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Topic: Another Amplifier Choice |
George Redmon
From:
Muskegon & Detroit Michigan.
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Posted 29 Jul 2021 6:19 pm |
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Back in January, i thought i would give the little Victory Duchess V4 amp a test drive. I'm not one for those tiny sized amplifiers, i always thought they looked rather....well "Toy Like". But since this little monster actually uses tubes, and looked hefty, i reluctantly gave it a shot. After spending some time with this little lady, all i can say is wow. First off, it is brutally LOUD! With more headroom, then you would need anywhere. This is NOT a rock amplifier however. The Duchess V4 is a Lean, Mean, Clean machine. That packs a whooping 180 Watts RMS. The Reverb is as good or better then any digital i've used. The tremolo is tasty and strong, and just as good as any Fender trem i've used. The effects loop is also so sweet. A bonus feature is, it also has a built in 9 volt power supply to power your effect pedals. Martin Kidd who designed this little princess, knows what's needed.
I cranked it to about bandstand volume, through several Johnson speaker cabinets i have, it performed superbly through all of them. I noticed very little volume drop, while using different ohm loads. And I personally didn't notice any fan noise at all.
I removed the outer cover, and peeked inside. Martin Kidd did a fantastic job designing this little sweetheart. Now, although not a point to point wired amplifier, it is a piece of art. It has 9 circuit boards inside, and is so nicely laid out. Each tube is lying horizontally, in a ceramic tube socket. It's so clean you could eat off this chassis.
I went to my local Harbor Freight store, and purchased one of their heavy black plastic cases {even put a couple stickers on it} to put the amp in. Works great for that purpose.
| Quote: |
The Duchess uses the same valve complement as the other V4 models, with an EC900 triode in the V1 position followed by three CV4014s. These look a little like regular 12AX7s at first glance but aren’t. The CV4014 is a military version of the EF91 pentode.
These valves were made by Mullard in the early 1980s to NATO specifications and represent the last and best of the British valve manufacturing industry. They were liberated from storage in a former cold war nuclear bunker and boast a minimum lifespan of 6,000 hours, which makes it possible for Victory to offer an impressively unique two-year warranty on them. |
Now..... I just thought i would post my experience with this nice amp. It might work out just dandy for those who need a lighter clean tube amp alternative. I wouldn't be afraid to use this little gal in any live, or recorded situation. But i'm in no way endorsing, selling, or even suggesting. Just simply mentioning yet another product alternative that's out there for us to consider. I am a tube purist, have been for almost 50 years. I tried the solid state stuff, too blah sounding for my taste, although they are getting better. I still will never go back to any type of solid state amp again. For me, this little Lady is a keeper.
| Quote: |
| Aimed at professional players and serious amateurs looking for a lightweight solution that doesn’t compromise on tone or quality, it’s hard to believe that The Duchess packs as much power as two Twin Reverbs into a box the size and weight of a large paperback. |
https://www.guitarworld.com/reviews/victory-v4-the-duchess-review
https://www.victoryamps.com/v4-the-duchess-amplifier
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Greg Lambert
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 29 Jul 2021 7:13 pm
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| Thanks for the update. I have read about these amps but was never sure about the headroom. You have answered that ok. Where did you buy the amp? |
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George Redmon
From:
Muskegon & Detroit Michigan.
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Posted 30 Jul 2021 9:24 am
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| Hey Greg, the amp was a gift, not sure where she purchased it. It sat in it's shipping box for a few months, before i even gave it a look. |
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Boo Bernstein
From:
Los Angeles, CA
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Posted 8 Aug 2022 11:01 am
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I'm reviving this thread because I was just reading about Victoria's update to The Duchess amp -- they've added the option of going direct using Two Note speaker emulations (IRs). This seems like a really cool small amp especially for fly-gigs: https://www.victoryamps.com/product/v4-the-duchess-guitar-amp/
George -- Has it held up in terms of tone, etc.? Anyone else try this amp?
Thanks, Boo |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 8 Aug 2022 11:38 am
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| Looks like this is actually a hybrid amp, solid state power amp with a tube preamp. |
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Steve Mueller
From:
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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Posted 8 Aug 2022 12:22 pm
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I love my Milkman The Amp 100. Have you compared the 2 by chance?
_________________
2016 Williams D12 8 x 8, 2015 Williams D12 8 x 8, 2023 Williams S12 4 x 5, Milkman Amps, 1974 Gibson Byrdland |
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George Redmon
From:
Muskegon & Detroit Michigan.
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Posted 9 Aug 2022 1:32 pm
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Hi Steve,
First let me apologize for not being able to respond to you sooner, but I am away from home this week and unable to read the forum as I enjoy doing.
Thank you for inquiring about this nice amplifier. The Duchess V4 is indeed the finest pedal size format Amp I've played through. Martin Kidd is a wonderful UK amplifier builder, and has incorporated even more features into this little gem. Mr Kidd, and his team have now corroborated with Two note Audio Engineering, to include the Two notes Audio Engineering Torpedo-embedded DynIR Virtual Cabinet technology. Pete Honore created the presets for the Duchess. This amplifier can stand along side any amp anywhere. Just unbelievable headroom and then some. And this little sweetheart has features not found on any other amplifier in it's class. I use several effects (14 effect units currently on my big board, 6 on my studio board), so a well built effects loop is a key feature for me. I use the Duchess with several different Johnson speaker cabinets, both 12" & 15" speakers by various manufacturers. Celestrons, JBL, Black Widows, Eminence, Weber to name a few, 4, 8 & 16 ohm all with great success. The Duchess is habit forming. My report is I 100% love it.
Now as far as comparing one builders products and idea's to another's, I prefer not to do that, and it's simply not helpful to anyone. Now realistically this amplifier is not a big Fender Twin, or Soldano SLO, a Marshall JCM800, or Friedman Twin Sister. But for what it's intended for it's excellent.
Just a little background on how I acquired this little amplifier. The amp was dropped off at my home by UPS, and I discovered it inside my breezeway one evening when I got home. After reading the shipping label, i recognized who sent it to me and she is a very very dear talented friend and excellent singer, who lives in another state. Not knowing what was in the box, I simply sat the box down in my hallway and actually pretty much forgot about it, with it's small size box & weight, I was thinking maybe it was home baked cookies or another tee shirt. Several months later while making an attempt to go through several unopened boxes and what not, I decided to open the box, and this amplifier was in it with a nice short note dated several months before....hey living alone...that's just me. That's pretty much the story of how I actually acquired this little amp. I've loved it ever since. I'm including a couple links I hope are helpful. Any other basic questions I can answer please reach out. Much appreciated.
Steve when I git back home, I will post some photos of another nice amplifier build I recently got from Italy. My Brunetti Singleman Custom Signature Amplifier. I think you will like.
https://www.victoryamps.com/product/v4-the-duchess-guitar-amp/
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wVWbZCIJJRE |
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Steve Mueller
From:
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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Posted 9 Aug 2022 6:41 pm
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George, thanks for the detailed reply. It sounds like it's a real gem!
_________________
2016 Williams D12 8 x 8, 2015 Williams D12 8 x 8, 2023 Williams S12 4 x 5, Milkman Amps, 1974 Gibson Byrdland |
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