Thoughts on the Rift Americana

dazzajl

If you don’t want to read through all of my waffle, it’s very very brilliant.

I don’t often get into writing posts like this one, opinions are pretty arbitrary and often you can find whichever flavour you want if you look long enough. Since there isn’t much to see out there in the way of user experience though, this could be useful or interesting to someone?

To start at the beginning, I hadn’t really settled on what I wanted when I first spoke to Chris. He was very happy to talk, asked a lot of questions about previous amps, what I like and led my uneducated arse through all the options. We originally specced a fabulous Princeton type amp and I’d still love to own that one but my love for a 5e3 niggled away at me and I changed my mind at the very last minute. I know a lot people like the 5e3 but want something that’s more adaptable, has a good amount of headroom and plays well with others. Not me! I wanted a proper old school gnarly amp that snarls and scares the other amps. It should make almost no noise until the volume hits 2 and be at its max volume by 3. From there the dial is all about varying the sag, compression and anger. A tiny cute, tweed covered box with the heart and roar of a huge lion.

If you go onto the Rift website and order an Americana, you will get an exquisite amp that sounds huge, has headroom and has a more civilised behaviour. Mine has been tweaked under the hood to be gnarly, to be misbehaved and *checks notes* to run with either a 12AY7 or a ECC83 in the V1 position.

So, that’s the ordering experience, what about ownership? It’s definitely a beautifully made thing and the dark grey tweed is probably more classy in the flesh than in the shots you’ve seen. With either preamp valve there is a little noticeable noise, more than from my AC30 as an example but it’s not bothersome at all. In it’s hot configuration, it’s not a great late night/home noodling amp. Even when you have running quietly, the sound is huge and not at all suited to anything gentle or subdued. The 5e3 that really cemented my love for this peculiar little amp was a Vyse that hit you in the chest more than Marshall style boutique thing with twice the power and a 4x12. This Rift has exactly that power to the sound that makes me smile from ear to ear. I also have a Tone Master DR and that is a great amp and would really be all the amp I’d ever need. Does a great job of being clean or gritty at any volume, sounds full and rich and it’s light and durable. Love it! It will never ever make me grin like a great 5e3 though and Chris has built a really really great version of the classic here. With the lower gain preamp, you could say it stays quite clean all the way up but it’s big hairy clean. Good articulation and string definition but with attitude and bite. With the higher gain setup, it controls really nicely with the guitar volume and will clean up but much like taking the twang from a tele, you can and it will sound gorgeous but you’ll just be wanting to turn it up again and grin like a fool at the glory of the noise. Unlike most 5e3s, you also get a half power option and real spring reverb too. The half power is pretty cool but obviously, 20 watts is loud and so is 10. My favourite part of this is actually the pull switch on the tone dial. Not only does it help keep the panel nice and simple, which looks great but it has really satisfying and quality click to it. The reverb is a bigger deal, it’s very much part of the amp and while it does some crazy things if you wind it up, at the lower end of the dial it fills out the sound in a very transparent and natural way. It’s there and you can feel it but it doesn’t strip any of the rawness from the sound at all.

If you’ve been interested in these, you’ve probably seen the Andertons video. What I took away from that was an amp that is very civilised and sounds pretty much the same all the way up the volume dial. I saw that after mine was ordered and had a very reassuring chat with Chris about it. If that’s what you wanted I have no doubt it would be built for you but from my experience, I don’t think that video is a great representation of the Americana.

I wanted to order my largest ever purchase from Chris because his reputation is impeccable. I’ve only ever heard good words about him, both from other builders and customers. Also I wanted to take my one off dream build to a small company like my my own and support our home grown talent. At the end of the build/buy journey and the start of a long journey playing, I can honestly say I have no regrets and have just what I wanted.

Dodge

Ooh, I do love amp gut shots.  That's borderline pornographic!

McToot

Dodge said:

Ooh, I do love amp gut shots.  That's borderline pornographic!

Wis. I have a valve-rectified semi as I type. 

dazzajl

Dodge said:

Ooh, I do love amp gut shots.  That's borderline pornographic!

I should confess that I've had it about 6 weeks now and only took the back off for the first time yesterday.

I knew it was going to be a tidy build but even as not too bothered about guts type, I definitely "oooooooo'd"

Sassafras

If it sounds as good as it looks, it should be terrific.
Nice guitar too, even if it is a bit scuffed.

77ric

That sounds like my kinda amp, need to win the lotto first or sell a kidney or something first. That is a tasty looking guitar too, what is it? if you don’t mind me asking. 

dazzajl

It’s a Fidelity Double Standard @77ric ;
A really fabulous thing. Looks like a crane, plays like a Swiss watch. 

John_A

Stunning!  Don’t know why people go bonkers over USA made stuff when we have builders here of this standard

Sassafras

The Tiffany lamp's none too shabby, either.

dazzajl

Sassafras said:

The Tiffany lamp's none too shabby, either.

Thank you. Like the amp, it’s a modern reproduction because I don’t run a hedge fund.

Keefy

We have a lot of catching up to do my old mucker!

LastMantra

Looks great! I think I'd rather like something like that to run with my WEM.

dazzajl

Keefy said:

We have a lot of catching up to do my old mucker!

We certainly do! 

Wazmeister

Great photos mate and congrats !

I love the Rift stuff in that grey tweed

Modulus_Amps

John_A said:

Stunning!  Don’t know why people go bonkers over USA made stuff when we have builders here of this standard

Exaclty, Rifts work is better than most of the boutique brands I have seen from the states.

John_A

Modulus_Amps said:

John_A said:

Stunning!  Don’t know why people go bonkers over USA made stuff when we have builders here of this standard

Exaclty, Rifts work is better than most of the boutique brands I have seen from the states.

Your's too . There's other UK builder out there too, Stoneham up in the North-East do some great Marshall types

Gassage

Really lovely.

dazzajl

John_A said:

Modulus_Amps said:

John_A said:

Stunning!  Don’t know why people go bonkers over USA made stuff when we have builders here of this standard

Exaclty, Rifts work is better than most of the boutique brands I have seen from the states.

Your's too . There's other UK builder out there too, Stoneham up in the North-East do some great Marshall types

From what I’ve heard, played and held, I’d say that this is an area we really can hang the ‘world beating’ tag on. The talent and inventiveness of UK guitar, amp and pedal builders is extraordinary. 

Lebarque

Wazmeister said:

Great photos mate and congrats !

I love the Rift stuff in that grey tweed

Agreed. The silver control panel with the logo sets it off perfectly too.

Jalapeno

Wowzers !

Winny_Pooh

It looks beautiful! Having already played the vyse you refer too, what speaker did you choose for this over a blue and why?