Checkerboard Rivera Amp On Ebay

[Hgb5000]

Checkerboard Rivera Amp

[cmatthes]

Seller is taking a few liberties with his description there...

There certainly are more than 10 in existence - I've come across close to that many. They are pretty rare, but not THAT rare.

Also, I've personally spoken to Paul about these amps, and he assured me that they are IDENTICAL in every way to a stock R-55-12, except for the silver spray painted checkerboards. No unique "tweaks", as the seller mentioned. When I spoke to him a few years back, he said that the run had sold out and he wouldn't be painting any more, but that masking and spraying a stock R-55 would give you the same damned amp.

Nielsen himself doesn't use these, actually, although I think they are really nice amps. I'd prefer to have one without the spray job, personally - it isn't all that durable if you plan to gig with it.

[santellavision]

I hate one a few years back (as well as a R-30-12). The amp is good, but the cab is too small. If you run the amp into a larger cab, it's opens up nicely and rocks.

I saw one listed last year on another forum for about $400. and it didn't sell.

[velorush]

Seller is taking a few liberties with his description there...

There certainly are more than 10 in existence - I've come across close to that many. They are pretty rare, but not THAT rare.

Also, I've personally spoken to Paul about these amps, and he assured me that they are IDENTICAL in every way to a stock R-55-12, except for the silver spray painted checkerboards. No unique "tweaks", as the seller mentioned. When I spoke to him a few years back, he said that the run had sold out and he wouldn't be painting any more, but that masking and spraying a stock R-55 would give you the same damned amp.

Nielsen himself doesn't use these, actually, although I think they are really nice amps. I'd prefer to have one without the spray job, personally - it isn't all that durable if you plan to gig with it.

This confirms what I was thinking when I clicked the link. A few years back I was looking into the R-55 and saw the checkerboard tolex option on the Rivera site. Nielsen was mentioned, but it was pretty explicit that it was a covering option, not a tweak in the amp. I really like checkerboard stuff, but if it is just spray paint, I'm with you - and at lower cost.

I'm sure everyone is aware that the Chubster was Rivera's answer to the cabinet size (depth, actually) issue. It added a couple of extra inches to the cabinet depth and that is supposed to really help with the sound.

[Hgb5000]

I should have added that I have no affiliation with the seller, I just like to brouse the Rivera section on ebay on a regular basis. I have a Jake combo which I like.

[Kilroy is all about...]

Seller is taking a few liberties with his description there...

There certainly are more than 10 in existence - I've come across close to that many. They are pretty rare, but not THAT rare.

Also, I've personally spoken to Paul about these amps, and he assured me that they are IDENTICAL in every way to a stock R-55-12, except for the silver spray painted checkerboards. No unique "tweaks", as the seller mentioned. When I spoke to him a few years back, he said that the run had sold out and he wouldn't be painting any more, but that masking and spraying a stock R-55 would give you the same damned amp.

Nielsen himself doesn't use these, actually, although I think they are really nice amps. I'd prefer to have one without the spray job, personally - it isn't all that durable if you plan to gig with it.

concur with cmatthes above. having personally traded for two of the four amps that RN received from riveria, they're stock but for the paint. one of the amps had RN's settings for the clean and dirty channels. interestingly, he cleaned up the dirty channel with low gain and dimed out the clean channel, making it dirty. go figure. he told me that he used it for recording in new york in sep/oct. '96 for the cheap trick I '97 and there was a little piece of paper from RN to Rivera stashed in the back (Sept 96 NYC w/settings) RZander briefly used one on stage in the late 90s depending on where they were touring.

Riveria did modify RN's silverface fender deluxe for extra gain and master volume, per the '79 Guitar Player interview.

awesome amps...especially if you 'hot rod' the effects loop back into the itself. marshall crunch at living room sound levels.

kilroy

[srvwannab]

As the proud owner of the one of the two Rivera's Kilroy mentions above (from Kilroy) and having played through the other one I think Kilroy still has, they are incredible amps. Of course, I also own a good ol' black Rivera R55-12 and that sounds great as well. There are so many variables to the sound of amps- For instance, Kilroy's seems to have more gain than mine- but that might be because Kilroy's got $1,000- worth of NOS tubes in his (I'm kidding, he probably only has $950- worth of NOS tubes in the amp...)

The one I own can be seen in the picture of Rick w/ the Rivera's that is shown in the seller's auction above Rick on the top right. As the checkerboard pattern is not exactly the same on each amp, it is relatively to identify the amps.

I don't know if there is a more versatile portable plug and play amp than these Riveras. I also owned the 100 watt 2x12 combo version, from which Vince Gill gets the most absolute killer clean (Blackface Fenderish) tones known to man. I understand Vince might play different amps now, but I've seen those two Rivera's behind him and the tone was to die for. (Of course, Vince's playing might also be a small factor!)

A lot of multi-channel amps are like two different flavors of the same food. These Riveras have the ability to really have a different feel between the American (Fender) and the British (Marshall) channels.

Great amps!