Rivera Knucklehead 2

When it comes to the things a modern rock player needs this thing has it in spades.Versatility is certainly not an issue w/this amp, provided that you have some working knowledge of what everything does.As the previous review stated instead of being a 2 channel amp it really is like having 4.Effects loop is great though i wish it was footswitchable,thats the reason I gave it 9 in this category.Reverb isn't in here, but ask yourself if you really need it,that surely wouldn't be something that would make or break a purchase in this caliber of amp.You should have no problem finding your niche w/this living, breathing creature.

Mainly I use this amp w/an ESP eclipse jb/59,American Fender strat all stock and a couple of Fernandes'w/duncans as well.Each of the guitars' individual character shines through w/ease.As for the styles I play usually go from slight jazz,blues,some chickin pickin a la Paisley,on to more modern radio rock and metal.Pedals are a big part of my sound mainly for the ambient textured stuff.In front of the amp I use fulltone fulldrive 2, true bypass mod vox wah[soon to be a clyde deluxe],and a korg pitchblack tuner.In the effects loop I have a radial loopbone, the first loop has an isp decimator and an electro harmonix holy stain,the second loop has a boss gt3[fantstic machine btw].All cables are mogami and corex2.This amp is as quiet as a mouse,the only need for the decimator is for when I get crazy w/the overdrive, and the fuzz on the holy stain.Plenty of headroom on the beyond beautiful clean channel,matter of fact this channel and the fulldrive 2 alone is more than enough for half of the classic rock purist out there!But thats not where it ends for some the ninja boost may be to much,granted it is a big inrcrease in volume,it is kinda hard to find a good use for it.BE sure to work w/the mid and treble pull pots[notch and bright]I keep em pretty high,between 7/10.Now for the 2nd channel WOW easily some of the most pure unadulterated high gain hate you could ever wish for,also pure creamy sweet,singing leads that can make your wife leave you over[or jump in the sack lol].Seriously though it all lies in the gain knob,keep it low and you can get great classic rythym tones and step on YOUR overdrive to give it a good push.Step on the amps boost to do basically the same thing just a tad more or less saturated.The bass boost is fantastic dont pull it and push it to ten thats dumb,keep it low as one review stated, I keep it two.Put a little effort into tweaking this amp,honestly at first I was alittle overwhelmed,but after figuring out what was what it was all down hill.Also I failed to mention use a quality cab w/decent speakers avoid the cheapo's they just don't cut it.As a matter of fact go for something a bit on the bright side.Dont just jump for the first mesa cab or whatever has vintage 30's in it,shop around.As for tubes it has svetlana winged c 6l6gc's in it when I change em it'll be those or some teslas.

Well so far I haven't really put it through it's paces yet,but from what I hear these amps are solid.So i have to rate it high b/c nothing is wrong with a 6 year old amp.Backup amps are something you need for peace of mind and touring.Gigging on a regular basis is never advised without a backup.

Haven't needed them yet, but I am curious of the production runs of this amp.

Over the past 14 years of my playing I have played many many amps,and done the window shopping thing for alot of hours.As far as past amps I have owned this is at the top.This imo beat the uberschall,which was in my buying point as well as a triaxis that was way to pricey after it was said and done.Anyway past all that, my only dislikes are the non footswitchable efx loop,which the loopbone takes care of.If it were lost or stolen I would surely like to get another but apparently it's a fairly rare amp considering that you hardly see them on ebay and the lack of reviews speaks for itself.If I were you and I saw this at a pawnshop like I did I reckon you had better snatch it up,if not to keep it then sell it for profit,you know it's gonna hold value well and it most likely will increase.Its a RIVERA .

Not going get into what others have already amd clearly this amp doesn't provide all little midi stuff, the reverb, and the third channel that the Knucklehead reverb does (but hey it's cheaper and I've heard a few times the 3rd channel on KR sucks). But what it does offer is STILL unbelievable flexibility in tone and fantastic tone at that! I find the 2 channels plus two boosts (4 total channels) mixed with the ability to change the frequency center (push pulls on the Middle tone control) from 250Hz to 550Hz to 750Hz more options than I know what to do with (that means we can go from the Fender "blackface" to the Marshall/Brit style/ 50's tweed style to modern high gain sounds like Soldano!) Seriously I was finding cool new tones a year after I first got this amp ("ve owned it two years running and have no plans of giving it up).. But it gets a 9, for no reverb --- how do you leave that out?

I have two very different guitars - an old Les Paul Standard (1981) and a Fender Jaguar American 62' reissue. My music stle is funk, to rythme and blues, to any "alternative" (or shall I say pop) rock played on your local radio station for the past 10 years, to my Metallica addiction (which ends at the "And Justice for All" album -- sorry but the new stuff is not what I grew up on! and not what I like). This is the most quiet amp every!!! even with the Jag it is pretty darn quiet. The switching is flawless and smooth - and clean channels --- well you know -- Unfricking believable! Some have complained about the bass boost - and if your playing with humbuckers then yew it's worthless unless you want to piss your base player off - but it rolls down nicely, its not like you've got shitloads of base and can't doing anything about it - roll the dial down dumbarses! But the boost does help me come up with most deathly - intense - grinding distortion through my Jaguar! People freak-- seriously. Channel 1 I set the bass on about 4, boost pulled, trebble 6, mid-4 pulled, gain 6/7, and master volume 7 (or so), plugged into the high gain input, bridge pick-up only (no bright switch), tone rolled back a bit --- owwwww looooookkkk out dogggg this Jaguar is kicking your ass!!!! And well with the LP its just silly - but with the humbuckers I never use the bass boost, its too much. Probably made for the single coil guitars??

I love running Channel 2 hard - w/ the ninja boost on. I've also heard others complain about the ninja boost, and yes it is a big step up in volume - but roll back on the trebble - 2/3, mids around 6 (not pulled), bass at 4, gain 7/8 - and volume to needed level. I play this through my bridge pick-up on the LP, and the distortion break-up is just beautiful, so sensitive to my attack - great for distorted rythm playing, funked up with some 9th cords! So anyway I'm finally writing about my amp, cause I figured that the best reviews are from people who actually play their amp, daily (well how about 3-4 times a week).

Again I'm going to give it a 9, cause it really should have REVERB!

I'm not particularly kind to it, and it fell off my cabinet once-----yikes. Don't ask -- I'm still pissed at our singer! Anyway she fired back-up without a glitch, is that crazy or what. so got to go 10 here.

nope.

I've been playing for abuot 15 years -- since I was 17. And I would definitely buy this bad boy again -- I'm waiting to get sick of it actually (like I did my fender Twin, and my Marshall) but it just hasn't happened. I guess thoough I would go for the KR, since that one has reverb - but wow the amount of options on that thing could probably be over whelming - I would definitely need a pad and pencil around to keep track of good tones I found. This guys is flexible enough but simple enough for me remember the SHEEEIT. IS this a good value ---- AAAAHHHHH Yew. Anyone who whines about this thing either has a crappy cabinet - or hasn't spent the time feel out what each knob does - they all effect each other you know.

i'm going to skip the basics as you can read them at rivera.com or on some of the reviews below. my intention is to discuss some issues with this amp that that i feel have not been covered, and to offer a different point of view from other reviewers. i've been playing this amp for almost a year now, and have gone through a love hate relationship with it, until i found out a few secrets. for the record, i play a diverse range of punk rock and rock styles spanning melodic and hardcore punk and also reggae/dub and rock and roll roots
so on with it. this is one hell of a versatile amp

i play an SG standard. when i first got this thing i had a little more trouble dialing in the tone i was looking for than i did with my old marshall. on the marshall i set the treble at 8, mids at 5-6 and bass at around 7. a simple, straight-forward setting that sounds great on most amps.
on the knucklehead, i wasn't satisfied with those settings. it really took some time for me to find my tones because this amp is so versatile, there are a plethora of options for tone shaping, i think anyone could find there niche in this amp. there are multiple pull switches which boost and scoop your tone along with boosts on each channel, and i switch between them all. this is the most versatile amp i have ever owned or played ( i also enjoy the boogie mark 4, but have never been able to crank it up so i can't honestly give the most accurate comparison ).
let's talk about the distortion channel now. like i said, i think anyone can find their niche in this amp, you just have to experiment with it. for example, all 3 frequency knobs have pull switches allowing you to really shape your sound. the bass knob pulls out to boost the lows. some other reviews trash this feature because it adds crazy bass, which it does. the key is to use just a little bit of it. if you have the bass boost pulled and turned to 5 you are going to have insane low end-way too much. i have the bass knob turned to 2 max!! but there is a beautifully round bottom end with a nice chunk and not too much bass. i have the treble turned all the way up, and pulled for added "sweet". and it sounds sweet. i have the mid scooped and turned to 7.
also, depending on your musical styles, you may find that you need a little bit more gain to saturate your signal with this channel. i did, and i remedied the situation with an ibanez ts9, just to add a little more overdrive. the tone is insane!

the clean channel is flawless. i can play around with it all day getting different tones. the clean channel is a work of art. i have no complaints whatsoever. it's spectacular. clean channel is a 10
lead channel was about a 7-8 - definately not a 10, but with the ts9 i would bump it up to a 8-9, a big improvement but still room for improvement. overall, i am very happy with the tones and endless possibilities.

i don't use a backup. hasn't failed on me yet, and i've played numerous shows with it.

i called rivera to ask them a few questions before and after i got my amp, and Paul Rivera made sure i was satisfied.

this is just a really really very great amp in my opinion

2002 Knucklehead 2, 100 Watt. 2 channels, each w/ a boost feature as well as high boosts, mid frequency notch, and bass boost (dirty channel only). This amp delivers on exactly what you see. There is no reverb and the effects loop is not switchable, but in terms of offering a versatile clean and dirty channel with an extensive range of tone-shaping options and send/receive level controls on the fx loop, this amp is all that and a bag of chips. Mine came loaded with Svetlana 6L6's. The construction of the amp is rock solid, transformers used are top quality, and the handle looks like it will last forever. One small gripe is that the grille on the front of the amp rattles a little; not an issue when playing at even moderate rehearsal volumes.

Guitars:
'74 Les Paul Custom w/ a Super Distortion in the bridge
'93 Strat Plus w/ DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Neck 2's in the Neck/Middle, DiMarzio Pro Track in the bridge

Setup Chain: Guitar -> Maxon Compressor -> Whammy -> TS-9 Tubescreamer -> Knucklehead 2 -(loop send)-> Boss CS2 Chorus -> DOD Delay/Sampler -> Line6 DL4 Delay -(loop return)-> Mesa Recto Vert Cab w/ 2x Celestion Vintage 30's.

I play a variety of styles, ranging from mathier indie rock to metalcore to atmospheric/ambient to dark guitar pop. I need an amp that can cover a lot of ground, respond adequately to two fairly disparate guitars, and offer a lot of sound control from the foot controller, fx pedals such as a tubescreamer or my compressor, and from the guitar volume controls. The Knucklehead does a terrific job.

Clean channel - I only use the non-boosted sound and have it set up for sort of a beefy blackface tone. In my opinion, the clean (Ninja) boost causes waaay too much of a jump in volume to switch on and off while on stage. In terms of headroom and clarity, tho the Knucklehead is on top of the pack. My Les Paul sounds punchy and fat, the Strat is clear as a bell.

Dirty channel - I get a lot more mileage out of this side of the amp. The non-boosted sound provides a gritty but transparent tone, great for slashing out chords. In addition to my own guitars, I've played a 90's Am Std Tele through this channel and it is fucking balls out amazing! A tele is definitely on my wishlist... Kicking in the boost brings you into high gain territory. I have to disagree with many of this amp's detractors here...while the amp has loads of gain, I'm about as anti-Nu Metal as a music fan can be and I've been quite satisifed with the high gain sound from this amp. Rolling off on the volume on your instrument yields highly responsive, musical, and usable tones from about 1.5 to 10 and everywhere in between.

Dislikes: The bass boost on the dirty channel is a waste of my time. It's much too overbearing, and I don't know A) who would want to make their amp sound like a ghetto cruiser and B) who would possibly want to eq a guitar sound w/ that much bass. Come to think of it,this amp is extremely bassy to begin with. I love warm, bassy sounds, but am beginning to learn that the mid-eq region is ultimately where a guitar sound is best defined. I'm having my amp retubed with EL34's by Dennis Kager of Central Jersey Music in Edison, NJ, in hopes of achieving a slightly more mid-boosted, snarly sound.

Overall, the sound is terrific, but I'm always tweaking this and that (hence the experimentation w/ changing tube types). I think it's more my nature than anything else. The Knucklehead allows for a lot of tweakage, which is a major positive in my book.

I've had the amp since February 2003. So far it's been very reliable. I had to replace a microphonic preamp tube shortly after I purchased the amp. I have had sporadic issues with picking up radio frequencies. I am now (Sept) replacing the tubes for the first time, due to the fact that I want to experiment with a different tube type and because one of the power tubes is on its way out. I would not attribute any of these factors to the manufacturer, so no points are lost here.

Awesome. You call Rivera on the phone and you get Paul Rivera, the guy who designed the amp. Of the two times I called in, one time he had to take my number and call me back, but that took about 5 minutes, bfd. When I had a problem witha microphonic preamp tube shortly after purchasing the amp, Paul sent me a replacement, no questions asked. Dealing with Rivera is like getting a private amp tech with the purchase of your amp. Try getting that with one of the big amp manufacturers like Fender or Marshall. You'll get a customer service department and a run around.

I've been playing for about 10 years. This is my fourth amp, after playing through a Fender M80 solid state in high school, a JCM900 4500 model, and a Crate VC212. I could care less where any of those amps are now. This one is here to stay for a long, long while.

In buying this amp, I was mostly comparing it against Mesa Boogies, such as the F series, and single/dual Rectos. For my style, the closest competitor was the Boogie F-50. This amp simply offered a lot more versatility. Also, I paid about a grand for it on sale (Guitar Center was clearing out inventory) when it had retailed for $1500 originally.

Overall this is a great amp with a lot of tone shaping options. Of course it's lacking reverb and a few other options, but what do you expect? No amp can do it all, but a great amp can do a lot and this one does.

100 watts, 2 channels, boost on each channel, pull out knobs for different voicings on 2 frequencies on the clean channle and 3 on the gain channel, global presence and focus, send and return levels on the effects loop and three button footswitch. I think it is versatile amp especially for my type of music which is modern heavy rock and the only thing I am missing is a button for the effects loop on the footswitch. Also this amp should come with a slip cover, as should all amps in this price range.

Carvin dc727's through an Avatar 4x12 with celestion V30's and G12H30's. I do plan on buying the matching Rivera 4x12. Very quiet amp. As mentioned before this head has a huge bottom end and is very very loud. The Focus control helps calm this amp down for small rooms. The distortion really sizzles and has an extremely useable midrange. I usually don't like to crank the midrange in most amps but on this amp I love to. I keep the midrange around 7-8 because I think it sounds so good and adds punch. Clean channel is hard to beat. It's so good you can turn the controls with a blindfold and the amp off and yet still have good tones when you plug in. 10 for the clean and a 9 for the gain channel.

First thing I did when I got the amp was to open it up. It's made very well and you just think of quality every time you pick it up or plug in.

Can't say but I have heard nothing bad.

My two previous amps were a Soldano HR50+XL and a VHT Pittbull Classic. I like different things about both amps but overall they are not as good as this one. I give it a ten overall because of THE PRICE. For an amp this good you will have to pay much more if you go with another brand. Even then the amp you buy may not stack up. Rivera's are so nice, even though I am guilty of wanderlust for different amps I will always keep this one even if I decide to buy and try something else. If you are unsure about this amp, don't be and feel free to email me to ask questions.

New amp. 2 channels w/volume, bass, middle, treble and master. Global presence and focus. Effects loop. Pretty versatile.

Clean channel was great. Loads of headroom. Crystal clear highs and ballanced lows. Very nice. Kicking in the ninga boost unsettled the amp a bit. Very harsh, fuzzy kinda overdrive. No matter what I did, I couldn't get away from the harshness the boost made.

Overdrive channel was not to my liking at all. Muddy bottom and piercing highs. No mids to speak of. This head is geared to the nu-metal crows for sure. I'm sure some EMG 81's would give it that sound to a tee, but it's just not my thing. BTW, this amp is ridiculously LOUD!!!!!!!!!

Looks like a tank

Rivera is great!!!! Acoustic Axis Instruments in Alexandria, VA is the spot. They have an amp room and you can crank at real or unreal playing volumes. They take a lot of time and patience with their customers. Check em out if your in the DC area.

I really wanted to like this amp, but it's just not for me. My style is more suited to the Knuclehead Reverb 55 EL34. The crunch that amp has is unbelievable, but I don't need the 3rd channel and reverb. I also tried a Fandango into a Rivera 412, but it just wasn't creamy in the mids like the KR55. I may try to find a used K55 or K100. Those amps are killer, but Rivera no longer offers them. Too bad everyone is trying to get on the nu-metal band wagon. Amps like this just don't do much for me. IMHO Rivera should offer the non reverb, 2 channel Knucklehead again. If they did, I'd buy one.

2002 KH2

Features as already mentioned...2 channels with multifunction pots.

I use this amp for live use into a Mesa Recto-Cab currently. I bought this amp to replace my Dual Rectifier as I felt it had problem cutting through "the mix" at times while retaining quality tone.

I play primarily PRS Custom 24s and Custom 22s into this amp. My band plays hard rock originals...

I can get a wide range of sounds from bell-like cleans to the deepest, hardest, high gain channel you have ever heard. This amp is a Recto Killer.

The amp has quite a bit of headroom and sounds full at all volumes thanks to master Presence and Focus controls. Through good design I feel like this amp really is more like a 2 1/2 channel rather than a two channel. The boost functions on both channels really do more than a third channel IMO.

As mentioned already this amp is very quiet at idle. An awesome experience to play.

Great so far...I haven't had it that long. So I will not give a rating in this area yet.

Rivera is known for great Customer Service. I have not had to contact them yet for anything.

I have been playing for a while. Like I said, the KH2 replaced my Dual Rectifier. In front of the amp I run a Bud Wah +, TS-9, Phase 90, and a Holy Grail Reverb. My other amps include a Mesa Nomad 55 1x12 combo with a 1x12 cab and a Bogner Shiva Head (EL-34)

Replace? In less than a heartbeat.

I absolutely love the clean channel. It is to die for and the whole reason for dumping the Mesa and passing on a Bogner Uberschall. I think this could be the best amp for the money on the market currently.

I also love the fact that it retains quality tone, even while running "Ultra" Gain. It has the abilty to cut like the Mesa couldn't IMO.

What do I hate? Nothing so far.

I wish it would have came with a cover though....

I too believe that this amp is a new standard. Thanks Rivera.

11/2002 Rivera Knuckle 2 4 EL34 and 5 12AX7 preamp
2 channels: one clean/one lead + the habitual pull and the boost for both channel.Also FS7
Use in studio to record.
Very simple to use and very simple features

This amp is very quiet,it's really incredible,it's like if they've hidden a hush inside.
Clean channel is a Rivera clean sound,what else to say?Everybody know it's divine.
Lead channel,a lot of bass and a really heavy distortion,the amp is very versatile,you can get everything.It's deeper than the Bogner Ubershall and this amp had more definition than the diezel VH4.I would say it's a new standard.

The amp is build like a tank,I'm sure it's very difficult to break(I know what I'm talking about,a friend of mine used to have the bonehead...).The tubes are very simple to change and the access well done,no problem.Rivera is a very talented brand.

I know they are more than helpful,If you get in Trouble theses guys will save you all.

This amp is really a pearl,I'm playing 4 VH4 all day long and this amp kick them all.
The tone range is very very important,it's easy to create and also easy to record so everything is perfect.Thanks for that masterpiece!