Product: Rivera Buf IV
Price Paid: US $38 used
Submitted
05/25/2000
at
08:58pm
by
Mentoneman
Email: none
Ease of Use
:
9
Very easy and probably one of the most useful pedals I've ever seen for guitarists. Without a manual, it took me an hour to figure out that if nothing is in the A output jack, the B jack is useless. So if using just as an effects loop or a gain pedal, simply use A output jack.
Sound Quality
:
9
Let's run through the features quickly. It's a combination A/B box with an effects loop built into it, and it has a gain boost funtion with a single knob. Each of these functions have it's own dedicated footswitch, and yet this thing is very compact and light weight. It uses two 9v batts. I have it in front of my triaxis/Rivera stereo power rack and use it to: A) silently tune by putting my tuner in the B output B) Put a compressor and wah in the loop so I can true bypass them to eliminate signal loss and noise C) Use the gain boost function on my Eric Johnson tone to get the front end boost only a pedal can give a tube amp. the gain isn't PERFECT---I would probably prefer a little tighter grained distortion quality, but not bad. It definitely has the Rivera distortion quality ala Steve Lukather/Toto (check the Tambu album), and coupled with the Triaxis gain, the solid statiness of the gain blends away nicely. It actually sounds better as a gain device in this particular setting than my tube driven Budda Phatman. You know the too-much-tube-sound where you lose definition and bite? Anyway, this pedal is definitely a keeper for life! It can get really gnarly in a useable way, but as a volume boost, prepare to sedate the pets. It won't boost without distorting.
Reliability
:
10
I bought it in San Diego at a pawn shop afer reading about it in GP magazine as a Pawnshop prize. They wanted 50 bucks but I chizled them down to 38! I used it live one week after buying it, and I love it!
Customer Support
:
9
Rivera discontinued it, but they could probably fix it if it went down. They are good folks there.
Overall Rating
:
10
It is definitely the best pawnshop prize I've ever aquired, and I've found some goodies (MXR flanger, TC SCF, TC Phaser, TC sustain/eq, Budda Phatman, Boss CE-1). The only thing I could want to improve on it is the gain quality, but that's so subjective. Great pedal!
