Rivera Knucklehead 100 Review

History:

Purchase: I purchased this amp from Makin Music in Chicago while actually looking for a Mesa Boogie Mark IV. I ended up buying it used for $1000 because of its excellent bottom end response, and a nice little feature called the Ninja Boost.

What I Like About This Unit: The main selling point of this head is its bottom end -- it can't be beat. We're not talking muddy, Korn-style, poorly defined distortion -- it's very clear, tight, "punch you in the face" bass response that you can feel. It reflects the sound of your guitar quite well -- when played with a Music Man Luke, it sounds very reserved and "studio"; with my modded '65 Mustang, it's much more aggressive and biting. The Ninja boost gives your clean channel a Boogie Rhythm 2 quality -- think Izzy Stradlin's tight chopping technique and you'll get the idea. The company recommends using Celestion Vintage 30s, and I agree, although I prefer a 2x12 to a 4x12 with this particular amp. This gives it much more penetration and focus.

What I Do NOT Like About The Rivera Knucklehead 100: My main gripes with this unit are with its clean channel and its effects loop. Channel 1 does not have a very impressive tonal quality -- actually, without severe tweaking, it's very flat-sounding. Also, when you click on the Ninja, there is a drastic volume boost, which means you have to adjust the Master volume -- not very convenient in-song. The effects loop sounds fine, and does what it is supposed to do -- but compared to some other heads in this price range, such as the Mark IV, it's a bit basic. I would like to see a footswitchable loop, or perhaps even dual loops.

Knucklehead 100 Quality: This unit is build solid. The electronics in the back are well protected but easily accessible. The knobs are very smooth and everything on the unit is easy to read. I had a problem with the power section early on, and when I had it repaired, the guy told me that most new amps are like new cars -- you have one or two problems early on, and it will run great for quite a while. I've had it for about two years now and that is proving to be true.

Summary: The fact of the matter is this -- if you want a killer heavy sound that isn't like everything else out there, buy this amp now! If you're looking for a super-versatile amp that's going to do everything you need, well, maybe try a Boogie or a Marshall TSL.

Rating of this product: 4

This Rivera Guitar Amplifiers Review Submitted By: George W.R.Egonut

Date: 2001-11-11