Rivera Chubster 55 combo

55 watts lots of killer tone available if you can find it?

UTILIZATION

Not an amateur amp I have played for 32 years and this amp is the most complex I have yet to own I have owned it for 2 years now.

SOUNDS

Mainly strats and gibson s .

OVERALL OPINION

I wanted to write this review because about twice a year I want to trade this amp in for something else...it really does not have a great clipped sound or clean tone...so what the heck.
You would think rivera would master a clean sounding amp but the fender chime is not there and as fas as the gain channel goes there's not a very user friendly tone in there either...so why do I keep this amp? I keep thinking that if I change the speaker(which I did to an eminence ) and re tube it i will get that full sound that everybody raves about ...but it's still not there.
One person said that it only sounds good when really cranked up ,but what good is that to an average non giging musician ...nope I think I'm back to wanting to trade this sucker back in for a good old marshall combo.

I was first interested in Rivera amps when I heard my good friend playing his PRS through a 55 watt, 1 12" tube amp called the "fifty-five twelve" I was utterly amazed at the overall tone of the amp. I had to have one. I went to my local Rivera dealer and bought the Chubster 55. It's exactly the same as my friend's amp with exception that it is about 4/5 inches deeper. It ran me back around 1850 canadian, plus tax. And well worth it.

With this amp, there isn't much not to like. There are two totally seperate channels for clean and distortion, with a boost for each aswell. The 12" celestion speaker delivers tones that can sound anywhere from vintage to modern. I haven't yet found an amp that I like the distortion better than my Chubster. The clean is amazingly clear, even for only one 12. The fact that it packs 55 watts of all tube power is a nice feature for playing in larger venues. Rivera also has a line of powered subwoofers that, when plugged into this thing, make it so loud and full-sounding that you might crap your pants!

The only thing I don't like about this amp, is that there is no foot switch for turning the reverb on/off. Everything else is great. I's small, loud, sounds great, looks great and is well worth the money.

Rivera makes all of there amps out of really good materials. The speaker is a celestion 85 and there are some great features that make it easy to use. My Chubster is all hand-wired too. This baby is built to last.

All in all, this is a great amp for anyone who likes a little bit of vintage tone thrown in with their mix. As far as looks go; they come in a range of cool colors and are truly a classy amp. It's easy to use too, there's no BS involved. Just easy to dial up tone. Any one who buys this amp will not be disappointed unless they want a crappy sounding amp.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

<p class="bbcode-offtopic"> Off topic: <span>To correct a bit Previous notice which I think he's done stuff wrong rgl REFERENCE BIAS level, or an evening MODEL hlas happens.
Of Electro-Harmonix tubes good well matched, a good dog rglage and bam!
An amp like this is like a car race, has to RULES, be pampered ...</span>

I think so:

Amp 55watts propelled by two EL34 tubes
Prampli of five 12AX7 tubes
HP Celestion G12L-55
2-channel fully indpendants
A loop rear face.
A pdalier (lead!) Buttons.
Reverb '...
* Cabinet Material: American Maple Solid Core Plywood
* Cabinet Covering: Ruby Red Tolex Vinyl
* Cabinet Hardware: Chrome plated metal corners, Vintage style Leather Handle
* Dimensions: 20.5 "x 12" x 17 "
* Weight: 45 Pounds (must be in the 21.2 kg)

UTILIZATION

Find "THE" great sound with this combo is not easy, not that there is no sound but
simply that the opportunities offered by the Chubster its huge!
The knobs are real knobs and heats up when the rglage is different,
do not make a U turn button to affect the sound!
For me no doubt, even if I have a weakness for the clean channel "Fenderien" I flirt
rgulirement with the other channel and just as enjoyable!
Manuel simple but effective m'enfin IDAL is plug and send the sauce eh!

SOUNDS

Used mainly with Strats and Gibson Gretsch also.
With a bit of patience are the sounds most cleans to crunch the most crisp depending on the style and much sought-sr according to the scratch using ...
Reverb nickel and flexible, if somewhat too deep my taste.
Mtalleux go your way!

OVERALL OPINION

3 years I have, I finally found a program whose job is to make rglages with onions, and a difference!

I think the ide silent runir of the Marshall and Fender in the same combo of madness, I admit that it plutt a masterstroke.

I had the opportunity to test a lot of stuff and now this amp is almost impossible to find in nine in France, and prices uh, exorbitant ...

Report qualitprix: I personally think the good stuff is still too expensive and suddenly "lite booked a" passion and / or property, so I can be objective on this issue.

Ok, it's too expensive, but must recognize that it's all lamp High End!

In short, an amp rather orient "clean" with a cot who loves obscure the crunch and get the old vintage distos, Hendrix, Clapton, Knopfler, Guilmour ... this is my humble opinion the styles he loves the most.

What's so good that Chubster 55 ... : O)

CHARACTERISTICS dj evokes ...