Victory Duchess V40 Deluxe Combo

Day away from amplifiers yesterday to recover from the day in the studio. However... Time to just let the amp do some work. No assistance from pedals. First part of the test is with a Musicman Reflex.  Voice 1 is a lovely full home tone, it picks up nicely with the mid kick and breaks up well with the Volume at 12. As per earlier posts it is definitely cleaner for longer than the original V40. Switching from Low to High will be where those that have been asking for a more Silverface or Blackface sound will want to spend their time.In High mode at home, I am loving Voice 1 with the mid kick off. It reminds me of an old Twin that a friend of mine used to own. As the Volume does more work I have to reduce the amount of reverb to make sure it doesn't over power and playing with the reverb tone is very satisfying. Although I am wondering if even more reverb could be made available to really satisfy those looking for that particular sound. Many amps with valve ...

The Kraken continues to blow me away. It has a magnificent reputation as a metal amp but for me this continues to be the perfect Classic Rock amp. Gain 1 for all that is British and Gain 2 for getting me close to that Steve Stevens' tone. 10 tracks recorded today, 7 on the Kraken and 3 on the Duchess. I love the predictability of the Kraken: it does exactly what I want every single time. More gain, less gain, more volume, slightly quieter; everything is just so usable. Once again the Duchess and a Telecaster was a thing of wonder. We recorded a song today that was 88 years old and the way it sounds we could have recorded it anytime from about 1971. Stunning, authentic, rich tone. The Kraken was played without any effects at all and was the most massive thing in the room. The Duchess was layered with a ThorpyFX Peacekeeper with the occasional stab with a Gunshot and a Chain Home. Thanks to all at Victory, with support from ThorpyFX, for making studio time such a pleasu...

Pedal board adjusted for having a Deluxe. Digital reverb removed and power reused for the Ricochet. Only to find that it is no longer working and won't accept a power supply. That can get returned as its less than a year old - I will use the EHX B9 for that effect tonight. Annoyingly that also means I will have to use the B9 on the recording tomorrow when I wanted a sub octave effect #firstworldproblems. (FYI our other guitarist purchased a TC Electronics Sub n Up and we used that with the B9. Extremely effective) Keeley Katana Boost removed and ThorpyFX Chain Home utilised for boost function only. Setting up the amp is very easy, one plug for the power and another for the footswitch. Having been used to a head and cab this is a delight! If I had to go underneath often I would probably ask Victory for a slightly shallower top baffle as the access to the under panel is not easy and I can see me getting cross if I need to get under there a lot on a crowded stage. Fortunatel...

One of my personal bug bears, learned from the Fender Hot Rod, is combos placed directly on the floor. There is a danger of all the sound pointing at your feet and you losing track of just how loud you are. I have fixed this with a sneaky second hand purchase of an amp stand. Much better! The #1 feature that marks the Deluxe out is the additional presence. The amp, particularly at this angle, is really popping through the mix. My default setting of Voice 2 and Mid Kick on are definitely doing their thing. I play in a two guitar band so finding balance without falling over each other is our number one focus and the Deluxe does this easily. I find the Deluxe cleaner than the V40. There is a marked 'blackface' feel to Voice 1 especially with added bass wound in. Voice 2 definitely has a little more edge but with the Volume turned down to give head room for pedals I'm finding 10 o'clock on the Deluxe is cleaner than the V40 head I normally use. I notice a ma...

The prototype Victory Duchess V40 Deluxe combo has just arrived. Having carried it down the hill and the steps into the house, I can confirm it is lighter than my Marshall VS50, my old Fender Hotrod Deluxe Nova and our dep guitarist Neil's Fender Deville. This is a good thing. I put it down to close the front door and by the time I turned round it already had a cat on it. Great. Chances of this going back without cat fur: zero. Slip cover off, quick look. Stunning. This thing looks absolutely gorgeous. The Victory team have really nailed the 'Deluxe' look. It should be noted that I own the normal Duchess V40 head and matching 2 x 12 cabinet. There definitely feels like a quality step up between the V40 head and the Deluxe. Which is no mean feat given that the usual Victory quality is excellent already. However, If you buy something with a Deluxe tag you want it to have more about it. I've owned the normal head and cab for over 2 years and I've never had ...