Rivera Amplification
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Amplification |
| Founded | Los Angeles, California, United States (1985) |
| Founder | Paul Rivera |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Products | Amplifiers |
| Website | www |
Rivera Amplification is an American manufacturer of guitar amplifiers. Founded by Paul Rivera in 1985 in Southern California, Rivera helped popularize the boutique amplifier market, alongside fellow amp-modifiers turned builders Mike Soldano and Reinhold Bogner.[1]
History
[edit]Rivera first began modifying amplifiers in New York City in the late 1960s, having studied electronics in school and apprenticed at a recording studio. In 1975, Rivera relocated to North Hollywood, where his mods attracted session musicians in the L.A. music scene, and from there became popular among professional guitarists in New York City and Nashville, the latter in large part thanks to a mod Rivera did for Chet Atkins.[1] Fender recruited Rivera in 1980,[2] where he integrated many of his modifications into new amps for the brand, while learning much about marketing, manufacturing, and distribution. These amps, such as the Super Champ and Concert, combined Fender's classic clean tones with modern high gain and were the last to be made by Fender before its owners, CBS, sold the company to its then management.[3] However, Rivera disliked working in a corporate environment and left to start his own company in 1985 and capture a piece of the market for hot-rodded multi-channel amplifiers dominated at the time by Mesa/Boogie.[4]
With his own shop, Rivera began performing modifications for many notable guitarists, such as on Marshall amps belonging to Eddie Van Halen, Eric Johnson, and Steve Lukather. Modifications he became known for included "fat" switches to extend lower frequencies and tailoring the EQ between gain stages to smooth out the top end and tighten the lows.[5] Many of Rivera's original amplifier designs adhere to a dual-voice ethos, offering both American-voiced and British-voiced channels. Popular models include the R Series, the Fandango, and the Chubster, which all use EL34s, while the Quiana and Venus series use 6L6s.[6] Other designs include the Sedona 55 for both electric and acoustic-electric guitar and the MIDI-controlled KR7 head made for Slipknot guitarist Mick Thomson.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Konow, David. "The amp wizards: how Reinhold Bogner, Paul Rivera, Michael Soldano and Jose Arrendondo advanced amp technology, and gave the world great tone". guitarworld.com. Guitar World. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
- ^ Wheeler, Tom; Richards, Keith (2007). The Soul of Tone: Celebrating 60 Years of Fender Amps. Hal Leonard. p. 361. ISBN 978-0-634-05613-0. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ a b Hammond, Shawn. "Rivera Venus Deux Review". premierguitar.com. Premier Guitar. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ Hunter, Dave (February 2012). "Bogner Ecstasy 101B". Vintage Guitar. pp. 64–66.
- ^ Guppy, Nick. "Paul Rivera on modding Marshalls, Eddie Van Halen and the 80s session scene". musicradar.com. Music Radar. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ^ Hunter, Dave. "An Expert Guide to Boutique Amps". reverb.com. Reverb. Retrieved 12 June 2025.