Recently snagged a Rivera TBR-1SL after years of watching them very rarely pop up and sell quickly, and never having the money. I'm a huge fan of the tone Jason Bieler had on the first few Saigon Kick records, and I also heard the guys from Skid Row started using them after playing with SK.
After my fiancee's dad visits I'm taking the thing in to get a checkup and probably some tubes replaced. It's got some really flubby bottom end, and it's a hair noisier than it seems it should be. Maybe the noisiness is just from it being such a monster, and I'm planning on getting a noise gate to run with it, but either way, it's not sounding so great with my setup. My main guitar is a pro RRMG with, you got it, EMGs. I've never been a big fan of them, but the guitar was a steal, and I haven't decided what pickups to swap in yet. It sounds like garbage as is, but my project flying v with a Duncan (model unknown) in the bridge sounds considerably better, if a little flat on the gain. Probably the tubes, and the fact that I haven't been able to crank the thing since I got it anyways.
Biggest questions for you Rivera guys, or anyone who has input, is where should I go with:
Amp settings
Pickups
Pedals
Rack effects
Etc.
I plan on getting an RR24 at some point and running an as-yet-to-be-determined pickup and the MM-04 gain boost Alexi Laiho uses in his guitars. I love the super tight sound and ripping harmonics he gets, and I love the smooth, thick crunch and singing leads Jason Bieler had, and I'm looking for something in that vicinity. Not looking to be a clone of either sound, but to start with those as inspirations. I'm also leaning towards a Suhr Riot Reloaded pedal, heard they're killer, especially useful in my mind with its various voicings paired with the EQ slope controls on the TBR. I know Reb Beach uses one with pretty much whatever amp he rents on the road with Winger, and he sounds amazing.
I play everything from 80s rock and metal (think Saigon Kick, Skid Row, Megadeth, Winger, W.A.S.P., Dirty Looks), to heavier metal, mostly melodic (Children Of Bodom, Symphony X, Carcass, Bolt Thrower, Asphyx, you name it), and often dip into more classic, blues-rooted rock,
(Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Gn'R, Hollywood Vampires, Sammy Hagar, etc.). I know nothing is gonna be a one-size-fits-all fix, but I have a Les Paul, Flying V, RR, and an 80s Kramer (in serious need of love and repair) to work with, and suggestions for whatever you guys all like is much appreciated.
Anyways, bring on the advice, recommendations, anecdotes of questionable relevance, contact info for Jason Bieler or Reb Beach haha, whatever you guys have got for me! This is my first tube amp, and I want to take this thing to all the wonderful places I've heard it can go, and beyond!
Thanks!
After my fiancee's dad visits I'm taking the thing in to get a checkup and probably some tubes replaced. It's got some really flubby bottom end, and it's a hair noisier than it seems it should be. Maybe the noisiness is just from it being such a monster, and I'm planning on getting a noise gate to run with it, but either way, it's not sounding so great with my setup. My main guitar is a pro RRMG with, you got it, EMGs. I've never been a big fan of them, but the guitar was a steal, and I haven't decided what pickups to swap in yet. It sounds like garbage as is, but my project flying v with a Duncan (model unknown) in the bridge sounds considerably better, if a little flat on the gain. Probably the tubes, and the fact that I haven't been able to crank the thing since I got it anyways.
Biggest questions for you Rivera guys, or anyone who has input, is where should I go with:
Amp settings
Pickups
Pedals
Rack effects
Etc.
I plan on getting an RR24 at some point and running an as-yet-to-be-determined pickup and the MM-04 gain boost Alexi Laiho uses in his guitars. I love the super tight sound and ripping harmonics he gets, and I love the smooth, thick crunch and singing leads Jason Bieler had, and I'm looking for something in that vicinity. Not looking to be a clone of either sound, but to start with those as inspirations. I'm also leaning towards a Suhr Riot Reloaded pedal, heard they're killer, especially useful in my mind with its various voicings paired with the EQ slope controls on the TBR. I know Reb Beach uses one with pretty much whatever amp he rents on the road with Winger, and he sounds amazing.
I play everything from 80s rock and metal (think Saigon Kick, Skid Row, Megadeth, Winger, W.A.S.P., Dirty Looks), to heavier metal, mostly melodic (Children Of Bodom, Symphony X, Carcass, Bolt Thrower, Asphyx, you name it), and often dip into more classic, blues-rooted rock,
(Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Gn'R, Hollywood Vampires, Sammy Hagar, etc.). I know nothing is gonna be a one-size-fits-all fix, but I have a Les Paul, Flying V, RR, and an 80s Kramer (in serious need of love and repair) to work with, and suggestions for whatever you guys all like is much appreciated.
Anyways, bring on the advice, recommendations, anecdotes of questionable relevance, contact info for Jason Bieler or Reb Beach haha, whatever you guys have got for me! This is my first tube amp, and I want to take this thing to all the wonderful places I've heard it can go, and beyond!
Thanks!