New Amp review

[JeffB]

I was going to wait a bit longer to throw this out, but I've been so pleased, I had to get on it right away

I finally got some GAS funding for a new tube amp. I missed my MESA & Marshalls, and the modelers I own and have played just leave me cold, uninspired and frustrated. My trouble with geting a tube amp has been I need something fairly versatile with great fender-like cleans, a good Marshall type crunch and a good high gain lead sound but HAS to sound good at a lower volume for home playing etc. I'd been looking into very low wattage amps..5-15 watts like a Fargen mini-plex, 18 watt clone,or a Voodoo modded Blues Jr.and using some pedals but I honestly HATE having to use a pedal as they color the sound of the amp. And since I don't like combos generally I was looking into a 1x12 cab and head combo. The F-50 generally fit the bill, but was just too damn loud and my PowerBrake totally sucked out all the tone of the amp.

After playing quite a few $1000 plus amps I came home with:

THIS

I have played a few Riveras in the past and recently. R series, Clubsters, Pubsters, the Fandango. And I never quite liked any of them enough to pull the trigger. Kinda "muddy" sounding to my ears. Quality is there, but never could find one that was "right".

This Chubster is basically what I've been looking for. It sounds EXCELLENT at low volumes, clean or dirty. The volume controls are definitely better than the F-50 as they actually work the F50 is either off or LOUD AS $^%&! The cab on the Chubster is very deep and this gives it impressive "fullness" and low end for a combo (but it's small and def portable). The tone controls are active and thanks to Ben (TO) I found out very quickly that "less is more" when making tweaks. It's not as sensitive/difficult as a MESA to dial in a good sound, but it *is* easy to dial in a bad one by going nuts with the controls on the Chubster.

Contd.....

 

[JeffB]

Re: New Amp review

Contd....

Clean Channel (channel two): I was a little unimpressed with this at first. I've yet to find anything better than the F50 for cleans. I still don't find the Chubsters cleans better after some fiddling, but certainly different and very desireable nonetheless. They are a bit more like a Marshall Bluesbreaker than a Fender Bassman with the notch control disengaged (the manual implies a "tweed" tone with the notch disengaged). With the notch & bright switch engaged, it's VERY Fender Blackface like, with a little bit of Marshall "slice". With the Ninja boost enaged you can get raw Bluesbreaker-ish type tones with a good volume boost. It adds some mids/focus/fatness and some dirt. Very cool for going from a pristine clean to a slight overdrive, or from a slight overdrive to a cranked amp w/ a TS as a goose type sound. For old school warm and dark Jazz sounds, this channel also excels. The only thing I feel it doesn't do well is the SRV type sound, which the F50 could nail. Perhaps with some 6l6's it would? It doesn't do anything "better" than a vintage Bluesbreaker or Fender (where I feel the MESA's clean channel did), but it does a great many sounds VERY well. It suits nearly every need I have tone-wise, and the Ninja boost really makes it versatile.

GAIN CHANNEL: This is where I spend most of my time It's definitely "marshall-esque" in flavor. However it's not quite the same. With the lead boost disengaged gain levels are roughly like a MV 800 series amp, perhpas a touch more gain. Voicing-wise it's kind of a "darker" 800 series. Doesn't quite have the Marshall high mids and sparkle and definitely not plexi-like. Regardless it's still very "marshally", and once you get to 2 on the MV it really starts to get crunchy/chunky and fat. This is perfect for old Iron Maiden rhythms, UFO (think early Paul Chapman), YnT, Rudolf Schenker type sounds.

The Lead boost takes the gain channel into modded marshall heaven (or hell, as you prefer). The sound thickens up, gains up, gets more high end bite and slice, and is very pleasing yet agressive. It nails the lead tone I've always heard in my head. It's midrangey without being obtrusive, it cuts, and sings at the same time. I've tried it with every guitar I own (McCarty, Jackson, Les Paul) and EVERY guitar sounds very different yet wonderful through it. With the Jackson, I can nail tones from Jake E. Lee to George Lynch to Mid 80's Gary Moore, to Dave Murray, to John Norum, Ratt, etc. With the Les Paul, I can go from Joe Perry with the gain backed off, to high gain tones like John Sykes, Zakk Wylde and with carerful tweaking a REALLY cool Gary Wrichwrath sound (Underrated player, and a benchmark for phenomenal LesPaul/Marshall sounds). The McCarty on this channel is just phenomenal. Stinging rock or modern blues, Shred, Fusion type sounds, hair metal, Classic rock,..I can't begin to say all the great sounds I'm discovering. All I know is this particular combination is VERY inspiring.

NITPICKS: Hmm. Not many.

The Reverb while very good is pretty noisy above 4 or so. The reverb is better than the MESA's as it doesn't get "lost" under high gain.

I do get some slight tube rattle.

It's not as touch sensitive/dynamic to your playing as the MESA or some boutique amps I tried (though certainly adequate)

Warranty is only 3 years vs. MESA's 5 years. No tube warranty like MESA has. The Rivera warranty IS transferrable though like MESA's.

I would like to see the reverb on/off on the footswitch.

Tone-wise I miss the SRV sound that the MESA could get, and I wish the Chubster had a bit more high mid spike and "sparkle" like a Marshall. It's kind of tough to get a VH brown rhythm sound out of it. At least with my equipment it is.

contd....

 

[JeffB]

Re: New Amp review

contd...

For Versatily this amp gets a 10 out of 10 for me. It won't do modern thrash metal (which I don't need) nor does it quite match up on the clean channel to the F50, however it pretty much does anything I need, and plenty I don't. The Chubster is versatile but remains a very simple to operate amp which is key for me.

Tone-wise: It's a 9 out of 10. Certainly one of the best amps I've owned. The F50 had a better clean channel and is more touch sensitive, and the 1987X does a better Marshall crunch sound, but the Chubster holds it's own against both. For high gain lead tones, it beats both the Marshall and the F50, and it's as good as any modded marshall I've experienced and worlds better than Marshall's current high gain offerings. The reverb is good but noisy. The Chubster really brings out the personality and tone of each individual instrument and the deep cab add some closed back like "thump" whille still having the spread of a combo.

Construction Fit & Finish: Gets a 9. Very cleanly built. Seems quite durable, but not as "overbuilt" as the MESA F50 is.

For the price I paid ($1299), it's a great deal, and equal in tone and build quality to some amps I tried that cost a $1000 more. Compared to "mainstream" amps in the same price range the Chubster crushes them in "bang for buck". The tones, the build quality, the quality of stock tubes and speaker, etc.

Thanks Ben for the advice!

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: New Amp review

Wow . . . sounds like a keeper! How much clean headroom do you get with that amp?

 

[JeffB]

Re: New Amp review

Wow . . . sounds like a keeper! How much clean headroom do you get with that amp?

I think it is ...

It doesnt have the headroom of the MESA for sure...the EL's break up quicker than 6L6's.However thats on the high gain input using some pretty hot pups (The BBs in the Paul, the EMG's in the Jackson, and the McCarty pups are a little hot too).

It does have a low gain input, which I have not tried yet, so that may/should solve the issue.

 

[Stringmachine]

Re: New Amp review

Congrats on the new amps!

I tried one a couple of months ago when looking for a new amp, and I really liked it.

I ended up with a Mesa Lonestar Special by the way. There just is something about those EL 84's.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: New Amp review

Nice score Jeff...Rivera is one of the few amp companies now days that has my attention as I search for a head.

It sounds like this amp has 95% of the tones you want...which is a remarkable find. I think you can easily dial in your remaining sounds by experimenting with different pre-amp tubes. What type does it have in there now? If they are JJ's or similar, you can get some of that midrange and high end sparkle with some brighter tubes. I have had great luck with a NOS RCA Blackplate for sparkling cleans. You might also find that one of the GT Mullard re-issues gives you a little more of the tone that you're looking for.

As for the reverb, try a 12AT7 in the reverb driver spot....that should help you use the verb above 4 effectively....it's a lower gain, richer sounding tube. And finally, for your clean headroom and SRV type sounds....some 6CA7's. Same family as the EL34, but a nice cross between the 34 and 6L6. Aleclee has me sold on the EH 6CA7's....he says they are a great cross between the two. GT makes a 6CA7 as well, but it seems to be voiced more towards the 6L6.

At any rate, sounds like a killer find...and with a little tweaking you can get all of the sounds you want. Congrats and good luck.

 

[Xeromus]

Re: New Amp review

ninja boost?

I'm SOLD!

j/k

 

[nuntius]

Re: New Amp review

I know what you mean about the F50, it seems to jump madly in volume when you fiddle it around 1 haha..

Anyway, glad you've found something you like. I must say I wasn't at all surprised to see it was all Ben's fault it being Rivera and all

 

[tone4days]

Re: New Amp review

thanks for a great review ... very well written .. enjoy the amp and play in good health!

cheers
t4d

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: New Amp review

Congratulations, sounds like you found a winner for yourself......Joe

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: New Amp review

It's good to hear that model is good. I've plugged into most Riveras and honestly never dug'em that much. I've always wanted the same thing....great clean, midgain, and highgain, and ended my search with a Bogner Ecstasy. It wasn't cheap, but at least it's exactly what I'd envisioned as the 'perfect amp' since I was 15 yrs old.

I'll have to check out a Chubster next time I see one, just to see if it sounds better than the Knucklehead or Rake.

 

[JeffB]

Re: New Amp review

Thanks everyone for your comments

And Jeff..thanx a ton for the detailed tube info. I'm not sure I'm willing to give up the "pure" El34 sound for more fender like cleans with the 6ca7, but the other tips on pre-amp tubes I'll def look into...I would like to brighten the amp up a bit.

Honestly I have no idea what brand tubes are in it cos I have not looked, but I believe the manual implies they use Svetlanas for the power section, and possibly some chinese 12ax7s for the pre-amp (?)

Can you recommend a online dealer for these tubes you have mentioned?

I was playing again last night and the McCarty run through it is just one of the best guitar sounds I've ever had..whether clean with coils split, in HB mode, or crunch/high gain the same.The pups on the McCarty are so much more sweet sounding and clear compared to the BBP's and EMG's. It's that old cliche...sounds like a blanket over the speaker (with the BB/EMG's).

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: New Amp review

As for the reverb, try a 12AT7 in the reverb driver spot....that should help you use the verb above 4 effectively....it's a lower gain, richer sounding tube. And finally, for your clean headroom and SRV type sounds....some 6CA7's. Same family as the EL34, but a nice cross between the 34 and 6L6. Aleclee has me sold on the EH 6CA7's....he says they are a great cross between the two. GT makes a 6CA7 as well, but it seems to be voiced more towards the 6L6.

+1 on the 12AT7

And yes, the GT 6CA7s I would say are much more like a 6V6 than an EL34...very smooth clean, more headroom....I ran them in a Hiwatt & it took a ton for them to break up.

Try checking with Mike at www.kcanostubes.com Tell him what you're looking for & he'll make some recommendations.

NICE SCORE!!!....it's nice when you get something you love!!