Mr. Burton":1vecq974 said:
I will go to bat for Rivera. My TBR5 is the terminator of power amps. Military grade components and 160w per side with 6550's. I think the only power amps in existence that are higher wattage are the Mesa Strategy series. Built like a brick $hithouse but weighs a TON and 4 spaces. I will say that it is a pain in the ass to work on. To bias you will need to disassemble the chassis by removing the top plate, disconnect the fan, then remove the bottom plate to access the bias points. Tons of options for power tubes though 6ca7, el34, 6l6, 6550, or KT77.
The Mesa 2:90 and 2:100 power amps are much easier to work on. Tubes are accessible from the back and fixed bias so just swap and go.
Is there a reason you are going for high wattage? Is it headroom that you are looking for? There is no way in hell I can realistically get power tube distortion with my setup without killing every living thing within a 6 block radius. I simply want the cleanest representation I can get of my preamp signal and my TBR5 has that in spades.
I play brutal Death Metal, and in a Doom band. In both bands we are very loud. 2 4x12 cabs in stereo, or 2 2x12 in stereo for smaller venues. I currently use a Kasha JK150 with 4 KT-88 for my rack rig. I have 2, but they are very rare, and not ready to take them on the road again. Those Rivera amps are pretty rare, I would be interested for sure. I found 1, but 800.00 upcharge for 8 6550 power tubes. They come with EL-34 tubes at 1499.00 Ouch.
