Rivera Suprema 55

2005 PRODUCTION YEAR
I THINK IT MEETS MY NEEDS
VAN HALEN - METALLICA
2 CHANNELS CLEAN AND DIRTY WITH BOOST ON BOTH ALMOST MAKING IT 4 CHANNELS
WITH THE DRIVE CHANNEL HAD MORE SUSATAIN WITHOUT THE BOOST ON.WITH THE BOOST ON IT DOES SOUND AWESOME.
GIG WITH THIS AMP, OR PRACTICE

2-EL34 5 12AX7...........

EVH MUSIC MAN KNOCKOFFS X2 WITH FLOYDS TONE ZONES AND AIR NORTONS
1 JACKSON DINKY LOADED WITH A EVO 2, 2 JACKSON SINGLE COILS
NOT ANY NOISER THAN ANY OTHER HI GAIN AMP
MARSHALL, FENDER SUPER TWIN, HEAVY MARSHALL, 5150, BOOGIE MK4
CLEAN CAN BE VERY SPANKY WITH SUSTAIN
THE BOOSTED DRIVE CA\HANNEL DOES KICK, IM TOLD OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS THAT THEY HAVE GOTTEN MORE GAIN

TALKED WITH PAUL JR. HE STATED THEY COULD MOD THE AMP AND ADD MORE GAIN IM SENDING TO THEM FOR THE MOD IM TOLD RIVERA MODS THERE STUFF ALL THE TIME TO MEET CUSTOMERS NEEDS HOW COOL IS THAT

IM SOLD 25 YEARS PLAYING I WILL BUY ANOTHER RIVERA

Features are pretty straightforward. Standout features for me are the four footswitchable sounds, separate EQ's for each channel, the closed back cab, and the quality construction. Two channels - a "british" voiced, and an "American" voiced. I like both equally well. The "british" channel certainly has a bit more pre-amp gain to it, but I wouldn't necessarily call the "American" channel clean. I have really been impressed by the drive this channel puts out. Regarding the closed back cab, I had my doubts about this at first but have found it very usable on stage as it's easier to control than an open back cab. Soundmen I have worked with have all remarked about this. Also, some have remarked that the "Ninja" boost is too loud. I have not found this to be the case with my amp. I have foud it very usable for my needs. It doesn't make the sound to much louder, it just adds a whole lot "more"... Not sure how to explain it any other way. I don't really use it as a boost, more as a separate sound altogether. For the most part, I have really liked the features this amp has, but I don't care much for the design of the rear panel. It's very tough to get at power tubes, you have to remove a screwed-on panel of wood to change tubes. Also, the bias control is inside the amp. Tubing and biasing are not convenient at all, if this thing goes out in the middle of a gig, there will be no quick fixes here. For that reason, I rate an 8. Rating is based on the usefulness of the features of the amp.

This amp has met all of my needs. I use this amp in live situations for a large variety of styles of music in a wide variety of situations, and this amp has performed exceptionally well for me to this point. Don't write off the Ninja Boost. Use your head and listen to what it does, I have found it to be extremely usable once I figured out what it was good at. I use all four footswitchable tones about equally, I don't favor one over the other because they all do their job exceptionally well. I would say this is a great workhorse amp, It has done everything I needed it to do, and done a great job of it.

This amp is built very well. I have not had a single issue with it, it has held up very well. My only issue with this amp would be that it is poorly designed for tube maintenance. I would never own a non-tube amp, but something that one must accept with a tube amp is that tubes occasionally have "issues". This amp does not allow one to deal with tube "issues" easily. You have to unscrew the rear panel before you can access the tubes, and you have to take the chassis out to access the bias control. Fortunately this does not have to be done often, but in a gig, if a power tube goes your amp is finished for the evening. Again, I want to stress that the amp is built very well, and I am quite pleased with it overall.

Have not dealt with Rivera at all. Purchasing accessories is tough if you don't live in a place that has a dealer. Also, their web site does not appear to be updated very often.

Solid workhorse amp, very usable features and tones. My opinion of this amp has improved since purchase, no buyers remorse whatsoever. I expect this amp will be my main gig amp for years to come.

I bought this amp in 2004. It's set up as two channels, channel one is an approximation of the Marshall crunch and Mesa dropped mids tones and channel two is an approximation of the Fender clean to slightly dirty tone. Both channels have an independent boost controlable by the footswitch or push pull knobs. In reality both channels can be clean or dirty. Channel two (Fender) sounds better on clean but can nail the slightly overdriven blues sounds of SRV and Hendrix. Channel one is better for heavy metal (Metallica), classic rock (AC/DC), modern rock (Green Day), and thrasher lead tones. The beauty of the amp is that both eq's are active rather than passive as on most amps. This allows you to really customize your tones, wonderful... no more overdrive pedals. There is a universal reverb and presence knobs, an effects loop send and return with an effect blend knob. The FS-7 is a great footswitch as well, very quite. The Rivera Knucklehead amps have MIDI capability but the Suprema 55 does not. This is not an issue for me since I don't use to many effects. The effects loops on the Suprema are dead quiet.

My Carvin guitar has active electronics like the Suprema. I love having the ability to tweek every part of my setup to my taste. I like to play the blues, hard rock, classic rock and heavy metal and occasionally throw out some Wes Montgomery feelin riffs. When I ordered this amp I had Rivera switch out the standard Celestion Vintage 30 for the Celestion G12-75T in an attempt to drop the mids and lose the mid range honk ala CCR. Not that CCR type honk is bad, I just don't prefer it for the type of music I like to play. Because it's a ported cabinet the sound tends to be a bit more focused on the low end than an open back amp. It's hard to describe but the closed back Suprema doesn't sound as airy as other open back amps. This has its advantages and disadvantages I think. The closed back gives your guitar sound sort of a phantom bass sound, like playing with a understated bass guitarist. It's something you can feel in your gut, like a wall of sound type thing. Too me it has the 4x12 cabinet feel but not the same projection power (you won't blow the roof off your house... entirely). The sound is really solid, like the definition Hendrix gets with Band of Gypsies. Lets not forget treble, this thing has enough bite to cut through the mix and cut glass if you want it too. When I thought about the build of this amp I figured it could pretty much be turned into the same configuration as the Bogner Shiva by changing the speaker setup and cost about half as much. I'm not really sure if I've achieved a tone as "magical" as the Bogner Shiva as other reviewers have described it but my Suprema just about made me spluge in my pants the first time I heard it.

Built like a German tank. There are so many screws in this thing... Absolultly beautiful craftsmanship, flawless. I haven't had the amp that long so I can't judge the reliability from my own experience but I did by the amp in part because of the Rivera reputation for building solid work-horse amps. I don't forsee any problems besides routine maintenance like changing tubes.

Tried to e-mail them a couple times but didn't get a response. I've heard they like telephones better. When I oredered my amp I also requested a leather handle instead of the stock rubber handle. They had to make different cuts in the cabinet than the stock amps. My dealer (Zach at Guitars Etc.) originally said it would take 12 weeks to build the amp but Rivera got it done and delivered in about 3 weeks. Now that's service!

I've been playing on and off for about 10 years but I think this is kind of irrelevant for the quality conscious consumer. There are a lot of windbags out there that wouldn't know a sound port from... you know. Just be sure to demo your amp before you decide to buy, your ears will tell you whats right for your. Oh yeah, I dont know what I'd do without this amp if something happened to it. It inspires me to play, for me that's what the "holy grail" of an amplifier should do. I hope this helped someone out there.

I bought mine new, well over a year ago now, I believe it was made in 2001. The Sales guy said they had just got it in from the factory a few days before. I believed them because it still had the new amp "smell" when it heated up. If you ever had a new amp you know what I'm talking about. This amp is very versatile. I don't have to depend on two or three other amps for different tones. That saves me some set-up time. The effects loop is nice, but it took me some time to get used to. I found that I had to play with the in and out levels to match the signal that I had if I was only going straight into the input jack from my guitar. On the web site,Rivera said to use a 50/50 wet mix. What the hell is that? I didn't know, I just spun around the knobs until I got the right sound. Fifty five watts is a lot for me, maybe too much at times. But that's just me. I always have a volume pedal in front of my loop in case I have to pull back while my hands are busy. But I like the way the single 12" breaks up. That's kind of the reason why I bought in the first place.

I play a few different guitars including a Gibson es-345 with PAF's, which was very thick and heavy sounding on my old Fender amp, but on the Suprema 55, the treble and mid notches clean that right up. That guitar sings on this amp. That guitar with a glass slide, and thick reverb, sound absolutely great. This amp can make all my guitars sound good. I also play a Strat with a full set of Bardens, A Gibson '54 gold top with P-90's, and a Tele with Harmonic Design PU's. Each guitar has it's "own" amp knob settings, but they all sound great on this amp. I really like channel 1 and it's range, from bluesy growel, to all out crunch. I would stop short of calling it a Marshall sound, because it doesn't really have that raspy marshall sound, which is good, I think. I actually think it sounds better, but that's just me. I really like the clean side, especially with my strat and my tele. I like this amp's crunch. It has a lot of fullness without being "woofy". I've had Fender amps that just absolutely farted at high volumes, this amp doesn't do that. I don't like that shrill, trebly, '80's kind of distortion either that some other amps do. This one sounds really good. That's probably why I like this amp so much.

Has not failed me yet, I've played it hard for over a year. I may have to get a road case for it though, I've been careful with the grill cloth so far but I know one day, something's bound to go through it.

Haven't had the opportunity. Oh yeah, why hasn't Rivera updated their Web site in over two years? What's going on there? Makes me kind of wonder about them.

I'm glad to see some one else has written in about this amp. I am still wondering why I never hear more about it. This has been a real workhorse for me, and still sounds great after over a year of playing. I like this amp. It's suits me just fine. I guess I'll play it until it either blows up or gets stolen. I just can't get tired of it for some reason.

My amp is a 1999 Rivera covered in red tolex (I think this is un upgrade option over the standard black tolex) and the front grill, well it's also in some custom color :)
This amp is a closed back combo, this is the first combo I saw with a losed back and I didn't know how to take it at first but now I think this is one of the nicest features on it.
There are 2 channels (Basicly this is like an R series amp): the first channel is 'marshall' type of sound and the second one is 'fender' type.
Both channel have controlls for gain, volume, treble, mid and bass and a boost option.
Both channel sound heavenly even at low volumes (This is a 55w tube amp).
The first channel has a really aggressive distortion and that marshally clean tone that I really like and it's great for all the heavier things you need to play, add the boost and the tone will get much richer in harmonics to get a different sound.
The second channel sounds to me better then most fender amps i played and surly better then the deville (my last amp) it's really fender tone what can i say?
You can push the mid and treble controls to get a more tweed tone and it workds great with a strat's 4th position (nack and middle), this channle also has a boost option that works the same as on the first channel (but in a fender kind of way).
Other then the two channels there are a reverb and presence control that are pretty handy. The reverb is wonderfull!
One of the greatest features of this amp is the FX loops with send and recieve volume controll, I didn't have it on my old amp and don't know how could I manage without it!!!
What else?
Footswitch to select channels and turn volume boosts on and off for eatch channel (Well built), 5 12ax7 tubes and 2 el34 power tubes, low and high inputs, speaker out and line out.

Sounds great!!!
Very easy to dial in a great tone even at lower volumes... AMAZING reverb unit - tones of bass if you want it from the closed back cabinet.
The fender tones are nothing less then amazing - will kill any new fender you will put against it.

Looks very well built + removable wheels.
The red tolex is a little more gentel then the black standard one.

Very helpful, Paul answered me himself!

This is one of the best amps around my friends.
I really don't know why Rivera amps are not as popular as mesa or whatever high end maker you might think about!
This is the best amp I played on and I will be shocked when I will hear anything sounding better then it!
IT'S REALLY THAT GOOD and Rivera should pay me for doing such a commercial to them, I am getting everyone I know to hear this amp and everyone just can't believe thier ears.
If you are looking for an amp - Get this one!

Oh, I bought it with an extension cab so that's why I payed 1300$, I guess it's less without the cab but I had this crazy idea I will need 2 12" speakers but this is so powerful I do not use the cab.

2000 model. EL34 power tubes. Two channels, each with a boost so essentially its like having four channels. Closed back cabinet with a Celestion vintage 30. Reverb, presence, mids and normal tone controls. Effects loop with send and return controls. Well built heavy duty foot switch. Made very well. I bought the powered LosLowbottom subwoofers with it, 12" JBL speaker.

I have several guitars that I play through this. 99' Les Paul, McInturff Glory, SRV Strat, Nighthawk, to name a few. They all sound very nice. I believe the humbucking equiped guitars sound best. We play mainly cover rock tunes from the 70's, 80's & 90's. Plus some heavy blues. This amp can cover most all the bases as far as I'm concerned. I wanted an amp that has some great tone both clean and driven and it pretty much does that. However it took me quite some time to get the sub to sound good with the amp to me. There are a couple of ways to hook the sub up to the amp. I tried and tried to get a great crunchy sound by hooking up the sub through the low level pass route which was recommended but just could not find any happiness. I have had this amp about a year and I finnaly hooked the sub up by using the other option which is to just run it from the ext. speaker out, and guess what ? after adjusting the 'umph' factor from the sub I am very happy with the sound now. I am a firm believer that YOU must be happy with the sound after adjusting it the way YOU want to hear it. So after all this - it now gives a great crunch and over driven sustain sound. This is an all tube amp and as such I am very picky about tone. I have a couple of niggles with the clean sounds for this amp. The 'clean' sounds are very nice but there is some amount of speaker 'buzz' at below med volumes with the amp as well as the sub. I have had the back off the amp and sub to try and tighten up the speakers and buzz is still there albeit not that noticable but this unit was alot of money and I expect it to be near perfect, but it is not. I have never bought an amp that has been perfect and I have gone through quite a few. Also, I noticed when I first received this set up that you get some 'buzz' by placing the amp directly on top of the sub woofer, which is the most logical way to set it up. I found that this buzz was directly related to the amount of reverb you use. Less reverb, less buzz. Now keep in mind that all of these buzz's from this amp are really pretty minor and mostly likely bother me more than most others, plus when using this set up in a band situation you don't notice it either. I have been told that the reverb buzz is induced by the transformer in the power amp section of the sub woofer cabinet and that by placing a sheet of stainless steel between the amp and sub woofer would eliminate this issue, haven't tried that yet. I have used an amp stand and placed the sub below the stand and this works well. I give the sound quality an 9 only becasue of the minor issues mentioned, and they really are minor. The amps tones are really very awesome and I am overall very happy.

I have not used it out much but it has worked well at home and in the couple of jams that I have taken it to. I had to have the power tubes replaced soon after I got it is all.

I have called Rivera a couple of times and they have been very helpful on the phone. I tried email and had some success but better just to call them. They sent me out some new power tubes immediatly after receiving the amp. I am happy with their service.

I will rate this amp an 8 for two reasons. I don't believe there is a perfect amp out there and I have had some minor issues with it. I am overall very pleased with it though. I don't know if I would buy it again because I like trying different things. Although I might definately buy another Rivera model. I have been playing for 25 years.

Everything is simple and useful. channel switching is good, and with the boosts on both channels it's like having access to four separate sounds via the footswitch. I wish that the db gain was somewhat less with the clean boost especially, but I will contact Rivera as this might be tweakable. EL34 outputs tubes, 55 watts, 12AX7 preamp tubes, a pretty standard Rivera design. I like the sealed back cabinet--better projection overall. maybe this is why Rivera didn't provide the "Focus" knob that is available on some of their other amps like the Quiana

I'm basically a blues cat, but I can play the jazz chord melody stuff pretty well, and I often play horn parts or do comping behind horn soloists. For leads I like a fat overdriven tone. I use a Gibson ES 335, a 73 Fender strat, and a new PRS hollowbody (a FINE sounding instrument), and the Suprema works great with all of them. Effects are limited to a Vox wah, Boss blues driver, and a HK rotosphere. Maybe the guy below got a "bum" one or maybe he just ain't hip to what Rivera is about, because my suprema possesses a good amount of warmth and depth, nice harmonics. My amp arsenal is an old Marshall SuperBass head which I run thru std Marshall 4x12 straight cab w/ celestion greenbacks, 3 Fender combos (one silverface one blackface vibrolux rvb and one tweed bassman reissue) and I've also owned alot old combos (ampeg, gibson, vox). The Marshall is my main, I a/b footswitch the bassman for a clean sound. The main band I'm in plays a cross btwn 60s rock and chicago-style blues and the stage is pretty crowded. No, the suprema is not a "10" (that would be the old Marshall), but for my gig it is still an amazing sounding amp. I've got horns and keys to complement and when it's time for a lead the sucker cuts through in a big way. took about two gigs for me and the soundman to find the right setup with the tone controls especially for the clean channel, but now that we have it we just tweak it to EQ it to the room. The British voiced channel doesn't really sound like a Marshall to me--it sounds like a Rivera, sort of in between Marshall and Mesa Boogie but without the boxy Boogie-ness if you know what I mean. But it sounds damn good, just wish the distortion channel boost was a little less noisy. I get nice "brown" tone with great harmonics with the British channel in non-boost mode & the gain on about 6 and my overdrive pedal set to moderate boost with a little drive. even when I play a complex chord with the distortion channel it still sounds good. amp works well with both gibson and fender type guitars. My main complaint about the suprema is that the distortion channel gets a little noisy in boost mode. The amp is easy to use and fun to play, tones are all good. Like one of the other reviewer said it's nice to have a combo that is not open back, I'm used to a cabinet esp for lead tones so this really helps the situation.

Built solid. It's a Rivera. I use road cases for some of the other amps, I don't have one for this amp yet even though it has some miles on it. the tolex is still good, it's being well cared for but I might invest in a road case just the same because the more I use this amp the more I like it. looks sharp too. I always have at least 2 other amps when travelling but for a local gig there's no need to have a backup the suprema performs great. haviang extra tubes around is good policy no matter what the amp is

This is the 2nd Rivera I've owned, their products keep improving. Great company, good service, they will not let you down.

I've been playing professionally for 20 years. I would replace this amp if it were lost or stolen. Great product. for me it serves a purpose, great focused tones in compact paackage, easy to use, best for medium volume gigs when you want one versatile amp. this is probably my favorite combo amp that Rivera makes.

TWo Channels, one voiced kinda like a Marshall, one kinda like a Black Faced era Fender. Good footswitch. Pretty versatile rig. With various stages of "boost" available, at least 4 pre-set tones are available at once. Closed back design - I thoght it would be hip.....wasn't.

Well, here's the deal. First off, let me say that I have been playing for 26 yrs., and have owned 30, tube amps over the years, ranging from classic Fender to Marshall, to all sorts of boutique stuff, ala Top Hat, Matchless. I am an admitted el84 junkie, (VOX AC30's) and such however, I decided after a test run to give this Suprema a try and bought one. I wanted something a little smaller than my AC30, and less tempermental. I had heard good things about Paul's products. I play original, guitar-driven pop-rock songs, with a dose of 70's thrown in for some straight-up kick-ass, ala FREE, BAD CO. , ZEP. So, the Suprema's tone?? BOOORRRINNNG. At first I thought this amp would create some very cool sounds, but I quickly realized that what it created was ONE sound with some subtle nuances. The tone controls in both channels were VERY inter-active, and I actually believe that this is the downfall of the amp. There is a constant battle between frequencies, resulting in a "compromised" sound, no matter how I tweaked the knobs. Now granted, I am very fussy, and am always looking for a somewhat unique tone. But, this ampo seem to pump out very generic, flat, un-yielding tones, that...well... had no "personality". The amp sounded like a Fender trying to wear someone else's coat. To me, it didn't pull it off. After a while, I realized that in a live situation, the best tones came from simply setting everything on 10, less the "Presence" which I left "off", because all it did was add a very harsh high end to an already high endy sounding circuit. The amp is great if you just want "rock 101", or a black face tone, this amp is great. But, if you want a compressed, tactile, unique tone, more akin to something you would put together with a good amp and some nice pedals, this amp just won't cut it. It doesn't like pedals very much at all. The stock distortion is rather square and dull, so I tried several over-drives, including a Fulltone 2, and others, they helped, but the tone remained bland. Needless to say, I have already traded the amp back in.

Seemed to be VERY well built.

Excellent. Recieved prompt respone from Paul regarding speaker query.

I think the Suprema is a well-made, decent sounding amp. But, it just didn't do it for me. It sounded like a Fender, meets Boogie, meets a rather bad impression of a Marshall-type tone. Yuck. The outcome: no real "identity" of its own. Just an amalgamation of tones that have been done better, by others. I guess if you don't care too much about your "personality", and are simply looking for a loud, reliable, work-horse that will give you so-so distortion, than this amp may be great. I guess I am just too much of an individualist when it comes to tone, and this amp just would not let "me be me." I think tones can be related to colors ie; blue, brown, red, yellow etc. I think a good amp allows the player to access several colors at a time, to be blended and pulled out of the amp, depending on the player's ability to do so. The Rivera had only one color, and it bassically hindered my ability to present the other colors which exist in my hands and head. As I said.....boring.

The basic electronics are similar to Rivera's R55 112. Basically, channel 1 is the dirty, more Marshall-like channel; channel 2 is the clean Fender-voiced channel. Excellent footswitch allows you to switch between the two, and allows you to kick in the boosts as well. Rivera's well-known "Ninja" boost for the clean channel is exceptionally cool. Effects loop has individual level controls for send and return. Amp is a 55 watt 112 w/a sealed back (!) Celestion V30. Tubes are 2 EL34 power tubes and 5 12AX7's in the preamp section. Clean channel also has push/pull knobs for brightness (on the treble control) and notch (on the mids control)...voiced like a blackface Fender w/the mid knob pushed in, voiced like an old tweed with the knob pulled (sounds awesome!). Both channels have master volume and gain controls, amp has overall Presence and Reverb control.

I've only had this amp for a couple of days, but it's already done two gigs in New York City, and has turned some serious heads. This thing cranks--sounds like a sealed-back 412, and has more than enough power for just about any club situation. Also sounds great right in your living room--very versatile.

I play a wide range of styles encompassing rock, blues, and jazz. This amp covers all the bases with beautiful, consistent glassy tone. After using Mesa Boogies heavily for the last 6 years, as well as a nice Marshall JCM 800 and select Fender Deville amps, the Suprema 55 is like a breath of fresh air! I'm using a stock Fender Lone Star Strat (with a Duncan humbucker in the bridge position) and a stock Fender American Telecaster--both single coils and humbuckers sound awesome through the Suprema. No, there is not as much overall gain on the dirty channel as with the Boogie, but the clarity and harmonics of each distorted note really chimes and cuts through--if I need a little more gain, I'll kick in a Fulltone Fulldrive 2. The other effects I use are wah, phaser, delay, and thru the effects loop a Korg G4 Leslie simulator. The first night I had this amp, I used it live, and everyone onstage immediately noticed the difference. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a better sounding amp in its price range.

Too early to tell, but it's built like a tank. I brought a backup amp to the first gig just in case. I'm a little surprised that the amp comes with only a 1-year warranty; I recently bought a Fender amp which has a 5-year transferable warranty. Fortunately though, if this thing does need to be repaired, it should be easier to negotiate than the innards of the Mesa Boogie. If there are any problems, I'll submit an update. I have high hopes for the Suprema, and given Rivera's track record, it will likely live up to my expectations.

I'd heard about Rivera's excellent customer support. While my amp was on order, I called them just to confirm the speaker model that was being installed, and Paul Sr. answered the call himself and addressed my questions professionally and courteously. This is a small organization, but they are very much on the ball. It took awhile to receive the amp (about 6 weeks), but I must say it was well worth the wait.

I've been playing for 23 years. I went through a dry spell where I focused more on my day gig, but several years ago I got recruited back into gigging steadily, and I'm now fortunate to be playing in 3 situations, two of which are strictly local and one which is visible on a regional level. Since I got back into playing, my ear has grown more attuned to guitar tone--I've owned Mesa Boogie, Fender, & Marshall gear, and I've played through tons of rented or borrowed gear, including boutique amps like the Matchless Chieftan, Bogner Shiva combo, and a Soldano once. I totally dig the boutique stuff, but that's big bucks. True, this amp ain't cheap, but it won't require a second mortgage. The sealed back Celestion sounds incredible--this amp really moves some serious air! If you're looking for a 112 combo amp in the $1000-$1500 price range, be sure to check out the Suprema 55. It's like having a Marshall and Fender in one amp, and unlike some other amps I've played through, the Suprema does both extremely well and is priced well below most of the boutique amps. A real winner

Seems to have the features I need. There is a boost on both channels, but the one on the dist. channels is more usable for me. More volume boost than is usable on the ninja. Sounds good as a stand alone channel. I do love the push pull on the clean channel for the midrange notch. It sounds like two different amps. I use it out most of the time. The closest I have found to a really cool modded Fender Super Reverb I once had. The boost on the dist. channel is great, but could be a little louder. The amp has 55 watts. More than enough to move some air. I have found it a little strange in the clean channel. I have to run the master on 7 or 8 to keep up with the dist. channel on 3. I like running tube amps hard. Don't get me wrong. Just seems different that amps I have owned in the past.

I guess this is what it is all about. I have a Fender Malmsteen strat. I am no shred monster. I just like the feel of the frets. I use a JB jr. in the bridge and an ever changing neck pick-up. I have a real problem. I never keep any amp for any length of time. I get bored quickly and can never find an amp that has a good clean and dist. sound. I have been really happy with this amp so far. I have had it for a few months now. I'll tell you one thing though. It lets you know when you make a mistake. This amp does'nt cover up sloppyness. I am a sloppy player. Yes, I can admit that now. The amp is not fuzzed out, even at max gain. The clean channel has that fat Fender clean sort of. Personally I think it is tighter in the low end. Which brings me to the biggest problem in combos. Where is the low end? This amp though has the most low end of any 1x12 I have ever played. Keeps up with my PV Classic 50 4x10 in that respect. Sound rating is a 9 because I have never heard a 10.

I expect this amp to be very reliable. It is built tighter than a drum. I gig most of the time without a back-up. I feel much better with this amp than any I have ever owned.

When I first bought this amp the Rivera e-mail was shut down because of a viris. Once back up I got a timely reply from the owner answering my questions. Tell me where else that could happen. I suspect any e-mail would be answered quickly.

I have been gigging out for 9 yrs now. I have played everything from Heavy Metal to country. I have owned Laney, PV 5150, PV Ultra 60, PV Classic 50 410, Red Bear (which was a really cool amp by the way) I used it with a Mesa Boogie V-Twin. Matchless Hot Box, Line 6, Marshall. I am on the quest to find the amp that can cover all the bases I need. (My band plays mostly classic rock, 50's through 70's) I could easily use this amp on a country gig or heavy rock gig. If it was stolen, I'd probly be screwed because I could'nt come up with the money again any time soon.
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