are we over Rivera amps ?

The site is still up, but there's been nothing new from them in a long ass time. My KII is still my main amp for shows and band practice, but when I'm playing by myself I mainly use my Uber these days.

I think they need to put out a new amp to rekindle interest in the brand.
 
I noticed one of their dealers has some new KR7s which I haven't seen available in quite a few years. They may just be more focused on the attenuators.

Also, some manufacturers hit the supply chain wall a couple years ago and just pulled back from building while others pushed through and adapted.
 
Yeah Mick moved on from Rivera to Omega round 2 album cycles ago. Not exactly sure why but it's working out well for him from the looks of it.
 
I've owned three M100s, an M60 and a Knucklehead 55. Would love to get a TBR-1SL. Of the M series amps, I actually preferred the M60. Maybe it was just tat amp, but it was tighter and more focused. Definitely have one of the best clean channels of any switcher.
 
Chris O said:
Never heard Skid Row live in those days, but never found anything particularly great about their album tones. Jason Bieler from Saigon Kick turned them on to Rivera IIRC, but he had MONSTER tone…
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Yep, had one of Jason’s own TBR1SLs for a year. My drummer called dibs so he has it now. He also has a 1M.
The Lizard has great tone…as does SR Slave to the Grind, using M100s…they are 80% a TBR1SL from what I read long ago. SR toured with SK and they loved Jason’s tone so much they sourced the M100s
 
Juggernaut said:
I have one, I've got the TBR-1SL, LOVE this amp. Thing just screams.
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yep...SL had more gain/distortion and M had more headroom/old school...if i could pick between the two i would've picked SL (when you're young...never enough gain...right?) but...M was on offer and i jumped on it...i wasnt buying it new...
 
The M and more so TBR series require a high technical acumen to dial in. Once you get it, they’re amazing, but you have to understand the controls and how they relate.

The Knucklehead was less tweak ability and updated for 90’s rock/metal.

These amps are VERY sensitive to tube swaps. I ran all Mullards in my M60 and the thing just breathes. Running the SL channel with both gains off yielded plexi tones that crushed for stuff like Thin Lizzy when the master is opened up. The Slavemaster gets op amp Big Muff tone with ALL the articulation you miss from the pedal.

At the end of the day they are boutique amps for masters, and that’s why they had so many top players in their artist roster.

With today’s degenerating level of intelligence, I fear the common player just can’t grasp the value of such works of art.
 
I actually just picked up a Knucklehead 55 Reverb and think it’s outstanding! I’ve always bypassed Rivera’s. But for the money you can get them used I would say they are hard to beat!

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SFW said:
I've owned three M100s, an M60 and a Knucklehead 55. Would love to get a TBR-1SL. Of the M series amps, I actually preferred the M60. Maybe it was just tat amp, but it was tighter and more focused. Definitely have one of the best clean channels of any switcher.
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I have an M60 and a TBR-SL; both will always be with me. And you are darn correct about the clean channels -- severely underrated.
 
Knucklehead 2x12 combo a local-ish band was using years ago was one of the best live hard rock tones I've ever heard.


Lusted after one ever since but I've still never gotten one
 
Nigel said:
The M and more so TBR series require a high technical acumen to dial in. Once you get it, they’re amazing, but you have to understand the controls and how they relate.

The Knucklehead was less tweak ability and updated for 90’s rock/metal.

These amps are VERY sensitive to tube swaps. I ran all Mullards in my M60 and the thing just breathes. Running the SL channel with both gains off yielded plexi tones that crushed for stuff like Thin Lizzy when the master is opened up. The Slavemaster gets op amp Big Muff tone with ALL the articulation you miss from the pedal.

At the end of the day they are boutique amps for masters, and that’s why they had so many top players in their artist roster.

With today’s degenerating level of intelligence, I fear the common player just can’t grasp the value of such works of art.
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tech acumen...thats exactly what i meant kinda aimed at, when i called it ' a mother of all amps' .... TBRs are tweakable to infinity (lets not pretend to be modest)...paul rivera thought of everything prior...that was the era of ppl bringing fridge sized racks to gigs and he thought within that frame and won!

killed that thirst for 4 diff amps for 6 diff songs and a maytag sized effect rack....and....no impact on wider axe wielding public ?

ppl just went: whats that ? meeeeeh !!

meanwhile (back at the ranch)...i have to keep reading and listening praises to some crude and useless marshalls from that era that were stamped in a cookie cutter fashion but all of a sudden they're 'vintage' , old school sound...

i wouldnt touch them with a wooden pole in the 90's and now merchants are rewritting history for young suckers in order to push that stock out of warehouses ??? ....and it works !!!
' great crunch' ??? yes! because it has no gain to cross over to proper distortion...but at least it has a shitty clean sound ! :ROFLMAO:
 
DanTravis62 said:
Killer!

Have any clips of it?

The knucklehead reverb is always the Rivera that appealed to me most
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Not yet. Still getting it dialed in with tubes etc. But I can do an IPhone clip ! I’m Vegas checking out Motley Crue and Def Leppard! But I will get something soon!
 
Vince Gill ran 2 combos live back in the 90s era and he had killer tone.I can't recall models they were tho.
 
errrrrl said:
It's almost as if they did fold up and disappeared which is kinda sad. Them and Fryette need to either release something new-ish or do what everyone else is doing and make a lunch box or small 50 watt. I love my K-tre but its a loud sonamabitch lol... I just checked and surprisingly there is a lot of Rivera stuff for sale on Sweetwater so not folded up yet.
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I hate lunchbox amps. I hate the look of them. I wish companies made more full size small wattage amps (like budda)
 
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