VICTORY V40 THE DUCHESS

$1,399, victoryamps.com

The spectacular Victory V40 “The Duchess” coaxes a wide range of low-to-medium drive tones and silky cleans that sound massive on their own, or further enhanced when combined with stompboxes as a pedal platform. Controls react exactly as intended; dialing back volume and upping the master sets up gorgeous cleans, and cranking both volume and master will nudge the amp towards musically rich overdrive, but it’s all about how you wish to voice it: In Voice 1, the V40 draws out the classic soft and supple tones reminiscent of mid-Sixties Fender combos, where you’ll find all the sustain and touch sensitivity at full power. Switching over to Voice II and increasing the volume ramps up some grittiness that closely duplicates the snappy attack of Tweed-era amps. Overall, the V40 is an even-tempered clean machine with balance and bite, and frankly, I’d choose this amp over anything else when faced with the many standard backline choices. (Check out the full review on page 73.)