Victory ‘The Duchess’ Amps: MKI vs. MKII

Proudly marketed as one of Victory’s best-selling amplifier series, the Duchess family is famed for its powerful and open tone featuring a high-headroom, dynamic voice. Perfect for use as a workhorse valve amp for players after an amplifier that truly allows you to find your own sound, or as a tonal blank canvas for the ultimate pedal platform. With tones ranging from fully transparent American-voiced crystal-like cleans to rich and colourful, low to mid-gain British crunch and everything in between, The Duchess is built for tone purists who want a classic single-channel, no-nonsense premium valve amp that can easily cover it all.

Victory set out to incorporate some of the features and lessons learnt during the process of designing and building the esteemed hand-wired flagship MK Clean model. Taking everything that was loved about the original series while pushing the range towards even greater tonal versatility. The Duchess MK II takes things to the next level with expanded 3-way Mid Kick and Voice switches, as well as an upgraded medium Accutronics spring reverb tank. The look of the Duchess range has also been improved with an upgraded logo and an overall more premium and streamlined aesthetic.

Shop the Victory Duchess Range

MK I vs. MK II

The core sound of the Duchess range has remained the same, offering the same high-headroom, wide-open tone that we all know and love; however, the MK II comes with a handful of improvements, making the series even more versatile than ever before.

Three-Way Voice Switch

Expanding on the previous 2-voice switch, the Duchess MK II range just got even more versatile thanks to the upgraded 3-way voice switch. With each selection offering more lower mids through to the treble control, shaping your tone to suit any guitar, pickup type, or genre has never been simpler.

MK Reverb (V40 Deluxe Head and Combo/V140 Super Duchess)

The Victory V40 Deluxe (head and combo as well as the V140 now features the same valve-driven medium-sized Accutronics spring reverb that’s found on the flagship MK Clean amplifier. With independent Reverb and Dwell controls, dialling in your perfect reverb couldn’t be easier, from long luscious ambience to classic spring drip and splash.

2 Digital Reverb Voices (Lunchbox and Compact Models)

Finding your perfect reverb couldn’t be easier thanks to the V40 Compact’s 2 digital reverb options. With one voice covering the classic spring tones found on the larger Duchess amps, and the other offering a more modern voice that spans everything from subtle ambience to full-on immersion. A vast improvement on the single-voiced digital reverb found on the previous versions.

Three-Way Mid Kick

The dual-voiced Mid Kick switch found in the MK I V40 and V140 models, as well as the Mid Boost switch from the compact heads, have all been replaced with the MK II to an expanded three-way mid kick switch. With options for increased lower mids, more gain on the upper mids, or completely flat, dialling in your perfect mid-boosted guitar tone is effortless, from screaming leads to tight, focused rhythm.

The Duchess Family

From super portable lunchbox heads to stage-ready combos, 40-watt and even 100-watt heads, there is a Duchess MK II model to suit every type of setup.

Compact and Lunchbox

V40 Deluxe

The Super Duchess

Conclusion

For over 10 years, the Duchess has been a flagship workhorse amp for those after a high-headroom pedal platform valve amp. In my opinion, the MK II improvements are very welcome additions to the family, pushing the range even closer to the features found on the hand-wired flagship MK-Clean amp. The expanded 3-way voice and mid kick switch takes the versatility of these amps to a whole new level and really lets you dial in a more ‘colourful’ core tone that truly helps you find ‘your sound’. Having an amp that can go from fully transparent and open to just about every shade of colour from American to British in a few clicks of a switch is, in my opinion, the biggest feature of the Duchess MK II. I’m also really glad to see that these great features have, this time, made their way fully to the more compact models, meaning that every Duchess MK II user can experience its unique versatility. The improved spring reverb circuit taken directly from MK-Clean is beyond beautiful. It’s Accutronics’ medium-sized tank is the perfect complement to the Duchess MK II, offering a valve-driven reverb that seamlessly integrates into any playing style.

If you’re after a high-headroom electric guitar amp that can do it all, from pristine cleans to colourful mid-gained crunch, the Victory Duchess MK II family is the perfect centrepiece of any setup, whether at home, on stage or in the studio.

Want to learn more?

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