Rivera amps - someone tell me about em

texshred777 · #1 03-24-2002, 11:11 PM

What can some of you tell me about the Rivera amp line? *Especially the TBR-1. *I love smooth sounding, midrangy distortion, I hear the Rivera's are quite versatile, but are they close to the distorted tone I described? *thanks anyone.
Chris

30yroldpig · #2 03-24-2002, 11:47 PM

Ummm they're pricey :biggrin:

jay ratkowski · #3 03-25-2002, 01:02 AM

You must own a Rivera to post here... it's the new rule. *Talk to some of the Texas guys here, a few of them have Rivera's, I'm sure you can squeeze a sound clip outta one of them.

bob oakman · #4 03-25-2002, 10:42 AM

Jeffrey has a song up on mp3.com that he recorded with his Rivera. Click Here I love mine, but don’t have any clips yet. I know a couple people that have bought them and disliked them.

The tone is very diverse, but if I had to sum it up I’d say it’s a cross between a Marshall and a Mesa with more bass.

trouble311 · #5 03-25-2002, 03:01 PM

I honestly think they sound amazing....the only amps I have found that sound as good or better are Bogners and VHTs....the VHTs are amazing....

jeffrey · #6 03-25-2002, 03:41 PM

Hey, thanks for the plug Bob.

As far as tone, you can get really anything you want out of the thing. From really thick scooped out mids crunch, to really smooth singing lead tones. It's got sooooo many knobs/push-pull things to fettle with, you can literally spend days messing around with it.

I will tell you this however, the cabinet you play through makes an enormous difference.

A friend of mine purchased one and hated it. I told him to bring it to my house and try it through my cabinet. He has a Peavy 5150 cabinet. I have an old Randall cab (heavy as a brick) loaded with Celestion G12-70's. He plugged it into mine and absolutely adored it.

So make sure that your cabinet + camp = happy before you go shopping.

It's at least 50% of your tone.

Gresh · #7 03-25-2002, 03:59 PM

Everything Jeffrey has said is totally dead on, and it is not just specific to the TBR series. *I had an M100 head that was so tweakable it was rediculous. *If you can't find a tone in that amp, it just don't exist. *The entire eq range is totally usable too, even fully pegged on every freq.

But just to emphasize the cabinet statement....for some reason Rivera amps are EXTREMELY SENSITIVE TO CABINET CHOICE. *THe same head will sound radically different so be careful and don't judge the head wrongly for something that is your cabinet's fault.

And go check out Jeffrey's tune, his tone is just sick in that one...I dig it...downloaded it to my PDA so I can get a tone fix whenever. *And Jeffrey, you just cost me $130 in pickups...I know, check's in the mail right??

(Edited by Gresh at 2:00 pm on Mar. 25, 2002)

jeffrey · #8 03-25-2002, 05:09 PM

Lol! Which pickups? The Duncans? I'm a biiiiig Duncan-head. I'm probably going to gut my EB JP7 and put Duncans in it too.

Carlo · #9 03-25-2002, 08:21 PM

I recently tried Kevan's Rivera and the tone on that sucker is unbelievable. *It is surely one of the best amps i ever heard. *The distortion was so sweet, not muddy at all. *The bottom end was just totally ridiculous and the high notes were nice and thick.

All i can say is....I WANT ONE! But I know I'll never be able to afford one.

Kevan · #10 03-25-2002, 08:24 PM

I just got off the phone with Rivera. *Tech Support? *I thought they were gonna come over to my house and put the footswitch jack in for me! Oh-so-helpful.

I've fallen like a dot com stock price for my TBR-2-SL. *(Thanks to boB and Jeffery for telling me to 'go buy that damn thing- NOW!' LOL) *Cleans like my '68 Bassman, creamy with plenty of mids. Then click over to get more crunch than Dimebag at the Nestle' factory. **

The clean can go anywhere from crystal clear clean to "lightly dipped in the mud". *The gain can take you from a 'pushed' AC30 (volume at

, all the way up to distortion like that found in the Triple RectumFryer with everything but the mids on 9. *I thought I'd have to add my SansAmp GT-2 in front of this to get it "over the edge", but there's no need (I only use the GT-2 for some mic'ing and cab FX now). *Oh yeah, these tones are all achieved with the JJ/Tesla preamp tubes I yanked out of my Cruise. :-) *

The 6550's cranking the power amp section are loud enough that I got a call from Rich one night- "Can you turn it down a bit? *Good tone, but I'm trying to sleep." *Rich lives in South Jersey. *That's some amp'age! *Your power company might call you if you push a TBR-2.

The PCOMP (Pickup COMPensation) control is great for those with different pickup arrangements in different guitars. *If you switch from a Str*t to an RG-550 to a LP, you'll love that PCOMP control. *Oh, and if you're a 7-stringer, you'll love the bottom end available on these- tighter than the security at the White House. *Crisp and clear, without being muddy or floppy. *Your spreakens may hate you, but....tough. :-) *This could also be why Rivera's work so well with some cabs, and not well with others (testing to follow). *Certain cabs may not interact with the freq. range the TBR's put out.

I also picked up a TBR-1-SL *for our Jemsite brother, Shane Regal. *This one was in GOOD shape, built in Sept. of 1990 (I have Rivera amp dating if anyone wants it). *It's got great tone, much like my TBR-2, but with a slight change due to having 1/2 the power (different transformers) and the EL-34's putting out the power. This amp won't get you a call from the power company due to a brown-out, but your neighbors will remember you....for your tasty tone (if they have any class. LOL). *Get this: the tubes in Shane's are ORIGINAL! *They're 12 years old and *still* sound kickazz. *Yes- I'll be replacing all of them this week.

I know not many of you will go so far as to open one up, but the engineering inside has very few flaws. *Unlike a 2:90, this amp is well balanced, well layed-out, components are fairly easy to access in the need of replacement, and your power tubes are well protected and extremely well ventilated (1 fan on the TBR-1; 2 fans on the TBR-2). *Note to Rivera TBR owners: *When moving your amp around, use the front handles to "sit" the amp down. *Yes- you heard me right: set it on it's face. *DON'T sit it on it's "back"- there are switches there that can be snapped off (I replaced the polarity switch on both TBR's this week). *It'd be tough to hurt one of these bad boys. *Maybe with Gabe's truck at about 50mph...

I really like my TBR. *I'm very happy with the available tones. *The only thing I'd change is the wattage- 320W is a bit much for my little place. :-) *Maybe a TBR-Jr.? *A nice 2-sp. version that's only 25W per side..something like that.

My TBR will be at Jemfest 2002 ready for all takers. *Just be careful with that volume. *
:biggrin:
EDIT- edited some editing.
(Edited by Kevan at 8:50 pm on Mar. 25, 2002)
EDIT- font re-size.

bob oakman · #11 03-25-2002, 08:47 PM

What Kevan said… :biggrin: Great review man! And people that are considering one should know that it takes some time to dial in your tone. Too many options. I am on month 5 and finally understanding how to get what I want out of it. It's worth it though.

I’d only like to add that I agree with Jeffrey on the importance of the speaker cab you use. The difference a cab can make with the TBR-1SL is astounding. I have a Marshall 4 X 12 that matches up great with mine. Everything else I tried sounded like crap, including a different 4 X 12. The one I have and one of Gabe’s are the only two that have made me happy so far.

I think the TBR*1*-SL is a bit more mushy on the low end than the *2*. However, to put it in Kevan’s words, Riveras have more bottom than Jennifer Lopez, so one can roll off bass on the amp to clean it up and the cab still thunders.

I have recently acquired a new RG-2027. The stock pickups in that baby are a perfect match for the Rivera. I need to get something more hi-fi to amplify the Piezos, but the magnetics rock! I am happy with my entire rig for the first time in many years.

boB

jeffrey · #12 03-26-2002, 06:33 AM

The only reason I pursued a TBR-1SL vs a TBR-2SL was I just prefer the sound of EL34's. But that's a personal thing. 6550's sound great too. Just depends on what you like.

I still have the original Svet's in the poweramp section of my 1SL and they sound fantastic. I did however change all the 12ax7's to JJ's. I have a brand new set of Svet's waiting for the originals to puke on me, but it hasn't happened yet.

rgr · #13 03-26-2002, 12:30 PM

You can put 6550s in a TBR1 if you want too, or 6L6s for that matter, just needs to have the bias adjusted. *Jeffery is right on about cab sensitivity, but if you find the right combination Riveras are sweet! *I recently went from Riveras to Mesas (bad move) and ended up at Soldano which is my current favorite but the Riveras are so tweakable you can get about any sound you want with the right speaker cab. *I would recommend going for a TBR but the M and S series rock too. *

Oh yeah, I also totally agree with Kevan about Riveras tech support, it you call them with questions they usually put you straight through to Paul Rivera Jr himself and he is a super nice and patient guy. *I got to meet him at NAMM this year, me and a friend were lost and looking for a booth that a show was at and he even helped us with directions

Roger

texshred777 · #14 03-26-2002, 01:13 PM

I looked at the website, very interesting amps I must say. I'd probably go with the tbr-1sl w/ those el34s. *I prefer the el34 tone. *Now for Q's 2 and 3.
2: Is there an equivalent to the tbr-1 in a head format? *I dont use a rack, I just want the tone, I could care less about the placement honestly...
3: What's the price? *Looked on website and couldn't find anything.
My eyes and ears are wandering again...I would he enjoying a legacy, except for the fact it's been over a month and I've only gotten one email and still no track number. *He says hes trying to ship it AGAIN but still nothing. *If this doesn't go through fast, and I mean really fast Im getting my money back. *Thanks people.

goldboy · #15 03-26-2002, 03:50 PM

I should buy a Rivera based on Kev's post alone!