Victory amps? Opinions?

[Birdman642]

Just wondering what people think about Victory amps. Specifically the Kraken. I haven't tried one and lack the ability to where I live. From clips I've heard, they sound really good.
So what's the consensus?

[Cynical]

Re: Victory amps? Opinions?

No personal experience with one, but I've never been all that impressed by the demos I've heard. Notably, in this demo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tkf8WBJ6hnA), I'd say it performs worse than the far, far, cheaper Fender Mustang, but that could just be how it's dialed in.

At that price, you're in a similar price range to a 5150 III 50-watt or a Laney Ironheart 60 watt, both of which will probably suit you better based on what you said in the other thread (disclaimer: I own an Ironheart 60 watt, so I'm possibly a bit biased here).

[Birdman642]

Re: Victory amps? Opinions?

No personal experience with one, but I've never been all that impressed by the demos I've heard. Notably, in this demo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tkf8WBJ6hnA), I'd say it performs worse than the far, far, cheaper Fender Mustang, but that could just be how it's dialed in.

At that price, you're in a similar price range to a 5150 III 50-watt or a Laney Ironheart 60 watt, both of which will probably suit you better based on what you said in the other thread (disclaimer: I own an Ironheart 60 watt, so I'm possibly a bit biased here).

Hello Cynical, I see we meet again. You're like the guardian angel of gear haha

[Birdman642]

Re: Victory amps? Opinions?

So because I know so little about amps, what can I expect from something like the: Marshall JCM series, Randall Diavlo and Peavey 5150/6505?

[shupe13]

Re: Victory amps? Opinions?

I’ve not tried one. Hell I’ve not seen one yet but I’d love to.


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[devastone]

Re: Victory amps? Opinions?

Martin Kidd is the designer/owner of Victory amps, he's the same guy that was behind Cornford, so I would expect them to be similar. Haven't tried either in person though.

[Cynical]

Re: Victory amps? Opinions?

So because I know so little about amps, what can I expect from something like the: Marshall JCM series, Randall Diavlo and Peavey 5150/6505?

"JCM" is a wide umbrella, and you can expect drastically different things underneath it. That said, it's hard to go wrong with a JCM800 2203, provided you're in a situation that's going to allow it to be played at the volumes it calls for.
The Peavy 5150 is a classic, and it's the sound of about half of the high-gain albums made in the last 20 years. Just be sure to put a tube screamer in front of it, and, again, realize you're going to need some volume to get "the sound".
The Diavlo is a bit more modern. It behaves better at low volumes, is tighter, and has a Tube Screamer style boost built into it.

As far as tone differences, the JCM800 2203 is the most "classic/vintage" sounding one -- it'll definitely have that Marshall vibe to it, rather than a super-saturated modern gain vibe like the other two. Still, that doesn't mean it's not suitable for metal -- last time I saw Marduk, Morgan was using one, and I've seen loads and loads of other metal bands use them over the years. They're a classic for a reason. The 5150 is going to be like a super-gainy, super-saturated version of that, with a really strong upper-midrange bite. You've heard it on a million albums, it's the "modern metal" sound pretty much. That bite can be ear-fatiguing if you're playing by yourself, but it's why this amp sits so beautifully in a band mix. The Diavlo is going to be scoopier than the other two, with the upper mids tamed a lot.

It's probably worth nothing that the Diavlo is the only one that has decent foot-switchable cleans. The JCM800 2203 has good cleans, but you have to switch which jack you're plugged into, so if you're switching from clean to dirty mid-song, that's right out; the 5150/6505 has notoriously bad cleans. Whether this matters is up to you (it doesn't really matter to me, since I never use my clean channels for anything), but it's worth knowing.

[Birdman642]

Re: Victory amps? Opinions?

So do high output pickups+high gain amps=Mud? I'm assuming that I would have to tweak the knobs on the amp to compensate for pickup output

[Cynical]

Re: Victory amps? Opinions?

So do high output pickups+high gain amps=Mud? I'm assuming that I would have to tweak the knobs on the amp to compensate for pickup output

Not necessarily. The enduring popularity of 5150 + EMGs speaks to that. You might need to lower your gain a tad, or possibly the output on your Tube Screamer if you're using one, but that's no big deal.

[jimmynorrisjr]

Re: Victory amps? Opinions?

Martin Kidd is the designer/owner of Victory amps, he's the same guy that was behind Cornford, so I would expect them to be similar. Haven't tried either in person though.

I think they do have a bit of Cornford dna, but Martin did have something to do with those too. I love my Countess and have gotten nothing but raving reviews every time anyone hears it. Anyone who trash talks them probably hasn’t played one, may not care for American cleans and British girthy overdrive, or may have not matched it well with a complementing cab. To each their own, but don’t go off some YouTube clip as many are just loaded down and recorded with impulse responses. This amp is small and light enough to carry on to a plane, with plenty of volume for any gig. 11 o’clock or so on the masters is plenty loud enough, even with my vintage 30 loaded Bogner 1x12 cube.

[Van Noord]

Re: Victory amps? Opinions?

Rob Chapman always gets good tones out of them in the Anderton's videos.