NAD!!! RIVERA content!!!

[markD]

one of the cool things about rivera - the company - is that when you call you get paul jr on the phone. i have had him, paul sr and one of their top guys, rich, help me out with trouble shooting issues over the phone. way cool guys. i have had them send me out parts - for free - before too. just little stuff like stand-by switches or impedance selectors, along with the wiring instructions. i really can't imagine ever playing a different amp.

[horns666]

Nice amp John..a matching ext cab would rule.

Celestion 85s are nice..should have great bottom.

Yeah, the old 5150 2X12..feels like a stack o' cynder blocks. Crazy Heavy fuckers!!

[Chad]

Never played through a Rivera, but that sounds like a really cool amp. I reckon some pros play through them, but it seems like Rivera is a brand that flies under the radar and, for unknown reasons, hasn't quite "made it" like other similar brands have.

[jgcable]

Apparently, Paul Rivera has been making amps since 1993! I have no idea what year my Hundred Duo Twelve is. I thought it was a 2005 but it could be from the 90's. I will say one thing. Its in flawless mint condition and if I guessed I would say its brand new.
Unfortunately, its not going to stay mint because its now my official gigging amp. I have many other amps but none of them sound better than this one. Not even close.

[markD]

paul has been building amps since 1968!! the rivera brand amps were introduced after his tenure with fender ended after the CBS sale in 1985. the original TBR series amps came out in 1986 and were improvments on rivera's design for fender's rack mount series, the RGP1 and RPW1. the M/S series was introduced in 1988 has combo and traditional head versions of the TBR series. my riveras are from 1990. the series of amps the hundred duo twelve comes from was introduced in 93. that line of amps included the R30, R55, hundred duo twelve, and the knucklehead 55 and knucklehead 100, which are 55 and 100 watt head versions of the R55 and hundred duo twelve.

hahahaha, i am truly surprised to hear you say that the rivera is your best sounding amp. was curious how it would stack up to the MTS. i knew it would eat the 5150 for breakfast and shit it out, but i have never tried an MTS....

[toejam]

paul has been building amps since 1968!! the rivera brand amps were introduced after his tenure with fender ended after the CBS sale in 1985. the original TBR series amps came out in 1986 and were improvments on rivera's design for fender's rack mount series, the RGP1 and RPW1.

I was gonna say the first time I heard of Rivera Amps was definitely in the '80s.

[markD]

the scorpions and michael schenker were using them in the '80s, as was john sykes. most people think of saigon kick and skid row, but that was in the '90s.

[Firebird V]

i have owned a s120 and played through a fandango and also a few others. rivera amps are really underrated for the most part. nice deal. wait??? didnt you just get the 22? hahaha!

[jgcable]

i have owned a s120 and played through a fandango and also a few others. rivera amps are really underrated for the most part. nice deal. wait??? didnt you just get the 22? hahaha!

I traded the Studio 22 Plus with the matching extension cab for it. The guy was looking for a stock Studio 22 Plus and never saw a matching cab for one. Mine had all the original paperwork and even the original bill of sale and hang tags. I just had put new tubes in it. A local guy emailed me and had to have it and offered the Rivera as a straight up trade. I talked to MarkD and he told me to go for it. I did and I am so glad I did!! Its an amazing sounding amp. Smokes my 5150-II and my RM100. Not even in the same ballpark. I had an SLO100 that was close but the Rivera is even better.

[jgcable]

paul has been building amps since 1968!! the rivera brand amps were introduced after his tenure with fender ended after the CBS sale in 1985. the original TBR series amps came out in 1986 and were improvments on rivera's design for fender's rack mount series, the RGP1 and RPW1. the M/S series was introduced in 1988 has combo and traditional head versions of the TBR series. my riveras are from 1990. the series of amps the hundred duo twelve comes from was introduced in 93. that line of amps included the R30, R55, hundred duo twelve, and the knucklehead 55 and knucklehead 100, which are 55 and 100 watt head versions of the R55 and hundred duo twelve.

hahahaha, i am truly surprised to hear you say that the rivera is your best sounding amp. was curious how it would stack up to the MTS. i knew it would eat the 5150 for breakfast and shit it out, but i have never tried an MTS....

Yea, Mark, this Rivera smokes every other amp I own. Its almost unfair how good it sounds. Its totally articulate at high gain levels and totally reactive to picking styles, guitars and their volume controls. That notch filter switch on the clean channel is crazy. With a pull of a knob you can go from a Marshall JCM800/Plexi clean to a Fender Blackface clean. This amp might do Fender clean better than Fender. Actually, it does. Its like having a Plexi/JCM800/Blackface/Soldano SLO100 all rapped up in one amp with the best effects loop I have ever used. It has a seperate level pot for both the send AND the returns.

And I am not even going to go into the build quality. Its perfectly built from chassis to wiring to components to speakers to tolex to grill.
I just want to know where the Roadies are or the Casters!!!!

[jgcable]

After 2 full band rehearsals here is an update on this Rivera.
This amp just screams bloody murder when turned up. It literally craps on any other amp thats in the room.
It seems that no matter what I do with the treble, midrange and presence controls its very difficult to tame this amp down.
Its also extremely bright. It tightens up and really becomes focused when its turned up but there is no human that could be within 20 feet of it without having their ears bleed.
I am thinking that this amp is a perfect candidate for an attenuator.
For now, at rehearsal, I have the amp facing the wall and that seems to tone it down to an acceptable level.
I am actually having a difficult time trying to tame this amp. I think for a 1 guitar band it would be no problem but with 2 guitars its a balancing act. So far.. this amp is just incredible.

[markD]

hahahaha, still digging it - good!!! i was thinking that i'd open this and you'd be saying that you want to sell it!!!!

how much have you played with the mids? with my amps i have found that i keep the treble/presence down low and have the mids up a bit higher than one would normally have them. i allow the volume to bring the high-end back into the sound. it is alos why i use the EVM12L speakers in all my cabs. they tame the high-end too.

that amp has a focus knob, right?

while the amps are a bit different, here are my settings on the gain channel - they may help you (or not! haha)

gain - 7
bass - 4
mid - 6
treble - 3.5/4
master - 5/6

focus - 2
presence - 5

[jgcable]

hahahaha, still digging it - good!!! i was thinking that i'd open this and you'd be saying that you want to sell it!!!!

how much have you played with the mids? with my amps i have found that i keep the treble/presence down low and have the mids up a bit higher than one would normally have them. i allow the volume to bring the high-end back into the sound. it is alos why i use the EVM12L speakers in all my cabs. they tame the high-end too.

that amp has a focus knob, right?

while the amps are a bit different, here are my settings on the gain channel - they may help you (or not! haha)

gain - 7
bass - 4
mid - 6
treble - 3.5/4
master - 5/6

focus - 2
presence - 5

It doesn't have a focus control.
I have been running it on the following settings on the lead channel

Gain 7
Bass 8
Mid 4
Treble 3
Presence 3

With these settings the amp is a chainsaw that could literally rip your head off. The best way to describe it is the intro to Rock You Like a Hurricane. Its dead on exact at these settings.
I think its the open back cab.
This amp rocks with a capital R.

[markD]

wow, with those settings it sounds like a chainsaw?!?!? dang, that is crazy!!!!!

[jgcable]

After speaking to Rivera and to Mike at Eurotubes I am going for a full retube and rebias. JJ E34L's and high gain ECC83's.
They both agree that the Ruby's in my amp are not a good choice and probably very old which is giving me the lack of warmth and bottom end.
BTW my fellow JCF'rs, this amp is just amazing. Rivera is a great choice if any of you are looking.
I like this amp so much I think I am going to get rid of my Randall RM100 and the roadcase for it. It kills but I haven't used it for a while because since I set up my 5150-II half stack its what I use for large shows. For all the local shows (100 people or less), I am using the Rivera.