TOP SHELF: Victory V4 “The Sherriff” Preamp

WE’RE VICTORY. WE HEARD YOU LIKE AMPS, SO WE BUILT AN AMP YOU CAN PLAY INSIDE YOUR AMP WHILE YOU PLAY YOUR AMP. ALEX WILSON CHECKS OUT A PORTABLE PLEXI FROM A BOUTIQUE BRITISH AMP COMPANY, AND PROMISES* NOT TO MAKE ANY MORE BAD MEME REFERENCES.

The Sheriff is a compact preamp modelled off Victory’s amp head of the same name. Sonically, it courts the ballpark sound of Marshall amps from the '60s and '70s. Functionally, it’s designed to integrate with the circuit of an amp that you already own. It’s primarily designed to run in the effects loop of a head and provide extra preamp channels ahead of the final power stage.

If you don’t have an FX loop but really want this particular setup, it’s also got separate outputs for a more conventional placement ahead of the amp. Ultimately, the main intention of a pedal preamp like this is to take a valve amp you already own and buttress its versatility with some extra tube channels. It’s easy to see how this could be useful in a variety of live and studio settings.

CLASSIC SHMASSIC

Victory’s amp sounds take clear inspiration from the classics, but they also appear unafraid to make changes and innovations. They are gaining a reputation for quality, expanding their lineup of designs. The diversity of their artist endorsees – running from Guthrie Govan to Blur guitarist Graham Coxon – is a testament to care and attention of the company.

The Sheriff pedal features one EC900 and three CV4014 valves running at high plate voltage. These are the first pedal-format guitar preamps to feature four valves and an all-valve signal path. While the overall sound is familiar, the Sheriff feels a bit tamer in the top-end than a true Plexi.

Designer Martin believes his amps should reflect the recorded sounds we fell in love with, rather than strictly imitate earlier designs. The Sheriff’s treble roll-off is accompanied by a gainy push to the high mids that sits really well in a mix. It’s a tone with bite, but won’t tread on the toes of cymbals or vocals. As a design philosophy, it means an amp can be louder, as we’re naturally in favour of turning a good tone up!

The amp’s first channel is decently clean at low volumes, but begins to break up quickly. You can get an "Under The Bridge" style push pretty easily here, and then by turning the drive up, soar into the rafters of a rocking arena.

Channel Two is where the amp’s most raucous gain is available. It’s clearly modelled on the modded plexis that preceded the JCMs. This is where you can truly hear that midrange aggression. In terms of style, I feel that the Sheriff will be able to cover the jammy, crunchy sounds of '60s blues and the British Invasion all the way through to the vengeful drive of stadium metal and early thrash.

Like a real amp, the core sounds are fundamentally good as well as pleasingly pliable for a player who wants to chase a personal tone.

SPOILT FOR CHOICE

I trialled the Sheriff pedal in the jam room with a couple of different amps and in the studio as true valves in my DI signal chain. In the FX Loop of a Dual Rectifier, it was a thrilling combo. A two-channel Mesa and two-channel Marshall at my feet, and due to the intuitive gain controls and EQ stage of the Sheriff, it was remarkably easy to quickly land on a tonal palette that played well together.

A Fender Twin Reverb doesn’t have an FX Loop, so I plugged the Sheriff into the front input. Due to the combo’s high headroom, Victory’s tube gain sang through clearly while getting a pleasing extra dose of compression from Fender’s preamp.

The low-end dynamics and harmonic richness of the tones available in this setup certainly eclipsed what is available from a PCB-based drive pedal. As the Sheriff derives its tone from valves, the tone may suffer somewhat when pushed through a second preamp stage with low headroom. On the other hand, it might create your new favourite tone!

The Sheriff also shines in a studio setting. Obviously you can run it through normal amp/cab/mic setup, but its versatility is really highlighted by the fact that it proves real valve tone in DI form without needing to worry about impedance and loadboxes. It was a real pleasure to be able to run these excellent tones through my favourite digital impulses.