sgriff Posted June 13, 2002 Share Posted June 13, 2002 the Amp Hunt. Is anyone familiar with Rivera amps? the Quiana 212? If so, what are your thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickerman Posted June 14, 2002 Share Posted June 14, 2002 I played it and fell in love. Apart from the ultra-cheezy reverb, it's just about the best amp I've ever played. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickerman Posted June 14, 2002 Share Posted June 14, 2002 Oh yeah, also, without a doubt in my mind they're the most versatile amp I've ever played apart from modeling amps. Then again, the Quiana sounds 100 times better than any modeling amp... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgriff Posted June 14, 2002 Author Share Posted June 14, 2002 Do you have the Quiana 212? I'm going to check it out this weekend. I'm more into Fenders and Marshalls not so much into Mesa Boggies. Does it have any of those qualities. i'm supprised at how few people that attend Burning Man have never heard of the movie"The Wicker Man" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickerman Posted June 14, 2002 Share Posted June 14, 2002 I don't own it. I just ... want to. I visit her once a week or so. I love it but it's $900 used. I don't have that much and couldn't justify buying it if I did... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverfish Posted June 15, 2002 Share Posted June 15, 2002 Hello... butting in here... sgriff... Marshalls and Fenders are at oposite ends of the scale not to mention the atlantic. And Boogies are soupped up fenders. Early marshalls sound a tiny bit like fenders because they were bassman coppies but ran huge KT66 tubes. I don't think the quiana covers that much ground... you can't be in America and England at the same time. It's a fender style amp. Another great steroid fender amp is the Bruno check these babys out... big bucks though. BRUNO CUSTOM SHOP Silverfish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboDog Posted June 15, 2002 Share Posted June 15, 2002 I have had a 30-12 for about 3 years now. I have also spent many hours in front of an M60. Beside that, I have played thru several others. The Quiana is one of the few that I havent. But I do know lots about Riveras... First, let me disagree with the above poster about Riveras being more like Fenders. Most of the Riveras I've played thru used EL34's and had more of a Marshall tone than Fender. Riveras have two different channels, each with their own tone stacks. This is different from most 2 channel amps, which just add a gain stage or two to the second channel to derive more gain. The first channel is voiced similar to a hot-rodded Marshall. The second channel is voiced like a Fender, with a push/pull knotch in the mid knob to change the mid frequencies to get a "tweed" or "blackface" type tone. Where most Rivera models sound a bit different, they also sound a lot alike. The first channel is a great lead channel, with some of the best preamp gain I've ever heard. The second channel does clean really well (though not as well as most Fenders). It also breaks up pretty fast and gets you some great crunchy blues tones. If you like that tone where distortion just starts kicking in, you'll dig the second channel. Overall, I agree that they are the most versatile amps out there. They arent cheap amps, but they arent way overpriced like many high dollar amps (Matchless, Bogner, etc.) and I think they sound just as good. I too am not wild about the reverb, but I'm not big into reverb anyway. I keep mine about 3. If you buy one, think about a tube change. Originally they come with Sovteks (I believe). If it's used, defintely think about a tube change. Run over to the "Ask Myles" thread and ask him about power tube and the V1 preamp tube suggestions he may have. He has owned and worked on Riveras for many years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverfish Posted June 20, 2002 Share Posted June 20, 2002 Coming from England I grew up using Marshalls. I think I got my first one JTM45 twenty years ago. The Rivera does admittedly have some similarities in it's format of today's Marshalls... for one, they use Celestions (among other speakers) which will add to -- and some will say 'is' -- the Marshall sound but in my opinion even today's Marshalls don't sound like Marshalls anymore. Most amps nowadays sound generic. The EL34 is a tube at risk these days and Marshalls are now shipped with 6L6s even the Blues Breakers (which I've had three of) which should have KT66s. Perhaps of more importance is how the amp behaves... I think the Rivera "behaves" like a Fender. There is no doubt that amps today sound generic... listen to some Mark Bolan to hear what that "Marshall Sound" actually is, it's a fact it's not open for debate, there are too many people who agree with that, or listen to some early Clapton/Mayall Bluesbreakers it's right there, it even comes through in the recording... which is played on a digital CD player with transistors and ICs. The Rivera sounds nothing like it. Kids these days just whack up the gain and think that's the "Marshall" sound. There's a lot more to it than that. I sometimes use a Tube Screamer on top of a Boss Blues Driver to pile up the gain through my Bruno but it doesn't sound like a Marshall. Marshall sound is about tone it's not a gain thing. Sorry to have to disagree but I'm right. SF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboDog Posted June 20, 2002 Share Posted June 20, 2002 Silver, I've discussed Rivera amps with a few very knowledgable amp techs, including Myles (though I don't wish to speak for him.) The first channel in Riveras is set up very similar to Marshall tone stacks. Hence the term "British voiced". So to say a Rivera is designed like a Fender would be, IMO, incorrect, particularly in Channel 1. Add EL34's and it's plain wrong to say a Rivera channel 1 is anything like a Fender. Now, Riveras with 6L6's is a different story. Channel 2 with 6L6's starts sounding very Fenderish. The "Marshall" sound is a vague description. Hendrix tone was different from Cream's tone which was different from EVH's tone. Having spent hundreds of hours on my Riveras channel 1, I can tell you it's more "Marshall" than "Fender." Hey, what do I know, I'm just speaking from experience. How bout you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverfish Posted June 20, 2002 Share Posted June 20, 2002 Turbodog. That's cool... That is... it's all subjective. And it's all in the hands. Hendrix sounds like Hendrix through anything, as does Clapton etc etc... But for me there is a sound in the back of my mind which is "Marshall" I don't use Marshalls so much these days but I've had tons of 'em so yes... I'm speaking from experience. I like Rivera but I think perhaps for different reasons to you. Check out "Get it on" by Bolan and tell me that isn't where Marshall is at. It's all good... SF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverfish Posted June 20, 2002 Share Posted June 20, 2002 Perhaps it also has something to do with a "generation gap" I'm getting on a bit and saw Marshall at it's greatest. Regards... SF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboDog Posted June 21, 2002 Share Posted June 21, 2002 I guess we hijacked this guys thread with all this "Marshall" messiness. I dig the Marshall tone too. If you look at amps as 4 types of tone...Fender, Marshall, Boogie, and Vox; well Marshalls get me every time. For me, there's always been two amp setup favorites. First is a Marshall, second is a Fender with a Tubescreamer (more versatile as you can get great cleans and nice gain). So I have a Rivera. Channel 1 is "Marshall like" in it's gain, and I use a tubescreamer in front of channel 2 for cleans to saturated tube break-up for clean, blues, and some rock. I like the 30 watts for small to midsize gigs. I kust wish mine had a presence knob. And seperate EQ is a must for multi channel amps. There is only 1 reverb, but as I saind earlier, I'm not big on reverb so independent adjustment isn't necessary. Rock on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgriff Posted June 22, 2002 Author Share Posted June 22, 2002 thanks everybody! This site kicks @#$4 funny thing is when I looked at the wallet I thought I better just tune up the fender for now. The Quiana sounds awsome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip McDonald Posted June 22, 2002 Share Posted June 22, 2002 The nicer ones way a ton. They sound nice; somewhat between vintage Marshall and Boogie MK series, versatility wise. Loud clean tones. The cheap line sounds peculiar in the high end to me, a bit fizzy like a solid state version of a Boogie MK IV. They made the cabinet too shallow IMO on the .... frick, can't remember the cheap 55 model's name... Also needs a different speaker. The sub-woofer they make works amazingly well, it actually does make a 1x12 combo sound as big as a 4x12 (or bigger). $.10 Guitar Lessons in Augusta Georgia: www.chipmcdonald.com Eccentric blog: https://chipmcdonaldblog.blogspot.com/ / "big ass windbag" - Bruce Swedien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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