flip5o5 Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Hello everyone! I'm new here and just recently received a Valensi Riviera, I'm relatively new to Gibson/Epiphone in general and noticed a couple of things different from my latest acquisition and the "stock" valensi such as the headstock cover with signature and the pickups, and was wondering if anyone here could confirm that this is legitimate in any case. The inside label has been damaged, I bought this used on Ebay. Also if anyone could verify the kind of pickups put on, that would be swell. Thanks for checking this post out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Welcome Flip. Personally, I can't tell you much of anything about your guitar. But, it would be helpful if you could upload some pictures, close up and normal of said Nick Valensi Epiphone guitar for further analysis and investigation. Maybe try to take a pic of the remnants of the removed label, if there are any, side and front shots of the neck, nut head stock and body. I'm sure other, more knowledgeable members here will give you the answers about your guitar, just need some pics, and/or a S/N off of the back of the head stock, if one is present. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flip5o5 Posted November 22, 2013 Author Share Posted November 22, 2013 Hi and welcome here there have been two different Nick V Rivieras first version was the MiJ Elitist Nick V Riviera in 2006 http://epiphonewiki.com/index.php/Riviera#Nick_Valensi_Elitist_Riviera_P-94 second was the 'regular' Nick V Riviera made from 2007-11 mostly if not all made by Unsung, Korea http://epiphonewiki.com/index.php/Riviera#Nick_Valensi_Riviera_P-94 both of them had Gibson US made P94 pickups Pics of your guitar would help to tell more about yours... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flip5o5 Posted November 22, 2013 Author Share Posted November 22, 2013 As you can see I am not exactly technologically adept.. Aha. I've uploaded some pictures but thanks for the speedy responses, if you guys would like more pictures let me know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Nothing on the truss rod cover, not (I don't believe) an Elitist model. Nice looking guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Does the truss rod cover say Valensi P-94 or just Valensi ? Difficult to make out. Black cover makes it an Elitist model, if the cover wasn't changed. Any markings on the back side of the head stock ? Nice looking guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flip5o5 Posted November 22, 2013 Author Share Posted November 22, 2013 Does the truss rod cover say Valensi P-94 or just Valensi ? Difficult to make out. Black cover makes it an Elitist model, if the cover wasn't changed. Any markings on the back side of the head stock ? Nice looking guitar. Nothing on the rod cover, its just all black. There is nothing on the back of the headstock either. I just want to verify the authenticity because the seller has a 14 day return policy. The guitar is definitely easy on the eyes, I'd say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Yes, just the few observations make this guitar suspicious. Too many missing features. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flip5o5 Posted November 22, 2013 Author Share Posted November 22, 2013 Yes, just the few observations make this guitar suspicious. Too many missing features. I was dreading that this guitar was too good to be true.. Does any valensi owner have comparisons in terms of at least the inside label, for reference?.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Does any valensi owner have comparisons in terms of at least the inside label, for reference?.. Yes, I have a Valensi Riviera. Here's what I can tell you about yours: >The body is consistent with the Korean Nick Valensi Riviera made by Unsung. >The label is correct (but one has to wonder why the serial number was removed). >The original single-coil Gibson P94 pickups have been replaced with humbuckers. >The original pickguard has been replaced with a Dot style Epi guard. >The original white "Valensi" trussrod cover has been replaced. >The original black switch tip has been replaced. >All other hardware looks original. Note that the neck should be one-piece with no scarf joints or wings, and no markings on the back of the headstock is correct for the Korean model. Without a doubt, your guitar is not the Japanese Terada-made Elitist Valensi, but the Korean version as originally sold has very good specs & workmanship. The most glaring change with your guitar is the removal of the original pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 I'm wondering if the serial number maybe had a MIRC sticker over it. But yeah, I'm curious about the model name on the label as well. Is that even a font that Epiphone uses? Cant say I've ever seen it before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Summerisle Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 This one has set me racking my brains. I cam within an inch of buying one of those Valensi Rivieras when they were in production (a Korean one, not a Japanese one). I spent ages with one in an Gibbyphone dealer's shop - lovely guitar - but I couldn't afford it at the time. I'm convinced they had that "nick valensi" logo (lower case letters) on the orange label - but it's a long time ago, and my memory might well be playing tricks on me. Some chap has uploaded a static video of his Valensi. It's very hard to make out, but it does look to me like there is something printed above the serial number on the orange label: [YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxnFWKVV4DM[/YOUTUBE] link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxnFWKVV4DM Perhaps someone here who owns a Valensi can categorically confirm or deny this... As regards the guitar in the pictures you posted - I agree with RTH - I wonder if this is a refurb, which explains the deletion of the actual serial number? Everything else about it looks pretty good. I'm not surprised by the change in the truss rod cover, because I would have done that too, had I bought one of these. I don't like "celebrity" guitars - I wanted the guitar itself, not its artist connections. I've met many guitarists who share a similar philosophy - and changing the TRC is an easy and cheap task, which quickly removes the celebrity guitar appearance. Pulling the P94s out of it seems a great shame (I think they are amazing p'ups), but, by simple definition, because P94s are full-humbucker sized P90s, the Valensi would be a good Riviera to buy if someone really wanted a Riviera with a Frequensator and desired full-sized hums in it rather than the usual mini-hums. Clearly yours is a guitar with a bit of history to it - which, if you like it, may be no bad thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 I'm curious about the model name on the label as well. Is that even a font that Epiphone uses? Cant say I've ever seen it before. The lower case "nick valensi" on the label is correct. Mine is a 2010, and it is exactly the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 I'm no Valensi Riviera expert, by any means, but didn't the "Elitist" version have the "vintage" correct, slightly more pointed horns, as was the case with the non-Valensi Elitist Riviera, as opposed to the more "generic" horn shape, on the Korean versions? Also, I seem to remember one version (not sure which, now) had a headstock inlay (oval), and one had none. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Elitist Non-Elitist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stahlbiest Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 I think the question here shouldn't be if this is a real Valensi or not. 'Cos even if it was a Valensi before, in it's current state without P-94, wrong pickguard and TRC it clearly isn't anymore. If the OP wanted a Nick Valensi Riviera then it's probably better he'll return it. But if he bought the Guitar because he likes the way it looks and the sound and playability are worth the money he paid for it, why shouldn't he keep it? It's even got a mysterious touch to it... ("No one will ever know, if...") I mean, the confirmation wether or not this guitar someday in a former life was an original Epiphone Nick Valensi Riviera won't change it's qualities. Stahlbiest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 As long as we can validate its authenticity as a geniune Epiphone, then I agree. Personally, I still think its a MIRC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Elitist Non-Elitist Thanks, RTH...It may have been a very early version "Elitist" Valensi, that had the Riviera (oval) headstock inlay. The horns look "slightly" different (to me), but...it's hard to really tell. Might be the shading, on the Sunburst version, that gives that illusion? I notice, too...that the Elitist has the Gibson ES pickguard mounting bracket, as opposed to the Epiphone (or flat "Les Paul" style) pickguard bracket. So, which one is "correct", to Nick's original? CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 So, which one is "correct", to Nick's original? From what I've read, the instrument Valensi originally modified with P94 pickups was a Korean Riviera manufactured in the '90s. I'm guessing it most likely would have been made by Peerless or Samick. Seems like Saein & Unsung came seriously into the Epi fold in the early 2000s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 From what I've read, the instrument Valensi originally modified with P94 pickups was a Korean Riviera manufactured in the '90s. I'm guessing it most likely would have been made by Peerless or Samick. Seems like Saein & Unsung came seriously into the Epi fold in the early 2000s. So, did his have a plain headstock (i.e. no inlay) or the "crown" type, which so many Korean, ones had! Odd, too...since the Epi Dot's have the Riviera inlay! LOL Which has always been VERY WEIRD, to me. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 So, did his have a plain headstock (i.e. no inlay) or the "crown" type, which so many Korean, ones had! It has an inlay, but can't quite make out which one it is for sure (from the one fuzzy picture I looked at). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 From what I've read, the instrument Valensi originally modified with P94 pickups was a Korean Riviera manufactured in the '90s. I'm a big Strokes fan, and as far as I know, you are absolutely correct. ..........but are you really?......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 Perhaps this video might lend a helping hand in solving this mystery. Plus, it's just a great video anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 okay, I'm just going to assume that you guys saw the inlay on the headstock of his guitar in that video? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Summerisle Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 okay, I'm just going to assume that you guys saw the inlay on the headstock of his guitar in that video? Enjoyed the video, but I got distracted by the lamest mic stand throw ever around 1min 7secs. If he was going to do that he needed to take lessons in that art from the master himself: Shane MacGowan, pissed. I think I saw the headstock on Valensi's (original?) Riviera, but I'm too stupid to interpret what it means in terms of the modified Valenis signature Epiphone the original poster here was talking about. You're going to have to join the dots for me, I'm afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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