Ask Paul: Epiphone Riviera Custom P-93

Today I posted the second half of my column about Five Great Guitars for Under $500. When I posted part one last week, I got this comment from tcbischof:

June 02, 2011 at 3:42am

Hey Paul what do you think of the new Epiphone Riviera P-93 WIne Red Guitar? A video review would be nice, otherwise if you could talk about the history of the guitar & what it's made out of.

Thanks

Hey, tcbischof:

The Epiphone Riviera Custom P-93 is a fine guitar. It is beautifully conceived and crafted in that stunning see-thru wine red finish, laminated maple top and body with mahogany neck. I also dig (cosmetically and functionally) having the three black plastic dog-eared P90 pickups.

It is certainly one of my choices but my only reservation for it making the list is that it is considered a "Special Run/Limited Edition" from Epiphone, so only limited quantities exist. I played one at a NAMM show and fell in love with it. If you can, you should certainly snatch one up, or if you can't, the Epiphone Casino is quite similar and just as great. The Epiphone Casino would have made the cut as my Jazz/Blues semi-hollow guitar choice.

Check out the Epiphone Riviera Custom P-93 photos in the gallery below.

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Paul Riario

Paul Riario has been the tech/gear editor and online video presence for Guitar World for over 25 years. Paul is one of the few gear editors who has actually played and owned nearly all the original gear that most guitarists wax poetically about, and has survived this long by knowing every useless musical tidbit of classic rock, new wave, hair metal, grunge, and alternative genres. When Paul is not riding his road bike at any given moment, he remains a working musician, playing in two bands called SuperTrans Am and Radio Nashville.