Richie Sambora -- Livin' On a Prayer ... Of Reconciliation?

Never Say Goodbye Bon Jovi fans ... Richie Sambora tells TMZ, his split from Jon and the rest of his band mates is NOT forever ... probably.

As TMZ previously reported ... Sambora pulled out of Bon Jovi's current world tour for "personal issues" -- sources told us part of the reason was Jon Bon Jovi and Richie were fighting over money.

So when our photog spotted Richie out in Beverly Hills Friday -- he had to ask about the split and the reportedly less-than-stellar ticket sales as of late (some shows were reportedly cancelled due to poor numbers).

Sambora keeps his poker face on for the most part, but does gives us a tiny, nugget of hope -- the breakup might soon come to an end.

Judge for yourself.