Rivera Amps

[ArchtopAnimal]

As those of you who own a Rivera Amp ( built post 1998 ) will know , the circuit design runs 6.3 volt DC ( not AC ) on the heater
filaments. This is supposed to eliminate any AC ground hum entering the amplification circuit . Does this actually work ; is the amp hum
free ? Rivera are very rare over here ( bad distributor ) and I can't get to try one without considerable travel.

 

[dapmdave]

As those of you who own a Rivera Amp ( built post 1998 ) will know , the circuit design runs 6.3 volt DC ( not AC ) on the heater
filaments. This is supposed to eliminate any AC ground hum entering the amplification circuit . Does this actually work ; is the amp hum
free ? Rivera are very rare over here ( bad distributor ) and I can't get to try one without considerable travel.

I have a Rivera Clubster and I like it very much. I've never heard it hum. The reverb failed last year, and I was having a tough time replacing it because Accutronics sold out/moved to South Korea. But I eventually contacted Rivera and they sent me one.

Dave

 

[West R Lee]

I know they are Doyle Dykes amp of choice.

West

 

[ArchtopAnimal]

I'm looking at one of these in Palomino tolex finish ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLdzmGWSIxg http://www.shopatron.com/products/produ ... _high_low&
http://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/se ... 0venus%206

 

[ArchtopAnimal]

Well , it sounded superb and being the last week of financial year in Australia , it was reduced to US street price ( and no up charge for Palomino ; the cabinets have been standardised
and therefore they're all available in any colour thesedays :=) ) of USD2390 plus tax and delivery of $60 . The new importer/retailer is VERY keen to shift stock since he struck a good
deal with Paul Rivera for distribution rights here. I went with a greenback H driver . I like the lower volume level sound response .

http://s1098.photobucket.com/albums/g37 ... onG12H.jpg

Sometimes we can get SO involved in Guild Guitar purchases that we forget about amps a little ;-)

http://www.thestringnetwork.com/viewtop ... =19&t=5360

 

[dapmdave]

Riveras are well-built tone machines. I hope you like it as much as I like mine.

Dave

 

[ArchtopAnimal]

Thanks Dave

What amps do you have thesedays ?

Neil

 

[dapmdave]

Thanks Dave

What amps do you have thesedays ?

Neil

Just two.

The Rivera Clubster for those electric guitar nights, and an SWR California Blonde for acoustic.

Dave

 

[Bill Ashton]

I had an early-90's-something Rivera 55-Twelve, quite a beast for a one 12" amp. Rescued it from a real fleabag (private) tent sale, served to replace my son's Vox Cambridge 30 that went "Cambridgitus" and served him through high school and then part-way through college...filled the Mullen Center at UMass...I know, becuase I heard him above the color-commentary on the radio!

I found this one to be a very high-gain amp. Supposedly one channel was Paul Rivera's take on a Marshal and the other his take on a tweed/BF (switchable) Fender. To my ears it was all Marshal, probably due to the EL34 output tubes and Celestion speaker. Like an old Traynor, hard to believe it was only 55 watts RMS, and it did in fact weight almost as much as a Fender Twin Reverb.

Really a bullet proof build. Just not my sound...after said son got a SF Twin and never looked back :wink:

I had always thought to contact Rivera to see if it could be modified to be a Sedona-like acoustic amp, but never did. Actually sold it to buy this...viewtopic.php?f=7&t=23919

It was bought by a "jazzer," if you can believe it :shock: :shock: :shock:

 

[ArchtopAnimal]

You've got a couple of nice amps there , Bill 8)

This is mine that arrived last Tuesday ; http://s1098.photobucket.com/albums/g37 ... nt=001.jpg

Neil.

PS. I always discuss buying with my better half too , before spending our money ; makes for a peaceful marriage :wink:

 

[Bill Ashton]

Neil, beautiful pieces there...and that archtop (sigh!)...are you...dare I say it?...a "jazzer" also? :lol:

No diss meant in my previous thread, just I cannot understand how (as I experienced) a high-gain amp like a Rivera would fit into that genre. Mayhaps the Venus is a different animal than the one I had?

As to discussing with SWMBO ("She-who-must-be-obeyed"), that has always been foremost in my strategy. Alas, I may have made a "field decision" I should not have this past Friday, when I bought a very clean SF Fender Champ from a closing music store I found on vacation. He had several other battered old Peaveys and Crates going for little money, and our discussion was to barter one of those into the sale. Well, by the time I got back to the store, not only had the tagged price gone up :shock: , but obviously no haggling was to be done. Bought the Champ for the tagged price, did not overspend my "budget," but came home with one amp instead of two. I imagine you know that look... :?

I suspect it wil not be as easy "next time." My son simply does not understand...

 

[ArchtopAnimal]

Bill , I always considered ( having played on a R100 212 in '99 ) Rivera to be rock-amps and that's why I
had 6L6 class A for playing jazz ( the amp below the Venus 6 on my photo ... ) . Very recently the importer
here changed and was doing US street prices ( the other guy was 50% more :x ) because Paul Rivera Jr
cut a new deal to get into the market in Australia . So , I saw the price ( 8) ) and did the research on Rivera
Stuff. That's when I realised the Company was now doing class A amps ( Venus range ) and I watched ALL the
videos I could find on the net. It really did appear to be warm and vintage , and acceptable pricing too .
I use channel 2 and it's a dream for me . IF you see one in a store , give it a spin . I think you'll be impressed !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWDSjtjl ... ure=relmfu

There are many Youtubes to watch , with all sorts of playing styles to see. I'm very happy with it , and it's
quiet for a Class A , which always runs at 50% constantly , rather than the music signal pulls the current
as in AB's ; but you know this Bill.

 

[Bill Ashton]

Sounds as though the R100 you played was similar to my former 55-Twelve. Before mine, only other one I had heard was a "Knucklehead," clearly another rock/ "Mesa Boogie" type affair.

After selling mine, I didn't follow Rivera very much, other than to note the Doyle Dykes played the Sedona (although now he is using a Fender). He said during a clinic I attended, and on my question, that Chet Atkins told him he needed a good tube amp, "Go See Paul Rivera..." High praise indeed.

I cannot imagine getting the tones out of mine such as the player does on the video link you posted. I found even more interesting Paul Rivera's interview on the amp...four 6V6's, nice! There are not many true Class A amps out there, though its a term that many marketers want to throw out ...even the venerable Vox AC30 may not be a true 100% Class A amp all the time...but Paul Rivera, I think I would give him the nod to have done it right...he knows full well his competitors will be looking at his stuff with an oscillascope, :lol: