Victoria Amplifier Co. Bandmaster

Reissue of the Fender famed 3X10 very rare Tweed Bandmaster. No frills, No stinkin' pedals, no stinkin' makeup. Just plug her in a play!! That is the only feature. So I give it a 10. But for review sake I must be accurate.

One of the best circuits ever designed; this one features a cathodyne phase inverter which is one of the best inverters in assuring the same amt. of input signal to each power tube. This also however, limits the amt. of signal to the power section, limiting volume. No matter. This features 3 10" Jensen Alnico reissue speakers. Here is how I got the amp and here is what I did to make it scream. The first channel is shaped with what Mark from Victoria recommends....an NOS JAN GE 5751. The second and third tubes were JAN GE 12AX7A. Very nice. After some trial and error, here is what I came up with. First stage is an orange label old logo RCA black plate 6702....triple mica spaced ruggedized 12AY7. Very dynamic vibey tube. Next stage is classic big soundstage GE 12AX7A to give it the GE tone shaping and then sent to in the third position an NOS Mullard 12AX7A . Wow!!! So then of course an NOS pair of Tung-sol 5881's biased properly at about 31/32ma. And then of course the rectifier. Had to go Mullard there. Chose a Mullard large base, dual getter GZ34, and then plugged my PRS McCarty in. Sheeesh!!!! Cream...Butta....magic. The best blues amp I have ever owned. Great for Texas swing blues with a Strat or Tele.

Well...it is pt. to pt. and the real schematics are everywhere, I'm sure this will not be to hard to repair or service. I expect it to last a lifetime.

I've owned various Fender amps, a Legend and even a Tony Bruno. Nothing has the magic for my style like this one. The U30 is a great sounding amp although Marks attention to detail is much better. I strongly recommend this amp for lower power situations, where the emphasis is on taste and tone. Swing it man.