Victoriette

[Bluesbird]

My new amp finally arrived, 2 months after ordering it, it was custom made in Illinois, before being shipped to California and then on to me.

It is beautifully finished in brown tolex and wheat grille-cloth.

Here are the specs:
Power: 20 Watts, Class A
Rectifier: 1x 5AR4
Power tubes: 2x EL84
Preamp: 3x 12AX7, 1x 12AT7
Speakers: 2x Jensen P10R reissues, made in Italy
Wiring: Hand-wired, using solid-core wire
Cabinet: Finger-jointed, solid pine
Components: Sprague capacitors, Allen-Bradley resistors
Other features: Single channel, Reverb, Tremolo, 2 inputs

For more information on Victoria Amplifier Co., see here.

As you can see, it uses nothing but the best materials, and it sounds like a million dollars. Incredibly rich and full sound, sparkling highs, with unbelievably strong and clear bass frequencies. Very articulate and touch-responsive, this amp really sings. And don't let the 20W fool you, this thing is LOUD! I haven't had a chance to get it past about 3.5/12 yet, and probably won't for a while yet.

Pictures and sounds to follow as time permits

[Red Fred]

The volume nob goes to 12?!
How much did you pay for it? Doea it live up to your expectations?

[Bluesbird]

Oh yeah, it's even better than I could have imagined. It wasn't cheap, but some 'creative' invoicing helped lower the costs at this end. I was fortunate to pay when the exchange rate was far more favourable, so it only cost me about NZ$3500 all up., to have an amp hand-made with the appropriate transformer and plug. I think I got a great deal, well below MRP and far cheaper than I was expecting in the end.

[Bluesbird]

I've taken a couple of photos, but the light wasn't very good so they didn't really come out very well. Here are two though, one showing the front and top, the other a macro photo of the control panel.

[offender]

Wow the photos look pretty spectacular - reminds me of a Peavey classic 50 or something that I saw in mainline music (maybe that style is one used a lot back in the early days??)

The macro photo of the controls is pretty cool - be kind of neat as wallpaper!

I had a look at the website - pretty interesting shots of the insides.

[philipnz]

WOW - Beautiful amp. When you say transformer, did they modify it - or do you run it through an external stepdown transformer here?

[Bg]

yep that looks fantastic... the only worrying thing is : it goes up to 12 but in the photo its set at about 3

[Bluesbird]

When you say transformer, did they modify it - or do you run it through an external stepdown transformer here?

It was built using the correct transformer for our line voltage, and Mark personally tested using an external stepup transformer i assume. Here is what he had to say about my amp when he finished building and started testing it: "It sounds amazing! Big rich clean tones, deep tremelo, and complex authority when driven..this particular amp has it all.."

yep that looks fantastic... the only worrying thing is : it goes up to 12 but in the photo its set at about 3

Yeah, I've been flat out this week, and only been able to play it at night. I assure you though, 3 is plenty loud!

The thing is built like a brick shithouse, bloody heavy for a small amp, but when it sounds the way it does, who cares! The solid pine cabinet and custom iron add to the weight, but it is worth it for that sound

[Bluesbird]

Wow the photos look pretty spectacular - reminds me of a Peavey classic 50 or something that I saw in mainline music (maybe that style is one used a lot back in the early days??)

It's a similar style to the tweed-era Fender amps such as the famous Bassman, Princeton, and Champ amps. Victoria also makes near identical reproductions of these (and other) sort after amps, right down to the top-mounted rearward-facing control panel like on mine. Those amps, however, feature tweed covering and oxblood grille-cloth, just like the originals.

My Victoriette is an original design, mixing the best of EL84 Class A British amps with the clean sound, reverb, and tremolo of the American amps.

I had a look at the website - pretty interesting shots of the insides.

I'll post a pic of the innards when I get a chance, very tidy wiring in there. Well positioned too, this puppy is dead quiet.

[Jops]

Oh my! That is gorgeous! You must be like the only one in NZ to own a Victoria amp!?!? What made you decide to get one? and that model in particular? I don't know if you have the means to do so but a soundclip would be fantastic!

Congrats on the new amp!

J

[Rog]

I've only ever heard good things about these amps. Congrats, mate - you've got a real keeper there!

[Richy11]

Mint, absolutly mint. You definatly got your money's worth. I've always liked amps with the controls hiding at the back ie: Vox.

[stark]

BB, that amp is truly beautiful.

i put a pair of Jensen P10Rs in my vibrolux, i found them a bit trebly at first (compared to the worn in Eminences), but they mellowed nicely as they wore in.

[Bluesbird]

Oh my! That is gorgeous! You must be like the only one in NZ to own a Victoria amp!?!?

I wouldn't be surprised if it was the only Victoria in the country - not many have heard of themhere , and there are no distributors.

What made you decide to get one? and that model in particular?

Kind of a long story. I've needed a new amp for a while, looking around local shops prices were pretty steep for what are pretty basic amps. $2000 for a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. for instance. I then decided I wanted something a bit fancier, like a '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue. Rockshop quoted me a price of $2600, with a 50% non-refundable deposit and a 3-month wait. So I looked at alternatives. During this time, the exchange rate was steadily rising, peaking at US$0.71. I looked at importing an amp, but had to either replace the power transformer or run it on an external step-down transformer. It's also hard to find shops that will export Fender amps. I came across the 'Guitar Amplifier Blueprinting' website, and read Myles' amp builder recommendations. Victoria sounded exactly like what I wanted, plus I could get one custom built with the correct transformer and plug. Talking to Victoria owner Mark Baier, and reading a lot of reviews, I decided on the Victoriette, as it had the reverb and tremolo, about the right power, and a 2x10 configuration with AlNiCo speakers. I found a couple of sound clips, read a lot of reviews, and sort a lot of advise to decide on this model - descriptions of the sound appeared to be exactly what I was looking for. Ed at Tonemerchants was also very helpful, and his shop was also recommended by Myles Rose. Ed gave me a great price.

The amp may not have a warranty here, but if I have major problems, it has a lifetime warranty if I can ship it back to Victoria - based on the way this thing appears to be built, I think that will be highly unlikely.

I don't mind spending a lot of money on high quality gear like this, as I get a lot of use and pleasure out of my instruments, and I don't want to 'die wondering' by settling for the next best.

I don't know if you have the means to do so but a soundclip would be fantastic! Congrats on the new amp!

Thanks.
I will record some brief clips at some stage, I've got holidays coming up in a couple of weeks, pretty busy until then unfortunately. What sort of stuff do you want to hear out of it? I mainly stick to blues and classic rock, which this amp excels at. I have a unique tone, not trying to copy anybody in particular, but it is taylor-made for blues and rock.

I just need to develop the talent to match the quality of my gear I've been playing for 10 years, but time is still on my side

Next thing to purchase is a Strat to complement my Bluesbird. Knowing me though, I'll probably look into something cheap like a MIM and end up with a Suhr I was looking at buying a Fender Blues Junior, and ended up with a 20W custom-built hand-made PTP-wired tone machine. Still scratching my head as to how I escaped paying any duty on this

[Bluesbird]

i put a pair of Jensen P10Rs in my vibrolux, i found them a bit trebly at first (compared to the worn in Eminences), but they mellowed nicely as they wore in.

Surprisingly, this amp has been very warm from the get-go. Mark's extensive testing of it probably helped break in the speakers I guess. The Jensens seem to suit this anp perfectly. The 2x10's seem to spread the sound a lot better than a 1x12 combo, which can sound drastically different from the sides when compared to listening from right in front.