Rivera K-Tre Knucklehead (120W Head)

This is an update from a previous review, see below, 2 channel monster with no bells and whistles, but very versatile, amazing machine.

This is the best piece of gear I have ever invested in, this thing is really quiet, no channel switch noise, ridiculous amounts of gain, Even tamable in the gain channel to lighten up to SRV style blues tones with my 74 strat, Incredible detail and note definition, very organic and full sounding gain structure, I am using my hot channel EQ set too, Treble-3 Mid-6 Bass-5 Gain-8, W/ no foundation control and Presence set @ 5. I play Technical Deathmetal and this thing cuts through the mix beautifully. Clean channel will deliver anything from Fender twin cleans all the way to Vox AC-30 Tones and anything in between with miles of headroom. I truly cannot find any flaws with this amplifier other than lack of reverb, but that is what the FX loop is for =)

BRICK **** HOUSE, Working on my second year with this amp and no problems yet. no retube, no tone loss, no service, no backup, no problem. its built as bad*** as it sounds.

Haven't had to deal with them since owning the amp, but the were great prior to my purchase, see other review.

Since owning this amp I have figured out that this amplifier can bring out the best in any guitar that I own, and any style that I play, though it is undeniably designed to kick you in the face with it' miles of high gain.

No idea what year my amp was made. It is the version without reverb, pretty simple layout, 2 channels; Clean as hell and total mayhem ;-) Excellent switchable effects loop and lots of watts ??? 120 to be exact.

Only thing I would are as follows:

MIDI - I know that this was probably left out for cost reasons, but in the UK this is a ??1800 amp new - if I buy a Diezel I get more midi options that I can shake a stick at!

A second volume pot for the switchable boost like on a Mesa or Krank for solo???ing ??? that would make this thing pretty much a ten for me as it is still an easy nine.

Currently I use this amp with a variety of guitars, but the mainstay is always my custom Hugh Manson guitars (the guy who makes them for Muse etc.). Mine are all loaded with SD Blackouts @ the bridge and EMG 60???s at the neck.

Mainly I play metal, Pantera to Slipknot and this amp pretty much gets to all these tones on its own ??? which let???s be honest is not as common as we would like! I???ve added nothing much else to the setup except a noise gate and sometimes a parametric EQ.

This amp is very, very quite ??? I used to own a Krank Krankenstien, which is a pretty good amp and very quite ??? the Rivera smokes it both with better cleans, heavier distortion and a quieter high gain channel. This is simply currently the most brutal distortion I???ve ever heard and let me qualify that I???ve owned (or still do) a Boogie Mark IIC+, a Boogie Dual Rec (SN 198), A Diezel VH4, Randall RG100ES, a Krank Krankenstien, Boogie Triaxis, Marshall JMP1 and an ADA MP1 ??? I???m betting the only thing that get near this is the KR7, Mick Thompsons amp ??? that I do wanna try ;-)

Happy to gig without a backup - never even throw a tube on me in well over a year - not even had it services yet ;-)

Dont know - never had any issues with the amp, the UK dealer is pretty helpful!

IMHO this is pretty much the best amp I???ve ever owned and if it???s a high gain amp I???ll have owned it at one time or another!

Sure I have minor issues, but I can buy a midi switcher and a boost pedal to stick in the effects loop ??? I???d rather have a truly great amp and add the bits that I need that one that sucked and required a ton of gear!

I???d love to try this side by side with the KR7 but I???m pretty sure it???s not going to be worth the extra ??1000 ??? and I always end up using two channels on a three channel amp anyway ;-)

So if you want a rock solid, mean as hell amp that eats Dual Recs ??? go buy a K-TRE, you may be broke but you will not be disappointed!

Not Sure what year it was made I bought it used, does not have reverb (Oh Darn!!), but I have a floor unit for that, I bought this because of the features. simple enough to keep purists happy, yet advanced enough to meet the needs of a gigging musician. 2 channel, basically a fender twin for the clean channel, very pristine, sounds insane with my strat on it. and a jacked up marshall on steroids with way better voicing for the lead channel.. Meanest gain channel I have ever heard. the ultimate effects loop in my opinion. the loop meets my needs exactly..one of the main reasons this head got my attention.
I use this for gigging and It has exactly the right features for what I need.

I play in a progressive metal/grindcore/hardcore/experimental band,
I use BC Rich Neckthrough Guitars W/ Passive EMG H4 Pickups. we Down Tune our guitars to Dropped A. and this thing sounds amazing. I actually do not use alot of gain. about 70 percent Gain Without the boost engaged. and I EQ it at Treble=4 Mid=6 Bass=7 Presence=5 Gain=7
and this thing is voiced beautifully. When I play I really want a barking mid bite to my notes. Focused more on the low mids. a really throaty Tone with a very gritty bite at the front of the note when I first strike the string. I have spent Countless hours trying to achieve this tone on other platforms without the amp/pedal sounding thin and shrill.. alas, to no avail. Prior to this I was looking at the Stiletto Deuce Stage II..that Amps sounds sweet as hell..(hard for me to admit, as I am not a boogie fan.) but After hearing the soundbites off the rivera site I had this amp stuck in my head. The Note Definition is insane..it will truly show all your mistakes..lol..
it is prompting me to become a much tighter guitar player. I have been working to become tighter for a while. but this amp is showing me where I can improve... and the Sound Shaping Possibilitys Are endless.. not in buttons bells and whistles..but with the depth of the pots, and that fact the EQ Knobs interact with each other. the EQ Shaping is second to none. I have managed to obtain the tone that I need flawlessly while the sound also remains very fat and full, huge and open..Love it!!

I have only had the head for a few weeks and I am not sure as to the dependability of this particular unit. how ever, if it holds up to its namesake then I don't forsee having any issues with it. Riveras are built like brick shit houses. and this one is no different..Rock Solid Thus Far. And I am Just Getting the chance to Stretch it's Legs Really good this weekend, We will see how it goes!!

I Called Rivera a Few Months ago Before I got this amp. and I got A gentleman on the phone who helped in the design Process of this amp. When you call them they answer the phone Like they are the Local Pizza Shop Down the Street. Sounded Like the Guy Just happend to be walking by the phone in the shop as I called. Real Deal People. Not Service Professionals.. Much Better In My opinion.
Very Helpful, I shot the shit with the guy, asking questions about the K-Tre in general. and he was very knowledgable about the product. he was even looking over one of them right in front oh him as I asked questions. Never Had to deal with them as far as Returns Go. or parts. Product Servicing. But I bet it is good.

I have been Playing for 15+ Years and I own Lots of other gear. If this were stolen or lost I would Snap. I would Freak the Fuck out. And then I would Try to figure out a way to get another one..lol. I haven't found Any thing I dislike about the amp yet.. but then again I haven't owned it for that long..I will try to Rate it again here in a few months when I have had Some more time to test its long term reliability and also tube life. Maybe when I retube it I will load it with all JJ Tubes. And see what it sounds like then. I can only Imagine..

My Rivera Knucklehead Tre head was made in 2007 and it includes the footswitchable reverb option. There is a single reverb knob on the front panel that is shared by both channels. Above the reverb knob is a mini-toggle switch that will assign the reverb to channel 1, Channel 2, or both. The K-Tre Reverb comes with a four-button footcontoller that toggles between channels 1-2, gain/sustain boost, reverb, and effects loop. The front panel has a hi/lo instrument input which is very useful for guitars with active pickups. The back panel includes a direct-out and a tube buffered effects loop with send/recieve level controls. Above the effects loop is a mini-toggle switch that assigns the effects to channel 1, channel 2, or both (for use with the footcontroller). Overall, this amp is very thoughtfully designed. There are enough features and options available to make most players happy. In my opinion, amps loaded with too many features start to sacrifice tone and response for options. While simple amps with few features usually have great tone and response but are not practical enough to incorporate into most rigs. The K-tre strikes an excellent balance between the two schools of thought. The K-tre is just simple enough to play and sound great, but just complicated enough to fit well into most recording or live performance situations.

The K-tre really is a great sounding amp. The clean channel has massive headroom just as advertised. To be honest, it's one of the best el-34 powered clean channels I've ever heard in my almost 2 decades of playing guitar. The dirty channel is very aggressive yet still manages to remain clear, articulate and smooth. To my astonishment, the gain knob is useable from the whole range of 1 to 10 and cleans up well with a guitar's volume knob. I find this to be a very pleasant surprise for a high gain amplifier. The footswitchable gain/sustain boost is probably my favorite feature on the K-tre. It is perfect for lead boosting. There is absolutely NO need to use overdrive/boost pedals with this amp. Purists will love the footswitchable gain boost because they can just plug straight into the amp and not have any stompboxes cluttering up their signal chain. The effects loop is VERY QUIET and absolutely deserves a perfect 10 score. It is possible to drive just about any stompbox or multi-effects unit with the tube buffered level controls. Rivera is known for building amps with clean effects loops and the K-tre is no exception. Lastly, the K-tre is dead silent. There are no strange noises or snap-crackle-pop type sounds. All of the knobs and switches are very clean and studio quality. There is some buzzing when the reverb control knob is turned up past 4-7, but I've found that to be common with a lot of high powered 100 watt tube amps.

Riveras are solidly built and definately deserve a 10 in this category.

Overall, I really like the K-tre. Rivera has made a great sounding head that practically plays itself. When I first bought the amp, I set the eq controls and have never touched them since. I consider this to be a sign of a great amplifier. If a guitar player feels that he's got to constantly fiddle with knobs and tweek eq settings in a never-ending search for a good sound then that's usually the sign of a poor amplifier. On the contrary, when a guitar player likes to play through an amp and never has to fiddle with the eq...well, then that's the sign of a great amp.

This amp is an EL-34 120 Watt Monster. This amp is versatile enough
to play any type of Metal from AC/DC style crunch to Death Metal over the top gain. This amp also produces some awesome clean tones.
The only reason that I am giving this amp a 9 is that Reverb is not an option. I did speak with Paul Rivera J.R. before ordering this amp to see if it was an option and he said not yet but that they are looking to make one with Reverb in the future.

This amp sounds awesome I drove three hours to the nearest
dealership (CB Perkins-San Jose, Ca. a outstanding Family owned guitar store that Rivera had a link to)to play this amp.

I can get just about any guitar tone that I am looking for out of
this amp. The one things that the previous reviews failed to talk about was just how awesome the clean tones are. I have always looked for a all in one amp and now I have it. I have used my Les Pauls with Duncan Pick Ups JB/Jazz and a Dave Mustain set as well as
a Fender strat and a G&L Commanche and this amp sounds great with all of them.

This is the first Rivera that I have owned so I do not have first hand knowledge of their long term reliability but, I have heard nothing but positive feedback from other owners.

Speaking to Paul Rivera J.R. on the phone he was very helpful
and patient with my questions. I recieved calls back and return E-mails.

Prior to this amp I was a long time Mesa Boogie owner. I have owned
Mesa Boogie Studio .22s, Blue Angels, Mark ivs and recently I had ordered the new Road King Series 2 Head and Cab. Thinking that would be the last amp that I ever bought however, The first RK heads reverb did not work so I sent the head back when a new head came in
the channels were noisy and the gain on channel four did not work.
I have also owned Crate Amps, Marshall JCM800s and a Naylor.

For more info on this amp check out the Guitar World "Holiday 2006"
issue which has an article on this amp their "Bottom Line" stated:
"In Short the Knucklehead Tre is one of the baddest amps on the planet. It generates gain like an unattended nuclear reactor and seems incapable of producing a weak or mushy note. Yet its delightful clean tones are among the best in its class. Rivera has again come through with a notable achievment in amplifier design."

2 channels
-the effects loop can be adjusted like an attenuater so you dont need
a power brake to play at lower volume
-can turn the effects loop on with the floor switch
-can have the effects loop dedicated only to one channel or both
-the only negative i can think of is that I haven't gotten a lower gain pop-music type sound but in fairness I havn't really tried since I've been so addicted to the raw hi gain
-this is the best metal amp on the market bar none (boogies, bogner,krank, etc do not compare)

This amp is beyond comparison. I had no intention of buying one. I was admiring a new hi-end botique amp when the salesman told me I had to hear the new rivera. This amp blew me away - THERE IS NOTHING THAT SOUNDS LIKE IT. First off let me clarify. I like the heavy "bassy" distortion of the new class of amps like the rectifier - however I hate the rectifier becauase everything you play sounds the same. Finger tone and dynamics are complete $%^&. NOW with this amp you get amazing gain AND clarity - the best of both worlds. It is like a boot to the neck. I'm serious. I'm no pro by any stretch of the imagination but I've played some high dollar amps. This thing blows them all away. The previous reveiwer was dead on. You can not compare this to anything. Now everytime I hear a sound on the radio or a cd I think "damn my tre blows that piece of $%^& away." Forget trying to replicate anyone's sound - this thing has its own sound. My buddy was playing some old van halen riffs and damn! this thing had the responsiveness to make every cord and riff stand out like the album but did it with the heaviest gain you've ever heard. Even the clean channel is silky smooth. The only bad thing about this amp is if you hear it it will make everything else sound like crap. I'm not sucking off Rivera. It really is that good. One recomendation - dont use high gain pickups. i think you'd waist the clarity in the distortion, trust me - you dont need more gain. Use some hi quality smooth PAF's. I'm running John Suhr's DSV's and they're perfect.

dont know because i've only had it a few weeks, but it looks like it has two massive transformers inside - built like an M1 abrams.

Dont know, but have heard good stuff

I've just picked my guitar up after 10 years hiatus, and this thing makes me want to play all the time. First thing I do when I get home is crank it. I love everything about it. The only sound I can't get is a lower gain pop-music U2 type sound, but that may just be because I don't know how to use this thing yet. I've got a boogie v-twin pedal for that anyway. on a 1 to 10 this is without a doubt a 10.

This amp has everything you need and nothing you don't. Basicly the same layout as the regular knucklehead. The coolest feature is an built-in power attenuater that can be activated by the effects loop. Very quiet and very useful.

I've heard a lot of great amps before. When I heard this one yesterday, I was in a high end shop in Virginia Beach. I had just heard a Krankenstien, some boogies and a custom audio; all very nice stuff.
This thing blew them all away, even the krank... no contest whatsoever. I'll say it right now, this amp is going to define the metal sound for the next ten years like boogie did in the 90's. Guys, if you're saving up for a bogner, deitzel, krank whatever, forget it... this is it. To say that I was absolutely floored is an understatement. The only drawback is, if you suck, this amp will show your playing for what it is. The upside of that is that it retains note deffenition at ridiculous gain settings, and the low end has a rock solid chunk that the krank can't even touch. The low end is tight, tight, tight. This gain of this amp isn't as smooth as the custom audio, but if you want the ultimate metal amp, this is your amp. I'm dumping a bunch of old gear on ebay to get one before the price goes throught the roof.

Don't know. It looks like it's built like a tank though... almost as heavy as one too. Also, it has the biggest power output transformers I've ever seen, including my voodoo modded 6505. I don't think you're gonna break it unless your a total retard.

I haven't bought one yet, so I'm not sure.

This is it, this is your metal amp; forget the rest. Trust me; there is nothing else that even comes close right now