Rivera Rake new owner - dumb questions

[Neil]

Just picked up a 100watt Rake with matching 2x12. I know nothing about Rivera amps apart from what I have read here and the fact that the cleans on this Rake are stunning and Loud!

I am hoping someone in TGP land could help with these Rivera Noob Qs (I have written to Rivera but no answer yet and I want info now!)

1) I cant find an owners manual for it on the web. However the R series manual describes products that look similar. Can I trust the R series OM to apply to the Rake?

2) The amp has some tired looking 6l6s in there. It seems it should have el34s. Can I put el34s in there and be ok (with a rebias)? Or were 6l6s a factory option with more extensive mods?

3) Any recommendation for er34s? I dont like buzzy Kazoo like distortion , looking for more of a smooth OD.

4) The reverb doesnt work. Any tips on where to start troubleshooting?

5) any recommended upgrades for the speakers? Nothing wrong with the standard speakers but I prefer the smoother sound of my scumback driven 2x12.

6) Anything else I need to know?

Thanks in advance

Neil

[Scott Peterson]

First off, congrats! The 100 watter is fairly rare.

Answered to the best of my knowledge. IMHO, YMMV.

1) The R-Series manual is exactly the same manual; the Rake came with one sheet that explained the differences. (More gain, etc).

2) Every Rake I've ever owned (three of them) or seen was EL-34. Get it to a tech to check it out.

3) First choice are NOS Siemens EL34's. CED "Flying C" EL34's as a second alternative.

4) Have a tech look at it. If it has 6L6's in it; my *guess* (from here) is that it's been modded.

5) Then use a Scumback speaker.

6) Get it a check up from a good tech and then enjoy. Great amp.

[Neil]

Hi Scott,
Thanks for the help. I took it apart this evening and found that is has weber Chicago vintage speakers. I am sure these arent OEM. It also would not bias with any of the el34 sets I had. Never came to more than 50% of the correct bias. I tried some KT66s and it biased straight away and sounded huge. So I guess my el34s are all worn out (entirely possible given they are all from second hand amps i bought off tgp!). And the NOS siemens are a little too much $s for me right now!

More interesting was the reason the reverb did not work. Despite being a Rake Reverb, it has no reverb tray! The reverb send goes straight to the reverb return. There is no evidence that there ever was atray in there (no remnants of any method to hold it down). Weird.

Does anyone know what tray it would have had in there?

Thanks again
Neil

[anoobis]

Hey you got the one that was at San Jose GC!! Nice score! I played that one. Great amp and cab. Congrats. That's what sold me on getting a Rivera. Got the KR7 after playing that Rake. I almost bought that Rake but needed some metal tones.

Keep those speakers. It sounds great with that cab. And giveRivera a call. They were very helpful with my Qs about my KR7.

[Neil]

Thats right it was the one in San Jose GC. They reduced the price a lot and I couldnt resist. It has a lot of great sounds. I dont use high gain so it works great for me. It is LOUD though. My ears are ringing as I type!

[anoobis]

Originally Posted by Neil

Thats right it was the one in San Jose GC. They reduced the price a lot and I couldnt resist. It has a lot of great sounds. I dont use high gain so it works great for me. It is LOUD though. My ears are ringing as I type!

Yes it certainly was VERY loud when I played it in the small sound room. Glad you got a good deal. I tried to talk them down on it, considering the reverb didn't work but I think they had just gotten it in, so they told me to take a hike.

[Scott Peterson]

OEM speakers were custom Celestions.

I'd get a hold of Rivera and ask about that amp; they might have some documentation on it. Odd it didn't have a reverb tray.

[buffjones]

Congrats on the Rake. I've got the 55Watt with matching 4X12 cabinet.
Stock, it should be EL-34. It may be modded. The Rivera Fandango is the closest to the rake in terms of owners manuals.
My reverb wasn't working either when I bought mine. Troubleshooting found a bad coil in the transducer. You can purchase a new tank for approx. 50.00-75.00 from Accutronics. I just replaced the transducer assembly (about $12.00 from same source).
I put a mojo matched set of JJ EL-34L in mine and set the bias at approx. 82 ma and it really sounds smooth. This is a VERY touchy amp in terms of tone controls. The clean channel is easy in terms of getting the right sound. Takes some tweaking to get the dirt where you want it, but I'm lovin it!! Spent 3 hours on it last night in the vintage setting and had a ball.
I have the bias procedure if you need it. GOOD LUCK!!

[hartguitars]

My rake has a 3 spring accutronics. I'm looking to put some Winged "C" 6L6's in mine, it is currently loaded with EL34's. Anyone have any advice?