Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

[Metalman_666]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

metalman,
correct me if i'm mistaken, but didnt you say that, to you, rectifiers sounded "anoying"?

hmmmm.... I'm not sure.... when did I say that? Well if I did it was probably during my "I hate Mesa" phase... that was a looooong time ago.... I was ignorant lol But I realise how many people use rectos, so I want one really bad now.

 

[Metalman_666]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

If you want a really focused, damped, dark guitar sound, then the Dual or Triple Rec may be for you.

But, if you're really looking for the ultimate in versatility, bullet-proof construction, an amp that people will scratch their heads at because they've never heard of it, and then watch as their jaw hits the floor at your first note, and the loudest 100W head on the planet (this is no exaggeration. The Knucklehead is a lease breaker!!) ... and just plain tone for days, then invest some time into a Rivera.

When you say focused, damp, dark sound, what exactly do you mean? And if the Rivera's so versatile, can it get recto tones?

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

I just saw 311 live on Tuesday. Their Lead guitarist Tim Mahoney uses Recto's, but Nick Hexum uses a Rivera Knucklehead with a 4x12 cab and a 2x12 Sub. When Hexum played the into to "Down" (their closing song), those first two measures made me change my mind what amp i was saving for... I'm saving for a FOOKIN KNUCKLEHEAD!

...AND YOU SHOULD TOO!

311s awesome live. Didn't they used to use Marshalls?

Anyhow... I've played both extensively and without a doubt Rivera is better. The cleans are much better than Mesas and I prefer the distortion. However, if you want to copy what you hear on the radio, the Rectifier will get it (but WHY would you want a Triple... do you realize how loud that is???)

 

[inter]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

Hey Twilight,

Very cool tunes on your website. Tell me the truth, your singer is really Michael Sweet from Stryper ?

I'm a huge fan of Stryper. Their whole 'meassge thing' is a bit much but their music is fantastic.

 

[HolyDirt]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

hmmmm.... I'm not sure.... when did I say that? Well if I did it was probably during my "I hate Mesa" phase... that was a looooong time ago.... I was ignorant lol But I realise how many people use rectos, so I want one really bad now.

understandable, even though i own a mesa, i think my next amp will be a knucklehead, those things are really nice

 

[some_dude]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

Nope...same board. Just the power difference. Which is the main reason for the tone difference. Most people won't be able to do justice with the Triple's 6 power tubes. The tone will just lack the juice that a less powerful tube amp can achieve at less desirable levels of volume. I'd buy a Single, that's all the power you need. Unless, of course, you're a fan of 3 channels. Either way, you'll be blown away by the power of any of these beasts.

Yup.

The only reasons I can see for getting a Triple is for playing clean really freakin' loud, or you want to heavily rely on preamp gain for your dirt. Other than that, the Dual will be much easier to break up, which is much better should you decide that you want that bowel loosening power amp distortion.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

When you say focused, damp, dark sound, what exactly do you mean? And if the Rivera's so versatile, can it get recto tones?

If you want Recto tones, you should buy a Retifier.

If you want Rivera tones, you should buy a Rivera.

I'd never purchase one amp looking for the sound of another.


Just my opinion.

 

[joelap]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

311s awesome live. Didn't they used to use Marshalls?

Anyhow... I've played both extensively and without a doubt Rivera is better. The cleans are much better than Mesas and I prefer the distortion. However, if you want to copy what you hear on the radio, the Rectifier will get it (but WHY would you want a Triple... do you realize how loud that is???)

I've seen 311 live 3 times. In the days prior to the "Blue Album (self titled)" cd, I'm pretty sure Hexum used marshall. He switched once he got the paycheck from "Down" :laugh2:

As far as I know, Tim Mahoney has always used Mesa, although I think he uses a MArk 4? Not sure of the number... it's one of those "marks". I could get the exact model if youd like...

 

[y2stevo]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

Oh and im one of the forum members that heard Twilights Raw guitar tracks..And

if you like the tone on Gettysburg then you'll love these, I had a decent pair of headphones the day i hear em an cranked em into it and the tone was as twilight put it, Godly...

Great tones..

 

[pureoldsound]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

If you want Recto tones, you should buy a Retifier.

If you want Rivera tones, you should buy a Rivera.

I'd never purchase one amp looking for the sound of another.


Just my opinion.

I agree

 

[pureoldsound]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

About Rivera vs. Mesa. They are both different type of amps so I can't say that one would be better than the other. They are great in there way. Have said that I am a Rivera fan, I never payed any attention to them until I owned one. I bought a Suprema 55 and it was by far one of the best amps I have ever owned. It has a great distortion tone not as heavy as a recto but capable of doing different styles. The clean was as expected, super clean and clear.....I think that my next Rivera will be a Fandango......

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

Metalman,

Both are great amps. But both are stadium/national touring act amps. Unless you happen to live in a hockey arena or are one of the very few 16 year olds out there that are currently touring 1000 seat plus venues, both are pretty much overkill.

Try a 50w mesa, rivera or marshall amp.

If pressed for my opinion, I'd go for a rivera. Very verstaile, very well made. More importantly, won't disappear in the mix like a mesa recto will.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

When you say focused, damp, dark sound, what exactly do you mean? And if the Rivera's so versatile, can it get recto tones?

Here are my interpretations of the sonic terms I used:
Focused: Very tight sounding, especially in the bass. Little to no overhang. A pleasing, forward-sounding tone. A lot of natural tube compression.

Dark: Not pronounced in the top end; not characterized by a bright tone.

Can you get a recto sound from the Rivera? Not in my experience. The tube rectofier is what gives Mesa, VHT, and other amps their sound.

 

[strat_master]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

how about trying a single rectifier? 50 watts is more than enough man, and if you really wnat that extra channel go duel recto. triple si way too much unless your gonan play stadiums,

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

Hey Twilight,
Very cool tunes on your website. Tell me the truth, your singer is really Michael Sweet from Stryper ?
I'm a huge fan of Stryper. Their whole 'meassge thing' is a bit much but their music is fantastic.

I'm a big Stryper fan myself; thanx for the compliments!! They dropped the overt Christian message with the album "Against the Law". As for Pam actually being Michael Sweet ... hmmm ...
blonde hair ... check
high singing voice ... check
love of leather and 80's metal ... check

YOU MAY BE RIGHT!!

 

[Nightburst]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

I'm in the same league as metal man, deciding between high-gain amps (lot's of topics about this lately I love it!) and I'm looking at a 2nd hand Rivera knucklehead 55 I can get for cheap or a Single rectifier new.(not cheap)

Both are very different voiced amps but I wonder how both would hold up if things got very extremely heavy. By listening to soundclips I'd say the KR-55 has a Marshall voicing going on which I consider on the trebly side. I hope I'm wrong about that.

Would the knucklehead only get heavy with the sub woofer cabinets or will it deliver with a normal 4x12 with v30 speakers?

Is the difference in tone between tube and silicon rectifiers big? I heard someone mentioning the 2 rectifier tubes is what gives a Mesa it's Mesa sound.
Others are saying the only difference between a single rectifier and dual is the extra channel. This is not true guys, there are more differences than that.

 

[inter]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

I'm a big Stryper fan myself; thanx for the compliments!! They dropped the overt Christian message with the album "Against the Law". As for Pam actually being Michael Sweet ... hmmm ...
blonde hair ... check
high singing voice ... check
love of leather and 80's metal ... check

YOU MAY BE RIGHT!!

Lol, I think Michael has brown hair, so might your singer (you might have to check her collars and cuffs ). Your singer seems to have pretty strong vocals and good vibrato control on high notes.

I went out and grabbed 'Against the law' as soon as it was released. I didn't really care for Michael's new vocal style. I'm more a fan of their older stuff like 'in god we trust'. Luv the way he wails on that tune, especially the section just before the chorus, always gives me cold blood.

You guys should have a crack at a stryper cover at the end of your show, your singer has the range. Having said that, you'd probably alienate most of the kids in the audience when they hear anything with 'god' in it' .

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Mesa vs. Rivera... which amp to buy?

Lol, I think Michael has brown hair, so might your singer (you might have to check her collars and cuffs ). Your singer seems to have pretty strong vocals and good vibrato control on high notes.

I went out and grabbed 'Against the law' as soon as it was released. I didn't really care for Michael's new vocal style. I'm more a fan of their older stuff like 'in god we trust'. Luv the way he wails on that tune, especially the section just before the chorus, always gives me cold blood.

You guys should have a crack at a stryper cover at the end of your show, your singer has the range. Having said that, you'd probably alienate most of the kids in the audience when they hear anything with 'god' in it' .

LOL ... It's funny you mention that b/c in one song we have this gang vocal chant (The Endless Days of a Stranger) that says 'Destroy All Evil", and the audience is always thrown off by that ... they're like, "COOL! DE-STOY ALL ... waitaminute! Destroy all evil?! That's a positive message! D'arrrgh!"