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The Pepco company - Pine Electronic Products Co. Ltd. - was established in Montreal, Canada. It was created by Saul Pinchuk. He owned a general store downtown and there was a demand from his customers for guitar and bass amplifiers. He also did TV repairs at the time and this gave him access to electronic parts and basic knowledge of tube technology.
The company started at 51 Craig St East, moved to 306 Craig St East in the mid 60’s. In the late 60’s moved to Pointe aux Trembles on Notre Dame street East then to Montreal North in the early 70’s. The last recorded location was on Papineau street just south of Ontario.
Their first product was an entry level guitar amplifier. A small 5 watt amp, made mostly from Japanese parts. The first design didn't use any power transformer. Some would say a personal take on a brown face Princeton Fender amp !
They also imported and distributed a wide range of guitars and accessories. Saul’s company was the first Ovation guitar distributor in Canada.
They build amps for a lot of different customers, explaining the multiple branding. Paul was their first brand (in honnor of the son of Saul - Paul Pinchuck). Riviera was started in the late 60’s to expand the range of products and create a line that players could move up to. The Pine Electronic brand was also their own but you'll find these amps under many different names: Cobra, Supreme, Marlin, Regal, Arc, Lark, Rogue, Trend, Cord, Ford, etc...
To be continued....
