Victoria amps!

[pedalcr8z]

rare find, new in box 2002 Double Deluxe all NOS tubes!

This things just freaking rocks. So tonefull! I am also completely taken back by how good the Jensen C12N's are. For some reason ceramic speakers seem to be dissed but I'm here to tell you I now know the type of magnet seems to be pretty meaningless. I've owned the same amp before with both P12Q's and Legends and I am hearing more sweetness and tighter bass wallup. How much of that are the NOS and extra Allen Bradley carbon comps used back then I don't know but I do know I'm not touching the speakers!

It has a Philips rectifier, a GE 5751 and Philips 12AX7 pre amp tubes, and a matched quad of GE 6v6 power tubes. That is about $450 to $500 worth of tubes at current prices.

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[RubyRae]

Nice amp pedalcr8z! That thing is bad to the bone.

 

[bluesjuke]

A brand new weekend to play it too!

 

[Kid Kactus]

Picked up a 20/112 Vicky used last week and gigged it last night. Awesome. Held its own without issue with a loud drummer and keyboard player. I used a "2 timer" delay pedal for some solos and a Whirlwind phaser for the Waylon tunes, otherwise straight in. Best amp I have ever owned so far.

Oh, I used a Holy Grail nano reverb pedal...rested the front lip of the amp on it to angle it back a bit!

 

[ice_pick]

I recently picked up a 45410. I haven't had a lot of time to play it and it's on loan to my friend since. It has a pair of Jensen P12Q alnicos and a set of ceramic speakers too. It doesn't have any fancy NOS tubes yet but I still am satisfied with the sound. It's pretty massive and it breaks up a little earlier than some would have you believe.

I really like the "test points" and bias potentiometer (instead of a resistor) Victoria added. They use a 1 ohm "test point" resistor you can easily clip your multimeter on to, that way you can directly read the amount of plate voltage on the multimeter and and turn the pot to what the tubes would like to see. Then it can be adjusted by ear if you want to run them a little cooler (nos?) or hotter (cheap tubes) to taste. It makes swapping sets of power tubes so much easier and safer. Great success I'm sure Leo would be proud. That's the only changes to the circuit however, it goes to show how timeless the design is.

I'm really considering getting a 518 or 5112. There are two used pretty close for decent prices. The difference between the two is only $50 so I think I will go with the 12 speaker. I mean I could use the 8 for recording and home and then plug in to a 12 cab but then I would have to haul both to a gig. I think it would just be easier haul to the light Deluxe sized cab... But how much portability do I lose stepping up to the Deluxe vs. Champ cab. My sports car can fit either pretty easily, but I also take the bus and maybe strap it to my bike. I may also do a decent amount of walking carrying it so the little 518 wins but the idea of the putting in a Tungsten Weber made P12Q copy or a Celestian blue sounds like much more fun than being stuck with 8 fart shooter. Then part of me thinks should I just save more and get a used 20112. It would probably be another $500 though I can't find any for $1000 that stay listed for long.

I saw the silver melody but I really like the golden melody. Who needs an AC30 or twin reverb when you have a golden melody!

Question... Where are some good sources for NOS tubes?

 

[mitchfit]

ice pick,

..."It's pretty massive and it breaks up a little earlier than some would have you believe."...

going by the picture, is that with a tele? if not, what axe? in the hotter input, my explorer E2 breaks up MUCHO sooner than the S1's much lower voltage PUPs.

i ask/mention this 'cause this is true on every other amp i own also.

..."Question... Where are some good sources for NOS tubes?"...

if you wanna play it safe, tubedepot.com. but the insurance premium will be dollar intensive. if you are buying tubes on a tight budget, fleabay has mo'better price$.

in an email from Mark Baier, he recommended NOS output tubes from:

..."Anything by GE, RCA or Sylvania will be great. RCA and Syl are considered the cream."...

from another email about current production tubes:

..."for new manufacture, use Tung Sol or J&J..we're currently using the Russkie Tung Sol 12AX7's and 5881's. Sovtek GZ34 is preferred over J&J. use only NOS 12AT7 for the verb.."...

mitchfit

EDIT--THE ABOVE 12AT7 IS VICTORILUX SPECIFIC

 

[SSgt93]

The Ammo amp (VIC-105) is SICK! i love mine, and it is rocking Kandahar, Afghanistan very regularly thanks to Mark!!!!

This amp has it all, and i am truly in love!

Awesome post, and amp.

I'm a little late to the game, but here is my Silver Sonic.
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[RubyRae]

Congrats man! The Silver Sonic is hands down on of thee best amps on the market.
Lovely. I would like to own one someday. Enjoy!

 

[SSgt93]

Congrats man! The Silver Sonic is hands down on of thee best amps on the market.
Lovely. I would like to own one someday. Enjoy!

I have been enjoying it for sure. I just spoke with Mark about putting a Celestion Blue in it and may do that.

 

[SSgt93]

I exchanged a few emails with Mark and he said the Celestion Blue sounds amazing in the Silver Sonic so I may change out the Em. Legend. Decisions, decisions.....

 

[bluesjuke]

From the clips I've heard on the SS I think if I had one I would go with a Jensen P12N RI for myself.

 

[SSgt93]

I may look into the Jensen further but I think I am going to do the Blue. We will see. I have issues using Jensen gear for some reason. I remember as a kid it was cheap car audio. I'm not in a hurry, the Legend is a nice speaker and well matched but I want to change it up a bit and see if I can get some different tones.

 

[bluesjuke]

Just my preference, not a suggestion intended.
I use the Jensen in both my Victoria and Clark 5E3s and love them once they break in.

Got a reconed '60 Jensen P15N in my Tweed Pro.

 

[SSgt93]

I appreciate the suggestion and will check it out.

 

[SSgt93]

I was offered a trade on my SS by a guy with a Tone King Metro, which was the only other amp I was considering when I bought my SS. I like the scaling feature, and the fact it has 20 more watts. The color is also red on the Metro (which is cool) and it was built in 2010 so I know Mark (the other Mark! lol) built it himself. Am I crazy for considering this?

 

[RubyRae]

I was offered a trade on my SS by a guy with a Tone King Metro, which was the only other amp I was considering when I bought my SS. I like the scaling feature, and the fact it has 20 more watts. The color is also red on the Metro (which is cool) and it was built in 2010 so I know Mark (the other Mark! lol) built it himself. Am I crazy for considering this?

wow, great trade offer, but I would be more inclined to keep the Victoria.
Both great amps, but different. Depends on your needs. I think the SS is great all around perfect amp (with tremolo)

Now if it was the new Sky King I might reconsider.

 

[SSgt93]

wow, great trade offer, but I would be more inclined to keep the Victoria.
Both great amps, but different. Depends on your needs. I think the SS is great all around perfect amp (with tremolo)

Now if it was the new Sky King I might reconsider.

I actually use a Strymon Flint though so I can change Trem sounds etc. I'm having a hard time with this. One minute I want to trade and the next, I don't. Decisions, decisions!

 

[SSgt93]

I'm going to hang onto it for now. Maybe throw that Celestion Blue in it and go from there.

 

[SSgt93]

Wow, what an amazing speaker. I replaced an already nice speaker in my Victoria Silver Sonic (Eminence Legend) and had no idea what to expect. I cannot believe how loud and crisp this speaker is. After soldering it in place, I played for around 30 minutes and my jaw is still on the floor. Kudos to Celestion for working with the angels to create this thing. Well worth the money.

P.S. Hint: Email MusiciansFriend and tellt hem you will pay XXX for the speaker and they will normally drop the price for you. I got about 19% off.

A few phone pics:

One last pic with the Eminence Legend (which is a really nice speaker).
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And with the Celestion Blue in place.
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[bluesjuke]

Glad to hear you like the speaker so much.
I am dying to play through one of these.