This is the last video we have seen from Tim. I sincerely hope that you are safe and sound. New York sends all our love to our brothers and sisters in LA.
I have a '73 Fender Champ that I've been lugging around since '83. I finally took it out of storage last year and looked at it. The only thing I could see obviously wrong was a speaker cone that had long ago turned to dust. I bought a new Jensen AlNiCo speaker and stuck it in. Fired it up and it worked! It sounds really good after all those years. The tubes, caps, et all., have been in there 50 years and still work. I was amazed.
Recently bought a '73 fender deluxe that had been modded to include a master volume. Had a tech bring it to blackface spec, move the point where the master volume applies in teh circuit, and put a creamback in it. Sounds awesome.
Such great little amps. I’ve had a ‘65 Champ for 25 years now. It’s still all original except for the grounded power, I had installed about 20 years back. Recently I sold it for a significantly reduced price to a buddy who will use it for recording sessions in Nashville. Although I still love it, that little black-faced amp deserves to be heard.
I'm Steve Conrad, and after Paul departed Valley Arts, myself and Steve Fryette became the Amp Techs. I also worked in Guitar Repair at Valley Arts until 1986 when I left for NASA/JPL
I currently own 11 vintage Fender amps, mostly from the black faceplate era. All are in excellent to mint condition and maintained. Paul talks about the wax on the boards in the 70s. That was a temporary solution at the time to the conductivity issue, however in the long term, the wax was not a good idea as it adds further issues to the amp. Many amp techs spend a lot of time removing old wax from 70s silver faceplate boards. The best Fender amps were pre-CBS, which is essentially anything built before mid 1965. Fender sold the company to CBS in early Jan. 65, and there was some time period where they ran though their old stock of chassis, boards etc before any changes were made. CBS did not make any changes to the circuits of the amps, until May, 1968 however they did cut a few corners with components from late 65 on. There is nothing wrong with a 1965-68 black faceplate amp, however the pre-CBS early blackface, blondes and brownfaces are just a little bit better built with better components, especially resistors. I own 4 pre-CBS amps and the tolerances on the resistors that they used pre-1965 are amazing. They used Allen Bradley resistors that to this day usually measure less than 5% variance. Of course with old carbon comps, absorbing moisture is another issue that can happen. In late 1965 CBS switched to a lessor quality resistor brand, and there is a lot more drift in the late 65-68 resistors. Right now Im plugged in to a 63 Tremolux and its amazing, quiet and the tone is perfect.
All of my Fender amps are either Rivera-era or modded by my tech as inspired by Rivera's own innovations. The dude is the granddaddy of them all. So happy to see he's still doing his thing, while paving the way for future generations of techs and players alike.
Bravo Tim for this great and important interview! I was in LA in 1979 and had Paul modify my Fender Deluxe and Princeton to "Stage 3!" Thankfully, I still have the Princeton! Thanks, Mr. Rivera, for all you did to shape the music of my generation's guitar heroes! Bravo!
Paul is a true craftsman. His commitment to sourcing the best components, the time he devotes to preparing the amps and his unwillingness to compromise on quality are testament to this. Great interview - and, as always, some wonderful tasty playing, Tim.
In 1975 Paul did sound for my band in Yuma Arizona when I played there with my band Opus..It was strange because we didn't know he was going to be there ...I already knew who he was ...he also did a slight modification on my Clyde McCoy Vox Wa Wa for nothing ...! I still have it ! Great segment here ...Most enjoyable...
Tim, You are such a great host, full of enthusiasm and passion. I’ve only recently discovered you and am loving all your stuff. I played drums in the stage band at Grant HS, Luke was the guitarist. We were scheduled to rehearse for an upcoming competition at Randy Rhodes Mother’s music school w the whole Big Band. I get a call from Luke and he asks if I can bring my Fender Super Reverb as he had just blown his up at a session that afternoon. I brought it Like plugged in, ran the knobs to set up and realized there was a Pull on Master Volume where the tremolo knob was supposed to be. He flipped out and made the most wonderful guitar sound. Randy Rhodes came by as we were playing, we took a break and he was saying what a great sound Luke was getting. Luke said “it’s Rob’s amp, I’m trying to buy it from him”. They continued to rave about it. I still have the amp, it’s never been worked on and I might add has NEVER sounded that good when I played on it. 😂 Like told me that Paul Rivera was the gentleman who had modified it. So thanks for reading and for giving me such a great story Mr. Rivera!
I have a 1999ish Chubster 40... (supposedly one of the first ones from Rivera) that I bought new. i was living on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle at the time. As soon as I got it home, I was having terrible trouble with radio interference. Like...I could clearly hear radio broadcasts through the amp. I actually spoke to Paul himself and he helped me troubleshoot it over the phone. It turned out to be the reverb. He immediately sent me an extra long wire (connecting the spring tank to the amp) with RF chokes installed. It cured the problem. It's still my only amp to this day.
I wrote most of Fender's ads and literature in the early 80's, and Paul was good enough to give me a couple of his new amps: a solid-state London Reverb and the limited-edition Super Champ Deluxe in the solid oak cabinet with the "boat anchor" E-V 10" speaker. Very different amps but both awesome! Over the years the London Reverb developed a few problems but I was able to rebuild it with a PCB from a guy who was parting one out on eBay. I even upgraded the critical op amps with newer, quieter ones. I also put a pair of 5" Jensen guitar speakers in the head so I can use it by itself as a practice amp.
Thanks for this! I kind-of 'curate' info about the Fender Rivera-era and the new (to me) info from this video is really helpful. My respect for Paul Rivera just keeps on increasing.
I have a 1968 silver face Deluxe Reverb that I bought from the original owner in 1994. It’s all original, including the tubes. The sound is absolutely incredible. I loan it out to friends on occasion for studio tracking. I’ve had countless offers for it over the last 30 years…no way I’m ever letting it go. ❤️
Remaking a superchamp, a no brainer that Fender never thought to do? Dropped the ball on that one ! Great to see and hear these pearls of wisdom and delicious truth nuggets!
I've got a 25 year old 55 Knucklehead (think Fender Showman) that I'll be buried with - spectacular and and in really great shape, built like a tank. Had a question on amperage for a 'soak' and called Rivera Corp. to get details. Paul picked up the phone! I tell him what I'm trying to do and he says, "you don't need to do that, just plug a short cord into your effects send and receive and use that knob on that back as your output". What a gentleman. Run the front the way you want to get the tone you want - manage the overall volume from the back. Too cool.
Ive got 3 rivera amps, 1 100watt head, 40 watt combo and a 50 watt with a closed back, these amps have the best cleans and the overdrives make you a better player, over the years ive had more complements over my tones, both live and in the studio than any other amps which include fender, ampegs, marshalls boogies, Koch, peaveys, even my custom audio... Riveras have character!! Theres been times ive been in front of my amp and think...that sounds ...pretty good... then i here it in the mix and im like holy shit!!! That sounds good!! His amps are underrated, and so is his influence on music and the amp build/ mod industry, look up Lee jackson...find out where he got some of his tricks... Lol...not that anyone knows who he is either lol!! Thanks for posting this Timmy!!
Why is every video I watch on RUclips today about Tim? I'm a Tim, and I also have a 1979 Deluxe Reverb........I guess it turns 50 in 5 years. Love this!
I have 2 Rivera Concerts and a Deluxe Reverb II. Had a 2x10 Concert back in the early 80"s but I just "had to have" a Boogie. Wish I hadn't done that. The 2x10" Concert with a 1961 ES-345 was magical. No Flub! Thanks Mr. Rivera for some of the most magical guitar sound ever recorded. Thanks Tim, also for this video.
Great interview with Paul. This man is the amp godfather! Thanks Tim for doing this interview and for the tasty playing. I still play my treasured Rivera TBR-1 beast(mainly studio). Built tough and never breaks down. Incredible and versatile tank of tonal flexibility.
Bought a Rivera M60, after I met Paul Barrere of Little Feat. I was 16. I asked Paul what he was using, and how to get that tone. He said “get a Rivera”. I saved and saved. Bought the M60, used it on every gig from 1993 to 2010. Still play it at home! Thanks for the tone, Paul!
I initially thought this was going to be another video about (unobtainable) Dumble amps. Then you introduced Paul Rivera and I got the biggest smile on my face because this means that there are great sounding affordable amps to be had.
Historic interview Thank you Tim and Paul. One of the best amps I ever owned was a mid 80's Black face Fender Concert Rivera. Hope you guys are safe from the wicked fires.
I took lessons at Valley Arts, with a guy named Gunnar's Knubis around '79 and '80. I got my 335 modded to Stop Bar and TP-6 at that front desk! The pictures reminded me of my parking spot in the back and my drive from Manhattan Beach. Thanks Very much to you all for the great pictures.... And the great info and interview!
I have a 68 Fender Twin all original show room floor condition that use to belong to my Dad. I will be putting it up for sale soon and be real sad to let it go but my arthritis has done me in!! Best clean ever!
What a great; “session” TIM! Fantastic history with Paul Rivera. The man is a tone design GIANT! For me this went by too fast. Thoroughly enjoyed this, would like another sit down with PAUL. Thank you🙏⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I bought quite a few of Paul's amps from A # music back in the day. Great amps. Thanks, Tim, for this. Thanks, Paul, for your dedication to your craft. Whether fans of the music these amps played on or players playing through them, we all have been blessed.
I know nothing about amps other than love what comes out of them how Mr. Rivera figured out how to mod these amps is amazing. Wonder where this knowledge came from back in the day. Great story. Thanks.
I bought my Clubster Royale from Norm’s almost exactly a year ago, and I haven’t used another amp on any gig since! It’s made its way onto most of my recording projects, too. Seriously amazing amp, and the small size is just gravy on top.
Paul lived in San Diego for a while in the 70s. He had a shop on University. He put a master volume in my black face Super and later an Ampeg V4 and he built me this big speaker cabinet with 3 12s stacked vertically that was horned it was very thick and a pain in the arse to move.
I had a 73 princeton and a 73 SG. Once i finished the Alfred's book 6, my parents splurged and bought them for me. And I SUCKED just as bad when I finished book 6, as the first day I opened up Book 1!!!!!!!! 100%
I have a 71 Twin ... completely stock....👍( Groove Tubes ) This is like my sixth or seventh twin...! Looks NEW..! NO MODS...! No Master.....! Get used every single day in the studio.....👍🎵🎵🎶🎵👍
Hi Tim , I enjoyed that interview hearing Paul talk about his innovations . I have a fender Showman red knobs Its still an Paul Rivera designed amp (around 1987 model) All the knobs have pull function for boost or double functions, except the gain (I think the knucklehead Rivera is a similar amp) It great .Its full of harmonics . (The pull functions are on all the tone knobs [ boost] on the presence [mid tweak] on the volume [boost] and then it has a 3way damping switch [high/med/low] High gives the normal very bright tome , med give it a Marshall feel , low give it a compressed sound like Fryette ... I tell ya its a cool amp ! Thx Paul !
TOP GUN Paul Rivera, without doubt one of the best amp gurus ever. I met Paul at a guitar show in the Uk, one of the nicest people you could ever wish to meet! Absolute respect.
I bought one of those Rivera Reissues of his famous DR mod that Sweetwater sponsored about 7 years ago. Great amp. I like it because it’s so versatile.
Thirty years ago I had an old 70's Garnett Session Man 2X12 with Peavey Scorpion speakers and it sounded awesome. It was a twin reverb copy from Canada.
Cool, thanks for the history! No my wife says I drive to Sweetwater way to much 😂 Next trip will be to pick up a new Amplified Nation amp, next month. I tell the wife its for my heath because of the salad bar 😊
I had an 80s red knob Super 210 designed by him. It was the loudest, best, creamiest amp ever. I ran a solid state head in the fx loop so I could crank it at low volumes. So good.
From amongst the disorder on the border, way across the pond, watching this video just now was both a nice surprise, having a face AND voice put to a highly respected and well known name in musical instruments guitar amplification design and also the music and explanatory stories accompanying the well made presentation was a pure pleasure to enjoy. To see people I read about three decades ago in Guitar Player, Guitar World and Guitarist Magazines is brilliant and I'm glad they're still going strong. Keep up the good work and well done. Kind regards from an extremely mediocre guitarist. P.S. I own a 'Silverface' Fender Twin Reverb I bought yonks ago, and by George, full tilt, it's a little loud for front room or bedroom jamming! P.P.S. At first, I thought you were going to mention Dan Torrè/és! Mighty surprised was I. Awesome presentation. Thank you. 😊
I've heard of Fender, Marshall, Supro, and other fine amps, but Rivera amps are a new one on me. When I'm ready to upgrade my amp, I'll seriously consider buying a Rivera amp. As you said, they truly sound terrific. Thank you for posting this really good video. 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
Thanks, cool interview! My first amp in high school in 1980ish was a small Fender - but older CBS version. Sounded good with my Fender Lead III, played in Jazz Band in Montana! 👍🏻
@@timpierceguitar I drove through Meridian, MS a couple of times. Seems like an unlikely spot for an amp to be born. I like to think they must have been pretty proud of Peavey back in the day.
My parents bought me a Vibrolux reverb in the early 70.s. For Christmas. I played Grand funk type rock at that time. I didn’t know anything about distortion pedals. I hated that amp for being so clean. Couldn’t wait to get old enough to get a job and buy a Marshall. Fast forward 50 years and I would love to have that amp back.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
Praying for the safety of Tim and his family in the devastating wild fires in CA. Hoping all is well!
This is the last video we have seen from Tim. I sincerely hope that you are safe and sound. New York sends all our love to our brothers and sisters in LA.
I have a '73 Fender Champ that I've been lugging around since '83. I finally took it out of storage last year and looked at it. The only thing I could see obviously wrong was a speaker cone that had long ago turned to dust. I bought a new Jensen AlNiCo speaker and stuck it in. Fired it up and it worked! It sounds really good after all those years. The tubes, caps, et all., have been in there 50 years and still work. I was amazed.
Recently bought a '73 fender deluxe that had been modded to include a master volume. Had a tech bring it to blackface spec, move the point where the master volume applies in teh circuit, and put a creamback in it. Sounds awesome.
Such great little amps. I’ve had a ‘65 Champ for 25 years now. It’s still all original except for the grounded power, I had installed about 20 years back. Recently I sold it for a significantly reduced price to a buddy who will use it for recording sessions in Nashville. Although I still love it, that little black-faced amp deserves to be heard.
If only the speaker survived 😢, was it due to mould? I have 71 pulsonic greenback. Love old speakers
Celestion!
I have a 66,what speaker was in yours please as mine has the wrong one in it.cheers
I'm Steve Conrad, and after Paul departed Valley Arts, myself and Steve Fryette became the Amp Techs. I also worked in Guitar Repair at Valley Arts until 1986 when I left for NASA/JPL
Wow, Steve! You were there for a huge time in Valley Arts history.
NASA is the devil.
from valley art guitars ?
Show me someone else that smiles as much as Tim when he's playing...except maybe EVH, RIP.
I currently own 11 vintage Fender amps, mostly from the black faceplate era. All are in excellent to mint condition and maintained. Paul talks about the wax on the boards in the 70s. That was a temporary solution at the time to the conductivity issue, however in the long term, the wax was not a good idea as it adds further issues to the amp. Many amp techs spend a lot of time removing old wax from 70s silver faceplate boards. The best Fender amps were pre-CBS, which is essentially anything built before mid 1965. Fender sold the company to CBS in early Jan. 65, and there was some time period where they ran though their old stock of chassis, boards etc before any changes were made. CBS did not make any changes to the circuits of the amps, until May, 1968 however they did cut a few corners with components from late 65 on. There is nothing wrong with a 1965-68 black faceplate amp, however the pre-CBS early blackface, blondes and brownfaces are just a little bit better built with better components, especially resistors. I own 4 pre-CBS amps and the tolerances on the resistors that they used pre-1965 are amazing. They used Allen Bradley resistors that to this day usually measure less than 5% variance. Of course with old carbon comps, absorbing moisture is another issue that can happen. In late 1965 CBS switched to a lessor quality resistor brand, and there is a lot more drift in the late 65-68 resistors. Right now Im plugged in to a 63 Tremolux and its amazing, quiet and the tone is perfect.
All of my Fender amps are either Rivera-era or modded by my tech as inspired by Rivera's own innovations.
The dude is the granddaddy of them all. So happy to see he's still doing his thing, while paving the way for future generations of techs and players alike.
Bravo Tim for this great and important interview!
I was in LA in 1979 and had Paul modify my Fender Deluxe and Princeton to "Stage 3!" Thankfully, I still have the Princeton! Thanks, Mr. Rivera, for all you did to shape the music of my generation's guitar heroes! Bravo!
Paul is a true craftsman. His commitment to sourcing the best components, the time he devotes to preparing the amps and his unwillingness to compromise on quality are testament to this. Great interview - and, as always, some wonderful tasty playing, Tim.
In 1975 Paul did sound for my band in Yuma Arizona when I played there with my band Opus..It was strange because we didn't know he was going to be there ...I already knew who he was ...he also did a slight modification on my Clyde McCoy Vox Wa Wa for nothing ...! I still have it ! Great segment here ...Most enjoyable...
Tim,
You are such a great host, full of enthusiasm and passion. I’ve only recently discovered you and am loving all your stuff.
I played drums in the stage band at Grant HS, Luke was the guitarist. We were scheduled to rehearse for an upcoming competition at Randy Rhodes Mother’s music school w the whole Big Band.
I get a call from Luke and he asks if I can bring my Fender Super Reverb as he had just blown his up at a session that afternoon.
I brought it Like plugged in, ran the knobs to set up and realized there was a Pull on Master Volume where the tremolo knob was supposed to be. He flipped out and made the most wonderful guitar sound. Randy Rhodes came by as we were playing, we took a break and he was saying what a great sound Luke was getting. Luke said “it’s Rob’s amp, I’m trying to buy it from him”. They continued to rave about it.
I still have the amp, it’s never been worked on and I might add has NEVER sounded that good when I played on it. 😂
Like told me that Paul Rivera was the gentleman who had modified it.
So thanks for reading and for giving me such a great story Mr. Rivera!
Hey Tim, sure hope you and your family are safe in L. A. in view of the firestorm there. Cheers from Lafayette, LA
I have a 1999ish Chubster 40... (supposedly one of the first ones from Rivera) that I bought new. i was living on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle at the time. As soon as I got it home, I was having terrible trouble with radio interference. Like...I could clearly hear radio broadcasts through the amp. I actually spoke to Paul himself and he helped me troubleshoot it over the phone. It turned out to be the reverb. He immediately sent me an extra long wire (connecting the spring tank to the amp) with RF chokes installed. It cured the problem. It's still my only amp to this day.
Paul Rivera was a great interview! Thank you so much Tim! ❤
I own a Rivera Combo 100 Duo 12 for about more than 20 years and i am still happy with it.😊
What a great soundig Amp, really !!!!
1:47 wow what a great tone!!
Wow! The legend himself! Thank you Tim
Tim is just aweosme. And that solo was pure fire!
Great interview. Very cool to hear the man himself.
Keep it up!
Man what a great video! Paul just absolutely knows stuff and he’s so articulate about it. Great solo too by the way.
I wrote most of Fender's ads and literature in the early 80's, and Paul was good enough to give me a couple of his new amps: a solid-state London Reverb and the limited-edition Super Champ Deluxe in the solid oak cabinet with the "boat anchor" E-V 10" speaker. Very different amps but both awesome!
Over the years the London Reverb developed a few problems but I was able to rebuild it with a PCB from a guy who was parting one out on eBay. I even upgraded the critical op amps with newer, quieter ones. I also put a pair of 5" Jensen guitar speakers in the head so I can use it by itself as a practice amp.
I own a '74 Silverface Deluxe Reverb I bought 30 years ago for $150....LOVE THAT AMP!!!
You over paid man… I got it just $50. 1995 😂
Thanks for this! I kind-of 'curate' info about the Fender Rivera-era and the new (to me) info from this video is really helpful. My respect for Paul Rivera just keeps on increasing.
Hope you and yours are safe Tim Pierce.
Tim you never cease to amaze me. Great solo!
I have a 1968 silver face Deluxe Reverb that I bought from the original owner in 1994. It’s all original, including the tubes. The sound is absolutely incredible. I loan it out to friends on occasion for studio tracking. I’ve had countless offers for it over the last 30 years…no way I’m ever letting it go. ❤️
Paul is a legend
He definitely needs to be talked about more.
Glad he is still doing his amp modifications today.
Do you know what he would charge to mod. to a 65 Princeton?
4:31 pure high class guitarsolo and then this end 5:29-5.35 speechless, this man is a guitar wonder with the biggest smile. Wonderful done Tim.
Remaking a superchamp, a no brainer that Fender never thought to do? Dropped the ball on that one ! Great to see and hear these pearls of wisdom and delicious truth nuggets!
The amp channel switching during the amp sounds so smooth! The balance between the channels is great.
I've got a 25 year old 55 Knucklehead (think Fender Showman) that I'll be buried with - spectacular and and in really great shape, built like a tank. Had a question on amperage for a 'soak' and called Rivera Corp. to get details. Paul picked up the phone! I tell him what I'm trying to do and he says, "you don't need to do that, just plug a short cord into your effects send and receive and use that knob on that back as your output". What a gentleman. Run the front the way you want to get the tone you want - manage the overall volume from the back. Too cool.
Ive got 3 rivera amps, 1 100watt head, 40 watt combo and a 50 watt with a closed back, these amps have the best cleans and the overdrives make you a better player, over the years ive had more complements over my tones, both live and in the studio than any other amps which include fender, ampegs, marshalls boogies, Koch, peaveys, even my custom audio...
Riveras have character!! Theres been times ive been in front of my amp and think...that sounds ...pretty good... then i here it in the mix and im like holy shit!!! That sounds good!!
His amps are underrated, and so is his influence on music and the amp build/ mod industry, look up Lee jackson...find out where he got some of his tricks...
Lol...not that anyone knows who he is either lol!!
Thanks for posting this Timmy!!
Why is every video I watch on RUclips today about Tim? I'm a Tim, and I also have a 1979 Deluxe Reverb........I guess it turns 50 in 5 years. Love this!
I have a 1963 Fender Deluxe that has the sweetest sound, but can belt out the sound. I use new old stock tubes in it. It is in excellent condition.
Paul is the man!
Playing a Quiana for the past 16 years, always sweet and powerful!
I have 2 Rivera Concerts and a Deluxe Reverb II. Had a 2x10 Concert back in the early 80"s but I just "had to have" a Boogie. Wish I hadn't done that. The 2x10" Concert with a 1961 ES-345 was magical. No Flub! Thanks Mr. Rivera for some of the most magical guitar sound ever recorded. Thanks Tim, also for this video.
Paul Rivera is a true genius!!!
That is truly!
I bought a Rivera modified Princeton years ago my bandmate named it the " Chainsaw " because the way it cut threw the mix . Luckily i still have it .
Great interview with Paul. This man is the amp godfather! Thanks Tim for doing this interview and for the tasty playing. I still play my treasured Rivera TBR-1 beast(mainly studio). Built tough and never breaks down. Incredible and versatile tank of tonal flexibility.
Bought a Rivera M60, after I met Paul Barrere of Little Feat. I was 16. I asked Paul what he was using, and how to get that tone. He said “get a Rivera”. I saved and saved. Bought the M60, used it on every gig from 1993 to 2010. Still play it at home! Thanks for the tone, Paul!
I initially thought this was going to be another video about (unobtainable) Dumble amps. Then you introduced Paul Rivera and I got the biggest smile on my face because this means that there are great sounding affordable amps to be had.
Love hearing about and from all these people shaping things behind the scenes, influencing all the music that’s been so important in my life.
Paul! My ex hubby/good friend, Larry Leithem worked with Paul for many years at Valley Arts Guitar. Paul is still a friend after all these years.
Historic interview Thank you Tim and Paul. One of the best amps I ever owned was a mid 80's Black face Fender Concert Rivera. Hope you guys are safe from the wicked fires.
Fantastic video!
THAT was singularly the BEST amp tutorial I've ever seen
In depth and technical enough
I gotta check out his amps, for sure
There are some vids I would like to give 2 thumbs up. This is one of them.
Wow, thanks so much for the kind words. :-)
Oh those are 3 of my photos of the old Valley Arts store 🥰
And I just adore Paul, his wife and son jr.
What a legend
Tommy, that is absolutely amazing... These photos just pull at my heart strings... Way to go
Hope you are very well :)
I took lessons at Valley Arts, with a guy named Gunnar's Knubis around '79 and '80. I got my 335 modded to Stop Bar and TP-6 at that front desk! The pictures reminded me of my parking spot in the back and my drive from Manhattan Beach.
Thanks Very much to you all for the great pictures.... And the great info and interview!
Just love these interviews you do.
Excellent Jay Graydon impression.
That Rivera might be the best amp I've ever heard. Thats exactly what I've been looking for and have been unable to find! Beautiful
Hi Tim, Thinking about you and hope you and yours are safe.
I have a 68 Fender Twin all original show room floor condition that use to belong to my Dad. I will be putting it up for sale soon and be real sad to let it go but my arthritis has done me in!! Best clean ever!
Wow, Tim, that solo was mesmerizing!
Thanks for everything you do Tim, you are a true gem in the music industry, it wouldn't have been the same without you!
Wow, thanks so much for the kind words!
The man, the myth, the legend! Thanks Tim.
What a great; “session” TIM! Fantastic history with Paul Rivera. The man is a tone design GIANT! For me this went by too fast. Thoroughly enjoyed this, would like another sit down with PAUL.
Thank you🙏⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I plugged a 1980s Strat into a couple of ‘73 Pro Reverb silver faces and it was instant SRV tone. 🤘🏼
Love, love everything guitar and amp history. Thanks for bringing it, Tim!
Man just when I’ve convinced myself to enter modeling world this man makes the amp of my dreams.
I bought quite a few of Paul's amps from A # music back in the day. Great amps. Thanks, Tim, for this. Thanks, Paul, for your dedication to your craft. Whether fans of the music these amps played on or players playing through them, we all have been blessed.
I know nothing about amps other than love what comes out of them how Mr. Rivera figured out how to mod these amps is amazing. Wonder where this knowledge came from back in the day. Great story. Thanks.
Randall Smith in Mill Valley, Mesa Boogie.
I bought my Clubster Royale from Norm’s almost exactly a year ago, and I haven’t used another amp on any gig since! It’s made its way onto most of my recording projects, too. Seriously amazing amp, and the small size is just gravy on top.
Didn't understand a word these giants are speaking about and i love it.
Awesome, I haven't seen a Tim Pierce video in a minute.
Dude did a perfect Jay Graydon imitation.
Geez... The sound of your hands and that amp is pure bliss. Smoking.
Very concerned for Tim and all the other LA guitar heroes. Hoping they are safe and sound.
Paul lived in San Diego for a while in the 70s. He had a shop on University. He put a master volume in my black face Super and later an Ampeg V4 and he built me this big speaker cabinet with 3 12s stacked vertically that was horned it was very thick and a pain in the arse to move.
Just checking in …..I hope you and yours are safe and well.
Praying you are ok Tim from Colorado
Such a great interview, I so love Paul’s amps and have for so many years!
You good Tim? How did you fare with the fires?
My 1960’s Vibrolux was my best amp of my life- played in my high school days
I tried one and it was the sweetest amp I've heard, just not enough power for me unfortunately. I might think otherwise today though...
Tim I hope you and the family are ok mate with all these fires.
Paul is the best-met him in my California studio days. Home Studio in Valencia-30 yrs ago
I had a 73 princeton and a 73 SG. Once i finished the Alfred's book 6, my parents splurged and bought them for me. And I SUCKED just as bad when I finished book 6, as the first day I opened up Book 1!!!!!!!! 100%
I have a 71 Twin ... completely stock....👍( Groove Tubes ) This is like my sixth or seventh twin...!
Looks NEW..! NO MODS...!
No Master.....! Get used every single day in the studio.....👍🎵🎵🎶🎵👍
Hi Tim , I enjoyed that interview hearing Paul talk about his innovations . I have a fender Showman red knobs Its still an Paul Rivera designed amp (around 1987 model) All the knobs have pull function for boost or double functions, except the gain (I think the knucklehead Rivera is a similar amp) It great .Its full of harmonics . (The pull functions are on all the tone knobs [ boost] on the presence [mid tweak] on the volume [boost] and then it has a 3way damping switch [high/med/low] High gives the normal very bright tome , med give it a Marshall feel , low give it a compressed sound like Fryette ... I tell ya its a cool amp ! Thx Paul !
Rivera era Concert circa 83. Best amp I've ever heard. Gain channel is workable but clean channel is amazing. Had it for 30+ years.
I heard John Heussenstamm play a 52 Tele into a Concert II (no pedals) and the clean tone was unbelievable.
Excellent interview Rick, thank you for your interesting content!
That man is a true legend!😊
TOP GUN Paul Rivera, without doubt one of the best amp gurus ever. I met Paul at a guitar show in the Uk, one of the nicest people you could ever wish to meet! Absolute respect.
I bought one of those Rivera Reissues of his famous DR mod that Sweetwater sponsored about 7 years ago. Great amp. I like it because it’s so versatile.
My main gigging amp from 1994 - 2013 was a Rivera R30. Fantastic little combo. Paul is a genius.
Thirty years ago I had an old 70's Garnett Session Man 2X12 with Peavey Scorpion speakers and it sounded awesome. It was a twin reverb copy from Canada.
Cool, thanks for the history! No my wife says I drive to Sweetwater way to much 😂
Next trip will be to pick up a new Amplified Nation amp, next month. I tell the wife its for my heath because of the salad bar 😊
I had an 80s red knob Super 210 designed by him. It was the loudest, best, creamiest amp ever. I ran a solid state head in the fx loop so I could crank it at low volumes. So good.
From amongst the disorder on the border, way across the pond, watching this video just now was both a nice surprise, having a face AND voice put to a highly respected and well known name in musical instruments guitar amplification design and also the music and explanatory stories accompanying the well made presentation was a pure pleasure to enjoy. To see people I read about three decades ago in Guitar Player, Guitar World and Guitarist Magazines is brilliant and I'm glad they're still going strong. Keep up the good work and well done. Kind regards from an extremely mediocre guitarist.
P.S. I own a 'Silverface' Fender Twin Reverb I bought yonks ago, and by George, full tilt, it's a little loud for front room or bedroom jamming! P.P.S. At first, I thought you were going to mention Dan Torrè/és! Mighty surprised was I. Awesome presentation. Thank you. 😊
I've heard of Fender, Marshall, Supro, and other fine amps, but Rivera amps are a new one on me. When I'm ready to upgrade my amp, I'll seriously consider buying a Rivera amp. As you said, they truly sound terrific. Thank you for posting this really good video. 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸
Thanks, cool interview! My first amp in high school in 1980ish was a small Fender - but older CBS version. Sounded good with my Fender Lead III, played in Jazz Band in Montana! 👍🏻
WOW! Legendary video. THANK YOU TIM!! Happy new year!
Wow, love the sound of his new amp. Looks amazing!
I have a Peavey Backstage Plus. A great sounding little amp I bought in 1983. It’s always nice when affordable turns out to be decent as well.
That's awesome, glad you found a great amp at a good price!
@@timpierceguitar I drove through Meridian, MS a couple of times. Seems like an unlikely spot for an amp to be born. I like to think they must have been pretty proud of Peavey back in the day.
Thanks for showing the world that a Les Paul doesn't need an insane flamed top to sound good. Plaintops rule!
What an amazing concept of using an exp pedal like that. There is a natural beautiful edge of breakup to that Rivera.
You're playing on the blue Stratocaster was absolutely delicious, Pops, you rock!!
LOVE THIS !!..... there's joy in this video. Thanks
Tasty, thanks Tim and Senor Rivera!
Glad you enjoyed it
My parents bought me a Vibrolux reverb in the early 70.s. For Christmas. I played Grand funk type rock at that time. I didn’t know anything about distortion pedals. I hated that amp for being so clean. Couldn’t wait to get old enough to get a job and buy a Marshall. Fast forward 50 years and I would love to have that amp back.
Thanks for this interview!! Paul is a legend!!
I don’t know how Rivera amps aren’t more popular. So versatile it’s ridiculous
Tim, how did you not fall out of your chair with Paul's imitation of Jay Graydon??? Im still laughing....