bluscuba

That's true, good point

I've got experience of a Korean riviera and a USA made riviera from 1993. The USA model was made in the Gibson factory as a special run but I assume it was made to similar quality and finish as a Gibson. There is undoubtedly a difference in materials, frets, fret board and the lacquer finish but the main difference are the pickups ( in 97 the epiphone pickups were poor) switch, tuners, nut etc All of these can be upgraded relatively cheaply . I upgraded the Korean riviera and it was a fantastic guitar, the costs were much less than buying a Gibson and to be honest I preferred it to a lot of gibsons. The downside is you probably won't recoup the costs of the upgrades if you sell it. I think if the dot is comfortable and you enjoy playing it, then it's worth getting and upgrading parts if you feel the need.