Rivera M60 Head

Follow up to previous posting: Here's a REAL CUTE DETAIL to know about this amp, and possibly other Riveras. For some reason the "HI" and "LO" inputs are NOT what you would think; they reference the output level of the pickup that should be plugged into each, NOT the gain of the input as one would presume!!

The upshot is that I was essentially driving a V-12 Ferrari with the valet key until the other week when I absently plugged into the "LO" input - and promptly unleashed the beast of this amp. Suddenly I had not just good tone and nice crunch - I had GAIN, BROTHER!!!

Lesson: play with all the plugs and turny things and you will find out what the f***in thing can REALLY do.

This is a matter of, where the hell do you begin? This amp is RICH with features. Virtually every knob on the face doubles as a push-pull or momentary-contact switch for some cool little permutation - gain stages (2), EQ contouring, volume boost, whatever. Pentode/Triode modes, each with two power levels. Effects loop plus a multi-function "SlaveMaster" FX loop/lineout/attenuator - BOTH of which can also be used as an onboard global volume booster. Accepts a variety of power tubes. Parallel speaker outs and selectable 4/8/16 ohm output impedance.

I became interested in this amp after seeing its specs because I was pretty sure that with all these features I would be able to get what I wanted out of it, and I was right. I will admit that it has features I don't use - YET; it also has features I use that other people might have no use for. IT'S GOT EVERYTHING, and that's kind of the point - this thing is so bloody accomodating that about 90% of people can probably get what they're looking for out of it.

The only thing that's a minor pain about this amp is that to fully use all the footswitchable stuff requires TWO Rivera proprietary (expensive!) footswitches - but I am here to tell you that you can get by on just the FS-1 footswitch and have lots of fun with the thing. For the first time in my life I can play an amp with NOTHING on the front end, because I have footswitchable channels and a GOOD built-in boost for solos.

So far I have been playing the amp out thru a 1x12 cab, and am now fixing to add a 2x12 to my arsenal. (Come on, UPS!!) It is not dead silent but acceptably quiet as far as "presense" noise even at truly fire-breathing settings, and in more normal clean and crunch modes it's as close to perfect as any amp I've ever played.

About me - I play lead and rhythm in a 2-guitar 5-piece bar band, broad variety of rock/blues/punk/reggae/country-esque covers and some originals. 90% of the time I currently play a heavily upgraded 80s MIJ Fender Tele, switching occasionally to a 90s American Strat with custom wiring. (I have also had the pleasure of playing my bandmate's G&L ASAT P-90 into this amp, but have not yet had the chance to borrow something with humbuckers for a test drive, so this review is based entirely on the single-coil perspective. Les Paul afficionados - proceed with due caution.)

Clean: I am looking forward to greater clean headroom with the 2x12, but in the single speaker config I have found it pretty easy to ride the edge of breakup. I cannot say enough how great it is to FINALLY have an amp with Gain and Volume on a "clean" channel, so that I can have some say in how clean I want to be at any given time. I don't consider it a sound-alike to the "Fender clean" but I haven't played with 6L6s yet - this was intended to be my EL-34 amp and I've been having some fun with that.

Crunch - took me some time to find "my" place with this channel, but thanks to all the tweaker features built into the channel I have a comfort zone with this now; I can now get REALLY GOOD crunch and lead tones without even needing my beloved Barber Direct Drive, although that just makes things even better when I do use it. I found it a little dull until I kicked in one of the two optional Gain stages, which has essentially stayed on ever since. Also I find the bass response on this channel to be pretty extreme, I actually have the bass pulled down to about 2-3 and the mid at about 4.

Another fantastic thing about this and most other Rivera amps I've seen and played is that the controls are recessed and have enough resistance to them that your settings don't get completely randomized during transit. I have had other amps where I had to literally resort to marking my initial settings so I could quickly get back to a baseline when starting up at a gig, and since I also set up our PA system the last thing I need is to be starting from scratch with my amp 5 minutes before we're supposed to start (or worse yet 10 minutes late)

And the single greatest thing about this amp is the fact that the footswitchable FX loop works as a variable global volume boost - you dial in exactly how much boost you want, and when you kick it on in mid-song IT SOUNDS GOOD!! A big improvement from amps with a fixed "boost" stage which is invariably either WAY too much or unnoticeable, and it allowed me to take my clean boost pedal off the front end. Great voicing for solos, and it works equally well on both channels which is a true feat of engineering.

6 months and no trouble. I bought it used and have not done a thing to it, though it seems to have been pretty well cared for during its life. To carry it around it seems like it should be just about bulletproof - it's a good bit heavier than the combo amp it replaced as my primary. It also doesn't get alarmingly hot or act weird...

FTR, though, it's a tube amp, and playing without a backup would be about as bright as having one pitcher on your baseball team. We are a 2-guitar band and ALWAYS bring a 3rd amp - just in case.

No idea, haven't had to use them. My impression is that this is an older amp, far past any manufacturer's warranty.

Overall I just think it's a fantastic piece of equipment. It's my first amp head and easily the most complex amp I've ever owned. I would put this up there with such monstrosities as the Carvin V3 or Mesa Road King for sheer number of features, but without some things I would never use (tube/SS rectifier, for instance, on the Mesa) and with a more intuitive set of controls; in spite of all the features I have never felt like I was trying to fly a 747.

I love just about everything about it except the weight; I hate nothing about it because so far I've not had an issue with dialing in a sound that I couldn't get past because it is so DRIPPING with features; and cannot think of a single "gotta have" feature that this thing doesn't have.

If it was stolen I would buy another in a heartbeat, and in fact I would not be averse to owning a second just in case of theft or breakdown. It's that good, at least for me.

I guess you could quibble about the fact that the big brother to this, the S120, is stereo. well, that would be an 11 for features. This amp has so many features, and they all matter, that you need to plan time to get to know them, one by one, otherwise you might miss the incredible range this amp offers. If you're thinking about buying one, download a copy of the owner's manual and go thru it! I've had mine for almost a year and I can now say I'm pretty comfortable with all the features, but I still could use more time with it in different settings to truly master it. If this ain't a 10, I don't know what would be.

Channel 2 = "Clean" -- I disagree that the M60 cops the Fender clean. It approaches it (close enough for gigs for sure), but does not duplicate it (e.g. recording). I have a modded Bandmaster (Fuchs) for that. However, the clean is very nice and versatile. Because it has a master and gain for each channel, if you want the cleanest tone, go 10 on the master and adjust the gain for volume and overdrive. You can take it pretty high before you run out of headroom. Also, be sure to take advantage of the lower sensitivity input to get more headroom, and use the pentode setting. Adjust the "FOCUS" (speaker damping) and PRESENCE controls for the sound character you like. The Focus control is great and well worth understanding - higher settings (7-10) are looser/shimmeryer like Fender, lower settings (1-4) provide more speaker damping and a tighter bottom. Each speaker cab will have it's own best focus setting. All that said, I like the clean with a strat just fine. And with the slavemaster and ninja boosts available, you could probably play a whole set just on channel 2. takes pedals very well either in front or in the loop, so you've got even more flexibility.

Channel 1 - gain - NICE. Lots of marshally rock and roll tones there with tons of gain. wouldn't characterize it as metal but with pedals no problem. Two distinct gain-boost stages so you can go from mild chunk to wailin-feedback gain and back. This channel is fun to play on and can cut through. Plus, if you want LOUD, it's here in channel 1. As loud a 60W rating as I've ever heard. Nice tones even at low volumes though, and that's kind of a trick.

Very very versatile. And, before moving on, seems to bring out the nuances of different tubes. I've only experimented with the output section so far - I currently have a set of JJ KT77s in place of the original spec Rivera EL34s. I like them. Still in the El34 camp but with a bit of the round glassiness of a good 6l6. I can only imagine how much more tailoring would result from testing different preamp tubes at each stage. Sorry, I play semi-pro with a day job and there aren't enough hours to go around. You know, sometimes you just want to PLAY the damn thing!

It's a masterwork, plain and simple. It may not have the extreme chime of a Class A and it may not duplicate any other brand, but I don't care. It's got a great set of sounds and works great at gigs.

I bought this amp used. Looks like it's weathered the storms so far judging by the wear here/there on the black carpet covering. Very heavy, very solid construction. took it apart to inspect the build quality, very very good. My guess is this will live a very long life with just the usual regular maintenance - tubes and caps.

I called them up after I bought it (used) and they were great about sending me a set of fuses asap. Very friendly and professional.

lot of playing time in, play out regularly in a band. tried lots of gear. so far this is a keeper, along with my Fuchs modified Bandmaster and a MusicMan 115 RP100. Each one has it's unique spot. If the venue is small-medium I will take the MusicMan or the Fuchs, for bigger/outdoor I like the Rivera. The only thing I wish it had was an antigravity ballast to make it weigh less. glad it's a head and not a combo!!!

The M-60 begins with two ? inputs for high gain pickups or low gain pickups. It is a two channel head powered by two EL34s. Rivera calls channel 1 the ?Marshall? sounding channel and channel 2 the clean ?Fender? sound. Each channel has controls for low mid and highs. Each channel has its own gain and master volume. There are also ?slave master? controls that allow you to dial in a boosted sound on each channel. The ?slave master? has its own gain and master volume. The M-60 also has a power switch that set the output in high or low. The remaining controls are; reverb, focus and presence. The rear panel allows for send and return for an effects loop as well as the ability to switch between triode and pentode voicings. The rear panel also has place to connect the five button footswitch.

I mostly play a PRS 22 through this head. I use Rivera?s CS212 vertical cabinet for a speaker cab. I play my guitar directly into the M-60 with out any effect before the preamp section. I do, however, use the effects loop for a Dunlop wah, Guyatone flange, Electro-Harmonics delay and Bass Balls by Electro-Harmonics. I play in a cover-band that focuses on classic rock and funk.

Initially I struggled with this amp. I?ve got a Fender and a Marshall so I have the tools to do a direct comparison with this amp. While channel 2 on the M-60 rings like a fender it doesn?t have that glassy sound that fender produces with its 6L6s. I?ve been able to dial in a good clean sound that is full and breaks up when the volume on the guitar is at full. I run the master volume all the way to ten and the gain around three or four. The nice thing about the sound is that it is not piercing like a Stratocaster through a Fender.

Channel 1 was the most frustrating to dial in the tone and texture I wanted. My goal was a smooth saturated sound that could cut through my bands mix for singing leads and thick heavy bottom for that ZZ Top rhythm. Several things that I?ve discovered that may help you find a good tone. First thing is that while this amp has plenty of power to cut through the mix I find I must run the power switched to high power. This definitely helps with headroom. Second I run the presence set pretty high, around seven to nine. I also run the master volume set at ten and the gain around six to eight. The real trick I found was that the focus on this amp has a great affect on the speakers. The higher the setting the more the amp is controlling the dampening of the speakers. If I have it set high the sound is very boxy and flat. If I set it low the saturation is more smooth and creamy. Once I discovered the power of this little knob I was very pleased with the sound of this channel.

One other aspect that may seem obvious is that the speaker cabinet that you are using with this head can have a dramatic affect on the sound. Even the Rivera cab that I?m using will sound different with the back open or the back closed. The way I?ve set it now is that the back is closed. I?m finding it helps me cut through the mix better.

Bottom line is that I do find this amp very versatile. I think any one can find a tone they love out of this amp but it may take time and experimentation to do so. I think this is half the fun.

This amp is built like a tank. Know doubt that it is made to withstand the rigors of touring with a band. I applaud the Rivera Company for building such a high quality product.

My only experience with customer service was when I was considering buying a Rivera. I call to find out more information about the different models they offered. I was very pleased with my experience when I call. They were very helpful.

I love this amp. In my opinion it doesn?t fully do a Fender and it doesn?t fully do a Marshall. However, I think that the clean channel smokes a Marshall?s clean channel. I also think that the dirty channel is richer and creamier than a Fender?s dirty sound. If I would need to replace this amp I would buy another M-60.

I bought this used in Austin with a nice rhino hard case for about $900.00. It was built in '94 and is in great shape. This amp is awesome. Very versatile, so much that it's overwhelming at first; but you get over that when you hear how many sounds you can get out of it. I play it through a Marshall 2x12 cab, and it is quite loud. The effects loop is nice, though I don't really use it. The clean channel can sound fendery-bright or real muddy and crunchy, and many tones in between. The lead/gain channel is very versatile as well, with 2 separate gain pull knobs each offering a different tone. One is a more compressed gain, very British sounding. The other is smoother and offers more sustain.

I play an old Epiphone Sheraton through this and it sounds great. Again, i can't say enough about how much this amp just flat out rules. You can't beat the sound of humbuckers through the lead channel of this amp. A friend has this same head and plays a '61 SG reissue through it and he is very sastified. I play alt-country/indie-rock type stuff, and my friend plays more classic rock, eric johnson, Satriani, Van Halen type stuff, and the sustain on the overdriven channel is not lacking one bit.

So far, so good. I just had it re-tubed and biased and that's all I've done to it since I've had it. Very reliable, and solidly built.

Haven't had to solicit any, but my friend has called about his and talked to Paul Rivera personally. So that seems promising. Rivera's website is pretty weak, with not a lot of support links. But I hear that they are very happy to talk to you over the phone.

Again, I love this amp and don't plan on getting rid of it. If it were destroyed tomorrow i would start looking for another one immediately. I'm not saying I wouldn't want other amps besides this one (namely a Vox AC30 and a Matchless), but they wouldn't supplant my Rivera.

Two channel All tube, Boost on the clean channel, Slavemaster- acts as boost on either channel, tube driven spring reverb, FX loop, triode/pentode switch, half power switch, etc...

I am using a ?74 Gibson Les Paul Custom and a home made frankien-strat loaded with a Seymour Duncan ?59 in the bridge position. My style is somewhere between blues-rock and hard rock/metal. This is an extremely versatile amplifier! The clean channel (Channel 2) is on par, if not better, than any Fender that I have played. Through the push/pull tone controls, it is easy to achieve tones from booth the tweed era and the blackface era. When in the Triode mode, you can also achieve some very convincing Vox tones. With the ?Ninja? boost activated SRV tones are easily coaxed from the amp. After owning a few Mark series Boogies, the Rivera?s clean channel is a breath of fresh air. The sound is open and warm. Not over compressed like my Mark IV. The reverb is also way above average from what you would expect on a head.

Channel 1, or the Lead channel is the reason I purchased this amp. Rivera has firmly rooted this channel with British heritage. Using the push/pull features on this channel will allow you to achieve tone that range from very plexi to JCM 800 on steroids. While it does have Marshall?s number, I should mention that the M60 has its own vibe as well. It is Rivera?s take on the Marshall sound. The voicing is a bit thicker that a Marshall. The tone is very warm and round. This is not a gain monster by any stretch. I would say it has about as much gain as a JCM 800 with a DS-1 boost pedal. However, unlike hitting the 800 with a boost, the M60 do not get overly compressed. It stays open and the note definition is incredible.

The hidden treasure on this amplifier is the ?Slavemaster? feature. I have heard it referred to as a ?third? channel, but that?s not a fair representation on this feature. You can set the amount of gain and the level of the SM, and when used with the lead channel it can provide a thick, smooth lead tone that just screams Santana. I use the SM exclusively as a lead boost. Single note runs are thick and creamy. Just like they should be.

This is my third Rivera head. My other two heads has with stood the abuse of the road- in the back of a van? and held up wonderfully. I see no reason to doubt the reliability of this amp. Rivera has a well earned reputation for building bullet proof amps!

Rivera is one of the only musical instrument companies where the Owner will return your phone call. Whenever I have had a question or concern they have been super to deal with. I have actually spoken to Paul Rivera Sr. on several occasions. He has always been helpful and patient when answering my questions.

Over all, I think this is an incredible amp for the money. It has tones of features that actually do what they are supposed to do. Yet, it is based on a simple tube design that allows your style and your guitar?s voice to be heard. You can change the whole feel of the amp by switching from humbuckers to single-coils. The amp takes booth extremely well. I have been playing for 15 years. For the past eight there has been a Rivera amp behind me on stage. They are boutique quality amplifiers at prices that most of us can afford.

I believe this is early to mid 90's amp. It's built like a tank! I play all styles of music, but mostly blues based rock, and it is perfectly suited for it. Channel 1 is based on more of a "british" sound, and I have it dialed in sounding very close to my old Marshall JCM 800. Channel 2 is based on more of an American sound, and I have been able to dial it in to sound like a Fender Twin, or a Deluxe, depending on the power settings. There are four power settings: 60 watt and 30 watt in "Pentode" mode, and 15 watt and 8 watt in "Triode" mode. There is an effects loop with input and output volume levels, and another channel/boost called "Slavemaster" that is great for putting your sound over the top on a lead. It has five 12ax7 tubes in the pre-amp and two EL34's in power amp. I run it through Rivera's 4x10 cabinet loaded with Celestions, and in is as loud as you need it to be. There is another boost stage on Channel 2 called "Ninja" boost, but the volume change is so drastic that I either dial in my volume with it on, or with it off, but I don't use the switch 'cause you can't control the level better. (This is the only flaw, or I would give the amp a "10") It has a good reverb, a presence control, and a "focus" control that allows you to dial in some speaker sag. Both channels have separate EQ's with Bass, Mid, and Treble. The Bass and Treble on Channel 1 have pull pots to activate 2 stages of boost gains, and Channel 2 has a pull-pot on Treble for a bright boost, and a pull pot on the bass for contour boost. The mid EQ's pull out for "notch".

I use a Fender Strat with Texas Specials, and a Les Paul. I plug the Strat into the "low" input jack which is dedicated for single-coil pickups, and The Les Paul gets plugged into the "High" input which is set up more for humbuckers. (This allows me to get a better clean sound without any distortion if needed) I run my guitar into a Cry-Baby Wah, a Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor, a Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer, a Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer, and a Ibanez FL-9 Flanger to the amps' "low" input, then I run into a Boss Volume pedal, a Boss CH-1 Super Chorus, and a Danelectro Dan-Echo in my effects loop. All these effects I have used for many years with my old amps, but I find that I don't need many effects with this amp. There are so many sounds you can get out of it. I can get pristine clean to hard-core tube distortion and everything between. To get the sound you want, you need to spend the time messing with it. By using the boost and notch pots, infinite sounds are available. The tone controls play off each other as well, effecting the sound differently depending on the current balance of the settings. The cool thing about this amp is that you can set your tones and distortions up at full volume levels for each channel (when the amp really "breathes"), and then by utilizing the volume controls on your effects loop in the back for your final volume levels you can get your tones and distortions at any level, all the way down to a quiet talking level! Makes it great for more inpired practicing at home when the kids are sleeping. The distortion quality in both channels are great, with each having it's own character based on either a "Marshall" distortion or a "Fender" distortion.

I've never had a problem with it. It seems to be constructed and wired very well, and has a heavy duty steel mesh on the front of the amp, as well as the C10x4 speaker cabinet.

I did try to contact Rivera using e-mail through their site to get more info on the amo as I bought it used, and they did not respond. A friend of mine had a Rivera amp as well though, and he had soem questions about tubes and I guess they were responsive helped him out.

I've been playing for 25 years, and have played through a few different amps. I've used a Traynor, Peavey, Fender, and Marshall. My last set up was playing stereo using the Fender and Marshall to get both sounds. When I decided to get this amp, I had traveled to every music store in the city and spent alot of time trying all the amps out, as I was looking for a versatle tube amp with the ultimate tone and money was not an object. I tried all the new Fenders, Marshalls, Mesas, Peavey tube amps, Soldanos, ... and wasn't satisfied until I plugged into the Rivera. I new in the first 30 seconds this was going to be the last amp I would ever need. I have been playing this amp now for 2 years, and have my sound dialed in perfect. I'd be devistated if it were ever stolen, and would search the lands looking for another just like it.

Early 90s model Rivera M60 (Head version). This is a very versatile amp. The second channel is very fender sounding. It has the ringing tone associated with the fender clean sound (sounds great with a telecaster). I play mainly rock and blues. This amp excels for that type of music. The first channel is also pretty versatile. It probably can't do that over the top death/metal distortion sound but can get more than enough distortion to handle most tasks. The amps has 2 channels that are voiced differently. (see above). It has 1 effects loop but the slavemaster can also be used as a second effects loop. The slavemaster is an interesting beast. It can be used as a direct out for record (I have done this with great results), third channel (added gain and/or boost) or a second effects loop. I have never seen anything exactly like it on another amp. The controls on the firs channel a pre, treble (pull gain), middle (pull notch), bass (pull gain), vol. By pulling the treble or bass you can get more gain (read distortion) on this channel. By pulling the middle you can shift the frquency notch that the tone controls operate on. The second channel has pre, treble (pull bright), middle (pull notch), bass (pull boost), vol. The slavemaster has a gain and vol. There is a reverb level. There is a master presence and a focus control. The focus effects the damping (sp?) or the level at which the power amp controls the speaker. It allows you to loosen or tighten the sound (very useful). This is a 60 watt head (2 x EL34) but does not sound that loud to me. It has 5 12ax7s in the pre amp. As if that isn't enough it also has a send and receive level for the effects loop and a triode/pentode switch. The power amp can also run in half power mode. I like running the amp in half power / triode when I practice at the house for a good low volume sound. I usually switch it to pentode for a full band practice. I can't get enough volume with the full power triode mode.

The sound is perfect for my style (rock and blues). This is an extremely quite amplifier. The clean channel controls allow you to make it distort as you run up the vol while keeping the level down with the pre. You can get great sounds at a very low volume level.

Seems good so far. I have had it for 2 months but it is 8 or 9 years old and is in great condition.

I have spoken to Paul Rivera via e-mail about converting this amp into a combo. He promptly sent back mail (I am assuming that it was really him since the email said Paul Rivera). But other than that I have not had any dealings with them. The website (www.rivera.com) needs some work. It is currently customer support light.

I have played for 20 years and have played just about every amp you can name. I have multiple Laney and peavey amps currently. I was looking at marshalls, mesa/boogie and fenders but this amp was too good of a deal to pass on. I have found most rivera amps (I have tried all of the models) to be too loud at low volume. This amp is more versital than the R series. I would buy it again. I am not sure if I would pay full price.....

1993 Amp, two channels, short spring reverb, Slavemaster, Boost on channel two, two gain boosts on channel 1 (not footswitchable though!), series effects loop, EL34 O/P Stage (60 loud watts!)and 5 x 12AX7 preamp/driver, Triode/Pentode and Half Power settings. Would have prefered to see switchable gain boost although this came later on the Knuckleheads and Jake/Rakes.

I use a heritage with humbucking P/u's and an SRV strat with Texas Specials and although I mostly enjoy Texas Blues I try and cover a lot of sonic territory with the exception of thrash and metal. This amp is well suited to this and can be made to sound like a a variety of Fender Amps on channel 2 and gives a reasonable appproximation of a Marshall on channel 1. The Slave master feature is only average and I tend to use it more as a "solo boost" as apposed to using it as a third channel. The reverb is ok for channel 1 but lacks the depth and character required to emulate classic Fender amps on channel 2. A longer reverb pan will fix this! The Strat seems to work best into channel 2 and the Heritage into Channel 1 although channel 2 works ok for Humbucking pickups largely due to the range of adjustment in the EQ. I don't use the Bass boost on channel 2 at all! The gain boost on channel 2 is probably a little too pronounced and provides too much volume boost but this can work well depending where you set the volume (3-5) and Master(below the threshold of pain!). Its not really possible to get a Mesa boogie/Soldano tone out of channel 1 in stock trim but if you know someone with a later model Rivera and you like the sound then take a peak inside as there isn't much difference in the preamp circuitry. The best thing about this amp is that if you are a bit of a tinkerer (ie handy with a soldering iron!) you can really coax the full potential out of it. This is because it has the same circuit board and chassis as the S 120 head/combo (stereo) and by adding the appropiate bits (the holes are already cut!)you can make a stereo 60watt amp which is great if you are using stereo effects. Some reviewers have said that Rivera Amps generaly require a lot of tweaking to get the best results. What this really means is that the sounds are in there and that you just need to spend the time dialling them in. This also means you're less likely to get bored with it! One other point of note is this head seems to work best with Celestion speakers. I bought the head with a 2x12 stereo cabinet with the standard Eminance Speakers and found it to be extremely loud but lacking in character (bit boomy due to the front porting) . I now use a Trace Elliot 4 x 12 Stereo Vintage 30 Cab and this gives substantially better results on both channels.

Very tough and dependable......Anything this heavy should be! Blew a speaker in the old rivera 2x12 cab is the only problem. Have thought about installing a fan to keep it cool. Another advantage of running in stereo is that if one side goes down you can still keep playing!

As with a number of others I have utilised the support at Rivera and found them to be extremely helpful although sometimes a little cagey about giving out schematics.......can't say I blame them! I advised Paul Rivera that I wanted to convert my amp to work in stereo and he was happy to assist me in this process.

I have been playing for 15 years and have used a Peavey Triumph120 Fender Blues De Ville, Fender Power Chorus. I currently own a Fender Reissue '59 Bassman and this and a Tube screamer is still the ultimate choice for Texas Blues IMO. Yes, even though there are theoretically more veratile amps on the market I would buy this again. I haven't found any other amp that can do the Fender to Marshall thing as well in stock trim. With a few mods it can even sound like a Boogie/Soldano and do it in stereo!