Rivera Knucklehead Reverb KR 100 T Manual de usuario descargar pdf (Pagina 3)

RIVERA RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT •13310 Ralston Avenue • Sylmar CA 91342 • 818 833-7066 • fax 818 833-9656

E-mail : rivera@rivera.com • Internet Site http://www.rivera.com

Knucklehead Reverb 100 Head Review, as seen in Guitarist UK, June

2003. Rating “5 Stars Guitarist Choice”

Rivera’s Knucklehead Reverb packs more wallop than a prize-fighter,

and looks prettier than most of them too

by Nick Guppy

Paul Rivera deserves a lot more recognition on this side of the Atlantic

than he presently enjoys.

Since the early eighties he’s been producing amps under his name,

although his history goes back a lot farther than that. At Fender he co-

designed a number of circuits, including the 1980 Fender Concert Model-

one of the best point to point designs to leave the Fender Fullerton factory,

and regarded by many as one of Fender’s best modern amps. Over the last

two decades though, Rivera Research and Development has provided some

pretty amazing designs of its own, and the Knucklehead range is typical of

Paul’s approach that blends uncompromising quality and flexibility with a

logical control layout that puts the player in the driving seat.

Housed in a plywood sleeve almost as wide as a standard 4x12, with no

less than 17 knobs on its full-width control panel., the Knucklehead is an

imposing beast. Through the metal grille, you can see the two enormous

transformers that hint at the power it can deliver, as does the physical effort

needed to pick it up: it weighs more than many 2x12s.

Inside the chassis there’s a lot of densely packed electronics housed on

several large PCB’s, which are all double-sided and through plated for maxi-

mum reliability. As well as the opto-isolators used for channel switching (a

Rivera hallmark) there are several relays, and all interconnecting leads are

neatly bundled and tied back.

Rivera amps are renown for having a multitude of knobs to play with and

the Knucklehead is no exception. This is a proper three-channel design with

multiple voicing features and it definitely needs more than a cursory glance

at the well written manual to get the best of it.

Starting on the right, next to a pair of high and low sensitivity input jacks, is

the Knucklehead’s American-voiced Channel 1 with controls for gain, bass,

mid and treble, and a master volume. All the knobs on this channel have a

secondary function. The push/push gain control doubles as a channel

select, the treble control has a pull-switch marked “notch”-which changes

the mid-range frequency center point from 550 Hz to 250 Hz-and the bass

control has a pull switch called “contour” to accentuate low end wallop.

Finally, Channel 1’s master volume has a push/push switchable boost which

combines with a special EQ circuit to sweeten the tone as well adding a lot

more gain.

Channel 2 is the Knucklehead’s British-voiced side. Again there are con-

trols for gain, bass, mid and treble and a master volume, with secondary

functions for the gain control (channel select), mid-range (a pull scoop

switch that dips the mid notch to 750 Hz) and a push boost on the master

volume. Channel 3 shares Channel 2’s EQ circuit, but has separate gain

and master controls, again with channel select and boost functions. Finally,

there are two reverb level controls for Channel 1 and Channel 2/3, followed

by controls or presence, focus (another Rivera hallmark, this one varies the

loudspeaker response form tight to loose) and a sub level. This last control

activates a variable high-pass filter and diverts low frequencies to a sub-

woofer output on the rear panel, where they can be send to a separate pow-

ered cabinet, like Rivera’s LB-212.

The rear panel is just as busy. There’s a pair of variable-level send and

returns for the Knucklehead’s series/parallel effects loop, and a loop blend

control with a bypass switch. Then we have hi/lo output power switching and

vintage/modern (pentode/triode) switching, and a recording output and that

separate sub-woofer output.

The rear-placed MIDI section offers two inputs (one MIDI standard, the

other with phantom power for the Rivera’s Headmaster MIDI pedal pack-

ages with the Knucklehead), a MIDI out/thru, and a small rotary channel

selector labeled 0-15. Why? Rivers has adopted the more common 1-16

approach for the numbering its MIDI channels, but unfortunately the switch

manufacturer hasn’t so you have to add a 1 to each channel on the switch

to get the correct MIDI channel. It’s an annoyance, but a minor one as this

switch isn’t likely to be changed often.

SOUNDS

If you’re still with us, you’ll realize that compromise isn’t a word Paul

Rivera uses. Happily, despite such a complex layout, the Knucklehead’s

controls are logical and easy to understand on a basic level.

The American-voiced Channel 1 is full of tone. Like other similar Rivera

designs, this channel tales a little effort to dial in, but when you get it right

it’s hugely rewarding. Massive headroom for shimmering clean sounds is

just one of this channel’s benefits, and by juggling the contour and notch

switches you can call up any number of vintage and modern tonalities with

more than enough gain for lead work.

With Channel 1’s boost engaged, the Knucklehead really sings-especially

with the humbuckers. Balancing the master and gain controls is the key to

getting the most out of this channel, and with the rear panel switches set to

“low” and “vintage” for around 12 watts output, this one can really be wound

up for maximum effect-even in a small club.

Channel 2 is the Knucklehead’s British voiced side with a completely differ-

ent distortion tone that begs you to turn up and dig in. Whatever your

needs are in the distortion department you will find it here, from sweet clas-

sic rock through to ultra modern sustain with massive crunch. The bottom

end is huge-even more if you use the Sub-output to power a separate cab.

And just when you thought there was nowhere else to go, there’s Channel

3. It kicks in another distortion stage and a texture that’s a lot more in tune

with modern rock and nu-metal. Despite sharing the same EQ

As Channel 2, this channel has a completely different vibe that’s nastier

and way more aggressive.

With so much compression, you’d expect it to be hard to keep a wide

dynamic range but the Knucklehead manages to do both brilliantly. At full

power it’s phenomenally loud, with a clarity and definition that leaves many

other so-called “super amps” looking rather bland by comparison. The

spring reverb effect-on all channels-is surprisingly full, adding only minimal

noise as the levels are turned up.

Adding MIDI into the equation really puts the Knucklehead into a class of

its own. With Rivera’s Headmaster footswitch you can use MIDI to change

channels, select boost and toggle the effects loop in or our as well as con-

trolling up to three non-MIDI amps using the Headmaster’s built in relay

switching, and send program changes to MIDI effects units. With 30 patch-

es on tap, and clever extras like an auxiliary DC power output to power

stompboxes, the Headmaster-plus-Knucklehead can easily become the

nerve centre of a complex multi-amp, multi-effects setup. Alternatively you

can just plug in a cab and a guitar and go for it on the simplest of terms.

Either way, amp and pedal perform superbly, with no pops or clicks and

minimal background hum.

Verdict

Yes, it’s a very expensive purchase but the Knucklehead really delivers. By

comparison, some other amps in this price bracket are much harder to jus-

tify. Every feature is onboard for a specific reason and adds something.

What we’re really trying to say is the Knucklehead Reverb is one of the

world’s ultimate guitar amplifiers; once you have one, chances are you will

want to hang on to it for a very long time.

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