Classic gear: Epiphone Riviera

Classic gear: Epiphone Riviera
(Image credit: Future)

Epiphone guitars have a chequered history. During the 1930s, the New York-based firm posed serious competition to Gibson in the burgeoning jazzbox market. 

Unfortunately, however, following the death of company founder Epaminondas ‘Epi’ Stathopoulo in 1943, and in the wake of World War II, Epiphone became plagued with problems. The brand’s steady decline during the post-war period eventually came to an end when Gibson’s owners CMI acquired it in 1957.

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Rod Brakes

Rod Brakes is a music journalist with an expertise in guitars. Having spent many years at the coalface as a guitar dealer and tech, Rod's more recent work as a writer covering artists, industry pros and gear includes contributions for leading publications and websites such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Guitar WorldGuitar Player and MusicRadar in addition to specialist music books, blogs and social media. He is also a lifelong musician.