Grateful Dead Music Forum

I was stopping by my local music store that some guys I play with own and there's this guy unloading some huge boxes in the parking lot. Turns out that he's Paul Rivera, Jr. (son of the Fender amp legend) and was delivering some amps to the store. I was pretty much the only one there other than one of the owners who's a bassist. Paul gave me a personal tour through all the amps. They were truly awesome sounding - I didn't have my guitar but played a Melancon strat they had on the wall and I have to say I liked those amps better than my Boogies from the short time I played them. Very warm sounding and wildly versatile. The models I remembers were the Venus series - 3 different ones. Any one out there play a Rivera? What are your thoughts? Not super pricey.

I have played thought a bunch but havent own any and loved them. I really like the Fandango.

New to post but I've been a fan of this site for years. The Rivera amps have been a favorite of mine for 10+ years. Started with a 1x12 Fandango Combo. Way more clean headroom than you'd ever need playing out. Loved it but ultimately switched out to a Fandango head and a 2 x 12 Hard Trucker enclosure and haven't looked back. The last jump for me would be to jump to the JBL 120's. I've left the Vinatge 30's in and with the versatility of the Rivera getting most any sound you'd like is easily enough dialed in.

Mike Maraat, the original Ace in DSO, used to play a Rivera Knucklehead with an Eventide H3000, and had absolutely amazing tone. Thought I saw him popping up on a gig listing somewhere recently, but cannot recall where.

I love my '83 Super Champ... oh wait, here are pics:


I bought it from an ex bandmate around 1990-91. A year later he asked to buy it back... I'll bet he still wants it!

holy crap. Those are nice.
http://www.rivera.com/products/pubclub/ ... le-112.php

dunno if this counts, since it's a Fender designed by him, and not Rivera, but I have a twin Reverb II designed by him that I love.

the thing is like having a tube screamer build into the amp. really nice, and not over the top. just a perfect amount of dirt IMO

Always been happy plugging into Rivera amps.

It encouraged me to buy a 210 Fender Rivera Concert. Great amp, great tone. Sadly not played enough.

One thing I have learned in researching my Super Champ is that the so-called "Rivera-designed" Fenders were mostly designed and engineered by Ed Jahns, who (if you google "rivera" + "fender") appears to receive very little credit for those achievements today.

Here are a couple of very cool articles about this brilliant guy (with pics):
http://www.stratopastor.org.uk/strato/a ... azine.html

http://www.timeelect.com/400-histy.htm