Rivera '68 Deluxe with Stage 2 Modifications

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Rivera's Hot Mod Deluxe

A bit of a cult hero here at Sweetwater, Paul Rivera, Sr. started modifying guitar amps in 1968. After a stint at Fender in the early '80s, Paul launched his eponymous company in '86. Rivera's amp mods are the stuff of legend, and were in high demand by the who's who of Los Angeles session guitarists. Larry Carlton, Dean Parks, Jay Graydon, and Chet Atkins, Steve Lukather, Robben Ford, Rick Nielsen, Reggie Lucas, Tom Rotella, Tommy Tedesco, Vince Gill, Jerry Donahue, and Kerry Livgren of Kansas were among the wide variety of players who ultimately owned and used an original Rivera Stage 2 Mod. The customized Rivera circuitry made it possible for studio players to nail the perfect clean and lead tones all with one compact guitar amp.

You've heard what these amps can do

You've already heard these Rivera-modded amps on thousands of albums by artists such as Michael Jackson, George Benson, Cheap Trick, Ray Charles, Earth Wind and Fire, Aretha Franklin, Art Garfunkel, Marvin Gaye, Hall & Oates, Engelbert Humperdink, Al Jarreau, Manhattan Transfer, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, Olivia Newton-John, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, Donna Summer, Barbara Streisand, and countless others. Now you can paint your recordings with the same killer tone palette. From chimey chords and chunky rhythm parts to blistering single-note lines, Rivera's '68 Deluxe with Stage 2 Modifications does it all. And it's only available at Sweetwater! These boutique mods are hand-wired by Paul Rivera himself, and quantities are limited — so you'd better snag one while you can!

Four clean tone variations per channel

Primed with what Paul Rivera referred to as his "Stage 2" mods, this Sweetwater-exclusive Deluxe is a re-creation of Paul's classic modified combos. It all starts with one of the holy grails of clean American guitar tone: the '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb 22-watt 1 x 12" tube combo amp. Rivera's first order of business was to transform it into a true 2-channel amp with completely independent clean and lead channels you can toggle between using an optional A/B switch. Headroom was then increased for less "flub" on channel two — which can now function as your lead/overdrive channel. To spank up your tone, Treble "Pull Bright" knobs have been added to both channels, as well as Bass "Pull Notch" controls that deploy classic Blackface cleans. In all, these controls give you four different clean tone variations on each channel.

Overdrive Deluxe

Channel two is where things get hairy, with a six-position rotary Fat switch replacing the second input jack to thicken up the mids and increase harmonic overtones. An important feature of the Stage 2 mods is the addition of a Master "Pull for Boost" control that lets you dial up the overdrive for crunch at lower volumes, and really crank it for searing lead work. Completing the front-panel mods is a Presence knob that adds shimmer to your sound. The Reverb knob operates in standard fashion to control the amount of classic spring reverb added to your guitar signal.

Rivera moved the tremolo Speed and Intensity knobs to the rear panel to make way for all the enhancements on the front. Also around back is an added Hum Adjust control that balances out the preamp tube filaments for minimum hum to compensate for different brands. This is important, as vintage amps have AC filaments whereas most modern amps have DC filaments. Rivera also upgraded the 12" speaker, installing an Eminence Legend EM12, which is a clone of the speaker used in Rivera's original modded amps. The EM12 adds headroom, letting you crank the amp's power section for overdrive with smoother, cleaner sustain without bottoming out the speaker. To accommodate the speaker upgrade, Rivera reinforces the front baffle to support the additional weight and to ensure the amp performs perfectly, just like the original Rivera-modded '68 Deluxes. All things considered, the Rivera '68 Deluxe with Stage 2 Modifications is pretty sweet — a must-have hot-mod amp for the guitarist who will not compromise on tone.