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Vintage threads from the first ten years

Rivera-era Fender Concert

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10/23/1999 8:09 PM
Lee	Rivera-era Fender Concert Any opinions on this amp from those of you who have played through one? Thanks.

10/24/1999 7:41 PM

I used to have one, the 2x10 version. When I first got it, I though it was great. To be honest about it, it's all hand wired (but it's kinda messy), uses good quality components, transformers, etc, and is loud as all hell. But the more I got into blues playing, and listening to guys playing Strats through Fender amps, the more the Rivera/Concert didn't cut it. This amp had a real dead/dull/lifeless clean tone with none of the spank and sparkle that you get from a BF era amp. The gain channel was kinda fizzy/fuzzy/buzzy, with none of the classic vibe to be found. I ended up selling it and getting a few older Fenders. There is a band that plays at a local club and the guitarist has one of the Reiver-era Twin-2 amps, and it also has just the flattest clean tone.

To be fair to Paul (who is a real nice guy and I hold him in very high regard), the amps he makes today under his own name are WAY better sounding than the amps he made while at Fender. His current stuff does have a good sounding clean channel, and the gain/buzz channels have better tone as well.

If you're thinking of buying one of these amps, my best suggestion would be for you to play through one yourself and then make up your own mind, since only you can determine what works for your style.

10/25/1999 3:13 AM
Lee	Thanks. Most of the comments I got on WeberVST BBS were negative as well so I think I will pass. There's one on Ebay I'm watching (just a head) but at this point, if I buy another amp, my wife will kill me so it might as well be one everyone says is great.

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