VICTORY - V1 the Duchess and the Jack Overdrive

BRITISH GEAR MAKER Victory is primarily known for its well-built tube amps, but the amp-in-a-pedal sector is a growing and popular one, so it makes total sense for this company to join the likes of Bogner, Friedman and countless stompbox makers in this arena.

- DAVE HUNTER

Designed in a collaboration between Victory's Martin Kidd and Adrian Thorpe of Thorpy FX, Victory's new V1 pedal series takes the tonal characteristics from several of its amp models and converts them into compact individual solid-state units, providing pedals that can be used as always-on sonic templates, or as standard overdrives with distinct characteristics. I'm checking out the Duchess and the Jack, which aim at American tweed and retro-modern high gain, respectively. Others in the five-pedal series aspire to Vox, Plexi and modern high-gain tones.

The pedals are housed in semi-wedge-shaped folded-steel enclosures and feature five controls, a foot switch for true-bypass, and a purple amp-style jewel light on the top, plus single input, output and nine-volt center-negative jacks on the front face. Along with the other pedals in the series, the Duchess and Jack offer the same control functions, which includes gain, volume, and a three-stage EQ with bass, middle and treble. The VI pedals feel rugged and solid. The next time a stage invader threatens, rather than chopping him down with your Telecaster à la Keith Richards, just wield one of these hefty defense bricks.