Anyone here use or played through a RIVERA S120? M100? m60?

[markD]

these are my FAVORITE amps in the world!!!! figured i'd get you psyched up a bit....

[Firebird V]

Sweet! Hey Mark, Do you like the having the focus and presence on the M series rather than the chorus? Does the focus / presence make a big difference in tone?

[markD]

i totally prefer the focus and presence. it makes a HUGE difference. i have thought about sending the s120 back to rivera to have them remove the chorus, but always decide against it. i use EV speakers, so those controls aren't really as effective as when i used celestion 75's. live i use those amps and cabs but with another mesa recto 2x12. i use the M100 to power the mesa (which has V30's) and the focus makes the cab sound much larger. the S120 powers all the cabs in the picture, in true stereo, which is awesome. it allows me to run a wet/dry set up with my effects on the left and my dry signal on the right. i LOVE it!!!

[Firebird V]

Cool. I am using a Rectifier Standard 4 x 12 but it is loaded with Naylor All tone 50's speakers (Joe Naylor i.e Naylor amps / works for Reverend now i believe)

Also, Can you post a few settings maybe? That should/could get me started. Funny that you mention the effects wet/dry because that is what I am planning to do as well. Cool!

[markD]

well, my settings are a bit weird. i like lots of mids.

in fact, when i ordered my M100 in 1990, paul rivera called and asked how i wanted the amp voiced. i told him that i liked a thick midrange and a smooth low-end response. i told him that i prefer to get my highs through volume, and that i prefer using the treble control just to add clarity. that was for the gain channel. at the time i was using a mesa mark III for my distirted sound. i had previous used a '70 marshall 4 input thing, so i was used to getting my "gain" through volume and a cranked midrange control.

for the clean channel i told him that i like the 70's era master volume fender bassman 100 amps, since there is very little break up even if the amp is cranked. i was not much interested in a "blues" type clean that breaks up for some grit.

well, when the amp was done paul told me that mine was based on an amp he made for steve miller. it was a normal M100, but slightly tweaked to meet what i was looking for in an amp.

so....here are my settings:

gain channel:

volume: 10 bass (pulled out): 4 mid: 7 treble (pulled out): 3 master: 5

clean channel:

volume: 5 bass: 7 mid (pulled out): 4 treble (pulled out): 7 master: 10

focus: 8 presence: 4

the M/S amps also have something similar to boogie's "simul-class" setting....you can run the amp in pentode or triode for the power stage. i use the M100 in triode in half power. that gives about 33 watts of output. it allows the power section to work harder and it gives me the creamy mids that i like so much.

[Firebird V]

Cool. YComing out of an SLO I can tell you that I love singing mids so maybe your settings will work for me. Thanks again!

[markD]

well, i had an SLO also. the rivera seems so much more "organic" to me. it has less gain and sizzle than the SLO. the mids are different too. hard to explain. i used to know EXACTLY which frequency the M/S amps were voiced at, but it slips my mind. i want to say my settings are in the 500K range. there is a push/pull on the mid control that shifts (i think) between 500K and 250K. it gives some more options on the midrange voicing of the amp.

[Firebird V]

Cool. I really enjoyed owning the SLO for a few years and had 2 of them so I know the amp well. I had a love hate with it for a while though with the sizzle. I would run a parametric eq with it just to change the mids to get them where I liked them. If this amp has at least as much gain as the SLO on around 4 or 5 on the lead channel I will be satisfied. I really am looking for an amp with a really great clean channel where I can here every note. I am not opposed to putting an sd1 or something in the loop or in front of it to slam it into hi gain. I would often use a pedal with the SLO. A SD1 or tubescreamer in front of the clean channel/crunch channel or even in the loop gave that amp a whole set of new pushed tones that were very usable for leads and heavier gain driven rhythm chording. The mid shift sounds like it will cover a wide range. My ears tend to gravitate toward tones that have really buttery mids.


I should have it on the 21st so I am dying to get it here and check it out.

[markD]

cool, which did you get? m100, s120, m60? head or combo?

[Firebird V]

S120 head. Thanks for your help!

[Firebird V]

Hey Mark According to the manual the s120 does have some sort of set focus and presence on the push/pull of the chorus section.
This is from the manual.


CHORUS DEPTH control regulates the strength of the chorus effect. The CHORUS DEPTH control incorporates a PRESENCE switch that combines the FOCUS and PRESENCE control functions of the mono Combo models into a single switch affecting both power amps simultaneously. When pushed in, it is equal to FOCUS set on 1 and PRESENCE set on 2. When pulled out, it is equal to the FOCUS set on 10 and PRESENCE set on 7.


?

[markD]

yes. it is like haveing the prescence on seven and the focus on ten. i use it that way on my S120. it adds clarity to the amp. not MY settings from the M100, but it works VERY well giving the amp what it needs.

[Firebird V]

ahh. Ok cool. Thanks again!

[Firebird V]

Ok! I got it and man am I one happy Firebird V right now. I have had it since Wednesday so I was able to really spend some quality time with it and work with all the dials, push pulls and switches.

The first hour or so I was not impressed at all. But I really needed to dial it all in and get a firm understanding of how sensitive all the controls are. I was able to dial in a great clean tone right off the bat. The crunchy gain was a bit harder but I played around with it for a while and it all came together great!

It is like having a few great amps all rolled into one. Boogie tones/ Marshall tones / Hot Rodded Marshall tones / Fender tones.... etc. Cleans that are fender / Roland Jazz Chorus... Marshall dirty / cleans... It doesn't do Nu Metal but it could with the right stuff in the loop though! That suits me just fine anyway because I really don't play Nu Metal at all. It compliments the Rectoverb I have very nicely too.

The reverb sounds better than I thought as well as the chorus too!

Very happy! I have been wanting to check one of these out for 10 years but for some reason always passed on grabbing one. The furry carpet outside covering is the only real dissapointment here and that is an easy fix if I really could not live with it.

The footswitch is awesome too.

Thanks for all your help especially Mark!

[markD]

awesome!! glad you like it. i have been happy with mine FOREVER!!!! no problem on the help. it is a VERY complex amp...not really plug and play, but NOWHERE near as bad as the boogie MKIV!!!