Rivera Stage IV

[Bodhisattva]

Found one locally and am going to try it out this week. I'm a steely dan fan, obviously, so maybe this will be my desert island amp. Any more pros or cons out there? I was looking for a 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb which was not in stock but they did have a stage IV. I'm going back with my guitar tomorrow night to demo it.

 

[Z3P0]

I’m really intrigued by this his amp except for the optical tremolo. Really wish this had bias modulated trem.

 

[Member 5343]

Found one locally and am going to try it out this week. I'm a steely dan fan, obviously, so maybe this will be my desert island amp. Any more pros or cons out there? I was looking for a 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb which was not in stock but they did have a stage IV. I'm going back with my guitar tomorrow night to demo it.

let us know how it goes! i was definitely thinking dream deluxe reverb when i ordered mine

|tjk

 

[Member 5343]

I’m really intrigued by this his amp except for the optical tremolo. Really wish this had bias modulated trem.

bias modulated is definitely nice but optical CAN sound really good, i am super curious to see what this one is like, the clips out there don't really give much of an impression

|tjk

 

[jnovac1]

bias modulated is definitely nice but optical CAN sound really good, i am super curious to see what this one is like, the clips out there don't really give much of an impression

|tjk

sweetwater sent me an email today saying that the stage iv is in stock.

 

[Member 5343]

sweetwater sent me an email today saying that the stage iv is in stock.

nice! mine supposedly shipped nov.1st from rivera to the l&m warehouse so mine should be middle/end of the month-ish

 

[Member 5343]

so mine came in - have to wait a few months to pay the account down + bring it home but spent about 3hrs with it in an empty store

thoughts;

perfect volume for studio, definitely tweed + blackface tones available on the clean channel - clean channel turned up sounds great + not too loud, breaks up around 4 w/ low output buckers

reverb is stellar, hangs behind things until around 7 on the knob then gets progressively wetter, decent drip but never quite as overpowering as a fender verb

opto trem has a triangle to square-ish [as you increase depth] wave vibe, you can get full on/off chops, big speed and depth range - it and the verb in the right settings had people thinking i had a delay going

didn't have as much of a run at the gain channel, tweed is there, so are fusion-y leads - will try out rhythms + pedals with it in the future - fat switch is cool, biting/thinned out to blown out tweedy/mesa mids

i'm in love.

|tjk

 

[magnus]

Being a fan of the 80's LA session scene I find this amp interesting. In my opinion though they should have done a video with a player that plays in that style rather than the videos that are available now.

 

[Member 5343]

Being a fan of the 80's LA session scene I find this amp interesting. In my opinion though they should have done a video with a player that plays in that style rather than the videos that are available now.

agreed - there is barely anything out there for this amp, though i do like the gooch vid + it is an accurate representation of the amp

|tjk

 

[KissTone]

Reviving this thread just to see if anyone else has joined the club. I'm really interested in this amp

 

[madprofessor]

I am interested as well. Looking for a versatile, rock and roll, do it all, 1x12, grab-n-go, and this came up. I might check out older (and bigger) Rivera's as well. It's really hard to get good demos on Rivera's stuff.

 

[Conquereaux]

Definitely interested, I hope the Stage IV is selling well enough to stay in production and in stock until I'm ready, maybe this summer. I own an '83 Super Champ, and I'm a fan of the 70-80s LA session sound, too, so I'm familiar with the history of Rivera's designs, and hopeful that the Stage IV would be a good all-rounder for me.

 

[Neptical]

I have a DRII but prob just gonna pretend I didn't see anything.

Ok, I'm good..

 

[Jay Strange]

Super stoked with this amp.
Both channels are so inspiring and useful.
FINALLY.. an amp that can sound great with a Strat bridge pickup.
Humbuckers sound amazing…,
I wish Bogner would have figured out
how to keep the Telios tight & fat
like this.
You can also run it super lean for those Chilli Peppers fast & funky moves.
That Fat switch rules!
Great for at home use and definitely for a rocking band.
I’d be concerned with a 2 guitarist band and a legit dude ‘tickling the ivory’ through a
Leslie cabinet and a meaty drummer.
HOWEVER, just run a line to a 2X12
with H30’s or the like and you’ll be present.
What a great amp for the money.
It’s about freakin’ time.
This will be the last amp that’s super killer from a highly seasoned builder, considering the menacing amp prices of today.

What I heard by nature after a few minutes?
Steely Dan “Hey Nineteen”.
With the gain channel, bad ass Tweed/Marshall stew that DOES NOT
flubber out or fall apart without sounding modern, RAD!! WELL DONE!!
Actually pulled some great AC/DC tones here and Death Cab For Cutie,
“Cath”.. yep.., that beautiful warm while biting break-up..so freakin’ stoked man.
You can voice it just how you need it with the controls.
So many rad sounds in this amplifier.
The feel is awesome also, not too slippery or too taunt, and herds of bonk’.
The speaker needs a pummeling but sounds great as is.
I usually play a solid 100 hours before I judge the speaker frequencies and how it holds together.
I will eventually put in an orange JBL and NOS it all up with the glass.
It totally does not need ANY modifications, but y’all know how we do!!!
I’m so in love with this amp, I’m going to perform a demonstration video for it and make Paul proud.

I would like to Thank You Paul Rivera for keeping very close to the authentic
Fender DR sound by not adding any high fidelity flavor to the vibe or over the top boosts.
This is why both channels are killer and sound buttery when switching.
Perfect amount of gain for a DR.
That boost on the gain channel is like dopamine under the fingers.
What a fantastic amplifier.
Back to getting up under that note!!!

 

[ocripes]

Anyone else get one? I've got an itchy credit card finger.

 

[YYZ]

60lbs
I’m out.

 

[Bigtone]

Me too
60 lbs
Ouch

Having said that , the size itself is not to big
And I think that speaker could perform double duty as a boat anchor, it’s not light,

Nice well thought out amp though,
Bt

 

[joeart@pacbell.net]

Has anyone used their Stage IV with their band(s)...how does it hang?? Tks all!

 

[ocripes]

Took delivery of my new Stage IV. It is exactly what was advertised and what I hoped for. The soul and DNA of a Deluxe Reverb with added tone shaping, a master volume, and stellar cleans and a great OD. It's built like a tank.

 

[jnovac1]

Took delivery of my new Stage IV. It is exactly what was advertised and what I hoped for. The soul and DNA of a Deluxe Reverb with added tone shaping, a master volume, and stellar cleans and a great OD. It's built like a tank.

here’s mine. i moved it on, but not because it’s not a killer amp. my louis electric cobra took over.