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Published on 07/16/11 at 09:05Rivera 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.
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.