Rivera KnuckleHead Reverb K100R

Rivera Knucklehead 100 Reverb.
Powered by 5 12AX7 and 4 EL34 tubes.
3 Channel 100W tube head. The 2nd and 3rd channel share the same eq controls, but they have indipendent gain, boost and channel volume.
Focus and Presence controls for the final equalization of the EL-34.

All channels, boosts, FX loop and reverbs are midi switchable and programmable with the included Rivera Headmaster Midi pedalboard.

Rear panel features include: Series/Parallel Effects Loop with Level and Blend controls, equalized Recording Output, subwoofer Output (for hooking up to Rivera powered Los Lobottom Sub 1 or Sub 2 subwoofers), an Impedance Selector with two speaker jacks, High/Low Power Switch, and a Vintage/Triode switch (allows for 100/50/25/12 Watt Output Power selection) and Midi In/Out/Thru and midi channel selector.


UTILIZATION

You have a lot of tone options with this head. Boosts, mids scoop, bright pull knobs etc.
It is a tricky amp head, you really need to spend some time with it to have an useful sound.

SOUNDS

I used it with a Gibson SG with Bareknuckle Pickups (Miracle man in the bridge and cold sweat in the neck) and a 2x12 Harley Benton cab.

The clean sound is fantastic. One of the best I've ever used in a High Gain Amp.
With the Bright Switch it can go from a Fender to a Vox kind of sound.
Other than the highs, even the mids and the low controls have a pull switch that basically changes the frequency and curves of the EQ.

Channel 2 have a darker, British voicing (Marshall JMP) and Channel 3 is more American sounding (Mesa Dual Rectifier)

However I don't find really useful these channels.
The standard gain is not too much for modern rock genres. You have to kick in the boost to reach enough distortion.
But the added gain makes the amp really muddy and saturated.

Channel 3 has an amount of distortion that is absurd. It becomes buzzy really fast.
The lows are really too much, I never passed the 10 o clock mark, and the mids are really promiment.
The fact that they share the same EQ made it impossible to find a good setting for the 2 channels.

OVERALL OPINION

Awesome Clean channel and not so good High Gain sounds.

Here in Europe the "new" price is way too much.
I have seen stores that sell it for 3000 Euro. That's crazy.
With that amount of money you can buy a Diezel Herbert, a VH4 or an Hagen and have real indipendent channels (3 and 4 respectively), more tonal options and the same top notch construction quality.

Beware of the fact that if you want to sell it, you will lose from 1500 to 2300 euro from the "New" price.

All lamp. 100 W. 2 entries guitars (high / low), pedal noon fx entry ... everything is there, it's not very complicated
2 Power switch: 50% + modern / vintage which also reduces the output volume.

3 channels: 1 clean, 1 lead, 1 (super?) Lead.

UTILIZATION

The config can be simple if you want: it will sound anyway. Then, for the purists, there's ANY way to adjust to perfection, each knob is effective, especially since there are many switch switchable (contour notch bright ...) and each channel has a 'boost 'which gives more to fishing without a radical change, ideal for a transition verse / chorus.

The manual is not top top, such as English and I had a hard time understanding how the pedals worked. Few additional doc on the Internet, given the small community of happy owners of this brand.

8 because of the manual.

SOUNDS

I play rock, metal but not much potato and it makes them mean anything I want. It's less than a nag Peavey 5150, it's more like the Marshall sound level, but much more versatile and 'accurate'.
I have two guitars, an Ibanez SC620 (model unknown) that sounds good in all conditions. And a Fender Jaguar (Japan crafted) that she, really hard at all. The combination is fabulous guitar amp, the sound is frankly very characteristic, while slamming through the normal circuit and a lot more rounded, almost blues circuit in the 'rhythm'.
The clean sound is really fabulous! A fender would sound just dry side (I'll make enemies).
The first overdrive fills all roles. I have a harder time identifying the 2nd which I use more for solos by pushing the gain slightly more.

But play between light and the first with the OD switch 'boost' delights me in every way, I can not get over it.
I certainly had little opportunity to use it 3x in concerts, at home it's impossible, too powerful. Last date: outdoor festival, the sound engineer asked me to switch the power on 25% so it exploded on its own.

Not 10 because I felt I could never use this amp at full power, except may be at the Olympia, but it is unlikely to happen.

OVERALL OPINION

It's been six months that I have, I only just beginning to learn to use it, it's very (too) subtle.

Tried Marshall, Peavey, Mesa, Engl and Hughes. Some were already very well for me, like Marshall, others were not suited to my game because they are too 'heavy' for me (peavey, mesa). This one came out of the lot, by the sound I expected, almost British, and its accuracy.

Value, the question angry. The price is exorbitant, as 3000 euros for the head + mini baffle, or 50% more than all Marshall. But where are the means additional EUR sincerely. We play in the major courses with it.

I expect to see over time but I think I will keep this amp extremely long seen the build quality and sound.

Its only drawback: the size! But like any amp with a 4x12.