Compact Tube Amp with Hybrid American and British Tone
Made for "feel" players, the Victory Amplifiers V40 The Duchess is a 40-watt tube amp with a split personality. On one hand, it admirably channels the laid-back spirit and sound of classic American combo amps; yet it is also capable of producing the aggressive crunch of vintage British tube heads — all from a single channel! How is this possible? With the V40’s unique voice switch. On top of that, you get full command over shaping the sound of the amp, with three tone controls and a Mid Kick feature. There’s also a hard-bypassable effects loop on tap for integrating your favorite time-based and modulation effects. Throw in a smooth and modern digital reverb, and you have an amp bursting with vintage character and modern features.
Related Videos: V40 The Duchess 40-watt Guitar Head
Voice switch for transatlantic tones
While the V40 is a single-channel amp, it makes the most out of that channel with the inclusion of a unique voice switch. Switched to Voice I, the V40 is distinctly American, with a relatively flat frequency response. Switching to Voice II transports you across the Atlantic for the biting midrange that’s the hallmark of traditional British amp tones. And the tone shaping doesn’t stop there! The V40 offers Bass, Middle, and Treble controls, and a Mid Kick that works in conjunction with the Middle control to aggressively push the midrange, which is extremely helpful when you want overdriven tones to leap to the fore of a mix.
High-quality series effects loop
If you use time-based effects, you'll value the V40's high-quality series effects loop — a feature that many vintage-style amps lack. Pro tip: the V40's post-phase-inverter master volume design requires different gain staging than most modern amplifiers. Hence, the guitarists here at Sweetwater have found that it's easy to overload your effects. The solution? Lower your mix and output levels. This will ensure squeaky-clean modulation, delay repeats, and reverb tails. That said, the loop stays completely out of the circuit when bypassed, ensuring ultra-pure tone if you're not using it. So, if you're a plug-straight-into-the-amp player, you won't be plagued by any unwanted tone suckage.
Victory Amplifiers: cutting-edge designs for modern players
Established in England in 2013, Victory Amplifiers has provided countless artists like James Bay, Richie Kotzen, Rabea Massaad, and Guthrie Govan with elite-quality amplifiers to bring out the best in their respective sounds. With a firm commitment to "simplicity in operation, flexibility in use, and absolutely no compromise in tone," Victory has pumped out a stream of groundbreaking and award-winning products, ranging from the V4 Sheriff Preamp Pedal to a plethora of artist-series amps and the almighty VX100 Super Kraken. Whatever sonic flavor you demand, there's a Victory amp that's up to the task.
Richie Kotzen playing through his signature Victory Amplifiers RK50 head and matching cabs.
Victory Amplifiers V40 The Duchess 40-watt Guitar Head Features:
- 40W, single-channel tube amplifier head
- Voice I delivers vintage American tube combo swagger
- Voice II serves up biting traditional British valve head tone
- Compatible with EL34 and 6L6 power tubes
- Digital reverb with a smooth, modern sound
- Hard-bypassable series effects loop for integrating your pedalboard and external processors
- Low-power mode takes you down to 7W for stadium-sized tones at bedroom levels
- External bias test points and adjustment for simplified tube swaps
- Includes a vinyl slipcover
