Let us know what you think of the Rivera Stage IV! And if we missed any hit songs that featured a Rivera-modified amp, tell us about it in the comments below!
I still have minidisc recordings of Jim Mesi tearing it up at Clyde's Prime Rib as a Rivera artist that I haven't got to transfer yet...A Rivera TBR-2 is on my list of "Big Amps to Own at Some Point". Rest In Power, Jim...the Italian Chainsaw is remembered. I mean, you gotta love when an amp maker has the cojones to call one of their amp models quite literally The Hammer (TBR 3 and 5) and they can back it tf up lol
Do you know anything about the song Jane by Jefferson Starship? I have no idea what they used, but the distorted guitar tone sounds like it could be one of those amps
Better than a Mesa! I've had solid state amps that techs didn't like working on. Every Rivera I've owned has been fairly open and accessible on the inside of the chassis. The only tricky part is when components are on the underside of the PCB as it was with my Fandango.
I have a Venus 6 & various other topshelf handwired amps from Suhr Matchless Mesa Marshall...the Venus 6 does Blackface\Tweed & Vintage Marshall type drive. These tones are pristine 3D & authentic. This amp is the best amp Ive ever used! My only complaint is the boost is too loud but can be tamed with your volume knob. In a combo with a Celestion gold it is absolute sonic bliss. Rivera rules!!
All these amps and pedals and things were 25% cheaper just a year ago. Stage IV is a great 2 channel amp at a fair price point! I went with the Venus Deux Rec 55W/15W, so one really great channel and pedal platform, plus the mini RockRec which is such an asset. Rivera amps are so top notch! Kind of like a Fender amp if it was out on a hot date with a Marshall amp at the drive-in.
I would say this is much more mild and vintage than any Rivera of modern day. It actually doesn’t have too much gain and we used the boost channel on most lead sounds to get the gain up. I think you’d find yourself at home on this amp in particular - it’s much less modern than any Rivera before it, I mean listen to the clips, they’re all pretty “rock” on the lead channel.
I played a rivera 1 time - by far the best clean sound I ever heard come out of an amp - I couldn't believe what I was hearing - and so touch sensitive every little detail from your hand would come out of the amp I've never played a rivera using overdrive but I can imagine I always dreamed of blending 4 amps: boogie mark 3, soldano, marshall plexi and rivera
I use a Analogman Prince of tone and a Analogman Astro Fuzz with mine. It is amazing. I also recently added a Real McCoy RC11 and could not be happier.
My Rivera Clubster Royale Recording Top absolutely freaking rips! Everyone loves my amp when they hear it and especially when they play it. The gain on the Royale is far heavier than on the Stage IV due to the boost on the Lead channel. Huge gain tones while remaining articulate and responsive.
I have a RIvera Fifty-Five-Twelve. Not sure how similar it is to the Stage IV but can confirm it is absolutely KILLER. Amazing cleans, gain tones, excellent effects loop and unbelievable (frankly too much for me) amounts of volume on tap.
@@VertexEffectsInc I have owned this amp for decades now, aside from a newer set of tubes I have Never had any issues whatsoever - I wish my Big Rigs ( I own a Trucking Company ) where this reliable
I have to agree this amp sounds great not everyone is obsessed with high gain scooping the mids and so on, I like that it sounds so good without the use of pedals
Phenomenal job, definitely know your stuff and did your homework!!! Tones are as dead on as you can get, love how you have examples from all the different albums we heard that amp on, those solos and tones are etched in our minds since childhood! 🤣👏🔥
Hi Mason, We met last week. I have a question. Is it possible to fix a pedal's off and on switch under the foot pedal switch? I have an excellent Boss Turbo Overdrive OD-2r, and I cannot really use it because of the switch mechanism. Or would it be easier to purchase another used pedal? I am grateful for your videos, you help me to expand my musical experience. Thank you sincerely. John. (I'm the guy who said people say songs created with me remind them of Kirk Cobain. I just like letting go, quiet within, and jamming. I'm always happy and satisfied there.)
Hey! Nice to hear from you. You can buy an OEM footswitch like this www.amplifiedparts.com/products/switch-replacement-boss-effects-pedals it’s simple to replace.
They're great amps, this takes that entire style of amp and mods to an entirely new level without compromises. This is what Paul wanted to build for Fender but the big wigs wouldn't approve.
I have an 83’ish Rivera designed fender Deluxe II. I never could get a sound I liked out of it with hummbuckers. Wouldn’t mind if it could be more Rivera “fixed” LOL This sounded pretty good. Edit … I should probably ad that I haven’t used this amp in over 15 years - it sits in the basement.
@@VertexEffectsInc By my understanding, the only amp he actually designed himself for fender was the super champ, all the other models he conceptualized and then specified the feature set to the fender designers...I have an '83 studio lead and it's one of the best solid states I've played through
@@VertexEffectsInc I've heard him say those solid states from that era were fender's first serious attempt at a line of "professional" level ss amps...it does have alot of the features he was innovating in his valley arts/yamaha days like channel switching and an fx loop
@@VertexEffectsInc He used the Orange squeezer on the guitar into a volume pedal, sort of as a buffer and the thing that OS did that nothing else did ie dyna comp.
It's too clean and boring, to me. It sounds too sanitized, and minus the character i like on Marshalls, Fenders, Vox's and Orange Amos. I could easily be waaay off and change my mind entirely after playing it in RL. Its always so notoriously difficult to judge tone thru utube. 🤷♂️
Amp that you've never heard of? Who? Non-guitar players under age twenty-five? Most every guitar player I've talked to at least knows of Rivera. I frequently discuss these amps, as I have a Quiana, Fandango, Chubster, R 2x12 and M 100 1x12. It started for me with a Fender/Rivera Twin II, then moved to actual Rivera amps. Rivera amps are so good it's stupid. Now days you can get Rivera amps cheap on the used market. You can't find a better deal. Buy a used Blues Deville/Deluxe for five or six hundred, or a Rivera, which does so much more and sounds *KILLER* seven or eight hundred (and frequently less money than that). It's a no Brainer. Also, Rivera cabinets use actual real wood. Most Fender amps? Particle board or MFD. No thanks. Plenty of guitar players know of Rivera, but sadly they don't have the cache` they once did. Smart players will take advantage of this. Also, if you have questions or problems, you can call and Paul Sr or Jr will talk to you. Their customer service is second to none. Fanboy rant over.
Lee Rit Captain Fingers Luke Toto Rick Nielsen Cheap Trick Tommy Tedesco Everything Paul Jackson Jr. Larry Carlton Jay Grayson Kerry Livgten Keep going
Been playing Rivera since the early 90’s. Never had a problem ever and that’s hundreds of gigs. Great amps. The Rivera I’ve used since the 90’s is the S120. Phenomenal amp. Would like to try this one.
I bought an S-120 stack from a pawnshop in high school for $900. Super cool amp but I didn't understand how to dial in sounds at that point so it was overkill for me. She's still in storage at my dad's house 15 years later so some day I'll have to dust it off and give her another try.
If I’m not mistaken,that’s the kind of amp that Jay Graydon used and still uses.He played the solo for the song Peg…Steely Dan.Among many other things,Mr.Graydon is one of absolute best session guitarist in the world.
I used to own a Rivera 55/12 back in the 90s. Beautiful combo but I parted with it as it was way too much amp for me to use at home as I don't gig anymore. Was wasted on me but I am glad to have experienced it, a thing of great quality and tone.
It's funny how often gear was modified before it became "vintage." The Amp sounds great, and it was very interesting to hear its story and how important Paul Rivera's Mods were to the tones heard in many iconic recordings. Thanks
Paul makes some of the best amps ever. He modified my Fender Silverface Vibrolux back in the mid 70's. I had had it since the late 60's and it was handwired. It was wonderful. Since then I've owned countless Rivera's and they are fantastic.
Not only was this video informative but equally inspiring. I have been a Mesa Boogie loyalist for ages but, after listing to your demo and heritage of the Rivera Stage IV, I am blown away. I previously owned a Rivera Rock Crusher and was not disappointed. Lastly, your articulate and poised communication skills are absolutely appreciated and value. Thank you!
Ela Taki! I was a boogie mkiv man for over 20yrs. I came upon a Rivera R55 1x12 and I found myself no longer having to tweak. I'd like to try one of the stage 4's but not easy to find.
@@electricj5 They must be the exception and not the rule, and again I don't know your friends of the backstory of the amps, but among techs and players alike, these amps are pretty universally revered as high quality and great sounding amps.
All of that 😅was amazingly interesting. I think what makes the Rivera so versatile is what I describe as openness. Some use the term transparency. But basically even when the overdrive channel is used it has no flub or muddy-ness. It makes it easy for the producers and engineers to lay down a track without having to spend hours fixing the EQ and tone profile of a guitar track.
Jerry Garcia was going to be transitioning to Rivera amps shortly before he died. His passing brought that to a halt. Garcia had been using a Twin and then Twin into a Macintosh for twenty-five years or so. It says everything that he could use anything, and he chose Rivera. Would have anyway. Vince Gill set aside his old Fender for two R series amps. Rivera are really the top of the top of amps.
In his own words. What was your rig on “Hold the Line,” Toto’s breakout hit? That was a ’58 goldtop Les Paul, through a blackface [Fender] Deluxe Reverb modified by Paul Rivera. I’ve known Paul for a long time; he made my first pedalboard, with all of the old analog units. It’s amazing; almost all of that kind of stuff has been stolen. I had four Tube Screamers Ibanez gave me - the original ones - those ended up missing from our warehouse.
Bought my first Fender Concert Rivera head in the 80's. Sold it, missed it, and eventually bought a used 112 Concert combo. Not letting go of it this time. Definitely want to check out the Rivera Stage iV.
I bought a Rivera pubster last year fr9m a friend. I love Rivera amps and innovations, the pubster is only 25 watts and a 10” speaker but it sounds massive. Amazing gear
I'm still having a blast with mine! Thankfully, the folks at Rivera put caster sockets on the bottom, (though no casters) because this thing is pushing close to 60 lbs. Plus, pre-pandemic, I got an in-house Rivera version for about what the modded Fender sold for.
@@andrewmorabito6712 That was a special run of Rivera-modified '68 Deluxe reissues that Sweetwater did a few years back. They sold out pretty quickly. The Stage IV, (before the Covid "price bump") was almost the same price. More now, though, like just about everything.
I just discovered that Danny Chauncey used a Rivera amp to record his guitar parts in the .38 Special song "Second Chance" in 1988. Do you happen to know which Rivera amp he used? That is one of my favorite guitar tones of all time and I've been trying for several years to find out exactly what I need to replicate it. Thanks!
Don't forget, Paul Rivera ripped off Steve Lukather (bigtime) on an endorsement deal several years ago. (He talked about it in one of the interviews he did on RU-vid.
Excellent sounds, but I wouldn't say it's the be all end all in terms of tones. Great cleans and overdrives but definitely not good for ripping searing tones like a Marshall Super Lead/JCM800, Soldano SLO 100 or Mesa Boogie Mark Series. Other tones it would not be good for getting include Brian May, a Rockman style Boston sound and the holy grail of clean sounds, going direct into the soundboard usually with chorus.
I noticed that this amp has optical tremolo and most other amps with built-in trem tend to have tube tremolo. I'd guess the mechanical difference is just light bulbs vs tubes creating the effect, but do you think there's a big difference in the effect itself? Do you have a preference?
Tube bias tremolo will be much deeper in amplitude sweep, as well as a little sweeter sounding. The downside is that it's often a little more expensive to implement, requiring an additional tube stage or two, accommodating the additional current draw, B+ filtering, and components associated with that. Because a tube bias tremolo essentially varies the output power of an amp, it will also behave differently when you crank the output into saturation. For gainier amps, optical tremolo can sometimes be the better choice. That said, the amps Paul was modding during this era likely had optical trem, so he may be keeping true with that.
I've used both and there's a noticeable difference in the 'feel' between the two. They are both good, it's not a matter of one being superior to the other. I like them both, but do prefer optical. It also depends on how the circuit is done. I've played optical tremolo that was not good.
Paul Rivera is saying that those speaker cones and the speakers are specially made to his specs also in those amplifiers because I've watched it interview with him at norm's guitars and Van nuys and he is kind of explains the what he's done to those amps but it sounds very close to Steve Luther of Toto on those songs it's a very very close you know in the ballpark definitely so if you want that sound that amp really gives that sound it seems. That was a nice video to go over which albums and guitarist play through that amp the Paul Rivera modifications because I've I've been curious too on which albums and guitars have used it to go over that those sounds those trademark sounds thanks for doing that
@@VertexEffectsInc This Podcast he does with his son Rivera JR talks about the EM Eminence speaker has a lot of copper which takes an oversized output transformer. The EM speaker only works good Rivera says when the volume is max out because of the type of speaker assembly of the voicecoil and magnetic used. The FAT switch is to add harmonics and overtones to the top strings G,B,E which makes those strings have a fat tone to them. Its a special type of FAT switch which is not in most amplifiers. CLICK here to watch the video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-S-p84GMWugQ.html
I had a Rivera hundred duo twelve for 10 years. Amazing amp, unfortunately that particular model had an issue and was always in the tech shop. But amazing Marshall and fender tone in one amp. Got tired of the problems and gave it to a friend. Now just rely on an 73 super reverb and 0 problems. Never more amps with circuit board.
@@VertexEffectsInc yes, but I live in Portugal. It would be amazingly expensive. Problem was a cap in power section blowed and opened a hole in the circuit... That's a bad hit
That's a total fluke. I own several Riveras and never had a real problem. The Fandango had a cap in the power section go bad, replaced it and it never was a problem again with that. I've had old point to point Fenders act up. Had a non master silver face Twin blow a filter cap. These things happen. But a reoccurring problem just means that amp had a flaw. It could have been corrected if you had easy access to Rivera. You don't so that's that.
@@augustusbetucius8279 An hole was opened in the circuit board by the bad cap... Anyway, I don't trust amps with the tube sockets in the main board anymore. Fender and Marshall got it right the first time. That's where I am at this point now. It's not a question of tone, I loved that amp
I just ordered a head, one of the best channel switching amps IMO ever made. Not super high headroom but for session and pure versatility and great cleans and OD tones, it's between the CAA OD100 and the Rivera Stage IV.
I first tried a Rivera in '86 when they were new as a brand. I was familiar with Paul's work with Fender and was thrilled to try the amp. Absolutely amazing. I remember at the time Rudolph Schenker was using one to record Scorpion's Savage Amusement, still two years away from release. I've always been impressed with Rivera amps. I prefer them to Boogies. They are the best boutique amps you can buy.
I almost bought a Mick Thomson Rivera back in the day but wound up going with a Marshall JVM back then. Looks like this time around, I will be going with the Rivera.
@@VertexEffectsInc this is one of those amps where I can play an entire gig with simply a Klone, some delay(and maybe chorus?) in the loop, and a compressor. I can see how this amp manages to be so legendary
Have you actually played this Rivera amplifier? This isn't what I'm hearing from the amp at all. This doesn't mod a Deluxe or Vibrolux, this is a 100% Rivera with influence from his amp mods that were made famous in the 70's and 80's.
@@VertexEffectsInc Right - why would you mod a Fender Amp in the 1970s-1980s? The clean sound is bereft of all the harmonic content inherent in a real Fender Amp. It's like he killed the bird and was left with an empty cage. Rivera hears guitar exactly the opposite of how I hear it. If he didn't like the frequency response and was hearing resonances, simple eq fixes everything. Tone can be changed overall with a speaker or cabinet swap or a mic or a pre or guitar. I don't get it. No one is clamoring for 80s fender amps because they aren't any good.
Jay did use PR modded amps quite a lot. So does George Doering (pair of modded 60's DR's) top LA session guy for film/tv mostly, and many others. Often pairs of modded DR's in stereo. Don't think they had loops then tho. Can't remember. Sometimes they'd just use the power section and use a rack pre like a Demeter or some other (SLO etc). Odd thing about Jay was his guitars of choice.
Long time Rivera owner and user. I still have a Rake Reverb head, a Knucklehead Reverb 55 head, a Sedona 55, an R55/12, and a Princeton Reverb II that was built during Paul's stint at Fender. Though Paul didn't build the PRII (seems like Ed Jahns built it IIRC) it has the Rivera sound. I still own (or once owned) almost every amp brand, and the mix of sound, road-worthiness and bang for the buck makes them a staple in my touring rigs. Thanks for the info!
I own this amp, it’s phenomenal I use very minimal pedals a wah, reverb/delay and flanger for soloing An interesting trick is that I stuffed a patch cable in the active effects loop. This pushes the preamp viciously and somewhat attenuates her. This gives my Fat Veronica (amp name) the hot sauce she craves.
@@VertexEffectsInc Been playing for years. Gave away an amazing guitar when I was young and stupid. Long story, but just found a beautiful guitar again, a second hand Millman Telecaster for a lot less than it's worth, it's beautiful (hand built by James Millman in Devon) now obsessed with finding the right amp and pedal configuration. Your videos give me the inspiration to find the right equipment, it can take years, but the best things come to those that wait ✌🏻
I have the Jay Grayden combo from the late 90s. It is RIDICULOUS. Everything from super-clean, to Peg, to King's X, right from the front panel. Amazing amp.
I have the recent sweetwater Fender Deluxe Rivera Mod. I knew nothing about Paul nor was I planning to buy an amp when I bought it used. I’m a fender amp guy and always plug into one when trying out guitars. I plugged into this modded Deluxe and was blown away by the warmth and clarity that sounded better than the Deluxe I was used to. all I can say is it was the tone I’ve been after and I got it just by plugging straight into the amp. I then tried a bunch of low end guitars (my go to amp test) with same reaction, the amp makes crummy guitars sound open! I went home and played my vintage twin, got back in the car to buy it, and it had been sold! I tracked down another used one across the country and had it shipped out. It is my go to amp since then. It takes pedals well, but every time I just plug straight in, I have to question if I’m using too many. It’s just butter. It was the ultimate splurge, but it was one of my better decisions. I’m sure it’s the same with these models.
They seem like excellent amplifiers, and I love the idea of their dual amps: One amp for acoustic and electric guitars. The company doesn't put out much info at all these days.
