Rivera M60-210

This is a great amp, but it takes a lot of time to learn how to use it. It?s an all tube, two channel, 60 watt combo that comes stock with two proprietary Eminence speakers specially designed for Rivera. I believe the newer models (it is still available though only through special order,) come with Celestion speakers. This amp plays much bigger than its footprint.
I copied the data below from another M60 review so credits to the original poster:

1 Lo input
2 High input
3 Channel 1 Volume (push channel select)(LED)(footswitchable)
4 Bass (Pull channel 1 gain)
5 Middle (pull notch)
6 Treble (pull gain 2 for channel 1)
7 Master
8 Volume (Channel 2) (LED)
9 Treble (pull boost)
10 Middle (pull notch)
11 Bass (pull contour)
12 Master (channel 2, pull Ninja Boost)(footswitchable)
13 Reverb (push reverb select)(footswitchable)
14 Slavemaster gain (push Salvemaster)(footswitchable, also has it's own effects loops built in...)(led)
15 Slavemaster level (push for slavemaster effects loop)(LED for loop)
16 Focus (LED)(for slavemaster to show how hard you are pushing it)
17 Presense
18 Standby switch, 3 way with high on top standby in middle and low 19 power on switch

back panel

power cord (detachable as they ALL should be)
main fuse
fuse
1. Polarity switch
2. Hum adjust
3. Power class (Triod or pentode)
4. Speaker 1
5, Speaker 2
6. Line out
7. Impedance selector (4, 8, or 10 ohms)
8. Footswitch (FS-1 for reverb, channel select and effects loop)
9. Footswitch (FS-2 for Slavemaster and Ninja boost)
10. Send (effects loop for Slavemaster, footswitchable)
11. Return (effects loop for Slavemaster, footswitchable)
12. Effects loop return level (footswitchable, main effects loop)
13. Effects loop return
14. Effects loop send level
15. Effects loop send

I?ve seen many reviews on alt.guitars.amps and other places on the internet complaining about the ?Lead tone? for channel 1. I think these complaints are unfounded. However, when I first powered up the amp and set it for what would on most other amps be a great lead sound a low volume, it sounded like crap! I began to fret thinking that maybe these negative reviews just might be right. Then after perusing the Rivera.com forum I found that this amp really only sounds good LOUD. I began to experiment with various settings at increased volume and MAN, I was in ?Hog Heaven.? Channel 2 (the clean channel) sounds great at any volume. It has a wonderful ?fendery? quality to it and goes from sparkly clean to edgy clean just fine. The reverb is good but not perfect. I use the amp with a Guild Bluesbird AAA and a Peavey T60 (see my reviews for these as well.) The Bluesbird has humbuckers only and the Peavey can be switched from humbucker to single coil. The amp sounds great with both humbuckers and single coil pickups.
WARNING: THIS IS NOT A BEDROOM AMP! The sound quality at low volume is not ?bedroom quality.?
Even with only 2 10? speakers, this jewel is all you?d need in most live settings. It really holds it?s own. I plan on getting one of the 2x10 extension cabinets to go with it in the future, but for now I can run it through my 4x12 cabinet when I need to move more air. I am very happy with the sound of the Eminence speakers, but since I don?t aim to replicate anyone else?s sound, I?m not as picky as some. This is a very quiet amp.

From all that I?ve read, and from what I can see, these things are super high quality and built to last a lifetime (kind of like the 60s Fenders were.) I have used it without a backup and wouldn?t worry most times, but the boy scout in me always ?be prepared? so I usually keep a backup handy most times anyway.

Great response and a proven track record in customer care. Although, I wish they?d update their web site more often.

I got the M60 2x10 with a flight case and newly installed JJ EL84s and the FS5 full control footswitch for $700.00. It also came with the manual and all of the schematics. This was a great deal and I?m really happy with what I?ve received. I would definitely replace this if ever stolen. I have been playing guitar for 33 years and play my own Rock/Blues/Jazz style. I do not try to copy the sound of other players and I?m very happy to have an amp that allows me to carve out my own tones. This is a serious piece of professional equipment and I feel it would be a waste of money for a ?bedroom player.? But for a working professional that plays various styles it is quite adequate. This is probably not the perfect amp every player, but if your situation is similar to mine, you?ll be really pleased with the Rivera M60 2x10.

See the previous review for features as he did a good job. This amp excels in one especially important way: it sounds really good at both low volumes and at gigging volumes. This amp is the most versatile amp that I have ever owned and I really like being able to dial in some good sounds for playing at home in very low volume situations (I live in a Condo) and being able to reproduce the same good sounds playing out with a few changes to the power and boost settings. Some advice: download the manual from Rivera's website, copy the recommended settings into Excel or Word and use them as a starting point to get the sounds you want. I really recommend this as the Pentode/Triode switch and the boost functions really make a huge difference in the sound. I really needed to use the recommended sounds as a reference point to find the tones I liked - from there I found some really great tones. Without the manual, I think that I would have got frustrated trying to find the sounds I wanted. This amp definitely takes time to get used to but it is well worth the time. Will Ray from the Hellecasters says "Most amps I grow out of in three months. This is the first amp I can grow into." I think that this is a really good statement about the amp overall.
I play mostly blues and rock with a little jazz thrown in and this amp can really deliver for those styles. It has plenty of power for my home use and small gigs. The only feature that I wish it had, and that I perhaps did not understand the manual, is the ability to plug in another 2x10 cabinet. The manual was a little confusing about this point to me anyway.

I use a Fender Strat Plus with Gold Lace Sensors and a 1970 Les Paul Deluxe that was retrofitted with PAF humbuckers. As I have said, the amp does whatever I want it to do for the playing situation I am in. I find the distortion sounds to be very good compared to "natural" overdriven sounds from my other amps. They really got it right. The clean sounds are also fantastic as is the reverb. I can set Channel 2 to a nice slightly dirty sound and use the footswitch to go to Channel 1 (the British side) with a nice fat tone by pulling the Bass boost out and keeping the other EQs "in". You definitely have to fiddle with this amp to get the sounds you want but it is worth the effort. One thing I noticed is that the amp "starts up" with the reverb off and I was very pleased with the "dry" tones. Few amps I have owned sound good without reverb but this one is great especially with the "Focus" knob on 10 which is its "loosest" setting for the speakers.
Lastly, I really like the way the cabinet is constructed as it attains a nice balance between too loose sounding and too tight. The amp weighs 75 lbs and I have found that the greater the mass of the cabinet the less likely you are to have buzzes and rattles. A lighter cabinet will make more noise with higher volumes but some of this is good and the Rivera strikes a good balance of resonance and clean sounds. I do not like tube buzzing in an amp and this one has only minor buzzing at high gain/volume settings. Overall, a very good sounding cabinet/speaker setup.

I haven't had any problems with the amp in the few months that I have owned it. Channel switching is quiet and clean. I bring this amp to gigs even if I want to use antoher because it never lets me down - a Fender Bassman RI recently crapped out on me and I was glad that I lugged the Rivera with me.

No idea on this category though I have read that service is acceptable. I certainly would not want to bring this amp to any amp-tech as there is a lot going on inside so I would guess that I would have to send it to California for service - not a great prospect.

I've been playing for 15 years and have owned a lot of boutique amps such as Matchless, Dr. Z, Tone King, etc. as well as a buch of Fenders and Mesa Boogies. I like this amp a lot for its versatility and sounds. I would put it up there with Measa Boogie and Fender products but not the one or two "great sounds" from the other manufacturers. That said, I would rather own this amp than the boutique amps because it really gives me lots of tones that are great in their own right. In a live situation, this amp is the best amp that I have owned and for playing at home it is a really great amp for getting lots of good sounds.
I really recommend that you try these amps out and especially give notice to the recommended sound settings to see what it really can do. The Pentode/Triode interaction with the boost settings are really great tone shapers as opposed to simple volume adjustments. Don't be fooled by its Terminator looks (black carpet and iron grille) - this amp can really produce. Listen with your ears and not your eyes and I think that you will be satisfied with the wide range of Vintage and Modern sounds you can get. Happy playing!

This is the same amp as the M60 212 model reviewed by another user. I thought their review was accurate, so check it out. My description of the amp would be: 2 channel amp with separate preamp controls for both channels. Channels are switchable. With a little experimentation, this amp delivers a wide range of sounds and is quite versatile.

I play both single coil pickups (Tom Anderson) and humbucking pickups (Les Paul) through this amp. To adapt the amp to either type of pickup is greatly facilitated by the notch filter built into to midrange control. You can select one of two center points and they are designed for, at at least work very well at, compensating for differences between pickup types. Sound shaping is excellent (treble w/boost, mid w/notch, bass w/boost). Distortion and gain is very flexible as both channels have a Slave Master feature that adds a defineable amount of gain, along with the hotter gain structure of the distortion channel, and the somewhat out of control high gain stage of the Ninja Boost. Acheiving a varaiety of clean and overdriven sounds is easy, consistent and flexible. The clean sounds can mimic a wide range of Fender to Vox sounds, and are quite good. They lack the greasy, shimmering, glassy, dripping-with-tone sound of a Matchless, but are more musical than many Fenders I have owned. The distortion sounds are pretty good, and can be responsive to picking attack. They will probably not satisfy most metal players, but to each his own. The effects loop is switchable and silent, with adjustable input/output gain controls. Overall noise level is OK, and better than some amps I have owned.

I am currently having a problem with the effect loop circutry that may be defective input jacks, but I don't think so. The problem results in total silence or drastically reduced signal when the effects loop is engaged. Aside from this and tube changes the amp has posed no problems. One service tech claimed numerous switching problems with Rivera amps and found them difficult to trouble shoot. He would not even estimate the cost to replace the swiching circutry used in the amp, so I can not comment on his level of expertise. Otherwise, the reliablity has been just fine. Its built like a tank, and should be very durable.

I have sent email to Rivera and gottne responses in 2 to 5 days. Consistently, only a portion of my questions get answered, which is frustrating. Phone calls have not been returned.

Originally, it was the best amp I had ever plugged into. Very versatile, and well designed. Sonically, I have found other amps that exceed the Rivera but cost somewhat more. I find the Rivea to have a harsh quality for both the clean and distored sounds. This may be partly due to the 10" Celestion speakers. I intend to keep the amp, but will look for another amp in the near future.