Victoria Amplifier Co. 35310

This amp is a very straight forward, 35 watt, 2-6L6, 3-10" speaker unit. I've had the amp for less than 2 months and use it on gigs with a R&B band (with a 3 piece horn section). I need to have a clean rhythm tone and also need to move to a fatter, bluesy/overdrive sound for some solos. By setting the volume about 3/4 of the way up, you can do this by adjusting the volume on the guitar. It sounds alot better than any channel switching arrangement that I have ever used. The clean sound is very clear without being thin. The overdrive is very smooth and has a lot of body. The amp is very sensitive to touch and exemplifies the adage of the amp becoming the instrument. It has enough power for my gigs as I almost always mic the amp. They have a 45 watt amp, however, I chose the lower wattage as I wanted overdrive at lower volume levels.
It has two channels, normal and bright. The normal channel appeals more to me. There is also a bass, treble and presence control for both channels. I ordered the amp with an effects loop which is tube driven and switchable. It works very well and also gives you an extra gain stage if you want it. There is no reverb. I personally don't miss it. Like the tweed Fender's that it is modeled after, reverb somehow is not missed.

Sounds great for blues/R&B. have also used on a jazz gig with equally good results. It is quiet with the effects loop switched out. The effects loop is transparent and is a real plus to those (such as me) who need to use effects occasionally and want to get them out of the chain when not needed. The amp basicly has a clean and overdriven sound. Both are to die for. The bright channel thins out the sound a bit which may be to the liking of some. The tone controls are highly interactive. It is very easy to get sounds without tweaking a bunch of controls. The ease of getting what I want out of the amp is a real stress reducer for me on gigs.

I won't do any gig without a backup. In 2 months it has been totally reliable. I would expect that, with proper maintenance, the reliability will be high.

I ordered the amp directly through the builder, Mark Baier. Communication was great and it was a super experience to explain what I wanted to someone who actually understood and was interested. Obviously, Mark takes great pride in his amps. In terms of service, I would assume that, if necessary, Mark will be there for me.

I am extremely pleased with this amp. It is perfect for my needs and doesn't have a lot of stuff on it that I dont want or need. I really tired of the "stacked channel" overdrive and this amp gives me exactly what I want at volume levels that do not shave my ears.
I did check out the Matchless Clubman 35 and Cheiftan. I lean more toward a Fender sound which skewed me to the Victoria. The Matchless weighs a ton while the Victoria, with it's pine cabinet weighs about 30-35 pounds.
If you lean toward the tweed Fender sound and want something that will give you that vibe in a package that you can gig comfortably with, this amp is well worth checking out.