Victoria Amplifier Co. Soulcactus Amp

This one is a 2004 model. It has basic Fender blackface style controls on it with reverb and tremelo. Everything is tube based including the tremelo, which is very cool. It has everything that I think an amp needs. Only one channel with two inputs. I play traditional electric blues style, no rock or blues-rock.

I don't think it needs any other features. It does not have a midrange control, and at times I think it probably should have one. But I can't really say that I miss it since I've never really owned/used many amps with a midrange control. And the amp sounds killer without it. No effects loops, or headphone jacks or any other extraneous things I don't need.

I used the amp for band practice, but didn't have it long enough to use on gigs. I give it a 10 for features because I don't believe amps need to be any more than what this one is.

I used it with vintage style single coils on my Stratocasters. The music was basically traditional style blues. The amp would be great for ANY type of roots oriented music. I believe it would make a pretty good rock type amp because of the way the EL84's crunch.

I look at this amp two ways; with the volume set up to around 7 or 8 where it stays clean, and with the volume up higher than that where it breaks up. The clean tone is absolutely incredible. It is among the absolute best in Fender style clean tone. The breakup/crunch tone sounds great as well, but it has that EL84 style crunch that I don't like. I much prefer an american style breakup and that's the problem I had with this amp. I also have a 6L6 Victorilux and that's what I'm talking about! It is absolutely perfect.

The tremelo is also among the best. The clean tone has a great full midrange, bass and treble response. Nothing harsh and the most compelling thing about the amp, like all Victoria Amps, is the stunning clarity. It doesn't sound constricted like so many of the PCB based amps I've played. And it doesn't have that nasty upper midrange or screeching treble 'creature' hiding in it that you can't get rid of.

I won't comment much on distrortion since I don't get much into that. I just run an amp right around the breakup point and that's where I didn't like the EL84's on this one.

I give it a perfect 10 here. It sounds great, even the EL84 breakup that I don't like sounds great; just not for me.

Victoria Amps are very well made. Mark and his crew are the best to deal with. I wouldn't use it on a gig without backup since anything that's mechanical in nature can go down for a variety of reasons.

I didn't have a problem with it and Victoria has always been ultra professional to deal with (I've owned several tweed Victoria Amps), so I have no choice but to give them the highest rating at this point.

As stated above, Victoria has been a real pleasure to deal with. You may want to note that Mark isn't a real email nut so if you want to talk with him about something just pick up the phone. He's almost always right there to talk. If he's not available Pete always seems to be there and he's a great guy to deal with as well.

I've been playing for a 15+ years and have owned a variety of amps. Mostly Fender's, but I did play a Mesa Boogie 50 Caliber for a long time when I had a roots rock band.

I would not buy this amp again since I didn't really care for the EL84's, although it sounds great. I did get with Victoria and purchase a 2-6V6, 2x10 version of the Victoriette. Now THAT is what I'm talking about! It is exactly what I wanted. I've written a review on that one already.

The ?Soucactus Special? I own is an early prototype and has no numbering on control knobs (so it can go to 11!); Modulate & Focus (Tremelo), Rebereration (Reverb), and, Music, Bass and Brightness knobs. Beautiful laquered tweed. 5AR4 rectifier tube (probably the main reason I chose this amp), two EL-84 power tubes, three 12AX7 pre-amp tubes, and one 12AT7 pre-amp tube. 2-Jensen P10R speakers, 20 watts, two inputs provide a little variation. Overall I believe this amp has a lot of useful features, not a lot of toneless features like lot of newer amps! Tone!! Tone!! Tonequest suggested these as their No.1 pick in an article and I?m happy I took their advice. Rectifier tube gives a great sag, nice feel touch sensitive amp. Plenty loud for small to large clubs, great bass response with my Stratocasters. It loves quality pedals also, like the Captain Coconut, Vintage Maxon, or Teese wahs. Bought it used so I don't know age, or particulars. They go for a little over $2000 new, without the tweed and I'd get it at that price if I had to (and had the money of course).

I try to play blues, classic rock, and alternative styles. This amp is the best I've owned! I've owned a ton of old Fenders, new Mesas, and just about everything in between and for what I'm after, this is beautiful! Seriously, the tone surpassed my expectations. I doesn't do metal but it can get a sweet toneful growl at higher levels! I have a ton of effects pedals so I can get a lot of sounds I'm after, and they sound rich, not thin like other amps I've owned. I have two strats at present, with Fat 50's and EMG-DG20's (both are sweet, sweet, pickups!) I don't like giving 10 on anything but since it is the best amp I'ved owned, I'll give it here. :)

No idea, looks like it was built to last another 50 years so I'll give it a 10, plus all their amps carry a transferrable lifetime warranty (minus tubes and speaker)!!!!!!!!!!!!!Everything looks quality, beautiful workmanship and handmade of couse.

I've talked to Larry and Mark, both are great guys, very helpful and patient. Again if I had the money I wouldn't hesitate to buy one new, I didn't see many used ones but I got lucky! See these guys if you want one: Larry at Soulcactus Sound (http://www.soulcactus.com) and Mark Baier 630-820-6400 (victoria amps). I bought it used from a guy here at Harmony Central, again I got lucky! :)

I've been playing (very poorly) for approximately 13 years. I own all of the Maxon Vintage series pedals, CC2, Teese pic wah, TS9DX and two MIJ strats (supped up with Callaham tremolo assemblies and sweet pickups- DG20's and Fender Fat 50's). I was after tone and this amp delivers. It looks as good as it sounds and it has all the bells and whistles I need! I find I don't use too many pedals, since the clean is soo sweet!!! Again I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again, new if I had the money. I don't usually waste my time writing reviews but this warranted it. :)

There is a feature on this amplifier that I hadn't outlined in my "Anonymous" review in October,2001. The second input on this amplifier that another reviewer called "tame", I'll just call "TWEED". I don't know what is going on in the circuit - but what you have on input one is a chimey, Vox-ish sound with more gain than input two. But input two really sounds like a tweed amp. There is a noticeable loss of volume when you plug into it, but just turn the amp up! It really is a killer-sounding feature. Larry says about it: "I'm not a second input kind of guy, but I've heard from others that it sounds great." That it does - I'm really splitting my time on this amp between these two inputs and the different sounds I'm able to get with them. It just makes this amp that much more versatile.

As far as I know, the Soulcactus is only available from Larry at Soulcactus Sound (http://www.soulcactus.com). Larry is a pleasure to talk to and buy an amp from (he answers his emails promptly, even on Sundays!). The amp is about the size of a 2X10 tweed Super (in fact it may be just that). My amp is done in vintage aged, lacquered tweed and looks absolutely beautiful. It has a big thick leather handle, which I like much better than those little thin ones that are on most other tweeds. This amp also has rubber feet instead of the metal cups on the bottom, perhaps to help isolate the reverb pan. When you pick it up it is light and solid - comfortable to carry. The control panel is laid out like this: High and low input jacks, volume, treble, bass, reverb, speed, intensity, purple pilot light, standby, on. Like a super the 2 Jensen RI P10R's are mounted off axis on a floating baffle board. The reverb bag rests on the bottom in a tan tolex bag. The cabinet is of pine, reddish in color like the old ones. It is VERY resonant. Inside the chassis you find what you find in any Victoria amp - impeccable craftsmanship and layout, c/c resistors, proprietary caps, cloth covered wire?nothing spared and that is why these things are priced as they are. They are obviously a work of loving care and that takes time. The tubes are 7591, 3 12AX7's, pair of EL84'S, GZ34 rectifier. The amp also came with a chrome footswitch for the reverb and tremolo (like the black ones that came with the black and silverface amps). The only nit I have is that the power cord is very short so I sometimes have to use an extension cord. I don't understand why they didn't put a long cord on this amp? strange.

A Little Preface
First, I play what you might call roots blues. I have my own style that has evolved over the years, but it comes from the tones of my heroes like Freddy King, Magic Sam, T Bone Walker, B.B. King, etc. I like an amp I can plug straight into (hate to mess with master volumes and pedals and never played a pedal I liked - Freddy never needed one) and quickly get my sound and let my hands do the rest. I mostly play a '67 Epiphone Riviera through this amp (a perfect match), a Warmoth Strat with Fralins, or a reissue Danelectro U2. When I did my first gig with the amp it seemed a little on the brittle side to me, but after a couple of gigs the speakers settled in and it got dramatically warmer and smoother. I experimented with preamp tubes (different rectifier, 12AY7 in the first stage) and quickly came to the conclusion that the amp was designed for what is in it and it works best for me that way. I did replace the EL84's with NOS Philips as well as the 12AX7's with NOS GE and RCA (KCA is a great place to buy NOS tubes, by the way). I believe the amp sounds warmer now with these tubes in it. The amp is absolutely DEAD quiet.

The Meat
If you ever played a '50's tweed super, not the one with 6L6's but the one with 6V6's, you are close to getting what this amp sounds like. It goes beyond that though. At low bedroom practice volumes it is rich and full - run a strat through it in this set up and you will be up half the night playing the clearest and most beautiful stuff. At gig levels it is best suited to a small to medium room - can sound awesome in a room with hard surfaces (brick, tile, wood floors, windows, etc.) where a blackface amp will sound thin and hurt your ears. The amp has a very responsive, soft feel to it with a wide dynamic range for such a small cabinet. Pick softly and you get clean, dig in and you get sustain and compression. Even though this amp has EL84's there is nothing British about it, tonally. Loads of bass if you want it - I usually set the bass and treble at about 12 o'clock. The reverb is rich and lush and clear like an outboard unit. Adding more than a quarter of a turn of it at gig levels is plenty, however, the extra range is handy when playing very low practice volume in a small room. The controls are there to adjust and compensate for different situations, guitars and volume settings - just use your ears and dial 'em in. The tremolo is the best I've played. I believe it is the power tube modulation type. It is very, very warm and useable. You could have a little of it on all the time and it would add an interesting subtle character. At gigs I mostly play mini humbuckers through it with killer tone every time. There are times when the most amazing harmonics jump out when I don't even mean for them - it floors me when that happens and gives me an ear-to-ear grin. The speed of the amp can be so articulate (but not hard sounding at all) that it clearly follows when you do a fast slide up to an abrupt staccato, for instance. Fast staccato notes sound really musical and clear, not sloppy or washed. If you play accurately this amp will exemplify it with great, rich tone. I once gave my guitar to the bass player to accompany a singer for a song and I stood back in the room to listen I could not believe how clear and pleasing this amp sounded from afar - so very warm and clear. It is easy to listen to for long periods. A Danelectro also sounds awesome through it, like sounds you hear on old blues recordings. If you fully crank the volume and play slide on a Dano the tone is unbelievable. Is that you, Elmo?

I often carry a spare amp to gigs just in case something goes wrong. I have played probably 30 gigs with this amp and never had any kind of problem. It is so quiet you don't even know it is on. I really believe the only thing that could go wrong is a tube could crap out. After looking inside and owning another Vicky for years now, I am sure it will last way beyond my life.

I have talked to Mark several times. He is very busy but always returns my phone calls long distance. He is a pleasure to talk to and has a genuine love of the blues I love so much. I have not had much success with email. I suppose he would rather talk to people...so would I. I have no doubt that he would bend over backwards to make sure your amp is right. His amps are truly professionally designed and built with blues in mind. I guess that is why I like them so much.

Everyone is SO different when it comes to amps and what they prefer about them. I hope this little review helps at least give you an idea of what this amp is all about, and if it suits your style, you can't go wrong in my opinion. I have been playing blues for almost 30 years now and still gig every weekend. I still have some silverface amps. I also have a Victoria 45410 for bigger events (a favorite). I have tried others like Blues Pearl, newer Custom Shop Fenders, Dr. Z (I feel these are very well designed and built amps that sound amazing, but for whatever reason I just can't seem to hook up with their character). The Soulcactus suits me and works great in my band and many of the smaller places I gig. If you play with a loud drummer and bass player in medium to larger clubs the amp will get swallowed up. If you play a medium room that is acoustically dead that fills up with people it won't cut it unless you mic it. It can't be beat for smaller jobs, especially in very reflective rooms. I frequently play a small jazz and blues club and it is perfect in that situation, where other amps would be a struggle keeping in the sweet spot. I can run this amp at the edge all night without blowing people away. It feels like the way a nice old leather glove or pair of shoes fits. The tone is reminiscent of an old tweed amp - if I couldn't look at it I would swear it was 30 years old! If an amp can have soul, this one's got a ton.

A Class A 20-watt 2x10" (Jensen re-issues) combo with reverb and tremolo. 2 EL-84's, 12AX7's in the pre-amp section, a 12AT7 to drive the reverb (comes stock w/Tesla's), and a tube rectifier. The other reviews accurately describe the control panel - this amp doesn't offer effects loops, channel-switching, etc. It's an "old-school" amp, probably best suited to "old school" music. If you want an amp that will go from warm and sweet in the lower volumes, to a warm, yet focused clip when pushed past about 60-70%, then read on. You'll see it written that the Fender Deluxe Reverb is the perfect small club amp - well, that's the ballpark that the Soulcactus lives in, but the 2x10 configuration results in a tighter and more defined bottom end, particularly at higher volumes. No flabby 12" farting-out. Mark at Victoria told me that he and Larry sought to marry the circuit of a Princeton Reverb with the singing qualities of EL-84's - that's what you've got here. A simple circuit, even simpler operation, none of the modern features that some people depend on - but that's the charm of the entire Victoria line, isn't it? It's versatile despite it's lack of bells an whistles, so it gets a "9".

I've yet to run any guitar with humbuckers through this amplifier. A shortcoming of my review, yes, but I play Fender's. A Stratocaster and a Telecaster, and also an old Dual Professional steel guitar. The only amp I played for years was a '68 Twin Reverb, and it's a great amp for that steel guitar - great all-around, really, but I wanted something that would break up in a warm, musical way and not split eardrums. And something with a tube rectifier for the nice squish and sag - you hear it, but you feel it with your fingertips, too. That being said, the Soulcactus is still a LOUD amp. It just won't kill you like a Twin! The music I'm trying to make straddles the line between R&B and old country - they're so close, really. If you could mix Steve Cropper with James Burton, that's the sound I'm going after. This amp will give you those sounds - Stax, Excello, Chess, King, Sun, etc.. The other reviews speak glowingly about the reverb and tremolo - and it's not hyperbole in this case. Very warm, elastic, and deep - both effects. There's tons of reverb available, even on 4 out of 12, the sound is pretty wet. Just for fun, I pushed the reverb to 8 and tried some Duane Eddy - then a little spy/surf music. Reverb on 12 is pretty much unusable, but I'm thinking of all the so-called reverb combos I've tried that when the reverb was full-out the effect was barely discernable. I WANT to hear that reverb, and if 12 is over-the-top - then just don't dial it in. Nice to know you could if you wanted, though. When properly tubed, the amp is quiet - just the normal operational "idle" hiss that you get out of the tweed Victoria's. All said - a very lush and beautiful-sounding amplifier.

I'd keep a complete set of replacement tubes with me if I were taking it to a gig. Especially pre-amp tubes. I'd noticed a number of new Victoria amps in the shops in and around Chicago that suffered from microphonic or weak-sounding tubes. I had even mentioned this to Larry while in the middle of purchasing the Soulcactus. It bothered me - how could these shops put these great amps out on the floor with such a glaring handicap to their peak sound and performance? How would a customer know how the amp was SUPPOSED to sound? I wasn't sure if they were being shipped from the factory that way or if tubes were being "borrowed" and moved around inside the stores inventory in order to put complete working sets in the ones that had sold, leaving the ones in the store with mis-matched and sup-par sets of tubes. Kind of embarrassing for amps in this price range. Read below.

Here is a problem I had with my new amp, and how that problem was solved by Larry and Mark. First of all, I purchased this amplifier without ever having played through it. A little scary, yes, but the point is this: I wasn't sure exactly how this amp was supposed to sound. I never got to A/B it with other amps - or even A/B two of the same amps - Soulcactus to Soulcactus. So, I was at somewhat of a disadvantage from the beginning. When I picked it up, though, I thought it sounded great. After putting about 10-15 hours on it, I began to notice the swishy/poppy sounds of a bad tube, plus I was getting a pronounced amount of "idle" noise, an annoying ticking in the trem circuit, motorboating in the trem, and the amp would register audibly if a household appliance was turned on or off in an adjacent room. Now add a dirty-sounding volume pot, and you start to get that sick feeling! So I e-mailed Larry and he got back to me immediately (he's good about this) after he had contacted Mark in Naperville. Mark advised him that perhaps a half-dozen of these amps had escaped the factory with a component missing from the circuit (a power-supply filter?) - that I should get the amp to him and he'd fix it in ten minutes time. I drove out to Naperville, Mark opened the amp, soldered in the missing part, cleaned (then replaced) the volume pot, then discovering that the problem wasn't the pot - but a bad pre-amp tube, replaced the tube. Suffice it to say that I had never heard the amp as it was supposed to sound - because not only were all the problems eradicated, but it sounded twice as good as it had before the problems appeared. No joke. As for Larry and Soulcactus - he's been nothing but enthusiastic - and as I said, responsive to inquiries, etc.. I've talked to him for a half-hour or more when his shop was closed - Sunday nights, whatever. I asked about paying him over the phone, but driving the hour to Naperville from Chicago to pick the amp up myself and avoid all of the shipping - and he was flexible enough to work that out with myself and Mark at Victoria. As for warranty - well, there's no paperwork issued with the amplifier, or with any Victoria to my knowledge - but outside of tubes and speakers, I believe that Mark would repair anything due to faulty parts or workmanship if you were the original owner. In my case - there was no charge on anything, not even the tube. Likewise, Larry wants a satisfied customer and would be equally fair-minded.

I spent over a year researching and playing as many amps in this category as I could get my hands on: Tone King's, other Victoria's, blackface Vibrolux Reverbs (very cool amps), old Deluxe Reverbs (regularly selling for $1400.-$1800. these days), Bruno's (1 - where can you play these? and 2 - they're over $2K) and Clark (ditto). I can honestly say - now that this amp is on it's game, especially, that had I been able to side-by-side shop all of these amps at one time and place, I would have most likely bought the Soulcactus, and here is why - it sounds great (again, read the previous reviews), it's got the reverb and tremolo that I wanted, it's got the feel that I was looking for, and the price was fair. Larry says he wants to put these amps into players hands and not fill showroom floors with them, and that's what he's doing. They're sold before their delivered, in many cases. BTW - I've been playing for nineteen years, and as another reviewer said - I may never need another amp.

Well, I would like to follow the traditional format for this review, but that would take a big man to conform like that, and I am NOT a big man. >=-)

OK, anyways... this amp is UNBELIEVABLE. Like a good Matchless C-30, it would take a poet to do it justice, in putting into words the impact that this amp is going to have on some people. I am not much of a poet, but regardless, here goes...

The tone is so thick and fat and gorgeous; the clean sparkles and shimmers. The tremolo is the best I have ever heard, hands down. The trem is so 3-D and rich; it is elusive. The Soulcactus sounds wonderful starting at 1/4 volume, and starts to sing at volume 1/2 up. The 10? Jensens are surprisingly complementary to this amp?s feel and tone. Bass is very punchy; TONS of bottom. Top end is refined and musical (no ice pick in the ear or broken glass with Teles/ASATs). My G&L ASAT Special has never sounded so much like a true ?tele?, until this amp. I can?t put the ASAT down; the amp just seamlessly allows the ASAT to breathe tone through it. I never used the bridge or neck pickups alone, until now, because all 3 p/u combinations sound exceptional. The ASAT tends toward top-end overload on some amps. The Victoria translates the frequency sweep of the ASAT into musical and pleasing textures. The Vic sounds amazing with the PRS Hollowbody I as well. It is just milk-shake-thick, sooooooo fat. Think Counting Crows ? Goodnight Elizabeth tone (that was a vintage Gretsch Duo Jet). With the Hollowbody, notes overlap slightly on each other, and are a little looser than on a solid body guitar. The Soulcactus and the Matchless C-30?s emphasize these traits. This amp transduces the Hollowbody tone into a beautiful marriage of, say, Gibson 335 and Gretsch Duo-Jet tones. Incredible... The reverb is the BEST one-knob reverb these ears have ever heard, just shimmering and smokey, haunting. Now, how crazy is this... I don?t even bother changing treble or bass settings when switching between the ASAT and Hollowbody; these controls always both stay at 12 o?clock! And I am really anal and I am sensitive to unwanted amounts of bass, treble, mid, whatever. Yet there is no need to tweak! The only thing that I would say I do not care for, is that the amp doesn?t respond very well to rolling back the volume on your guitar. When you cut guitar volume, or ?pull back? on a volume pedal, the amp dumps lotsa treble/upper mids and loses some fatness. The Soulcactus doesn?t sound very British really. I was very surprised by this. It is probably 70% tweed sounding, 30% British/Voxy sounding. There is definitely lots of tweed mojo. This amp sounds completely beautiful and full without the reverb or tremolo on! Add those 2 features and this amp just completely goes over the top... The amp sounds wonderful through my Matchless 2x12 cab as well; even more Voxy and glassy, and powerful. Small to medium clubs are easily achieved without a mic. This amp is also dead-quiet.

It's a Vic, 'nuff said...

I have heard Mark is the best. He was quick to answer my one email that I sent. Beyond that, he keeps a 9 until/if he ever proves to be different (then this rating would need revision I suppose)

In summation, this amp has stunning, jaw-dropping, I-can?t-turn-this thing-off! tone and completely real, 3-dimensional lush, organic feel. The vibe is to die for; it will make you forget about things you have to do for the day. For a desert island amp, this one would win over my Matchless HC-30 only because it is both fairly light and portable AND has reverb and tremolo that will send you off to dreamland. You will hear things you never heard before, in your guitars and your own technique. This amp joins with you musically and puts what you have to say into beautiful words.

My advice? Get one of these before the price catches up with the unbelievable deal you can get it for right now, at only $1800 sale price, at Soulcactus Sound 480-423-5233. Larry is a great guy to work with; extremely patient and wants you to be completely happy with the gear you buy the first time.

To put this into perspective, let?s say you want a Victoria 35210 Super (same size, but over 2x the power). They can?t be ordered with reverb AND tremolo. You would have to buy a Reverberato along with your Super. List prices on these, respectively, are $2195 + $1495, which comes to $3690 list. Let?s take a typical 10% discount, which brings us to a whopping $3321 *sale* price to get a similar package that is not NEARLY as portable. Plus there is no other Victoria to date that has EL84 tubes, giving the Soulcactus its slight British tinge. This amp is an absolute gem ? the last amp that some guys will ever need to buy. I can now hear clearly why Victoria and Matchless amps (the new ones sound as good or better than old Matchless! believe it!) are in a league all their own. Nearly flawless and absolutely beautiful works of art, that, although they are quite expensive, are worth every penny if you can save up for them.


The following is related FYI stuff:

Here is some more details about me my favorite gear and style, to give you an idea of where I am coming from, if you are curious... I play mainly mellow, folk-influenced, rootsy alternative/emo rock. My current band, called Mariposa, out of Phoenix, AZ, is booking shows in bars, clubs, Christian college groups, wherever we think they will dig our vibe. I also play guitar and sing lead/backup vocals for praise and worship music at Christian churches/groups.

Let me start by naming my favorite amps and axes, so you can get a feel for the kinda tone I dig. My favorite 2 axes these days are the PRS Hollowbody I w/ piezo and the G&L ASAT Special. I own and gig regularly with both of these tone machines. I love an amp that is reasonably kind to both of ?em. I also love the PRS Custom 22, and I also like, but do not own, ?72 Fender Tele Thinlines w/ humbuckers. I own and gig with a brand new Matchless HC-30 and 2x12 cab and also the Soulcactus Special amp. Other favorite amps are the BF Vibrolux Reverb and the Victoria Low-Power Twin. Though I am not into it as much as the Soulcactus amp, the Carr Rambler has a wonderful blackface tone. It stays louder/cleaner than the Soulcactus, but is not quite as fat or tweed-sounding, and the reverb is not quiet as ?quality? to my ears as the Soulcactus (plus the reverb has no switch on a Rambler; it?s always on, which bothers me a little). My signal chain (as of lately) is as follows:

guitar --> Korg tuner --> Fulltone Deja Vibe 2 --> Fulltone Fulldrive 2 --> Menatone Red Snapper --> Fulltone Supa-Trem (or Voodoo Labs tremolo) --> Whirlwind A/B box -->

A --> SIB Echodrive --> Matchless HC-30, left channel
B --> Matchless HC-30, right channel OR Victoria Soulcactus Special

I have found my two amplifier soulmates; The Matchless is the most perfect British tone I have ever heard, period; clean and overdrive, both channels; it just smokes, end of story. The Victoria, amazingly enough for a 2xEL84 amp, has the most perfect blend of American tone and features I have ever heard; the clean and also the slight breakup to

This is a new amp for Victoriadesigned in conjunction with Soul Cactus sound in Scotsdale, Az. It is a 2-10 20 watt combo. It comes in the Victoria super cabinet and is covered in dark green tolex with a wheat grill (my version is covered in laqured tweed). It has two reissue P10R's, 2 EL84's, 1 5au4 3 12AX7's and 1 12AT7. Controls are vol, treble, bass, reverb, speed + intensity. Two inputs and a jack for a footswitch. The controls work very well and all settings sound good. Tweed style amps sound great because there are few controls to clutter the tone.

I am a blues based guitaristand play relic strats/tele and historic les pauls and 335's. Imagine the warmth of and englishness of EL84's w/ the eq of a tweed fender.I have always love matchless ac30's and ac30's, however they have a unique sound and it can often be too dark or too much mid range. i love twwed amps and this is the perfect combination. The reverb sounds like good vintage reverb should and the trem is amazing. Much better than my tremulaor or the vibroking. It can also do leslie like sounds and the amp has a foot switch jack. The clean is warm and fat w/ the perfect amount of top end. The breakup is warm and bluesly, great for r&b, blues and country. It is not a high gain sound and works great w/ overdrive boxes and fuzz face. You can get Lay down sally, Wind cries marry and blue sky. Many amps claim to have warm bottom end and rich piano like chords, this amp really does. I hate to turn it off and it sounds good with both Fenders and Gibsons.

I have owned Victoria amps since 1995. I have never had any problems except for a microphonic tube. The inside wiring is a thing of beauty and few do it as well as Mark. I stopped buying vintage amps after buying a Victoria. I simply became fed up w/ the unpredictability of old amps.

Mark at Victoria has always been incredibly helpful to me since i first met him 6 years ago. He has always answered my questions, provided me w/ usefull information and quickly fixed any problems. An incredible player, he has turned me on to many cool blues payers. Mark is always an inspiration to my playing and appreciation of music.

I work for a large musical intrument retailer and have had the oprtunity to play many amps, production and botique. No other amp does it for me like a Victoria.If you love the sound of old Fenders you owe it to yourself to try a Victoria.The sc is my favorite amp. The best thing i can say is that it sounds exactually the way I want a tube amp to sound and react. Also for the money, I have not seen or heard another amp for this price which includes reverb and trem and has this level of quality and reputation.

The Soulcactus Amp by Victoria Amp Co. features 20-watts in a 2x10 combo amp. Jensen P10R speakers are standard. This amp is dressed in a sharp forrest green tolex with a wheat grill. It has two inputs, one high output and the second a little more tame. The amp is pure Class A, and it is the first Victoria to come with Reverb & Tremelo. It feeds on a pair of EL-84's, four 12AX7's and a 5Y3 wgta rectifier tube. The amp is self-biasing, so it is low maintenance.
The amp comes with the standard nickel plated 2-button foot switch to turn on and off the Reverb & Trem as you please.
The control pannel is as follows: Music (volume), Bottem (bass), Brightness (treble), Reverberate (reverb), Modulation (intensity),
and Crank (speed). This amp does not feature any modern controls/features like Master Volume, Effects Loops, Channel Switching, etc. The Soulcactus Amp has no tendency in its voice to sound English (Vox, etc.) at all! It sounds like a very well blended mix of Tweed, Brown & Black Face Fender Amps; except without any headaches. The tone is warm & spungy from the get go. The two 10"
Jensens push more air than a 1x12 Deluxe. They also seem to have
a little bit more headroom. The Reverb is really nice for a one knob
reverb! You can get everything from Link Wray to a mild touch of wetness added into your tone. The Tremelo is rich and thick, just like a nice sounding Leslie. However, if you like really fast Tremelo
this amp does not supply that, but the slow Trem it provides will drive you to orgazmic heights of expression. I feel the Trem is fast enough for me, but it is not as fast as the Trem on a Vox, but the Vox cannot provide a slow and luscious Trem like this. This Soulcactus Amp sounds great with any Strat/Tele. It does have a sweet spot with a Gibson. The Soulcactus Amp is not an amp that you have to play around with for hours to get a good tone out of it. All you have to do is hit the Standby Switch and play.

I use the Soulcactus Amp for small to medium size Blues clubs. It is a great package for playing live or recording. It is just a little bit bigger than a 1x12 Deluxe, but not by much. It weighs about 35 LBS. I play mainly Blues, Classic Rock & Country. The Break-up level of the amp depends on what guitar you play it with. For example, if you choose to play a single coil guitar the break-up point will be around 6-7. If you play with Humbuckers or P-90s the break-up point is going to be about 4-5. The Break-up is smooth and creamy. The Soulcactus Amp stays very tight, but don't expect to drive it on 12 and still have a tight responce. The amp starts to loose its essence (fuzz out) at about 10.
If you turn the amp to 7 and use it inconjunction with an overdrive
the amp sings like no tomorrow! I use a Menatone Red Snapper or a KOB with it. The amp is very sensative to touch (like all other Victoria's), so how and what you play will come through the amp based on your overall attack(feel) on the instrument you play.

It is a Victoria! DUH! This amp is built to last and it has a life-time warranty. I have found all Victoria's to be built really solid and tuff. I have never had one break down on me...EVER!

Victoria Amp Co. has great customer support and the owner knows his TONE! He always takes care of his customers and he answers any question no matter how dumb. Victoria goes out of their way to make you feel good about the product you bought from them. If you are ever unhappy about one of their amps, they always seem to want to do what's right for you.

I have been playing Electric guitar for about 17 years and I have owned many amps like Matchless, Vox, Marshall, Boogie, and Fender. I feel that the Victoria stuff is my tone. If this Soulcactus Amp got stolen, etc. I would not hesitate to buy one again. It is the amp that I have always dreamed about...don't have to fuse with the chicken knobs much and it sounds great in any setting (home, gigs or recording). The tone just sparkles wiht magic. I have found that most Victoria Amps do. But to also have Reverb and Tremelo in a 2x10 package...that is just icing on my cake! This is like having a better & more reliable Deluxe Reverb amp, but with balls! For the money, it is very reasonable considering what other boutique competetors offer for comperable money. Some 1x12/2x10, 20-15 watt combos are in the $2000.00-$3000.00 range.