Rivera TBR M1 vs. SL

[guitarnie]

Anybody ever a/b or have played both? I never heard either one of them. I have owned a few Rivera's and have one now.
Kinda in the dark on the gain on the "M", any insight? comparisons?
I do not know any friends that have played through one.
The mod to a "SL" chatter, made me inquire.
Thanks
(Yes this is pertaining to almost done deal here on RT.)

 

[mentoneman]

i had the tbr-1 standard
built like a tank and endless features


the m was dumble/mesa 1 lead and the sl was superlead along the lines of whitesnake crunch if i'm not mistaken-i inquired about modding mine to SL but rivera said he ran out of the parts he needed to do it.

the guy i bought the amp from had one of the best clean tones using it in stereo with 2 bogner cubes but i didnt like the drive so much but when i sold it the guy who bought it had some really hot pickups and the amp came alive!

i used it for the stereo power amp with a triaxis rack rig

 

[guitarnie]

I plan on running it via Rivera 4 /12 V30 stereo , maybe half wet? Really have no idea what to expect other than close to Fender cleans.

 

[Dave L]

I´ve tried all three versions, and mentoneman is right on the money. The M has a singing vibe like an early Boogie. Not really a high gainer in the modern sense. The SL is really crunchy and aggressive in comparison.

I´ll probably pick up a standard again, one of these days. I liked the voicing on the lead channel on the standard I had over both the M and SL versions, but it´s got little enough gain to need an overdrive or a boost in front.