Cornford RK100 Ritchie Kotzen Signature 100-Watt Head – Rare Example

This is a very rare Cornford RK100 Ritchie Kotzen Signature amplifier head in excellent condition.

Note that the Cornford 212 cabinet in the photos is being sold separately.

We ship worldwide, well packaged and fully insured.

We are particularly pleased to offer this example, having been proud to sell these remarkable amplifiers when they were new. Their reputation has been thoroughly deserved ever since, and the RK100 remains one of those pieces of equipment that is genuinely exceptional rather than simply fashionable. It is a phenomenal piece of British valve amplifier design, and this particular example has clearly been well looked after. Slip cover and footswitch included.

The serial number is 02006-0610, placing this amplifier within the Strength Edge Engineering period of production. Cornford amplifiers were built in very small numbers in the UK, and the RK100 was the flagship of the range. Production of Cornford amplifiers eventually ceased, making good original examples increasingly difficult to find.

The RK100 was developed in close collaboration with Ritchie Kotzen to provide an amplifier capable of delivering the huge, articulate and highly responsive sound required by his playing. It is deceptively simple in operation: a single channel with Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Master Volume and Presence controls. Behind that simplicity, however, is an extremely sophisticated and beautifully executed valve amplifier.

Factory specification

Cornford RK100 Ritchie Kotzen Signature

• 100-watt all-valve single-channel head
• Hand-built and point-to-point wired in the UK
• 4 x EL34 power valves
• 4 x ECC83 / 12AX7 preamp valves
• Solid-state rectification
• Switchable output-valve bias allowing the use of EL34, 6L6 and 5881-type valves
• Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Master Volume and Presence controls
• Valve-powered series effects loop
• 4, 8 and 16-ohm speaker outputs
• Valve-failure protection circuitry
• Footswitchable attenuation / Hot and Cool modes
• Custom-designed, hand-wound transformers
• Heavy-duty chassis construction with components mounted directly to the chassis
• Brushed stainless-steel control panel
• Birch-plywood cabinet with Cornford construction and hardware
• Original Cornford leather handle and quality nickel-plated hardware

The construction is a major part of what makes the RK100 so special. These were genuinely hand-built British amplifiers, with point-to-point wiring, custom transformers and a level of mechanical construction that is increasingly rare in modern production equipment. The RK100 is also unusually heavy for a 100-watt head, largely due to its substantial transformer set.

What makes the RK100 famous is not simply the Ritchie Kotzen name. It is the combination of a relatively straightforward control layout with an enormous amount of tonal range. The circuit has its roots firmly in the great British high-powered valve amplifiers, but the RK100 has considerably more gain available and a particularly fast, dynamic response.

Tonally, it is a wonderfully direct amplifier. At lower gain settings it can produce clear, round and remarkably articulate sounds, with excellent touch sensitivity and a strong sense of the guitar itself coming through. Increase the gain and the character changes dramatically, moving into thick, harmonically rich British overdrive with exceptional sustain and authority.

The overdrive is one of the RK100's defining qualities. It is powerful and aggressive without becoming fizzy or indistinct, with a chewy, complex quality to the distortion and a strong upper-mid presence. The low end remains tight and percussive, while individual notes retain definition even when the amplifier is being pushed hard. It has the immediacy and punch associated with the best British valve designs, but with substantially more available gain and a very distinctive vocal quality.

The footswitchable attenuation feature is particularly useful. Rather than simply changing the character of the amplifier, it allows the player to access different levels of power-stage contribution while retaining much of the character and response of the amp. Used with the guitar's volume control, the RK100 becomes remarkably versatile for a single-channel design.

This is very much an amplifier that rewards the player rather than getting in the way. It responds beautifully to picking dynamics, guitar volume and different pickups, and it works exceptionally well with a good overdrive or boost in front when even more saturation and sustain are required.

The Ritchie Kotzen connection is significant, but the RK100 has long since established an identity of its own. It is equally at home with classic British rock, blues, hard rock, fusion and modern high-gain playing, and its combination of enormous headroom, dynamic response and harmonic complexity makes it a particularly rewarding amplifier for the serious player.

In our opinion, the RK100 represents Cornford at its most ambitious: a beautifully made, brutally powerful and remarkably musical British valve amplifier with a level of individuality that is increasingly difficult to find.

This example is in excellent overall condition and has clearly been well cared for. A very rare opportunity to acquire one of the great Cornford amplifiers, particularly from this period of production.

Please study the photographs carefully as they form part of the description.

Cornford RK100 Richie Kotzen Signature Amp Head