AldoMcD1

Hi Ian - should be a standard size. I've seen a few conversions to a stoptail on both the originals and subsequent reissues.

@Hype - I'm getting one shipped out this week......will let you know if any differences.

USA Sheraton

Hi @mimmo - the neck on the original and the reissue look / feel about the same to me. Not too thin and not too chunky like a baseball bat.....somewhere in the middle. The originals do not come up for sale very often so it could be a long time before you find one for sale on the used market. Not sure what these are selling for now but expect to pay a premium price. If you really want one, an option could be to buy the new reissue and sell this in future if you eventually manage to find an original Matsumoku model to replace it with. Took me many years to find one - good luck with your search.

@Hype - this was posted on the Epiphone UK Instagram page.

There was a Murphy Lab aged USA Casino shared on Epiphone's social media channels last week.

This has 355 appointments as opposed to a 345. Could be wrong, but a few things don't look right to me on this one..... I would email Gibson customer services the serial number (along with the picture) and ask if they can help verify it for you before you fork out any $$$.

That's a good question. I have no idea what the going rate is for these, so guess we will need to see what happens over the coming months once the reissues are more readily available. I think for most people the reissue would be more than enough for them, but then there will always be others who will want an original. For me personally, I would rather pay the extra for an original in this example. The early 80's Matsumoko Epiphones are superb .

Took delivery of the Riviera last week. A bit different compared to the original, but a really nice guitar nonetheless. If you are an Oasis fan then I think that you will be really happy with the reissue. @indiekiduk - Have you secured a pre-order yet? More will be available soon although unfortunately you might need to wait a little bit. UK stores I was speaking to said they will be taking a delivery of these each month until at least next spring.

Original had the headstock volute - glad it's in there 👍

+1.....looks essentially like a slightly modified version of last year's royal tan / sparkling burgundy Riviera reissue.

Hi - there will be other members better qualified on this, but to me this looks like a Korean made Epiphone Sheraton from circa 1986 - 1988 (most likely the Samick factory). My understanding is that the 'Epiphone by Gibson' headstock logo was only available during this particular time period.

@indiekiduk - 355 and Riviera now listed on the official Gibson / Epiphone websites.

No, but the 355 is being launched tomorrow.....general assumption is that the Riviera will be released / communicated at the same time.

Hi - my recommendation would be to purchase an aftermarket / reproduction pickguard and manually swap from the current long version to the short version. As an example..... Electric Guitar Pickguards | fox-guitars.com

Bought one because I'm a big Oasis fan, liked the specification and that one of the authorised UK dealers was able to supply. Made loads of initial enquiries, but did not realistically expect to be able to get one based on my experience last year with the J-150. I know a lot of people are not keen on Oasis or their music, but I like them and have been following them since December 94'. Have a few guitars which get regularly rotated - intention here is to play this one and treat it no differently. Unless my personal circumstances change, I will be keeping this for many years to come. I do however unfortunately expect to see a number of these being listed on Reverb over the coming weeks at inflated prices. Oasis still remain hugley popular (at least in the UK), so it will be interesting to see what happens in the resale market.

Only seeing it now (thanks!). At first I thought that it was a blank pickguard, but it was just the lighting in the 1st video. A bit disappointing as small details like this count.....unless they want to have slight variations to differentiate between the reissue and the originals. It is instantly noticeable if you are familiar with the original early 80's Matsumoku models.

Noel's 2x Sheratons were from the 1993 Epiphone "Nashville USA Collection". The JLH 64' Sheratons were not released until much later (around 2000). Believe these were made in Japan and shipped to the USA for final assembly.

Yes, it is a reissue / replica of the early 80's Matsumoku / Japan made wine red Riviera which was his main guitar from 1995 to early 1996 (and as seen in the promotional music videos for Roll With It, Morning Glory, Champagne Supernova, Don't Look Back In Anger etc). Have attached a picture of my original 1984 Riviera.

Yeah, the sales assistant mentioned that "they have cheaped out a bit" when discussing this. Only had visibility of the A4 spec sheet, but from memory it was essentially similar specs to the burgundy / royal tan Riviera released last year (but with stop bar tailpiece, full size Epi humbuckers, 80's style 'E' pickguard logo and headstock volute). Visually it looked like the real thing, but what really made the originals IMO was (in addition to the Japanese craftsmanship) the Maxon MMK-61 pickups.

The Riviera? I only put down a deposit last week (26th July) once one of the retailers I had contacted previously got in contact after receiving confirmation from Gibson / Epiphone regarding pricing and allocations. I had contacted various retailers beforehand to register my interest and get put on the list as this was first teased back in January, but it picked up a lot more traction in June. I've no idea how limited or mass produced this will be, but it should be much easier to get one. If you want one, you should be able to put down a deposit this week to secure a pre-order if you call / email a few retailers. Don't have a copy of the A4 spec sheet, but from memory the fretboard material will be Indian Laurel and it comes with a case. Unfortunately I doubt it's made in Japan like the original.

+1 on a Sheraton reissue.

Unfortunately this ES-355 release is limited to just 200 units globally and only a small number of these will make it overseas with the bulk of them remaining in the USA. Exact same thing happened last year with the signature J-150. The ES-355 and Riviera were first teased back in January on social media, so a lot of people got wind of them at that point and got in early (long before the video teaser in May). Like @Hype mentioned, you really have to get in early and be quick off the mark on these. I was too slow last year with the J-150 and ultimately missed out. My experience is that it's normally first come first served and the individual retailers get back in contact with everyone who has enquired in the order which they received the enquiries should they actually be in a position to supply. The demand for these was huge and most authorised Gibson dealers in the UK are only getting 1 or 2 of these coming through as they are super limited. Sorry its not better news, but the limited edition signature models tend to sell out before they are even released or officially made public knowledge and unfortunately the number of customers usually always outweighs the quantity being built. Most likely all will now be pre-sold, however I can only suggest that you get in contact with all retailers you can think off (UK & Europe) and register your interest. Could be that a store has one which they have not yet taken an order on or alternatively maybe they get an additional stock allocation / original buyer pulls out etc.

Was told that only 10 units are being shipped to the UK.

Yes......missed out on the J-150 last year as I was too slow off the mark, so really looking forward to this one.