Victory Amps V4 The Duchess Valve Amp Head

V4 The Duchess partners a V4 Series all-valve preamp with a solid-state, 180-watt Class D power amp. Its ultra-compact size and negligible weight disguise the huge tones it can produce, whether that be for home and studio players looking for an elegant solution on a small cab or desktop, or for touring musicians who need a great sounding, dependable pedal platform amp.

Victory chief designer, Martin Kidd: “Victory has always valued portability and great tone: our Compact Series heads have been on professional stages all over the world since their introduction in 2013. In 2019 we introduced the V4 Pedal Preamps:the world’s first guitar pedal preamps with four valves. They are a fantastic solution for players who want a pro-standard valve preamp/front end to augment their existing amps, or indeed for pedalboards, fly rigs and/or rented amps.

“The new V4 Guitar Amp was the obvious way forward: let’s add a lightweight power section to that lovely valve front end. We knew we could offer a superb sounding amp that wasn’t compromised by a lack of power, lifeless tone or burdened with endless options that you never use. Instead it partners our heritage in great valve tone with a laughably lightweight yet seriously loud solid-state power section. The result is a simple, professional-grade guitar amp that you can take anywhere. The front end takes your drive pedals exactly as you want it to, there’s an effects loop, plus on-board digital reverb and tremolo for ambience.

“What about speaker emulation and IRs? We’ve deliberately left them out. Everyone we talk to seems to prefer their own personal IR solution, whether that’s hardware or software. There are a great many options available and the pace of development in that world is vertical. The great news is that V4 The Duchess Guitar Amp will run happily without a speaker load if you just want to use the direct output… or run a speaker cab and the DI however you see fit. It’s quite the little box!”

1. VOLUME & MASTER

Balance the front end preamp gain with the overall volume output. It will overdrive in the preamp slightly should you want that, but the main goal is higher-headroom tones and power.

2. THREE-BAND EQ

Powerful bass, middle and treble controls to shape your tone. These also have an effect on the gain character and drive levels – just like in any valve guitar amp.

3. REVERB ON BOARD

Lush sounding digital reverb to add ambience.

4. TREMOLO

From slow and pulsing to smooth and staccato, we’re suckers for one of the oldest effects in the book. Turn it on/off on the chassis, or remotely.

5. SERIES EFFECTS LOOP

Sits between the preamp and power amp. Run your time-based effects here for maximum clarity.

6. BALANCED LINE OUT

Send a direct feed to a separate speaker simulator, front of house or wherever you like. Can be used with or without a speaker connected.

7. 180 WATTS @ 4 OHMS

You want power? Here it is! 180W @ 4 ohms. (Approx 90W @ 8-ohms / 45W @ 16 ohms.)