mesa or rivera?

[bugsbunny]

Which one of these amps has more gain? Mesa nomad 45 combo, rivera M60,mesa DC-5
thanks

[Ace]

Re: mesa or rivera?

None of those amps are built for high gain use. Of those my guess would be the DC-5, but you'd have to A/B them to be sure.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Re: mesa or rivera?

the DC 5 has plenty of gain and is a great amp!

[data187]

Re: mesa or rivera?

i tried the rivera m60 and they have alot of gain,
much like a hot rodded marshall sound. the clean sound is pretty good, but not up to usual rivera greatness.

i own a mesa nomad 45 and versatillity is its game. the cleans are a bit more dynamic than the m60's. the crunch channels have vintage and modern settings and both are very good. the sound is not as high gain as the m60.

i usually see the nomads in the $600 range and the m60 in the $900 range on ebay.

if you want high gain, you can't beat a peavey 5150 or a triple x for the price. both can be had for under $600 if you look carefully.

[markD]

Re: mesa or rivera?

all i use now are M/S series Rivera's. I have the M-100, and the S-120. I high gain sounds are perfect for me, and the cleans are great also...but I tend to think of my Rivera's as hot rodded Fender amps. i also had a Boogie mark IV until last week, but found the Rivera's more focused and a lot tighter. Less gain available though. i will say this about the Rivera though, it is NOT a shred or brutal death amp. it is a classic metal amp. great sounds from AC/DC to "Awaken the Guardian" era Fates Warning. the clean channel is super versatile, and will go from funk clean to mid-range heavy saturation. the M-60 is a lower watt version of my amps, and another super cool feature is the pentode/triode switch and the full power/half power switch. this lets you lower the output of the amp to allow more power tube distortion at a lower volume...meaning you don't have to crank the amp full out to get the goods. i usually run my M-100 in half power/triode and it puts out like 22 watts or something...makes for a great distortion sound. if the M-60 is a combo and it has a 75 or 85 watt celestion, change the speaker. they sound like ass with that amp. Rivera's sound best with an EV or JBL...sorry i can't do a direct comparison with the DC-5, but i hope this info helps.

[fuel0707]

Re: mesa or rivera?

I have no experience with the Nomad, but I used to own a DC-5 and I have an M-60 1x12. The DC-5 was sold because I got tired of every guitar sounding almost exactly the same with the gain dialed up on it. The M-60 is a VERY deep amp and I think you'd be wise to experiment with one using the suggested amp settings in the manual. That way, you can learn about the amp's many features and "hidden tricks". For instance, the effects loop can be used as a gain boost even with no effects plugged in! Having various settings for hi and low power and for pentode and triode operation also yield a lot of options. I think overall the M-60 will have enough gain for you. But if not, try plugging a stompbox into it also.

Plus, as an added bonus, the clean channel sounds great and can do a really cool "broken up" tone. And the reverb really sounds good on the Rivera.

[Twisteramps]

Re: mesa or rivera?

Originally posted by Ace:
None of those amps are built for high gain use. Of those my guess would be the DC-5, but you'd have to A/B them to be sure.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">DC5 has plenty of gain. I owned one, you could do metal with one no problem.

Pete

[diablomozart]

Re: mesa or rivera?

find a rivera m100...if that doesn't have enough gain for you...nothing will...i used to play thru my buddy's and we had the gain on 6...and it sounded absolutely incredible...d.m.

[bugsbunny]

Re: mesa or rivera?

Thanks a lot!! You guys are just so nice and knowledgable. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[markb]

Re: mesa or rivera?

You could try a Rivera K55, they have pretty hip gain, from phatass classic rock tones to darker high gain shred tones. Great amp. An amp geared for heavier playing styles for sure.