RIVERA amp experts/fans please advise me

[Alanfc]

I have been back & forth between getting a brutal Engl/XXX -type amp or a Rivera. I keep coming back to Rivera. I really love the clips I hear on their website the most out of all I've shopped. I like the Engls & all to listen to, but for my music live, they may not be not practical.

I've been scared off by Rivera pricing, but today stumbled across a 30 Watt R-series 1x 12 Rivera at a decent price. I would connect it to a 2x12 for live play. Maybe get a second 2x12 to run on both sides of stage.

I have questions about adding a cabinet and about the nature of the Rivera sound:

1) I read in their manual that when you conncect an external cabinet, the main speaker is disabled....what- can't I have it working too? Is there any way around this?

(I have been advised by some people, that running this 30W and a 2x12 will be enough power if I'm in non-mic'ed situations...but even with the Rivera 12" disconnected? I figure 70 % of the time it'll be a non-mic'd type place.)

2) based on the clips on their site, with the 50-watt R series, I love this amp but I am concerned with the volume levels needed to attain the glorious heavy sounds they get on the clips. With a 30-watt, will I get the good push at a lower volume to get those sounds? I do not want to resort to using an overdrive pedal of any kind. Every pedal I've used (not many) totally sucks the life out of the sound, to my ears the pedal makes the sound too small & tight. I want it from the amp only.

(I see the amp settings on the site, one of the volumes is always on 10... and there is no Gain/Dist knob. Do does this mean I have to drive the crap out of it to get the great sound they get on their clips? ) I am thinking about the volume issue not for bedroom, but for stage. Every sound guy is always "control your stage volume and it will sound better" Fine. I understand. I am worried about this the most.

3) the heavy/dirty Rivera sounds can be "like everything a Marshall is, but better", or words to that effect. This is what I've read about Rivera. Would you agree with this or not?

4) is there any tube combo close to a Rivera ? Like a 1x12 Mesa or something? Or should I go back to my original quest for a Peavey XXX?. I heard that unlike the 5150, good heavy sounds are attainable without wicked volumes. The XXX clips are great though... Or how about Soldano ? I am a bit conflicted here.

any comments greatly appreciated/thanks-Alan

 

[donkeystyle]

very similar to marshall distortion.

there should be a 2 volume knobs on the amp. mine isn't here right now, but my knucklehead is set up that way and i believe that the amp your looking at is the 30 watt version of the knucklehead.......or something very similar...the pics i've seen look identicle to my amp minus the knucklehead logo.

 

[Alanfc]

hey thanks-

do you find that you have to crank it to hi-heaven to get a good heavy crunch? (like in the website clips). I know with a 1 x 12 it won't be real heavy but I'll be running to a 2 x 12 with V30's so that'll help

I mean with a bassist and drummer pounding at the same time, I 'm not too worried, but a little.

do you use an attenuator(power soak/brake/whatever?) if so, does it kill the character of the amp?

thanks

 

[ausrock]

OK, first thing is what you hear in online sound clips can only be regarded as a guide..........and like anything else, that amp will sound different in each room depending on it's size and it's associated acoustics.

Whatever I or anyone else tells you can only be regarded as a guide.............the only definitive answer can come from you yourself.

That being said, we (my son and I) have owned a JCM900 50watt combo, and a JCM900 100watt head. These were what we called "house amps" as they were purchased for both of us. Recently my son decided to make some changes in his setup and bought himself a Marshall 9100 2x100watt pwr amp, using a Boogie V-twin and a peavey Rockmaster rack unit as preamps running through our Marshall quad.....................it sounds fookin' awesome!!! Now to the point...........I didn't have the need to keep the JCM900 head here in the studio, so it was traded on a Rivera "R" series 5512.....55watt, single 12" speaker. This thing blows ducks.....it has an awesome sound and can just about match the Marshall 9100/quad combination for volume...so much so, that my son has been taking it to rehearsals in place of his own rig.

How the 30watt version compares I can't say and I haven't yet connected the 5512 up to the 2 x 12 extn cab that I have here, so I don't know what difference that would make. Usually adding extension speakers doesn't necessarily add volume, it just moves more air and can enhance the projection of the sound.

The 30watt only has one speaker outler jack, hence having to disconnect that speaker if you use an extn cab. The main thing is to make sure you run a cab with an 8 ohm impedance to maximise the amps output power..........whether that cab is 2, 4 or whatever qty of speakers isn't going to matter too much.

Again, you have to make the decision and be happy with that decision. Personally, I know I have a great quality amp that so far sounds good no matter what volume and setting are used, so I am happy.

Good luck.

 

[Aaron Cheney]

I am a proud Rivera owner. I bought a Quiana Studio 1x12 a few years back, and I've been completely happy w/ it. It's 50 watts, and plenty loud all by itself for just about any small gig. I've never hooked it up to an external cab, but with the increased dispersion I bet it would sound killer.

The "clean sound of a Fender/ Distorted sound of a Marshall" claim is so overused I could almost puke. Everybody says it, nobody has ever delivered. That said, my Rivera is not a one-sound wonder... it delivers an absolutely stunning array of clean sounds(like a very muscular Fender) and great distortions as well. I wouldn't call them "Marshall", but I would call them great in their own right. Keep in mind that the Quiana uses 6L6's. The Rivera Fandango is basically the same amp, except it uses EL34's, which will sound more "Marshall-ish".

One other thing: the Rivera 6-spring reverb is bar-none the best sounding spring reverb I have ever heard on any amp anywhere. It is beautiful and smooth, never boinky or plingy.

When I got my Quiana I tried it against the Chubster, the Fandango, and a Fender Hot Rod. It made the Fender and the Chubster sound almost one-dimensional. It was a tough call over the Fandango, but I opted for the 6L6's and the more "Fender" vibe. It sounds like distorted tones are more what you're after, so the Fandango might be the ticket for you. I would certainly check them both out if I were you.

A
www.aaroncheney.com

 

[David]

Just scored a quiana 410 off ebay couple day's ago...can't wait till it gets here! Goodby 5150, Hello sweet thang

 

[Alanfc]

thanks guys, this was just the input I was looking for

I have no experience with Gain by way of volume/crankage/breakup. I know I have to try it to really see what its like.

In a 3-piece Guitar-drum-bass scenario, will I have to crank to unreasonable volumes to get the sweet gain from the Rivera?

 

[Aaron Cheney]

You definitely do not have to crank up a Rivera to get plenty of distortion. (At least the three I mentioned above.) They have plenty of drive at bedroom levels. Of course, it's not the same as pushing the power tubes, but it's fine for practicing...

A
www.aaroncheney.com

 

[Aaron Cheney]

Just scored a quiana 410 off ebay couple day's ago...can't wait till it gets here! Goodby 5150, Hello sweet thang

Curse you! I paid way too much for mine ($1500), but it is a custom color (big whoop). I got mine right after they came out, and hadn't made their way to the used market yet...

Yer gonna love it...


A
www.aaroncheney.com

 

[donkeystyle]

thanks guys, this was just the input I was looking for

I have no experience with Gain by way of volume/crankage/breakup. I know I have to try it to really see what its like.

In a 3-piece Guitar-drum-bass scenario, will I have to crank to unreasonable volumes to get the sweet gain from the Rivera?

it has pre volume and master volume controls for both channels. i tried to say that yesterday, but i dont know what was going on with my brain. i've been working long hours and not sleeping much. you dont have to crank it, unless you want the power tubes to saturate. your amp will get the sweet gain at a resonable volume......that's the idea of getting a lower wattage amp. the power tubes saturate at a lower volume.

i think the fender/marshall comparisons are fairly valid. i think the marshall esque channel is closer to a real marshall than the fender esque channel is to sounding like a real fender amp though.

basically what you get is an overdrive channel and a distortion channel. either of them can be made clean

I love my knucklehead. it doesn't have reverb, but i dont think reverb is very necessary for guitar. overall i think it's a pretty badass sounding amp. i recorded a rock and roll song with it recently, but i think the guy that was going to do vocals on it backed out so it is vocal less. maybe i'll post the vocal less version in the mp3 clinic.

 

[Alanfc]

i recorded a rock and roll song with it recently, but i think the guy that was going to do vocals on it backed out so it is vocal less. maybe i'll post the vocal less version in the mp3 clinic.

yes please please please post it

thanks for the info.

 

[Alanfc]

Another question

Another question, regarding low-end on the Rivera 30-watt amp (R30-112) , into a good 2 x 12 cabinet:


I have a question about two of the amps on the Rivera website soundclips, the M-100 and the R-55...
I ask because now that I've heard the M-100 clips, I like it alot better - but - could this be a factor of what size & type of cabinet was used for the clips?

I mean, if I have an R-30 (smaller than the clips even) through a substantial/good 2x12 or 4x12 will it get me past any smallness the R-30 may have? What type of speakers in a 2 x 12 should I look for, that will be beefy and sweet?

Sorry, let me rephrase, are the guts of the
M-100 and the R-30 in principle very similar? By tweaking the Bass and mids, and running into a good cabinet, can I make it bigger?

thanks if you can help me.
(if you can figure out what I'm asking)

 

[David]

Curse you! I paid way too much for mine ($1500), but it is a custom color (big whoop). I got mine right after they came out, and hadn't made their way to the used market yet...

Yer gonna love it...


A
www.aaroncheney.com

Yer gonna love it...

IT'S HERE!! ...and yes I love it! This amp is used but ever so slightly. The original owner put celestion G10s-50's in her, I wonder how the stock Eminence’s sound? Oh well these baby's sing good enough. 85 lbs...ouch.

"didn't mean to highjack your thread Alanfc"

 

[Alanfc]

"didn't mean to highjack your thread Alanfc"

no no, thats quite alright. Any and all Rivera info/worship is good for me. Congrats on your buy!

 

[Aaron Cheney]

85 lbs...ouch.

That is definitely a Rivera trademark.


A
www.aaroncheney.com

 

[steelpetals]

Hey there,
I went through a similar experience trying new amps about 2 yrs ago. I went though marshall, fender, and vox. I was dissapointed by much of the current quality standards these companies are pursuing. I had heard about rivera and the reviews on Harmony Central were very positive. Besides, I wanted an amp that was more than a "one-trick pony" and could deliver in the studio and live both a Britsh sound as well as the clean Fender thing. Incidentally, the music I play and write is similar to the black crowes, Zeppelin, A-bros. I bought my Rivera chubster used. It came with a Weber blue dog speaker and a set of svetlana el-34 tubes (you cant get the marshall sound with 6L6's.) I have never been so happy with an amp in my life. I'm a fairly "boutiquey" guy and the extra money spent on the riv is worth it. The construction far surpasses much of what the current market has to offer. And regardless, if I buy for instance a Dr Z, Matchless, or Diaz down the road, I'll still keep the chubstaer as it records and plays small clubs like no other. I've never had an amp that earned so many compliments. The reverb alone is worth the price of admission. My Les paul standard with the cruch channel is about as alose as I've heared to Rich Robinson of the black crowes, period. And my tele or strat, the clean channel offers a multitude of sounds that no fender of marshall could touch. With that being said, I believe Paul Rivera owes me for the beautiful review I've just posted. Just kidding. buy one, you'll dig it

 

[Alanfc]

thanks for the note-
I'm getting the idea from hearing many clips that a 6L6 type amp is not my thing- and EL-34 sounds are more for me. Its now going to be hands on and nothing less, before I buy.

 

[donkeystyle]

hey alanfc, i'm uploading the rock song right now. i'll post a link in the mp3 section.

 

[Cliff K]

Re: Another question

Sorry, let me rephrase, are the guts of the
M-100 and the R-30 in principle very similar? By tweaking the Bass and mids, and running into a good cabinet, can I make it bigger?

thanks if you can help me.
(if you can figure out what I'm asking)

Het Alanfc,
Riveras are great, Paul Rivera is the man. I have an R100 and I had an S120 (the stereo companion to the M amps). I sold the S120 because it was overkill, but I really really regret selling it. As I understand it, the R series was sort of stripped-down M series. So, to answer your question, yes the amps are very similar (like the Knucklehead, too), but there are important differences. The M has a switchable loop and a switchable reverb, plus a post power tube loop called Slave Master. The two channels on the R's and the M's are similarly voiced, and there are boosts for both channels for the Rs and the Ms, so both R's and M's are versatile. If you were to compare an R series combo amd and an M series combo amp there would be more low end from the M because of the cabinet. The cabinet is shallow (like 11") on the R amps. This makes them lighter and easier to haul, but there is a sacrifice to low end. Some people have complained, but I'm very happy with the tones of my R100. If I had a choice I'd get the M, but I love my R100 and have no intention of getting rid of it. There is not a 30w M amp, just a 60w and a 100w. These amps are really loud, but one of the reasons I got the 100w R is to have lots of clean headroom, which is something you might want to think about. You will get great OD tones without having to push the power tubes, so you don't need to scale down the watts just for that (although power tube distortion is great), but if you want loud cleans, the R55 or M60 might be better. Another thing is that the R amps (and I'm assuming the Ms, too) can be rebiased to run 6L6 tubes, and changing tubes will make a big difference in these amps. Check out this site to give you an idea of what different tubes will do for the Rivera: http://scobro.150m.com/Rivera/index.htm
A few more things to think about: Riveras are great amps, and used they sometimes don't go for too much (I think sometimes it takes awhile to sell them locally). I paid $650 for my R100 in excellent condition, paid $400 for my S120 head. Also, Rivera has really stellar customer service: whether you buy your amp new or used, they'll really help you out how ever they can. You really can't go wrong with any of there amps. I've heard a rumor that Rivera is coming out with a new line of amps called the Pubster, that are supposed to be less expensive, but I haven't seen anything on their site about this
Good luck!

 

[Cliff K]

Here's a link to the source of the rumor about the new Rivera models:
http://www.rivera.com/board/?topic=topic1&msg=7205