickup) and a generally played hard vibe. The neck profile is a bit unusual for a 67 as well. The nut is narrow (1.58") but the profile is deep-.85" at the first fret and a huge 1.01" at the 12th. Case is original and needs repair at the end. All latches work. This is as rare as they come and if you're a fan of the American made Epiphones, this one deserves a place in your collection. It lives up to the cliche about guitars that have been played to death-it's a great player.