Rivera Troubleshooting Advice Needed

Tom Karol · November 14th, 2005, 12:36 PM

Well it finally happened. After more than 10 years of flawless operation, my Rivera 55-112 quit on me Saturday night – suddenly went dead silent right in the middle of a song. I did have a backup, though – my Roland Micro Cube lined out into the PA got me through the night.

The power switch light and the channel-switching LEDs stayed on, but the standby switch light was out.

The next day, I replaced both external fuses and both power tubes, and tried it again: same result.

So, I guess I’ll need to take it to an amp tech.
Does anyone have a recommendation in the Eastern Massachusetts area (southwest of Boston – I live in Medway and work in Needham)?
Is there anything special he/she should look for?

Thanks for your help.

tlpruitt · November 14th, 2005, 05:33 PM

Do you know which fuses you replaced? There are at least 5 fuses in that amp and not all of them are accessible from the outside.

There is a fuse (F4) that protects the output transformer that is probably on the inside and also a fuse (F5) for the 6.3V heater supply that may be on the inside. If you can get the chassis out you can check/replace those fuses too.

There are also 2 fuses (F2 and F3) after the power tranny at the begining of the B+ supply. Not sure if they are accessible from the outside either

Make sure it is unplugged obviously if you open it up.

-Tim

Tom Karol · November 15th, 2005, 09:36 AM

The 2 fuses accessible from the back panel are the Mains (3ASB) and the HT (.5ASB). I know there are also some internal fuses, but I think I'll seek expert hands-on assistance before opening it up myself. Thanks for your help!

Tom Karol · November 17th, 2005, 01:54 PM

So, can anyone recommend a good tube amp tech in eastern Massachusetts (preferably southwest of Boston)? Please? Thanks!

Smokin' Joe Picante · November 18th, 2005, 01:24 AM

I don't know if this is an option for you, but I sent my M-100 back to Paul and he totally did right by me. The labour and parts we're more than fair. Cheap in fact. They might even just source you a tech closer to you. If you find a tech closer to you, they may advise them what to look for. They were nice enough to do that for me. No one knows better than the guys that built it, right?

I've had only two Rivera amp problems in some 12 years. The worst, I had a "star ground" problem which rendered the amp working for short time and then suddenly producing a sound literally like a bomb going off nonstop. Imagine a combination of white noise and someone whacking the reverb tank with a bat at the same time... with the volume wide open. Luckily, it was a quick fix and amazingly no blown speakers. I love those amps.

Let us know what the fault turns out to be as well. I'm curious about that. Good luck! :D

trdlasvegas · November 18th, 2005, 02:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smokin' Joe Picante

The worst, I had a "star ground" problem which rendered the amp working for short time and then suddenly producing a sound literally like a bomb going off nonstop. Imagine a combination of white noise and someone whacking the reverb tank with a bat at the same time... with the volume wide open.

Interesting... I repaired a couple of Rivera's (no I'm not in the Boston area) with the same problem. It seems they use some of the screws that fasten the PCB to the chassis to also make a connection to ground. If the screw loosens, which they all do eventually, you loose ground to that part of the circuit. He should have connected those various circuits together with wire if he couldn't get a PCB trace between them, but that's another story. So if you got a Rivera, make sure ALL the screws are tight as they are very important to the actual working of the amp.

-Tony

Tom Karol · November 18th, 2005, 10:54 AM

Thanks guys. I think sending it back to Paul may be my best (and ironically, easiest and possibly even least expensive) course of action, rather than bringing it to an almost local guy whom I don't know or trust. I sent an email and a snail mail to Rivera R&D basically incorporating the info in my original post (above). I've dealt directly with Paul in the past, and he's always been great. I'll just give him a call. I'll post a reply in this thread when I have an update.

By the way, I've been gigging on and off since the late '60's, and this is the first time I've ever had a major equipment malfunction. I didn't always used to bring a backup - thank goodness I had one this time - but I will NEVER play live again without a backup guitar and amp - even if it's just my Vagabond travel guitar and a Roland Micro Cube!

November 14th, 2005, 12:36 PM	#1 (permalink)
Tom Karol TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Medway, MA Age: 60 Posts: 62	Rivera Troubleshooting Advice Needed Well it finally happened. After more than 10 years of flawless operation, my Rivera 55-112 quit on me Saturday night – suddenly went dead silent right in the middle of a song. I did have a backup, though – my Roland Micro Cube lined out into the PA got me through the night. The power switch light and the channel-switching LEDs stayed on, but the standby switch light was out. The next day, I replaced both external fuses and both power tubes, and tried it again: same result. So, I guess I’ll need to take it to an amp tech. Does anyone have a recommendation in the Eastern Massachusetts area (southwest of Boston – I live in Medway and work in Needham)? Is there anything special he/she should look for? Thanks for your help.

November 14th, 2005, 05:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
tlpruitt Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2003 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 230	Which Fuses Did You Replace? Do you know which fuses you replaced? There are at least 5 fuses in that amp and not all of them are accessible from the outside. There is a fuse (F4) that protects the output transformer that is probably on the inside and also a fuse (F5) for the 6.3V heater supply that may be on the inside. If you can get the chassis out you can check/replace those fuses too. There are also 2 fuses (F2 and F3) after the power tranny at the begining of the B+ supply. Not sure if they are accessible from the outside either Make sure it is unplugged obviously if you open it up. -Tim __________________ Art is making something out of nothing and selling it. FZ

November 15th, 2005, 09:36 AM	#3 (permalink)
Tom Karol TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Medway, MA Age: 60 Posts: 62	Fuses The 2 fuses accessible from the back panel are the Mains (3ASB) and the HT (.5ASB). I know there are also some internal fuses, but I think I'll seek expert hands-on assistance before opening it up myself. Thanks for your help!

November 17th, 2005, 01:54 PM	#4 (permalink)
Tom Karol TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Medway, MA Age: 60 Posts: 62	Amp Tech in Boston (MetroWest) Area? So, can anyone recommend a good tube amp tech in eastern Massachusetts (preferably southwest of Boston)? Please? Thanks!

November 18th, 2005, 01:24 AM	#5 (permalink)
Smokin' Joe Picante Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Winnipeg, Canada Posts: 508	Maybe send it back to Paul... I don't know if this is an option for you, but I sent my M-100 back to Paul and he totally did right by me. The labour and parts we're more than fair. Cheap in fact. They might even just source you a tech closer to you. If you find a tech closer to you, they may advise them what to look for. They were nice enough to do that for me. No one knows better than the guys that built it, right? I've had only two Rivera amp problems in some 12 years. The worst, I had a "star ground" problem which rendered the amp working for short time and then suddenly producing a sound literally like a bomb going off nonstop. Imagine a combination of white noise and someone whacking the reverb tank with a bat at the same time... with the volume wide open. Luckily, it was a quick fix and amazingly no blown speakers. I love those amps. Let us know what the fault turns out to be as well. I'm curious about that. Good luck! :D __________________ http://www.joecurtisband.com/ Overheard at a gig... "The guitar could be louder... I have no idea how, but I'm sure it can be done..." ;)

November 18th, 2005, 10:54 AM	#7 (permalink)
Tom Karol TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Medway, MA Age: 60 Posts: 62	Yeah, have Paul do it! Thanks guys. I think sending it back to Paul may be my best (and ironically, easiest and possibly even least expensive) course of action, rather than bringing it to an almost local guy whom I don't know or trust. I sent an email and a snail mail to Rivera R&D basically incorporating the info in my original post (above). I've dealt directly with Paul in the past, and he's always been great. I'll just give him a call. I'll post a reply in this thread when I have an update. By the way, I've been gigging on and off since the late '60's, and this is the first time I've ever had a major equipment malfunction. I didn't always used to bring a backup - thank goodness I had one this time - but I will NEVER play live again without a backup guitar and amp - even if it's just my Vagabond travel guitar and a Roland Micro Cube!