Rivera Jake Jay Graydon Signature Model

This is an update to my review from 9/12/98.
no kidding.

This amp has seen quite its share of use over the last 7 years.
The only drag I have found is this:
I wish they made it so you could carry the foot pedal and other junk inside the cabinet. Don't get me wrong... you CAN carry anything you want in there. But Rivera doesn't recommend it, since it could damage the cone etc.

Damn those 75 pounds or however much it is just doesn't seem to get any lighter... lol.

There is a slight buzz sound on the input. Doesn't matter if it's high gain or low gain input. Sounds like a bad cable - but it's not the cable. This isn't enough to spoil a gig or anything. Just becomes noticeable when quiet at home.


I think I replaced the tubes in 1999 or 2000. Something blew on the amp. I took the "amp" out of the combo cabinet and shipped it to Rivera from NJ for like $75.
They fixed it cheap, threw in some spare tubes, and shipped it back. All in about a week and a half.

1996 model Jake Combo. Same features as others have mentioned. Really covers a lot of bases.

This amp is incredible sounding. If you want any sound in the blackface or JMP/Plexi vocabulary, this amp will get a very smooth and round version of it. Good articulation. Equally good with single coils or humbuckers. If you want harsh or flaming sounds, you will have to use pickups which have a good deal of grip or a nasty boost somewhere in the chain. The "vintage" setting seems a little cleaner than the "modern" setting, but I use "modern" a lot.

I've never had a problem with it, and I've used this one hard. Riveras appear to deserve their reputation for reliability.

I dealt with Rivera once about another amp that I had gotten used with a broken reverb pan and they were great.

I've been playing a while. I have other amps, including a Dumble ODS 100 Watt. The Jake does not take a back seat to anything.

This is a review for a Rivera Jake Studio combo that was built in 1998. It is a 55 watt all tube 1x12 combo amp. This amp features channel switching via pull-pot switches on the front panel or via footswitch. There are two discreet channels (Channel 1 is 'Marshall' voiced and Channel 2 is 'Fender' voiced) - each with its own volume, tone stack (bass, mid, treble,), switchable boost (via pull-pot or footswitch), and master volume. Channel 2 also has a bright switch and a mid frequency shift switch (pull-pot switches). There is a Presence control and Reverb level control that affect both channels. The reverb pan is a 6 spring Hammond long pan. On the back panel there is a Modern/Vintage switch that changes the output tube operation between pentode (full power, 55w) and triode (30-35w -warmer, smoother, enhanced even order harmonics). There is also a line out jack, an output impedance switch (4,8,16 ohm), two speaker out jacks, and an active series effects loop with send and receive level controls. The speaker is a Rivera spec Celestion G12T-85. This is a feature rich amplifier offering a great deal of flexibility and plenty of clean headroom. I would like to have a level control for each channels boost and also the Channel 1 mid shift switch found in the Knuckleheads and Fandangos. Fortunately these are both available as factory mods and I do plan on having them installed in the next few months. I rate this section an 8 out of 10 (with the addition of the factory mods I would bump this to a rating of 9). Nothing gets a ten as there's always room for improvement.

My two primary guitars are: 1989-1990 PRS bolt-on, mahogany body w/carved maple top, maple neck w/rosewood fretboard, PRS trem (locked and blocked), bone nut, 3-way toggle, 1 vol, 1 tone, and a pair of Seymour Duncan Seth Lover unpotted PAF style pickups (4-conductor w/coil tap switch) -- and -- a USACG custom strat, alder body, maple/maple neck, Hipshot trem, bone nut, 5-way blade switch, SD Seth Lover PAF in the bridge (tapped in position 2) and Lindy Fralin Real 54's strat single coils in the middle and neck position. My playing style developed out of constant exposure to my parents musical preferences (blues, brittish invasion rock, 70's rock, and various fusions with blues and rock in popular music). My primary drive as a guitar player has been to learn how to play just what is needed and no more in both a rhythm and soloing context. At some point along the way it became clear that tone is a very important component to this focus and an amp with a singular focus is rather limiting (e.g. a Marshall JMP50 doesn't cover soul, jazz, or clean blues as well as a Fender Super Reverb which isn't as well suited to cover early brittish invasion and 70's hard rock). I have owned many amps - JTM's, JMP's, tweeds, Blackface's, AC's, botique's, etc. and, to be fair, each was almost certainly better at what it did than any current production amp. However, it was never feasible to take any more than two amps to a jam or a gig. The effort necessary to get stellar tones moved to where I wanted to use them was becoming more trouble than it was worth. I did take a quick foray into the rack rig (multi pre's, multi effects, stereo output, etc.) but the results were sonically inadequate in a live setting. I've never had a channel switcher that I was happy with in the past - again the compromise in tone in favor of flexibility wasn't paying off. THIS AMP IS DIFFERENT! I'll be honest here. When I first played the amp I wasn't knocked over by the tone. It sounded great to be sure but I've had Fenders that were better than channel 2 and Marshalls that were better than channel 1 - by themselves played alone. Where the Jake sets itself apart is in a live setting. This thing falls right into the mix live, cuts just where it should, does everything right. Even at it's highest gain settings you can roll back the guitar's volume pot and get a chimey, complex clean without losing useable output. All of the cliche'ic adjectives apply here but I'll try to keep them to a minimum. The Fender voiced channel does clean and overdrive convincingly well. Blackface tones ar it's forte' although the EL34 ouput tubes do impart their character here with slightly more emphasized mids. From crystal clear cleans with bell-like overtones to harmonically rich BF Deluxe saturated lead tones and everything in between. Lots of swirl! Channel 2 is without a doubt my favorite! Clean or dirty - rhythm, comping, or soloing - this channel would make a perfect gigging amp on its own. The bright switch just like a Fender BF's to my ears. The 'tweed' voicing with the mid-shift defeated is not as pleasing to my ears except at specific settings and seems more useful for recording than for live application (the boost level mod mentioned above will make it possible to use this boost on the fly live). Channel 2's boost is significantly louder than without making it impractical for use 'on the fly' via footswitch. Channel 1 (Marshall voiced) isn't exactly spot on 'Plexi' or any other particular Marshall for that matter. Initially I found this a little disappointing. But, again, in a live setting it drops into the mix perfectly and handles many 'brittish' type tones better than any Marshall (or clone) that I've ever owned. Clean tones from this channel are best attained using the volume pot on the guitar (just as with any cranked JTM or JMP) and the results are as good or better than with Marshall tops I've used - again, plent of swirl. This channel is dar

I've not had this amp long enough to comment but based on my past experience with Rivera designed Fender amps and Rivera's reputation for tough, roadworthy amps I expect that it will perform without issue for years to come. That said, I always keep a backup amp on hand and so I just purchased a Rivera Rake head used (the Rake is a head version of the Jake combo). My Rake head is the non-reverb unit and has Rivera's Focus speaker resonance control instead. I use the head with a Shawnee 1x12 cab loaded with an Eminence Red Fang AlNiCo speaker - smokin!

I've called Rivera several times with questions and they're a pleasure to deal with! With only limited experience here I'll rate this one at 8.

I've pared my amp collection down to just the Jake combo and the Rake head. I have friends who will loan me a specific amp if needed for a specific recording so I chose to cut the collection loose to make room for real furniture in my house :-). I have been on a constant buy, sell, trade tone quest and I've been through 8 amps in the last 6 months trying to find a do-all amp with killer tone. I believe I found exactly what I set out to find. It has yet to do anything that I don't like. I'm lucky enough to have a near match backup on hand but if it were stolen I'd have to find a replacement. For me this is the 'Swiss Army Knife' of amps with no corners cut in tone and feel. I'll rate this amp as a 8 out of 10. This is definitely the best guitar amp I've ever owned!

I'm unsure of the production year, but I'm guessing late '90s. I bought it used in 2001 and it looked brand new. I love Rivera amps because of their versatility and I bought this amp based from experience with my other amp--a Rivera K-55 head. I thought it would be nice to have a head and a similar combo. I won't go over all the features here because they've been stated below, but I will say this: a lot of two channel amps compromise in some way or another but Riveras really are like having two different amps. Each channel is voiced very differently from the other and they do what they're supposed to, which is to sound like a Fender and a Marshall in one amp. I like the Fender side a lot, but the Marshall channel really shines and it sounds better to me than any modern Marshall that I've played. I prefer to run my Jake with the 'Vintage' setting on the rear panel. This lowers the power and makes it feel more spongy. The 'Modern' setting is louder, has more presence and is more in your face.

Also, this amp is beautiful! The cream tolex, brown faceplate and knobs, and beige writing make for a very attractive amp that my wife doesn't mind me leaving in the living room.

One quirk. I'm sure that someone else must know why, but I can't figure out why the reverb is not footswitchable. That would be helpful, but I guess it's not a huge deal. Tremolo would fit perfectly with this amp and that would be a nice feature, too.

I use Les Pauls mostly, and I also have a Strat. The Les Pauls have fairly hot vintage style pickups (JB and Classic '57s).

This amp is loud for a 55 watt amp. I can't think of a band that I've played with where I could crank this amp to 10, it's sick how loud it is really (my 55 watt K-55 head is even louder). I play classic rock, hard rock, blues, etc. and this amp suits those styles fine because of its versatility. It is not noisier than any other high gain amp and hum/hiss is not a problem for me. There is a huge jump in volume when you switch on the Ninja boost on the Fender channel--too much of a jump, so I just leave it on for a slightly gritty Fender sound. I like a moderately bright sound for guitar so I pull out the mid and treble controls for added presence. On the Marshall channel I set the gain around 7 or 8 and use the boost for leads or whatever. The boost adds gain, bottom end and a little volume. I have never played a lead channel that sounds better than this amp. It has a little more gain than my K-55 head. It is not ultra heavy sounding like a Peavey 5150 or Mesa Triple Rectifier, but it can hold its own and, to me, has a much better sound than those gain monsters. Unlike some other amps, Riveras sound better as you turn them up. You gotta let those EL34s heat up! I'm surprised at how Marshall-like this amp is for a little 1x12 amp.

I bought this used about 9 months ago and I haven't had a single issue. I suppose I'll need to switch tubes soon, but they seem fine so far.

I e-mailed Rivera about 3 years ago when I got my K-55. I got informative responses back from both Paul Sr. and Jr.

The amp seems to enhance or be enhanced by everything I use with it. I rarely use pedals other than wah, but I occasionally use a Fulltone Ultimate Octave, a Boss DD-3 delay, a Voodoo Labs Microvibe or a H & K Rotosphere. Between the two channels and their boosts, I don't have much use for external OD pedals anymore.

I have yet to find an amp that I like better than this one or my other Rivera. I've been playing Riveras for 3 years now and am still completely happy with them. In my 10 years of playing, I've had a Peavey Classic 50, a Sansamp rack system and a Marshall JCM 900 and I was always looking forward to my next amp. The Jake is really like having two separate amps and I really appreciate the fact that each channel is voiced differently from the other and that they each have their own controls. I feel like I have a modded plexi and a high powered Fender Deluxe all in one. If lost or stolen, I'd definitely get another one or maybe check out the Fandango. I'm not sure why Riveras are not more popular. Actually I do know why, most people are sheep and go for brand name recognition. These old companies' reputations have been built on their past acheivements and definitely not what they're producing today. I have yet to find a modern amp, especially in this price range, with this kind of flexibility that I like better.

Has American and British flavored channels.The clean(American) channel has a pull mid(notch)-this allows you to choose between blackface and tweed sounds(very cool).British channel has a gain boost and American channel has the famed Rivera Ninja Boost.Has a Vintage/Modern switch on the back of the chassis.Nice sounding line out.

Awesome sounding amp.If you dig vintage Fender,you will love the American channel!The British channel is IMHO reminiscent of a JCM 800 or Plexi(depending on settings).I use a Grosh with singles and a G&L with HB's.Both sound great.

Absolutely reliable-zero problems.I have low tolerance for cheaply built amps.Seems like the major amp companies put out really cheap stuff nowadays.The Jake feels like it will last a long time.I have gigged without a backup(but bringing spare tubes is always wise)

The best I've come across.How many companies do you know of where you can speak to the owner when you call?I've spoken to Paul Rivera Sr. almost every time I called.He and the other people there are cool and stand behind there products.(Grosh,too by the way)

I've been playing since the mid seventies.I would get another Rivera for sure but might like to try another model,too.I love the fact that it doesn't weigh a million pounds,get's the real deal sounds and is versatile.Very complete amp.

Brand new 2002 model. Killer distortion, wonderful clean tones, amazing reverb, effects loop, just an amazing warm tone. This is the perfect tube amp. Pretty light weight but loud as can be. I wish I bought one 10 years ago.

I play a custom Sadowsky Strat, Gibson Pat Martino model from the custom shop, as well as a Steinberger GL4T from the mid 80's (when they were good) and I have a shit load of high end stomp boxes. This AMP is AMAZING. The clean channel sounds like a Fender Twin...only better. The reverb rocks. And the dirty channel sounds like an amazing halfbreed between a Marshall JMP SuperLead and Soldano. The darn thing is pretty light weight and is very loud. This amp is about one thing. TONE TONE TONE TONE TONE. The best damn TONE I've heard.

Too soon to tell.

I had a question before my purchase and I sent the question to the rivera website and the big cheese Rivera himself answered the e-mail. Not bad.

A well built all tube design. This is the standard Rivera setup. Two channels, channel one is voiced for British sounds, channel two is voiced for Fender sounds. Vol/Master and EQ for both channels. Active effects loop. The controls are similar to the amps they are based on. Channel two has a mid pull notch control that revoices that channel from a tweed like sound to a blackface type sound. 5-12AX7s and 2-EL34s. Single 12 inch speaker. Even though it has a simple layout

Sounds great and can get loud when needed. The Vintage/Modern switch gives you enough of a volume drop to use this as a practice amp and a giging amp, even ina loud band. I really like the sound of Rivera amps in general. At first I didn't like the sound of this amp that much, but it came with some questionable model Groove Tubes preamp tubes. After replacing them with the same types Rivera normally uses it sounded great. This amp is very versatile and can get a wide variety of usable Fender and Marshall type sounds. It has enough gain to get into Creed territory. I don't use that much distortion, I'm more a fan of a Plexi-type sound and this amp does that well. It has a nice punch and clarity. It doesn't have the lows of a 4x12, but has the same amount as a Fender 1x12 combo. The cabinet has dimensions similar to a Fender Deluxe or Concert. The Fender style sounds have a nice sparkle and the Marshall style sounds have a nice grind. It is very quiet except on extreme high gain settings with the boosts on. The boosts give you 4 very usable sounds. I like the way it sounds with both single and double coil pickups. The single coils sound more straty to me in the higher power mode. The Humbuckers sing a little better in the low power mode. The high power mode has great definition, but channel one still manages to sing nicely. This amp doesn't sound like a stack, but I use a Rivera Sub-1 and this gives me the thump of a stack for the lead sounds, but the clean sounds are great, too.

I just got it used, but I've owned other Riveras and they are very tough amps.

Paul or Paul Jr. are easily accessable and sometimes even answer thye phone. They answer questions honestly and are very helpful.

This amp is exactly what I hoped it to be. I have a Rivera Chubster 40 (also a great amp) and needed an amp with more headroom. I'm playing with a very loud keyboard player and was losing my clean sound! At first I missed the Chubster's more compressed sound on channel one, but I soon learned to dial in a good sound. This is a very versatile and nice sounding amp. I'm really glad I got it. It sounds like I wanted it to sound. Maybe it would have been nice to have the Focus knob that is on other Rivera models, but I don't miss it. It's a great amp. Sure I'd do it again.

This Jake Combo amp was built in 1999 and I purchased it new. It puts out 55 watts through a single 12" Celestion and is great for many types of guitars and music. There are two channels with channel switching and boost swithching. The effects loop works very well. Channel 1 is voiced like a Marshall Plexi, and Channel two like a Fender. Channel 2 has two modes... Tweed and Blackface. I use this amp for gigs and recording.

This is an extremely quiet amp and sounds absolutely wonderful. I use a Strat with EMG's and a 335 with humbuckers. The Plexi sound is very accurate. The Fender sound is close but the power tubes are EL34's so the Fender sound cannot be exactly like a 6L6 powered Fender amp.Generally speaking, I prefer the Tweed mode for single coil pickups,and the Blackface mode for humbuckers. I came very close to replacing this amp with a Bogner Ecstacy Head (with EL34's) and Bogner Shiva 2X12 cabinet. At the last moment I decided to A/B the Bogner with the Jake Combo plus 1X12 extention cabinet. After two hours of testing, and much to my surprise, The tweed mode of the Jake (with all controls on '7')sounded exactly like Channel 1 on the Bogner. The Bogner is a wonderful amp but the Jake costs $2000 less and weighs much less. I didn't feel I would get that much use out of the Bogner's Channel 2 and Channel 3 but they did sound great.

This is a very high quality amp and has never broken down.

The folks at Rivera are very responsive and friendly.

I have been playing professionally for overthirty years have owned or used just about every amp that has ever been in fashion. Certainly no single amp can serve every purpose and I also own Mesa and Fender amps. But, the Rivera Jake Combo is the one amp that I never want to be without.

this is a re-review of my 1st. submission...

OK, the amp started sounding alittle less marshall and alot more fender as the tubes broke in. also as much as i love this amp, all Rivera's that i have owned have a certin kind of mid fart sound when you are in high gain leads...some people might like that sound, but it always made me look for a better sound. i changed speakers on both my Rivera models, to EV's JBL's and 3 kinds of celestions,,same mid fart on the high gain leads....also the level of sustain on the clean settings was a little less then i wanted....don't get me wrong this is still a great sounding amp.,but there is better out there, for more money, of course....

very very good, the best.....

they are the best,,,i will miss working with them, i have gone to another brand, that sounds alot better,but cost's alot more...

For the money, Rivera's are still the best out there, but if you have the money and time to go out and find and try out some of the top handmade amps ,,,,well it will blow you away in how much better tones can really be....

smok'in little tube combo, great reverb, super 2 channel fender/marshall sounds.

when i first got it, i got the extention 1-12 cab also, it sounded very dark and blatty, i changed the speakers to 16 ohm green backs, and this helped to brighten it up..i went back to playing my 100 knucklehead and was very happy until my harp player got it retubed for me with ruby tubes, and got the bias set good. now this amp has one of the best rock tone's i have ever heard, the reverb came alive, sounds like a delay when it is just barely on. the fender tones are as real as any blackface can get, and the marshall side is fantastic, very plexi....this amp now sounds about 2 times better then the 100 knucklehead,, more open, more gain, rip's better, and has a very tight rythem crunch, like a killer old plexi...

my knucklehead is 3 years old and still going strong,,,this amp a tech told me is built to last a lifetime,,i was going to buy a demeter or a kjl this weekend, but for now this is my baby.....and i love Rivera service........

the best in guitar kingdom hands down........

Now i love this amp, i think the store i got it from did some funky tube switching with it. i play every kind of strat type guitar from anderson to vintage strats and they all sound great, we will see how long i keep this little monster....