Victory V40 The Duchess review

This British boutique amp is holding a royal flush of exceptional tone

Victory V40 "The Duchess"
(Image: © Victory Amplification)

Guitar World Verdict

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.

Pros

  • +

    Incredible US and British tones.

  • +

    Excellent pedal platform.

  • +

    Switchable power.

Cons

  • -

    None.

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What do guitar players like Richie Kotzen, Guthrie Govan and Rabea Massaad have in common? Besides being terrifyingly accomplished guitarists, the many outstanding tones you may have heard on their recordings and live appearances come courtesy of Victory Amplifiers – a UK brand that’s fast becoming a rising star among boutique guitar amp companies. 

Victory is the brainchild of chief designer Martin Kidd (of Cornford amplifiers fame), together with a team of engineers that hand-build these colorful, distinctively voiced amps. Scrolling through Victory’s diverse tube-amp series will reveal its amps come in the classic big-box deluxe head format or as a portable lunchbox head, along with matching speaker cabinet options. 

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Paul Riario

Paul Riario has been the tech/gear editor and online video presence for Guitar World for over 25 years. Paul is one of the few gear editors who has actually played and owned nearly all the original gear that most guitarists wax poetically about, and has survived this long by knowing every useless musical tidbit of classic rock, new wave, hair metal, grunge, and alternative genres. When Paul is not riding his road bike at any given moment, he remains a working musician, playing in two bands called SuperTrans Am and Radio Nashville.