Victory amps are designed by Martin Kidd, who has been responsible for some of the UK's best-loved boutique products, and with Guthrie Govan, Rob Chapman and James Bay heading up its artist roster, you can be sure Victory's sonic heritage is one that bodes well for the future.
Here, we're taking a look at a new head that applies Victory's ethos to the tried-and-trusted 'Plexi' format, the Sheriff 44.
The amp has a fairly similar layout and set of features to the recently-reviewed Sheriff 22. Both are smart, with portable dimensions and a gold-paint finish on the chassis that echoes the inspiration behind their design, as does the offset control panel of the Sheriff 44.
Inside the chassis, the electronics are mostly PCB-mounted, with one large board holding most of the components including the front panel controls and valve bases.
Inside the chassis, the electronics are mostly PCB-mounted, with one large board holding most of the components including the front panel controls and valve bases. Smaller boards take care of rear panel sockets and switches.
The general standard is high, with Victory's clean, economical board layout complemented by top-quality components, including close tolerance metal film resistors to keep hiss levels low.
There are two input jacks, which feed separate footswitchable preamp channels, followed by a passive tone network with treble, mid, bass and presence controls. One of the Sheriff 44's front panel toggle switches is Victory's clever three-way mains/ standby/on control, while the other offers a choice of high or low output power.
On the rear panel of the 44 head, you'll find a comprehensive set of speaker outlets, a series effects loop that can be hard-bypassed, and another toggle switch for selecting fixed or cathode bias operation.
This Sheriff head is built to handle anything from occasional weekend warrior use to full-on touring. We like the clever understated styling, with nods to classic British and top-end American boutique designs, and less obvious touches such as the heavily damped pots that mean the Sheriff's gas-cooker control knobs stay where you put them, together with a satisfyingly loud 'clunk' from the toggle switches.
Feel & Sounds
Teamed with Victory's vertical 2x12 enclosure, the Sheriffs look the business from any angle. The amp powers on smoothly and quietly, with practically inaudible hum and hiss. The simple control layout means it's easy to dial in as well, the standard passive EQ controls interact smoothly with no nasal midrange peakiness, while the Master and Presence controls sit after the phase inverter stage.
We tested the Sheriff with a variety of guitars, including a Strat with regular low-ish output single coils, and a Les Paul Standard with PAF humbuckers.
The preamp channels are voiced differently: Channel 1 has slightly less gain, with a glassy treble, tight bass and edgy overdrive that translates into a great multi-purpose rhythm/crunch sound, while Channel 2 has an extra gain stage for thicker overdrive sounds and a hint of American influence that still has plenty of Plexi punch and harmonic density, but with the sharp edges ever so slightly rounded off.
The Sheriff 44's fixed bias option opens up the cleaner end of the spectrum, with enough power to ensure the subtle harmonic edge isn't lost.
We like this channel's versatility: it can be bold with plenty of cut, while backing off the guitar tone controls edges things into Dumble/Bogner territory. Both channels are equally well-suited for humbuckers and single coils and the post phase inverter presence control adds a nice sparkle to highs without becoming shrill.
The Sheriff is loud and easily powerful enough for any gig. The Sheriff 44's fixed bias option opens up the cleaner end of the spectrum, with enough power to ensure the subtle harmonic edge isn't lost. Alternatively, switching to cathode bias mode creates a more dynamic feel that's great at lower volume levels but tends to be slightly squashed and compressed when pushed hard.
Overall, we feel the Sheriff 44 is more versatile than the aforementioned 22 with a wider range of vintage clean and nearly clean sounds.
The V212VH cabinet uses a popular combination of Celestion Vintage 30 and G12H30 drivers and sounds excellent, with a nice low-end punch. The series effects loop is quiet and works fine with semi-pro rack and stompbox-type effects. However, it would be more useful if Victory had made that hard bypass footswitchable.
This amp is likely to become very popular: it's simple, straight to the point and uncluttered - in terms of functionality and sound. The boutique-influenced touches, such as the gold-sparkle control panels and gas-cooker knobs, are appealing.
This head has the kind of sonic character that should appeal to a lot of players, centred in classic British rock and blues but with a refined top-end and attack that's more versatile and suitable for a wider range of musical genres. Aimed at players of all levels, the Sheriffs are likely to be on many players' must-try list - we just hope Victory can make enough of them!
