tumnutty Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Hey all, I have recently been looking to buy a Epiphone Riviera Valensi with P94s (link), but I have been searching to no avail. I know they were limited edition and are somewhat hard to come by, but I was hoping somebody could point me in the right direction as to where to look. Do you guys know of any available listings? I was also curious, how rare and sought after are these, and how hard are they to come by? Is there any chance I'll be able to find one to buy in the next year or so? Any help is appreciated! Thanks in advance! Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fromnabulax Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I looked for a few months before someone on this board alerted another poster here to its availability used on Guitar Center's website a few months back. It's a very very nice guitar and for me worth the wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cunningham26 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 The rarity and their quality go hand in hand- they rarely come on the market because the people with them love them. I would just set reverb and ebay notifications, then just keep an eye on a national craigslist search. Looks like the last one there went up May 23rd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I have one, and they are very nice. The P-94s with a Frequensator are a unique combination. Seems like I've seen an average of about two or three a year pop up for sale. Just keep looking & eventually one will turn up. Be aware that there was a more expensive & short-lived Elitist model, which preceded the Korean made version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tumnutty Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 Thank you all for the replies. Another quick question: Would I get a similar sound to the Riviera Valensi if I bought a Epiphone Dot and replaced the pickups with Gibson P94s (p94r) (p94t)? They look quite similar and if the sound is similar I might go ahead with that option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cunningham26 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 If budget is a concern, a dot with p94s would get you close tonewise, but the feel and construction of standard vs. elitist are a lot different, and you'll probably spend some cash getting it dialed in. The frequensator adds its own dynamic- there are some 90's MIK humbucker rivieras with a frequensator, you could swap those out for p94s and be pretty close in the tone dept and probably save a few shekels. Those are probably a little bit easier to find than a valensi, especially if you're not too particular on color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPS1976 Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 I agree with Cunningham. found this today: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Epiphone-Used-Epiphone-Riviera-Custom-Cherry-Hollow-Body-Electric-Guitar-111204998-i4368510.gc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I agree with Cunningham. found this today: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Epiphone-Used-Epiphone-Riviera-Custom-Cherry-Hollow-Body-Electric-Guitar-111204998-i4368510.gc Yes, that one would work, but the price is too steep, imho. The guitar itself is $600, and then a couple of P94s gets you up to $800. For that much, I'd recommend holding out for a real Valensi, which comes with a one piece mahogany neck, five-ply body, and quality electronics already installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3piph0n3 Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I just came across a Valensi Riviera on Reverb.com. It's a bit pricey, but all of the ones I saw on eBay recently were selling for close to $1000. https://reverb.com/item/817678-rare-2007-epiphone-riviera-nick-valensi-model-natural-mik-peerless-factory-korea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 I just came across a Valensi Riviera on Reverb.com. It's a bit pricey, but all of the ones I saw on eBay recently were selling for close to $1000. https://reverb.com/item/817678-rare-2007-epiphone-riviera-nick-valensi-model-natural-mik-peerless-factory-korea That's an interesting one. Most non-Elitist Valensi models were made in Korea by the Unsung factory, but this one is clearly from Peerless (R serial #). The Unsung version has a true one-piece neck, whereas I see a scarf joint on the Peerless at the heel. I've seen one other Valensi with a scarf joint at both the heal and the headstock, and it too may have come from the Peerless factory. I purchased mine in 2010. I'd been looking at them for at least a year, and every one I saw was from Unsung with the one-piece neck (not even any headstock wings on the one I have). These variations aren't earth shattering, but I still find them noteworthy for identification purposes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fromnabulax Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Mine is the Unsung with a single timber for the neck and headstock. it's absolutely beautiful and with no distortion it sounds like pure crystal blue running mountain stream water. I have a total of 9 hours gigging tomorrow with very little time between locations and set ups. Giving it a bunch of thought I finally settled on my Valensi to do the jobs. I figure by this time tomorrow night I will have earned back the entire expense of this wonderful guitar. Rather than shuttling around with separate amps for my acoustic and electric, I'll be running both through my Fishman Loudbox Performer. The semi acoustic Riviera sounds splendid through an acoustic amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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