The Rivera Bonehead is a Rivera amplifier. Close alternatives include the Soldano SLO and the Strymon Iridium. It pairs well with the Browne Amplification Gritador and the Xotic BB Preamp.
Rivera Bonehead
Rivera · amplifier
The Rivera Bonehead is a 100-watt three-channel tube amplifier head switchable to 50/25/12W via rear-mounted High/Low power and Vintage/Modern switches. The amp features 6x 12AX7 preamp tubes and 4x EL34 power tubes with independent controls on each channel and footswitchable boost on every channel. Controls include Presence, Focus, Loslobottom, Master, Treble, Middle, Bass, and Volume. The tone is thick and full with three distinct characters: a very compressed high-gain lead channel, a JCM800-inspired mid-crunch channel, and a British Hiwatt-ish clean channel. The overdrive channels feature vintage Marshall with bright-cap-clipped character combined with substantial gain on tap.
What stands out
“Best suited for players requiring clean, crunch, and lead channels”
— from the community notes
“The compressed high-gain lead is more vintage-focused than modern metal designs, emphasizing sustain and musicality over extreme saturation”
— from the reviews
“Excellent three-channel tube amplifier with thick, musical tone and genuine channel versatility”
— from the reviews
“The British Hiwatt clean is distinctive and”
— from the community notes
“The 6x12AX7 preamp provides rich harmonic character”
— from the reviews
- crunch
- high gain
- lead
- compressed
- thick
- british
- clean
Good for
- Live
Genres the Rivera Bonehead is commonly used in
- Classic Rock
- Alternative Rock
- Metal
- Hard Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Rivera Bonehead
Browne Amplification Gritador
Browne Amplification
28% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → mid-forward)
Stack Browne Amplification Gritador on top and a high gain tone tightens toward mid-forward
Goes in front of the amp
Xotic BB Preamp
Xotic
27% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)
Xotic BB Preamp is voiced for Marshall-style amps — Rivera Bonehead gives it exactly that
Goes in front of the amp
Analog Man King of Tone
Analog Man
26% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (crunchy → clean boost)
Feed a crunchy signal into Analog Man King of Tone and it comes out closer to clean boost
Goes in front of the amp
Origin Effects MAGMA57 Amp Vibrato & Drive
Origin Effects
17% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → modulated)
Origin Effects MAGMA57 Amp Vibrato & Drive's own voicing points at Marshall-style amps, and Rivera Bonehead delivers it
Goes in front of the amp
Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio
Crazy Tube Circuits
13% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
Crazy Tube Circuits Golden Ratio leans toward tight, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Goes in front of the amp
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Boss
12% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Boss DD-3 Digital Delay in Rivera Bonehead's effects loop, clear of Rivera Bonehead's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
MXR Analog Delay
MXR
12% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run MXR Analog Delay in Rivera Bonehead's effects loop, clear of Rivera Bonehead's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Browne Amplification Ethane
Browne Amplification
tonal matchGoes in front of the amp
Browne Amplification Ethane is voiced for Marshall-style amps — Rivera Bonehead gives it exactly that
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Soldano SLO
Soldano
72% similaritySoldano SLO recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Strymon Iridium
Strymon
72% similarityStrymon Iridium recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp
Friedman
72% similarityFriedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Friedman IR-D
Friedman
72% similarityFriedman IR-D recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
ENGL Special Edition E670
Engl
64% similarityShared character: lead, two channels, volume
1970s Mesa/Boogie Mark I 'Snake King'
Mesa Boogie
59% similarityShared character: two channels, rich, presence
Ceriatone JTM45/100
Ceriatone
58% similarityShared character: headroom, thickness, classic rock
Bogner Ecstasy 3534
Bogner
58% similarityShared character: two channels, higher gain, rich
Laney Klipp
Laney
57% similarityShared character: volume, bright, treble
Suhr SL-68 Hand-Wired Amplifier
amplifier
56% similarityShared character: two channels, bright, volume
Friedman Plex
Friedman
54% similarityShared character: volume, crunch, high gain settings
Mesa Boogie Lone Star Head
amplifier
54% similarityShared character: lead channel, two channels, rich
See all alternatives to the Rivera Bonehead (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Rivera Bonehead?+
The closest matches in character are the Soldano SLO, the Strymon Iridium, the Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp.
What pairs well with the Rivera Bonehead?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Browne Amplification Gritador, Xotic BB Preamp, Analog Man King of Tone — Stack Browne Amplification Gritador on top and a high gain tone tightens toward mid-forward.