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Victory V40 The Duchess EL34 Valve Guitar Amp Head

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£1,249.00

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SKU: VICV40H

Product Description

The V40 can be fitted with either 6L6 or EL34 output tubes - it's simple to switch the output valves in this amp, although for optimum performance & valve life you should get an amp engineer to re-bias the amp every time you change the output valves. In the original tone testing of the V40 (that included Martin Kidd & Mick Taylor) it was agreed that EL34s gave the tone we were looking for, & so the "regular" V40 comes with these valves fitted as standard. However, if you think you'd prefer the V40 fitted with 6L6s you can order that as standard if you want.

The Victory V40 The Duchess is a cool little 40w handmade head that brings the handiness of lunch box style amplifiers to a whole new range of guitar players. Although everyone and their mum now has a small lightweight head of their own no one has really every made one focused on the clean side. I mean a lot of them had clean channels but they were never the key focus.

With the V40 they have changed that and made a single channel head that can take you from clean to mild overdrive without having to lug a 20kg combo. Just match this up with its highly portable 1x12 Celestion Creamback loaded cab and you are ready to get on the road.

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40w of Responsive Clean and Crunch Tones

With a single channel this amplifier is able to focus on just a couple of key sounds. You have two different voicings available in the V40. One which has a 60's warm American feel while the other is a bit more 50's sounding. It may not sound like a huge difference on paper but in the amp these subtle changes can make a big difference to your tone. With 40w of power you do not need to worry about your amp breaking up before you get to gigging volume.

If you want to drive it a little bit though you can absolutely do that. When the volume control goes past 2 o'clock you start to get softly driven sounds and it is not until you are near diming it that you get some real American style crunch sounds. American sounds not really your thing? Well do not fret as the V40 still has something for you. Engage the Mid Kick control and the amp goes into a slightly more 60's British sound that will crunch up a little bit earlier

A Little Extra Built In

It does not end at just being a phenomenal amp though. Victory have added in some amazing little touches and features that make this amp perfect in a wide range of situations. To start off this amp has a beautiful subtle foot switchable reverb built in that is great for adding a light ambiance to your sound.

Probably the most important feature is the variable power stage so you can get output levels between 9w and 40w so even at home you can still use the same amp as you do on stage. For those that prefer 6L6 valves over EL34 you are in luck. The V40 can work with either EL34 or 6L6 tubes so no matter what your personal preference for tone is the V40 can handle it.

Pile On The Pedals

As we said this amp has just a single channel but in todays world of beautiful high end pedals that only get better year after year you really don't need anything else. You just need to set this amp up with your base sound of choice whether that is clean or dirty is your choice and then pile on the pedals.

One of the main things Victory wanted this amp to be able to do was respond well to pretty much any pedal on the market. I would say that they have got it pretty much perfect in terms of its responsiveness to pedals.

Please Note - All our stock has the reverb circuit mod factory installed. This eliminates any background noise from the reverb that was an issue on very early V40 amps.

Victory V40 Wins Guitarist Choice Award

"The V40 has effectively carved out its own niche, and looks set to become popular for blues, roots, jazz and country players."

"What never fails to impress us is the way each instruments character is faithfully reproduced."

"The V40 is a serious piece of work, built to a high standard and just as ready for non-stop professional touring as it is for your bedroom or study."

Specifications

  • Format: Single-channel, all-valve 40-watt head (The Duchess)
  • Power: 42, 7, 1.6, 0.5 watts RMS
  • Valves: 3 x 12AX7, 2 x EL34 as standard (switchable to 6L6)
  • Extra features: Two-position Voice switch, Mid-Kick switch, footswitchable digital reverb with hard bypass option, series effects loop with hard bypass, power valves switchable to 6L6, single-ended mode, skeletonised metal case with rubber handle, padded carry bag included, Includes single footswitch for reverb on/off
  • Size (mm): V40 The Duchess head: 342(w) x 185(h) x 185(d) (8.2kg weight)
Jed Van Wyngaardt author picture

Written by Jed Van Wyngaardt

Customer Reviews

5.0

27 reviews

Value

Looks

Durability

Sound

Trusted Customer25th Aug 2021

This is an amazing amp, and exactly what I was after. Superb cleans, with lots of headroom, and an amazing pedal platform.

Value 4Looks 5Durability 5Sound 5

Neill Tupman25th Jul 2021

The V40 has been on my amp bucket list for a few years, (and has been in my Andertons shopping basket numerous times!) before I was finally able to secure this one. It's exceeded my expectations I'm happy to say; amazing cleans in voice 1 with the mid kick off, and takes my pedals really well. Biggest surprise was the tone I get overdriving the amp though, and with the mid kick activated, voice 2, with some humbuckers you get some cool Marshall-y tones. The EQ section is really responsive, and the potential weak link in the digital reverb was anything but. I like a nice subtle hall reverb, and at 9 o'clock it adds just the right amount of depth and warmth - anything else I'll get from my pedals. I managed to find a matched V212 VCD cabinet, with creambacks and it sounds great; really full with a surprising amount of low end thump. I was wary getting rid of my old 4x12, but this rig will suit all my needs I hope. The speaker outs allow two 16 ohm 2x12s to be run together, so I can hook up my trusty Marshall TSLC212 if I really felt I needed that 4x12 wallop for a particular gig. I really don't have a bad word to say about this amp, except that it's pretty expensive, but I think you get what you pay for.

Value 4Looks 5Sound 5

Mr David Lecomte25th Jun 2021

Looks 4Sound 5

Mk13th Sep 2020

Value 5Looks 5Durability 5Sound 5

Mr Charles de Jonghe29th Jul 2020

This amp is amazing. I have had a decent amount of amps over the years. From tube to solid state or practice amp and this one is by far the best I have owned. It’s soooo easy to set up, great tone no matter what nob you turn. Happy I got this one and not the bigger one that would have been to loud for home use. All in all, amazing amp, from clean to distorted. Love it! Only use it at home.

Value 5Looks 5Durability 5Sound 5

Trusted Customer28th Jun 2020

It is a great sounding amp. Please bear in mind that, especially with its 2x12 cab, it is quite dark sounding. The amp needs to be warmed up really well to give its best. The construction is very solid and it gives the impression that it will last to the gigs tortures. If you like the tone you hear in Andertons videos, you will not be disappointed.

Value 5Looks 5Durability 5Sound 4

Steve Inglis12th Dec 2019

Victory amps are a breath of fresh air - Martin is a genius, the V40 is so much fun with pedals 🤘🏻

Value 4Looks 5Durability 5Sound 5

Trusted Customer12th Apr 2019

Trusted Customer26th Nov 2018

Great amp, very clean, works great with my Helix LT

Mr Gary White1st Apr 2018

Flippin' lovely valve amp. No gimmicks, just tone. Clean to gentle break-up, and tonnes of headroom and pretty damn loud. 'Warm and Chunky' kinda sums it up.

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