Victoria Amplifier Co. Double Deluxe

The features have been noted in many reviews here so I will be short and sweet. First of all the last guy that submitted a review (Steve)is obviously clueless about tone. His comment about having no reverb being lame proves my point. This is meant to be a vintage, old school, no nonsense tone machine and that's exactly what it is. A reverb circuit would suck tone and take away from what this amp is supposed to be. You need to know how to use an amp like this. It's not for beginners. It is for players that know how to manipulate the controls on the amp and on their guitars. You also must know how to play. 95% of your tone comes from your fingers and not your gear.

This is the best sounding amp I have ever owned and I have owned many vintage as well as boutique amps and believe me this is it. My main guitars are Tom Anderson's and Carvins with a few Fenders, Gibsons and Custom Shop Schecters and a few others. They all sound great and retain the characteristics of the wood and pickups from each one. It is also great with pedals. I didn't think anything could touch my Matchless Chieftan, but this has become my main gigging amp. The complex tones and harmonics that come from this amp are unreal. I have seen many reviewers say you can't get bright Blackface tones out of this amp and I'm here to say you can. If you jump the 2 channels together and experiment with the 3 knobs, you can dial in any tone (except modern high gain tones) you desire. This amp must be heard to be believed.

Victorias are built like tanks and they will stand up to anything. There's a reason they have a lifetime warranty.

I have not needed customer service, but I have no doubt they will stand behind their products.

I can't imagine a better more vintage sounding amp is out there. If this amp were stolen I would replace it in a heartbeat.

bought new from victoria early 2009. had immediate complaints about excessive vibration caused by the electronics CONTROL box and tubes in the pine cabinet .He tightened a few screws and I paid and took it home. foolish move ,as the noises came back quickly.l A QUALITY VIBRATION BARRIER IS ESSENTIAL.. the perfect tweed sound" is ruined when you are constantly annoyed by extra vibration sounds. I tried to return the unit. MARK SAID BRING IT BACK, FOR ADJUSTING. He "adjusted the amp(loosened and tightened it down). It sTill was not clean.I asked him to take it back.NO. I paid cash- big mistake. Every two weeks I am working on this piece of crap with my plyers. AND anti vibration materials.. Its not a Finely designed amp, and for the money I WOULD AVOID THIS GUYS AMPS. Stick to the big names.At least they are honorable regardingreturns.
P.S. NO REVERB IS ANOTHER WEAKNESS.
FINAL NOTE:WHEN I TRIED TO RETURN THE AMP MARK CRIED POVERTY(MY X WIFE HAS ALL MY MONEY_ IM BROKE. INCIDENTALLY, HE SELLS AMPS TO ANYONE WHO CALLS, BYPASSING HIS DEALER AGREEMENTS. STAY AWAY- BUY A BOOGIE, not a headache.

I play a strat and an sg.They both sound good except the added sounds of tubes shimmering and metal vibrating really overtake the pleasure that this otherwise fine amp could supply.
Mark removed the tube guards(illegal) still doesnt cut it. This company needs to up its game, then the amp will rock. Lack of reverb is lame. Nee a seperate box for $200 to bring it up to speed.

The amp probably will last longer than my patience with Mark.

Crooks.PERIOD
Once you pay- go away
Buy from a good store, dont buy victoria. Never buy direct from Mark. His xwife will get your money and you will get screwed if your not happy.
He will sell you the amp for less than his retailers, and hell sell it tax free, but the bargain is no bargain.

I am hoping it will get stolen.

I purchased this amp after being blown away by the Victoria tweed deluxe clone, but finding that it simply didn't have enough push onstage. My local Victoria dealer suggested I try the Double Deluxe, which is 40w into two 12s compared to about 18w into one 12.

This amp delivers the same sound as it's little brother, only at giggable volumes, with more spread and dimension. If you love the tweed deluxe thing but need more push for live, you need to try this amp.

I've used my DD onstage in small clubs right through to theatres and large outdoor festivals, and it covers any size stage well.

The control layout is simplicity itself: normal and bright volumes, and a tone knob. Not a parameter fiddler's rig at all, more of a back to basics, 'do it with your bare hands' kind of amp.

I jumper the two channels, which allows me to blend the various characteristics of the two channels according to the guitar and room.

In my experience, some amps are very 'playable', yet don't sound that great, whereas other amps sound great but don't play that well. The DD is the perfect marriage of playability and great tone. Fat cleans and a beautifully dynamic overdrive that makes you just want to play forever.

Not a huge amount of clean headroom is available, but the DD is definitely a more usable live amp than a regular tweed deluxe in that regard. I like to play with just a hair of dirt on my clean, and the DD does that superbly.

The DD really comes into it's own when pushed a bit past three on the volume dials. There isn't really a sweet spot as such, but for me the best tones are with the volumes on three through to about eight, depending on how much gain I desire. within that region the DD gives up some of the best low to mid gain overdrive tones I've ever had the pleasure of playing.

There's also a surprising amount of gain when the volumes are jumpered and fully cranked. Not metal or anything, but I've used it for 70s-style hard rock and it works fantastically. The cranked tone isn't a modern, tight sound by any means -The 6V6s, tube rectifier and alnico speakers see to that- but it's a great sound for less athletic, older playing styles.

This amp is most at home playing roots-oriented styles: blues, country, soul, pre-80s rock'n'roll. It won't do super tight 70s funk cleans or metal, but it will cover pretty much everything else with style. And it's the ultimate 'Stones' tone, which isn't much of a surprise, as Ronnie Wood uses DDs onstage...

Took it straight out of the shipping box and to rehearsal, and it hasn't missed a beat since.

Mark Baier answers his emails personally.

I've been playing for about 20 years now. Currently I also have a Mesa Blue Angel head and a Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb. For guitars I use a tele custom, a Reverend Flatroc, a Les Paul jr and a DeArmond Starfire semihollow, and I run an assortment of pedals. I've owned a bunch of other amps over the years, including most recently a Soldano Hot Rod that made way for this purchase.

I try every amp I see from Crates to Carrs, and first tried a Victoria a bit over a year before I ordered mine. I was impressed with the other models I tried, including the 40w twin, bassman and trem de la trem, but it wasn't until I tried the deluxe clone that I set my heart on buying one. Ordering a double deluxe sight unseen was a bit of a gamble, but I'm happy to say it has paid off.

I deliberately waited a while before reviewing this amp so I could get over the honeymoon period and give a fair assessment based on a decent amount of usage. Well, the honeymoon promises to be a very long one, so I gave in and reviewed it anyway.

People, this is an amazing amp. I'm constantly inspired to play and write, and I find myself really pushing myself onstage. I feel privileged to own it.

I bought my Double Deluxe used from a Guitar Center who did not know what they had on their hands. I don't know the year it was produced, but it is in very good condition, so I'm guessing it's between 2-5 years old. The amp features four 6V6GT's for power tubes, one 5751 and one 12AX7. Since this amp is cathode biased you can swap out your tubes with NOS tubes at will. It is rated at either 30 or 40 watts depending on the rectifier tube you use. The 5Y3 gives you 30 watts and the 5AR4 gives you 40 watts. It is an all tube hand-wired work of art!

It has a bright and normal channel with inputs 1 & 2. (input 2 being slightly less gain than input 1). Although it only has one overall tone control I have to say this is more than enough to achieve great TONE! You just plug and play, and man do you play with the Double Deluxe!

I use the 5Y3 Rectifier and I have to say this amp makes some of the creamiest, warmest sounds I have ever heard. By setting the volume around 9-10 and using my guitar controls I can roll between a very nice clean chicken pickin' to a classic rock power tube distortion rich with harmonics and sustain. I use an '87 American Strat and a '52 RI Tele with it and it really responds well with both. It tames the sometimes "too bright" sound of the Tele and brings out the sweet, round sound that sings and sizzles.

This amp "talks" to you and plays with you. When you change your attack you get an instant response from the amp. When you hit the strings hard, the amp digs in. When you lightly play the strings the amp purrs. it is something to be heard. It is not noisy, but there is a slight background hum that is not noticible while playing. This is a gret classic rock and country amp that can hit all the highs of the 50's, 60's and 70's music that I grew up on.

The build quality that Mark Baier has put into his entire line of Victoria Amps is legendary. This amp is very road worthy and I expect to be playing it for many years to come. With a cathode bias it makes it very easy to swap out your tubes to experiment with chaning your tone, and it also allows you to avoid going to an amp tech to re-bias.

I have used it many times in bar gigs without a back-up and know that it's "tank-like" construction instills confidence in me.

I have only e-mailed Mark Baier once and gotten an immediate reply. He would seem to be a dedicated builder with very high quality standards that include top notch customer service.

I have been playing since the early 80's and have gigged many times with different gear. '88 Fender Twin, 2001 Custom Vibrolux, 2004 Blues Junior, etc. Hands down this is the finest amp I have ever owned or played! It's touch sensative dynamics are downright inspiring. The tone you can produce is only limited by your imagination. If it were lost, stolen or destroyed I would immediately pick up a replacement.

At first I was a little bit concerned that I was going "reverb free" with a tweed model. Once I plugged in for the first time I knew I would not miss it. If I add anything to my rig, it's my Rocktron Short Timer for slap back and chicken pickin' sounds. Other than that I'm plug and play!

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This is in addition to my first review for the Double deluxe.
After my initial delight in discovering tonal nirvana a couple of things happened.
First of all the HT fuses kept blowing and a rectifier valve then failed. I was advised by Charlie that the HT fuses blowing was a sure sign of faulty valves, so I spent another #70.00 on some good, well tested Tesla replacements. I unscrewed the screws on the back cover to access the valves. The screws looked like they had been put in by a chimp. They were not straight- a small detail, but for #2000 I want straight screws! 3 of them were put in so 'skew-wiff' that the heads had been drilled into the panel by 3/4m just so that they sat flush with the panel.
Inside the back of the cab the first thing that I noticed was the crudely sanded area that had been prepared for the Victoria Amplifier sticker. When you pay 2K for an amp you dont expect shoddy work- it was very poor quality, it looked like something 'home made'.
The valve seating was so loose that the valves could be moved freely in their bases.
After replacing the valves I turned the amp back on and hey presto! nothing. Well, nothing except for smoke.
So there you have it my #2000.00 going up in smoke.
In my opinion,workmanship is Piss poor on the Victoria amps.
The valves they use are cheap and nasty.
I own several 'boutique amps'. I buy boutique because the workmanship tends to be miles ahead of mass produced products.
I understand the ethos behind the product- produce amps as they were in the 50's and 60's.
I dont beleive that they could be this bad- they would have been too proud to send out products in this condition.
Charlie Chandler gave me a full refund. He is a good dealer. He understands musicians and he understands equipment.
However, I do not share his opinion that these amps are well made.
Sorry guys but you should sack the company that you have 'building' your cabs because they dont care about your reputation.
Valves/HT fuses and smoke piss me off, but amps put together like this just make me think that someone is taking the piss.

Built 2005 bought from Charlie Chandler.
Very basic features so I am not going toi rate this and drop the score.

Telecasters with 4 way swithces and gibson/ guild semi's.
My music is focused on a contemporary style (Radiohead, system of a down etc) but the sounds and feel that I appreciate(organic might be a good word)are very much from previous era's. The double deluxe is probably the most beautiful piece of work that I have heard. Everything is real and alive, it actualy seems to talk back to you when you play. That is what an amp should do. Its the answering back of the amp that add's the unknown quantity to a recording/ live performance. The character of an amp is often ignored, but I can tell from the way that the DD sounds that no two are going to be the exactly the same.
The nearest character that I have experienced was an old AC30- no, they did not sound quite the same, for obvious reasons, but what they had in common was the urge to 'spit' the notes right back at you with there own addition to the recipie. That, I believe, is what a good amp does, and the DD does it with attitude.
When I record this amp I will probably leave the noisegate and any compression well alone- I want to hear EVERYTHING.
The headroom is not really loud enough to be clean, but you can always fiddle with the pre amp tubes to sort that out. I have not done this yet as I dont want to mess with what it already has. I may well A/B with my bluesbreaker for clean headroom.

No Idea

Not a clue

been playing for 20 years and owned most of the classic amps, pedals and guitars. This section bugs me a bit 'cause I dont really care how many 52 Teles and Hendrix's toilet brushes people own. If the amp were stolen/ lost/ destroyed I would have to get another. I just sent a badcat black cat back and replaced it with this. The Badcat was built like a tank and looked quite nice but sounded like it had been neutered. The DD would probably shatter if you dropped it but sounds like the amp that you should not have sold in 1969.
How often do you drop your amp?

Has three controls. Kinda goes back to that old expression three knobs and the truth. Four inputs makes it convenient for jumping the channels. I play blues, rock, rockabilly and try to do some jazzy stuff and some chicken pickin too. Got everything it needs.

I use mine with the 5y3 Valco recitifer, NOS GE 6V6 power tubes, and a Raytheon 12ay7 and a JJ 12ax7.

1. Heritage 150CM with Duncan Antiquity pickups, then into a Hot Cake, Klon Centaur, Boss Tuner and an old Maestro EP-3.

2. Heritage 535 with Seth Lovers into same pedals into amp.

3. Homebrew blackguard Esquire clone with a Duncan Broadcaster, straight into the amp.

4. Plug any of the guitars straight in, and let her rip.

This amp sounds phenomenal for roots music, like blues and country and "three chord rock" like Tom Petty, Stones, ZZ Top. I just love the rich, harmonics in this amp, and love how it sounds when its into full tilt compression. The sounds this amp makes is just great.

One guy thought it sounds like a cross between a Tweed Deluxe and a Vox AC30. Myself I just find that it sounds like a slightly louder Tweed Deluxe.

High headroom or mucho clean is not this amps forte. It has a nice clean sound, but its just not a loud clean. It starts overdriving beautifully at about 3 and just keeps going from there up. I like to use it at about 6 with the channels jumped and then use the controls on my guitar to control from there.

No problems owned it since July of 2004, bought it used.

Mark Baier is fantastic, my favorite amp maker, an absolute gentleman every time I've spoke to him.

Warranty is lifetime, on construction.

I bought this from a dealer who was oblivious to how much these sell for. Sometimes I wished the clean was louder, but then that would ruin the character of the amp. I love the nice chime that it has, and I love the early breakup, and the simple control layout. If I lost this or had it stolen, I'd be buying another as soon as the insurance money came, I just couldn't get this kind of a deal ever again.

When I played the amp in the store I was just blown away at the tone that it had. I played it twice in the store for a good hour both times, and I just had to buy it.

2003 Double Deluxe. two volume controls and one tone control. 40 watts. This is simple as it gets, and for those who love the 5E3 circuit it doesn't get any better. Uses 4 6V6's and either a GZ 34 or 5Y3 rectifier. The amp has two pre-amp tubes that are the key to the amps performance.

This is an update from a previous review I did several months ago. I liked my Double Deluxe but it kept making a buzzing noise and the distortion should have been smoother and less grainy sounding. Therefore I looked at my tubes and the power tubes and the rectifier seemed fine so I changed the first pre-amp tube from a EH 12AX7 to a Groove tube 12AY7 and the Second pre-amp tube from a Sovtek 12AX7LPS to a Groove tube 12AX7R. The Amp just came alive!! It was louder with better headroom and the distortion is wonderful, in fact I don't even need a pedal when I play my 57 Gold Top Les Paul. If you have a Double Deluxe take a look a the pre-amp tubes and try some different ones you maybe as surprised as I was. This is truly my favorite amp now!!

All Victoria's are built bombproof.

Mark Is excellent for helping you with advice and insights.

I've been playing for 30+ years and this amp is so much fun to play that it feels effortless to get great sounds, in fact this may be the ultimate blues amp.

This is a new (11/03) Double Deluxe. The amp is very basic with four imputs, bright and normal volume controls and a single tone control. The solid pine cabinet is covered in tweed and has two 12 inch Jensen P12Q speakers. The only option I ordered was a standby switch.

I play a Eric Calpton Strat, 52 RI Tele and a LP Std into this amp and they all sound wonderful!! The amp sounds very alive and is the most responsive amp I've ever played when it comes of pick attack and working the volume control. I tend to favor single coils over humbuckers and this amp sounds very rich and full with the single coils. I was surprised at the volume to amp has, it will work for most gigs without miking. I have to admit that this is the best pure tone machine that I have ever owned.

All Victoria amps are rock solid and because of there design they are easy to fix.

Warranty for life! Mark Baier is very easy to work with and has always answered my e-mail.

I've owned to many amps to remember over the years, but I honestly feel this is the best blues type amp I've ever played or heard.

This is a new (11/03) Double Deluxe. The amp is very basic with four imputs, bright and normal volume controls and a single tone control. The solid pine cabinet is covered in tweed and has two 12 inch Jensen P12Q speakers. The only option I ordered was a standby switch.

I play a Eric Calpton Strat, 52 RI Tele and a LP Std into this amp and they all sound wonderful!! The amp sounds very alive and is the most responsive amp I've ever played when it comes of pick attack and working the volume control. I tend to favor single coils over humbuckers and this amp sounds very rich and full with the single coils. I was surprised at the volume to amp has, it will work for most gigs without miking. I have to admit that this is the best pure tone machine that I have ever owned.

All Victoria amps are rock solid and because of there design they are easy to fix.

Warranty for life! Mark Baier is very easy to work with and has always answered my e-mail.

I've owned to many amps to remember over the years, but I honestly feel this is the best blues type amp I've ever played or heard.