Paul Rivera / Rivera Amplification

Paul Rivera is one of the veterans, when it comes to building amplifiers. Paul started his career in the 70’s, and from 1976-79 he worked out of Valley Arts Music in LA (yes, you are right, the home of the original Valley Arts Guitars), where a lot of the great players hung out.

Paul would build their pedal boards, do twists and mods to their gear, and he was soon recognized as a huge capacity. So Yamaha called for his help, and he designed the first Yamaha guitar amps that actually sounded good, and became a big success for Yamaha.

The G50 & G100’s are still sought after Solid State amps. They were reliable, loud and sounded way better than Solid State at that time. Players like Pat Metheny and Mike Stern loved these amps.
Then in 1981, CBS/Fender hired Paul Rivera to develop and oversee the Fender amp line, but it was shortlived, as CBS were about to leave the Music Industry. Some products never made it from drawingboard to workshop, but he still was responsible for some great products being developed at Fender during those years.

Paul had all the great players around him. He would listen to their needs and inputs, combine these with his knowledge, and eventually the Rivera brand rose from the ground. Players and bands like Jay Graydon, Steve Lukather, Paul Jackson Jr. Earth Wind&Fire, Little Feat, and many many more, were true believers, and Rivera became a household name in the industry. Since then, a lot of players have joined, including Eric Gales, Vince Gill, Tim Pierce, KORN, etc.

Paul has a passion for German cars, and actually his amps are built like one. Sleek, trustworthy and great performance, whether it’s a country gig or a Metal concert.

Rivera was never a huge amp company, but despite change of trends, Paul and his family operation have managed to stay current and alive, 45 years after Paul started his journey at Valley Arts Music.
We always loved the amps, as they truly are great sounding and reliable.

You see, Paul Rivera knows his business, and offers great amps for any style: Acoustic, Jazz, Country, Rock or Metal. You just have to pick the right model.

So we are pleased to bring back Rivera to all of you, who still believe in great tube amps.