Rivera Fandango 55-212 Combo

Features have pretty much been covered in the other reviews. Marshall type on channel one and Fender clean on channel two. Lots of features that actually all work well. Like previous reviews have said a footswitchable reverb would have been nice so I took mine in and added a footswitch. Can dial in 4-8-16 ohm for extension cabinets. Enough features to get the job done in almost any situation. I will give it a 9 for features mostly due to the lack of the reverb footswitch.

I play a Schecter Tempest Custom and a Brian Moore I9 and mostly classic rock. The distortion on Channel one is in general better than you have heard with separate pedals if dialed in properly. Channel two is sparkly clean to a sin. The only drwback for me on both channels is the footswitchable boost. It is way over the top (imho) and it is not adjustable. Makes it almost unsuable witout a volume pedal or boost pedal separate. There is so much power with this amp I really don't know why you would need to buy the 100 watt version. Tons of headroom on both channels.
The only reason I am knocking the rating down in this category a bit is dut to the boost...not the overall sound.

Bought it used and it came to me with a blown speaker. New speaker and never a problem since. Built like a quality amp should be built with PTP wiring and everything is overkill. I don't forsee any issues other than tubes.

No dealers within 500 miles of where I live so I have called Rivera from time to time and generally get one of the Riveras that answer the phone...how cool is that? Nice to deal with and answer all questions directly. I would rather call than email myself as sometimes other questions arise through the conversation. I would score them higher here if they had a more extensive distribution system.

All in all if it were lost or stolen I would probably but another Rivera system...maybe a Bogner. One thing to note here is that before purchasing this unit I called Rivera and explained to them my playing and equipment and what I was after and said I was debating between the Fandango the Rake Reverb head and the Quiana. They told me there wasn't a lick of different between these 3 amps. They actually said that the Fandango evolved from the Rake Reverb.

The main reason I like this amp is that it covers such a wide range of sounds. Like most I used to buy one amp for Marshall sounds and one for Fender clean sounds and then all the pedals to go with them. This covers all the sounds and by the time you look at the overall cost it is cheaper to go this way in the end and you have a top quality amp.

To be honest, this amp has TOO MANY features for my taste & has been a bit difficult to dial in tones with for this reason. Still, it'd be criminal to give it anything less than a 10 here since it's got more features than just about any other amp I've owned. I wish reverb were footswitchable or channel-switchable & that the focus control could be used at the same time as warmth. Also, I understand the point of an active EQ but it seems like passive ones could have been more familiar & would suffice given that the channels are already pre-voiced.

The Marshall channel can get extremely gainy. It reminds me of a Harry Kolbe amp I used to have in that there's almost too much gain on tap, with notes becoming fuzzy & indistinct with gain on 10 (the Kolbe was originally custom-built for Page Hamilton of Helmet so you can imagine how much gain I'm talking about, his crunch tones are awesome but he uses fuzzier lead tones than I personally am into). Dial both amps down to 7 or 8 & the distortion is more in the pre-90's Marshall range.

Anyway, the main reason I'm writing this review is to point out that the Marshall side mates really well with early MXR Distortion+'s or DOD 250's. These pedals can sound thin or harsh with other amps but for the Rivera they add the right amount of definition & edge, making the Rivera more JCM800-like.

I play Melancon & Suhr strats, as well as a Les Paul Custom. The Fandango likes the strats better, especially the Melancon which has a JB in the bridge. My other amps include a '63 Deluxe, a '64 Super Reverb, & an H&K Puretone, all of which sound better than the Fandango at their respective jobs, IMO, but don't provide the right range of features for gigging.

So far, so good.

Never contacted them.

This is a fantastic gigging amp, perhaps better than anything else out there. I personally wish tones were easier to dial in & that the EQ's felt more familiar, hence the 8, but can understand why other people might appreciate the extra control.

I acquired mine in a trade for a Gibson Les Paul Studio ( approximate value $800 US ). This amp is loaded with features compared to other amps I've owned. 2 channel footswitching, half power swtch, line out, nice distortion etc.. More power and features than I'll ever need, and at over 73 pounds my 2X12 is too heavy, and too big to do anything with unless I can find a 6'8" weightlifting roadie to carry it.

My guitars are a Gibson Les Paul with Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro pickups, and a Fender American Tele with Seymour Duncan Stacks. I play 98 % blues, with a little rock, and some jazz influences, but not jazz per se. It uses EL34s as power tubes, which I find I like much better than the 6L6, or 6V6s found in Fenders. It is the best sounding amp I've ever played. I look mostly for blues sounds with a little attitude, but since it's so powerful, and I don't play at those volumes, I really can't say much about it's quality through the whole range. It does fantastic blues sounds from clean to grind. Mine has virtually no noise.

Mine's used, and I've never had the slighest issue with it. This is my second Rivera, and the first one never had any trouble at all either in the 12 yeas I owned it.

I've been playing about 25 years. I have terrible stage fright so I mostly do recording in my home studio, or play in jam groups or similar. I traded a guitar for this amp thinking I would finally form a band and play in bigger venues, but now I'm looking to trade it for a Rivera Clubster 45, which is half the weight, dramatically smaller, has plenty of features, EL34 tubes, and 45 Watts, all which is *still* more than I'm likely to ever need. This is my second Rivera and I plan to stick with them for a long time. If I lost it, I'd get another Rivera of some kind. I give it a ten for overall quality, features, and workmanship. It's just too damn big to be useful to me right now. I don't know what everyone's doing with all those monster Marshall stacks in their living rooms.

see other reviews

Posted by Charles Coker on September 05, 2004 at 14:18:44:

just a quick review
I have had two Rake heads, loved the warm high gain, loved the focus control, missed the reverb. had an R30 and a Chubster 40 as well..
also have had Soldanos, Tremoverbs, big rack systems, Marshalls, etc..
the Fandango 55 2x12 is the best amp I have ever had or played through.

sounds big and fat
I always run the boost on on channel 1, peg the gain, dial in my lead tone and then ride the volume pot on the guitar to back off for cleaner, less overdriven tones
guitar is a PRS CE22 with a Tom Anderson h2 bridge humbucker.

With a tad bit of delay (in the fx loop) I can have EJ/Gary Moore/Gilmoure singing solos or kill the delay, back off the volume and have chuncky "old plexi" rythm tones, think early billy gibbons (tush, just got paid today), early VH brown tones.
really back off the voume and add a little delay and have kind of Voxish stuff, think "the edge/us"

very versatile with just guitar volume and technique

it's very warm, dynamic and extremely musical

clean is extremely nice as well

I LOVE this amp

I have had ZERO problems ever with Riveras

extremely helpful on the phone

the best 2x12 on the market

2003. 2 channels with a boost (ninja and boost). Probably the most versatile amp i ever played. But you must like that kind of distorted sound. I'll talk about that on the other section. The E.Q. on each channels is wonderful, you can dial a lot of sound but forget the big "chunky" metal sound. If you want that kind of sound, buy a Peavey bandit 112!!!

My guitar - Ibanez RG 570 with a dimarzio (breed) on bridge
- Fender Strat fat deluxe with Seymour Duncan Jeff beck(bridge) and 2 vintage stagged.
- Washburn WM-100
- Music Man Silouette Special
Every guitar sound different with the Fandango. It's a really clean amp, very focus and tight. Channel 1(distortion) sound very Marshall-y
AC/DC, Old ZZ-Top sound, warm and crisp. I loved to boost that channel
with my Tube screamer. It's a must!!! Be careful with bass at high volume, it tend to be a little bit muddy.
Channel 2 is totally clean with a edgy sound if you push the volume harder. This channel delivers a lot of different sound, country, blues, funk, pop,...My only deception is the NINJA BOOST. It gives to my sound a wonderful compress sound (between Stevie Ray and Mark Knofler) with more sustain and attack. But the volume became too loud in live situation. That's why I give a 9!

No problem but be careful. It's all tube so take precaution( road case, covers,

If want a REAL amplifier, loud enough too play in every situation and you covert a lot of style but not metal, go and buy a Fandango.

If your a Rivera fan than the features on the 55 212 are all there.

I play PRS guitars, CE-24, Custom 24, swamp Ash, Archtop,McCarty Soap bar. I am amazed at how each guitar sounds distincly different through this amp. It is spmetimes frustrating, becuase I have to redial or tweak the front panel. I feel however it is my fault because I switch guitars so often.

Channel two sounds great to my ear no matter what guitar I am playing. It has a thick chucking overdriven sound. Great for rythm or blues leads. With reverb on it is a very musical sound. I have read where others try to reference other amps and there sounds but that is not always a good indicator of what the sound really is. It is in fact a classic American amp sounding channel.

Channel one of course is the classic British amp sounding channel. To my ears it is less musical and very harsh with the gain set beyond 4. This however a great channel if you like or want this sound.

I bought the amp for the features and the sound of channel 2. I did however want a more distorted sounding channel for leads and some classic rock sounds. When I palyed the amp for around 6 months I realized I was never going to dial in channel 1 the way I wanted. So I put in some 6L6's, rebiased, swaped a cap in the distortion channel and put it new speakers. Now I like both channels.

My rating is based on what amp sounds like out of box. It is my opion only.

I talked with Paul Jr. he is very customer driven.

This is a 2002 Rivera Fandango 55-2-12. Recently purchased gently used on ebay. 2 channel foot swtchable, with some bells and whistles but not so many that it gets confusing. Check the website for specs. This is a very loud 55 watts. If you are thinking about getting the 100 watt model, don't bother. Really.

I play this with a Yamaha SG2000 and a Fernandes sustainer guitar. I never owned an amp like this. The only reason I'm writing this review is to spread the word. I had been using a Fender Blues DeVille. The sound was good for a while but got muddy and I couldn't seem to make it right so I got the Rivera. I forgot what clean sounded like. I forgot you can distort your sound and still articulate every note. i forgot (or never knew) how good an amp can make your guitar sound. Start messing with this thing and the next thing you know its getting light out and its time to go to work. Remember how good it felt to just fall into your guitar and let the music wash over you. Thats what this amp does to you.

Just got it, but I hear Paul Rivera takes good care of his customers.
I'm not worried. Thing is built like a brick shithouse.

Never had to deal with them.

I've been playing for 40 years and have had the usual assortmnet of guitars and amps. This amp rules. My first amp was a Fender Deluxe reverb. That amp had amazing tone. I never thought I would find that level of amp satisfaction again until now. Rivera is a genius. The amp is brilliant. Nice Hammond reverb too. I judge an amp by it's clean tone first. Then dial in my individual sounds. Clean on this amp has a sweetness that you have to hear to understand. Listen to one of these amps! Do it now! The price is exceptional for an amp of this quality. I checked out the Alessandro Working Dog before I bought this. Good but doesn't come close.

Once again... I think I'm the only one who ever got one of these.

Still sounds fabulous. I can add comment to the 6-spring Hammond longpan reverb though: it's a give/take thing compared to the usual 3-spring reverbs common elsewhere: those might have a little more snap to 'em (which I happen to like), while this one is more lush. Both are good.

Follow-up: the problem was in one of the preamp tube sockets... must have jarred something loose when cranked really high: resoldered the solder points on that socket, and it seems OK now.

Well... in order to achieve the above-mentioned fix, I took it home to my father who's basically retired from fixing electronic stuff, (MITA qualified, knows it all). He called Rivera ahead of time asking them to send or fax a schematic, which they did NOT do. They've also NEVER responded to any email I've sent this whole while... (I've never sent a nasty-gram or anything like that, since I do love the amps). It's just very disappointing... if Carr made an amp this versatile, I'd try it out, (but I do prefer this to the Carr El Moto combo in features; and to the Mesa Boogie Nomad in tone).

This is another follow-up. (Am I the only person who bought one of these!? Go buy one - they're AWESOME). But the love-fest will be tainted a bit here.

It TOTALLY crapped out on me - something internal. It's not the tubes or fuses... I took out the chassis and couldn't find anything obvious. I have a nauseating feeling one of the transformers may be bad, but I haven't checked the caps yet.

I haven't heard any response after emailing Rivera. That's too bad. I know it says plain as day on their website not to expect timely responses via email, but then again, I don't have time during the to call - I can mess around with email all day long. Inconvenient. Anyway, I got it used, so I'm going to tear into it to see if I can figure out the problem myself... (I've already tried the tubes, the fuses, etc... whatever it is, it's more complex than that).

The second time I emailed, I asked for a schematic, and it's been well over a week and well over a month since the first email. I know not to expect a timely response, but I've not heard a thing. In this light, they shouldn't even list the email on the website: either they check it or they don't. Apparently, they don't.

Anyway... if you're considering a Rivera, though, don't take this too harshly: the tone of this monster is just simply unbelievable - both clean AND dirty... it's easily the nicest amp I've ever owned, bar none... now if only I could get it working again!!!

This is a follow-up to my first review below. I lived in the city and used to play at reasonable volume levels. Well, I've moved to the country where my nearest neighbor is 1/4 mile away, and I've let this thing out a bit more... (I also got an Alessandro muzzle for it, to keep it down a bit). So that's one thing to note: this thing is LOUD. You'll need to be careful if you're playing in your house.

Anyway, so having let it out a bit more - pushing the power tubes a bit more... holy sh!t... the TONE of this amp is even MORE amazing now... I've had other Riveras and have always liked them, and reading the specs on the Fandango at the website, it looked like the Holy Grail of Rivera-built EL34 amps. It is. This thing can scream SRV with a strat, or shake the foundations with a Les Paul... or nail creamy blues or smokehouse blues... or country snap. It's truly a one-amp does it all amp. I almost purchased a Bogner Shiva with my 2002 tax return, (yeah - good return this year)... anyway, I thought about it and decided I don't need a Bogner Shiva... I don't need anything else from an amp. This one truly does it all.

Made in 2001. Great clean and dirty channels; has the usual Rivera 3-button footswitch with clean/dirty switch and boost buttons for both channels. It has the effects loop and the line out. Each channel has its own level. The only thing I wish it had: footswitchable reverb and adjustable gain levels on the footswitch.

Guitars: McInturff Sportster and G&L S500 strat. It suits me very well: the clean channel is breathtaking for EL34 clean... the Hammond long-pan 6-spring tube-driven reverb is GREAT. Dirty channel is even better: excellent Marshall crunch, GREAT bottom end, and works extremely well with an OD pedal to realy go over the top, (no distortion box needed - this amp gives you plenty). If you've heard the Carr El Moto, the Fandango's crunch really reminds me of it, with the ability to go farther over the top with gain here. EXCELLENT sound... (the only reason I list 9 instead of 10 is that no amp is worhty of a 10: an EL34 amp will NEVER have a perfect clean channel. This is as good as you'll get for clean EL34-tone though).

n/a... it's still fairly new... this is my 3rd Rivera amp, though, and I've never had any problems.

I had some questions, and only got responses for some of them... they were all informational questions, but irregardless. I hear that the support when you actually have a problem needing fixing is top-notch, though.

I've been at it over 13 years... I've been through MANY amps, but not too terribly many that are truly spendy (e.g. no Bogner, no Matchless)... I've had other Rivera's, Fender, Marshall, Trace Elliot, Carr, Victoria, and others. I've been through many guitars and effectsa as well.

This amp is GREAT. Only complaints I listed above: I'd like footswitchable reverb and boost-level controls. Other than that, this amp can do it all. I COULD complain about the weight too: 73 pounds. Ouch!

I'm giving the amp a '10' here: as far as "bang for the buck" goes, this amp can be compared favorably to the most expensive EL34-based amp you can find, and can be had for a relatively low price.