Volitions Advocate
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Hi all. It's been awhile (I say that every time I post)
You know it's amazing what a music degree will do to your activity in music. I have barely played my guitar at all the last 5 years, and it's about time I stop being depressed, because we all know not playing guitar is a depressing state of affairs.
So.. now that I'm older and wiser (lol) and know a few more things than I used to, it's time to revisit my rig from back in the day.
Once upon a time I was a foolish young man (haha.. once upon a time) and I went and bought myself the kind of amps to match the volume of the other young foolish man I was jamming with. So I paired 2 half stacks together in stereo, one 100W tube amp and one 350W SS amp. Even gigged with them a couple times. I don't want to do that ever again.
I had been running a Crate GT3500H on the solid state side and a Rivera Knucklehead Reverb 100 for tubes. I sold the Crate a few years ago to make some payments, and I have this irrational urge to buy another one because they're discontinued and cheap used, I also still have the 4x12 for it. But I wont be doing that.
I still have the KR100, and I love that amp. I can also flip a few switches and pull it all the way down to 25 watts if I want, but why should I haul around that monster if I'm not going to use it all? I've been considering selling it on and off for years...
So here's my plan. I still have my old Crate combo amp (GX212, 120 Watts SS) and it has been a workhorse for years for me. I really like the pairing of a SS and Tube amp. So I'm going to continue the model, just without the 4x12 cabs. The crate needs a new cabinet. it got busted up when I mailed it from Toronto to Calgary a few years back and with the way Crate built them, the speakers are staggered. It helps with lessening the width by 3 or 4 inches, but I think I'd like to set it up a little more spaced out like a Roland JC120, with a straight cab instead of slightly slanted, because I plan to use it vertically. I will probably also look into getting some new speakers for it. As much as I like Crate's solid state stuff, much to the derision of most players, I do think their speakers aren't super great. Maybe I"ll do the predictable thing and pop in a couple of Vintage 30s, unless I have the opportunity to research some different loudspeakers.
With all that in mind. I want to make a 2x12 combo tube amp to go with it. Something that is similar to my Rivera. Wattage is something I'm not really sure about, maybe 35 watts? I want this thing to break up nicely without all the hearing damage.
I'd like to be able to switch it down to as low as 5 or 7 watts, and I plan to make it midi switchable, or at the very least accept a footswitch with a TRS cable. 3 channels. Clean, Dirty, and Just Awful. And reverb.
I have the schematics for the original Knucklehead with Paul Rivera's stamp on them, but they're dated from 1992 and I know he's made modifications since then. My model was probably built in 2004 or 2005 I think.
The big criticism I have with the Knucklehead is that the 2nd and 3rd channels are the same channel, with the 3rd having a bit more gain stages. My perfect amp would be the Knuckleheads' clean and dirty channels, with the 3rd channel the same as the Knucklehead-Tre's distortion channel (if you guys are at all familiar with the Rivera lineup, the K-Tre is is an unbelieveable beast, but a one trick pony, which is the only reason I didn't buy it over the full Knucklehead)
Now.. I could go to a guy who could probably help me build this thing straight from Paul Rivera's schematics, but would probably be easier (and lets face it, more practical with a better result) would be to find a kit that closely resembles what I'm looking for, and modify it as needed.
A buddy of mine just bought a Carvin V3M and I must say it is one of the best sounding little amps I have ever heard. I would probably buy one if I wasn't trying to do more of my own thing and in a combo amp.
Trevor, you still around? I remember you being the guy-in-the-know about this stuff.
Some links for the crap I've been blabbing about:
Knucklehead top: http://www.rivera.com/product/heads/kr7-mick-thomson-signature/
(this is a signature model, I can't find the original model on their site anymore)
K-Tre: http://www.rivera.com/product/heads/knucklehead-tre-reverb/
Crate GX212: http://www.manualslib.com/manual/33038/Crate-Gx212.html
Carvin V3M: http://www.carvinaudio.com/products/v3m
You know it's amazing what a music degree will do to your activity in music. I have barely played my guitar at all the last 5 years, and it's about time I stop being depressed, because we all know not playing guitar is a depressing state of affairs.
So.. now that I'm older and wiser (lol) and know a few more things than I used to, it's time to revisit my rig from back in the day.
Once upon a time I was a foolish young man (haha.. once upon a time) and I went and bought myself the kind of amps to match the volume of the other young foolish man I was jamming with. So I paired 2 half stacks together in stereo, one 100W tube amp and one 350W SS amp. Even gigged with them a couple times. I don't want to do that ever again.
I had been running a Crate GT3500H on the solid state side and a Rivera Knucklehead Reverb 100 for tubes. I sold the Crate a few years ago to make some payments, and I have this irrational urge to buy another one because they're discontinued and cheap used, I also still have the 4x12 for it. But I wont be doing that.
I still have the KR100, and I love that amp. I can also flip a few switches and pull it all the way down to 25 watts if I want, but why should I haul around that monster if I'm not going to use it all? I've been considering selling it on and off for years...
So here's my plan. I still have my old Crate combo amp (GX212, 120 Watts SS) and it has been a workhorse for years for me. I really like the pairing of a SS and Tube amp. So I'm going to continue the model, just without the 4x12 cabs. The crate needs a new cabinet. it got busted up when I mailed it from Toronto to Calgary a few years back and with the way Crate built them, the speakers are staggered. It helps with lessening the width by 3 or 4 inches, but I think I'd like to set it up a little more spaced out like a Roland JC120, with a straight cab instead of slightly slanted, because I plan to use it vertically. I will probably also look into getting some new speakers for it. As much as I like Crate's solid state stuff, much to the derision of most players, I do think their speakers aren't super great. Maybe I"ll do the predictable thing and pop in a couple of Vintage 30s, unless I have the opportunity to research some different loudspeakers.
With all that in mind. I want to make a 2x12 combo tube amp to go with it. Something that is similar to my Rivera. Wattage is something I'm not really sure about, maybe 35 watts? I want this thing to break up nicely without all the hearing damage.
I'd like to be able to switch it down to as low as 5 or 7 watts, and I plan to make it midi switchable, or at the very least accept a footswitch with a TRS cable. 3 channels. Clean, Dirty, and Just Awful. And reverb.
I have the schematics for the original Knucklehead with Paul Rivera's stamp on them, but they're dated from 1992 and I know he's made modifications since then. My model was probably built in 2004 or 2005 I think.
The big criticism I have with the Knucklehead is that the 2nd and 3rd channels are the same channel, with the 3rd having a bit more gain stages. My perfect amp would be the Knuckleheads' clean and dirty channels, with the 3rd channel the same as the Knucklehead-Tre's distortion channel (if you guys are at all familiar with the Rivera lineup, the K-Tre is is an unbelieveable beast, but a one trick pony, which is the only reason I didn't buy it over the full Knucklehead)
Now.. I could go to a guy who could probably help me build this thing straight from Paul Rivera's schematics, but would probably be easier (and lets face it, more practical with a better result) would be to find a kit that closely resembles what I'm looking for, and modify it as needed.
A buddy of mine just bought a Carvin V3M and I must say it is one of the best sounding little amps I have ever heard. I would probably buy one if I wasn't trying to do more of my own thing and in a combo amp.
Trevor, you still around? I remember you being the guy-in-the-know about this stuff.
Some links for the crap I've been blabbing about:
Knucklehead top: http://www.rivera.com/product/heads/kr7-mick-thomson-signature/
(this is a signature model, I can't find the original model on their site anymore)
K-Tre: http://www.rivera.com/product/heads/knucklehead-tre-reverb/
Crate GX212: http://www.manualslib.com/manual/33038/Crate-Gx212.html
Carvin V3M: http://www.carvinaudio.com/products/v3m