Paul Jr interviews Paul Rivera Sr on how and why the Rivera Stage IV is the LA sound of the Late 70s-early 90s recorded on all the hits. Learn more: www.rivera.com...
I saw Pete Thorn on his Sunday show talking about wanting to try this amp. He could make it sound great. Shawn Tubbs would be another great review for the new amp.
I love the Rivera amps. No glitz. No hype. Just pure tone machines. I stacked a Venus Deux and a Clubster Royale, and that pretty much covers all my tone palette needs. Thank you!
Nice interview from son with father. I can understand now better how Paul is thinking soundwise to amps and the needs of professional guitarplayers. That most materials come from suppliers locally,is a great thing and attitude. Chinese stuff is most of the time,budgetting on expensise,not trying to make longlasting products. But why is the blue mainpowerlight(pilotlight)fading in and out?
Wow! Nice catch! I'm hoping it serves as an indicator light for the (currently VERY slow!) tremolo. I'm going to re-watch a couple of the other demos to see if I can tell. I appreciate your sharp eyes, as I just ordered one yesterday!
The website to Rivera amplification is old and not updated. The link is to their Outdated website. Please be professional and answer and not block simple questions. A former customer of yours . And you block!!
Strange that you think they blocked you. They have a fantastic customer support. A few years ago, I bought my Fandango through a big european dealer, but they had poor answer to my questions and no follow up. Hopefully, at RIVERA, they took my questions seriously, and even rushed my amp through production lines, because the dealer had taken my money, but forgot to order it to RIVERA. In fact, I have a one of a kind fandango, with a not standard cabinet, and I love it.
As a Rivera customer, I don't feel blocked at all! I had random questions about equipment and they replied back immediately. If anything, it's unusual for a manufacturer to get back that fast to customers. Rivera rocks!
When did I first hear Rivera? My teachers. When did I first play them? Had the Super Champ and The Concert in the 90s. Now I have all 50s/60s vintage. I love the Rivera Venus 5 but this Stage IV sounds even better to my ears. Even more like my teachers/mentors (in the 80s) - 1. It would be awesome to put the Venus power stage in this.. the hotrodded deluxe tone with 35 or 40w of tone for big stages and bigger clubs. These days with Covid we are outside a lot so 40w would be perfect. 2. With my original Fender amps, what if you created the Stage 2 or 4 effects pedal that has your sweetening boosts, notches and tweaks.. so I could walk into a studio that has a Deluxe Reverb and bring forth the real Rivera mods! That pedal would be very popular with gigging studio guys like me and all the folks recording at home! It could even push Fender Deluxe Reverb/Vibroverb Amp Simulator Amplitube Plug-ins! Those things are everywhere now. PS Red Rhodes was a mentor of mine. Boy, did he know amps! ... and hot rodding chevys. .. and winding amazing pickups for his friends.
Still have and play my Super Champ, I'm giving *serious* consideration to selling my Super Reverb with the Hicks Mender. I haven't been this excited about an amp in years.
Thank you Rivera for making amps in the US, with as many US materials as possible! The last thing I need is another amp, but I still bought one of these today! Hopefully it gives me a vintage-y version of my M and S series amps!!!!
Just a slight correction. The guitars on beat it was played by Steve Lukather with a Fender Deluxe.. probably modified by you. I just bought a Concert 2 fantastic amp designed by you.
But where's the love for Lukather? Bet he probably burned thru more than a few parts with one of the Stage 2s. Maybe "Dirty Laundry" or "Talk To Ya Later"?
Love my R55-112. Had it since the 90s. Haven't found anything better. Different maybe, but not better. It was my first good amp and I played everything I could (Marshall, Fender, VHT, Mesa, etc.) until I found this one. Spent all the money I had in the world on it and never looked back.
Paul played on it at first but the part wasn’t used Ed spliced the tape which ruined the SMPTE time code rendering the original recording useless. Luke and Jeff Porcaro were called in to completely re-record the song which is what is on the record.
Unrelated story. I sold my Rivera Knucklehead 4x12 to some heavy metal idiot, and when he came to pick it up, he told me he didn't care about the cabinet and that he just wanted to gut it for the British Celestions inside. I was incensed. Just goes to show Rivera is a case if 'if you know, you know' - a lot of people don't know.
Years ago, I worked with a woman who was friends with the Rivera’s. They invited me over for thanksgiving. Very great family! I ended up buying a rake reverb and Los lobottom.
Have a friend who had Rivera do a mod on his Marshall. He was very happy with it. Years later he started having issues and asked Rivera to work on it. Rivera told him it would at the soonest be months. So my friend asked him to send the schematic for the mod so he could get it fixed locally and Rivera said no can do. Not a fan!!!!!!!!
