Dear Mark,
Thank you for taking the time from your schedule to answer my questions last week regarding Victoria Amplifiers. Following my recent purchase of a 35310-T, I felt compelled to share the experience I've had at Dave's Guitar Shop in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. As for my background, I'm 45 years old and have been playing guitar since age 10. I'm no virtuoso, but I have been a "weekend warrior" since about age 13. I have a true love for the instrument and the equipment that accompanies this serious hobby. I've owned several vintage Fenders and many Boogies and a wonderful old Supro. My main amplifier up to this point was a great old Twin Reverb loaded with Weber Alnico Chicago's. The trouble is that this amp just got to be a bit much for most of the clubs I play in, so I decided to take the 4-hour drive to Dave's in LaCrosse and perform my own amp "shootout" as it were. Prior to my quest for a new amp, I talked to many people in the industry to focus my interest in what was out there, what sounded great, and what was the best value. Most of my guitar playing friends advised me to go the "Class A boutique" route such as BadCat, Dr. Z, Vox AC-30 and the like. I tried them all, I found the Dr.Z to be the best value with a sound comparable to the rest, but I also love the tweed Fenders. I had enough money saved to afford just about any amp short of a Dumble, so I decided to approach this with an open mind and let my ears be the judge. The people that work at Dave's in LaCrosse are great. They allowed me to take anything I wanted into a backroom. I used my A/B box, an old tube screamer, and a Fulltone FD2 and gave several amps a workout (for almost 2 hours). I tried the Dr.Z Max 38 Senior which came strongly recommended by a buddy of mine, and it sounded good in it's own right. But when I A/B'd it with the 35310-T with the Alnico Jensen's, the sonic bouquet of tone and harmonic's that came from that amp was nothing short of amazing. The most incredible part was that the Dr.Z's reverb was engaged (set at about 3) and I got a more jangly clean transparent reverby sound from the pine cabinet of the Victoria....amazing. The lows were fatter and richer, the highs are more harmonically pleasing to the ear and when humbuckers were used and the treble was turned past 6, there was a real plexi-Marshall vibe. Having owned many nice new and vintage amps in my life, I feel fortunate and even humbled to be able to purchase an instrument of this quality. I truly let my ears be the judge. From the finger-jointed cabinet to the beautiful tweed finish to the point-to-point wiring which is nothing short of a work of art, this amp will never leave my side. Thank you.

Paul Garvey
Suamico, Wisconsin

I just traded a couple of my old amps and some cash for one of your 45410. My dad bought one new in 1959. I have always loved his and wishedi had one. I am completely thrilled with your product! It was like pulling itfrom a time capsule. I could go on for days about the tone, finish and craftsmanship but im sure you people know what a awsome product you produce. When i took it to my dads house we set the 59 and it side by side and fired them up . All i can say is you guys captured the magic that is a 59 bassman. I jokingly told dad i just couldnt wait for him to to die so i could get one. I played the new fender reissues and to me they are a big disappointment. well, I guess Ill stop there, please send me any info on amp covers and company memorabelia
Gratefully yours,
Craig Lunsford

I purchased a 45410 and I am in love with it. What a great amp!!! I sold other boutique amps for it. I had an original '60 Bassman amp and I like the Victoria better. It sounds alive. This is the first amp I have ever owned that I am completely happy with.

Thanks, Joe

Mark,
I'll keep this short because I can't type and play at the same time. I just bought a 20112-T and wow! It sounded great at the shop, but when I got it home and cranked it up a little more... well, I'm astonished too. I read the 50212 review in the September GP, but I've been in the market for a late 60's Deluxe - so I thought I'd check out your 20112-T Anyway, I fell in love. I've never played a real 50's Tweed anything, all I know is that your amp sounds as sweet as anything I've ever heard. You've done a great job; I'll be playing this 20112-T for a long, long time.

Dave R
Laurel, MD 20707

Mark,
I Can't tell you enough how much I am enjoying my 3x10 Victoria. Comboed with my Don Grosh I know I strive every day to be worthy of this equipment. After 2 years ownership I am loving the amp more and more. It sounded great out of the box, and with age is only getting better. One of my favorite moments: A guitarist friend of mine, Mike, who loves effects was inspecting my Victoria and commented on the excellent, subtle reverb. When I pointed out to him that there was no reverb he laughed in disbelief and began rooting around looking for the reverb control. When he could not find one he actually got angry. "But I can hear it!" Mark, this was a totally "dead: room. What Mike was hearing was the full, warmth and "aliveness" of the amp. I was thinking of going vintage before I bought a Victoria, but as a working musician I didn't want to worry about an amp breaking down. Two years and I have not had a problem with my Victoria yet. Thanks again!

Jay Caputo
Sitka Alaska

Hi Mark,

I would like to thank you for this great 35115 which I just received through the Los Gatos Guitar Gallery. All your suggestions about the right speaker and tubes were right on. This amp smokes, what a great Tone, and it looks killer too. This amps sound fantastic at any volume level. You know that I own one of your 35310 since almost two year's now, and how much I love it. Which was the reason why I ordered my second Victoria, besides my Reverberato which has the best tremolo I've ever heard. I owned many amps over the past twenty years, but my 35310 is the first amp I like very time I turn it on. Since I never had the chance to compare my 35310 to an old Fender Bandmaster, I didn't know if it nails the "real" tweed tone or not. But I really didn't care either, because I'm in love with this tone. This time I had the pleasure of checking out a few Fender narrow panel Pro's, which made me decide to order a Victoria 35115. My Victoria 35115 definitely nails the tweed tone and I agree with the latest Guitar Player review, I like it better than the old ones. This is for the guys who still think, only the old one's can deliver the real Tweed Tone. Thanks again for the great job on my new 35115, I'm sure this is not the last Victoria that I bought.

Best Regards,
George

Hello Mark,
I've really got my Reverberato dialed in! I run my guitar into the Reverberato (Tone=4, Level=6, Dwell=6) and the Reverberato into the Bright channel of my 45410-T. Before I got the Reverberato I preferred the 45410's Normal channel; it's darker tone seemed to work better with my Strats, especially the maple-necked '58. But the Reverberato's reverb does wonderful things to the Bright channel. It adds great warmth and depth while retaining the Bright channel's snap. And when I hit the tremolo everyone within listening distance is immediately mesmerized! A great way to create sonic zombies. You really got it right with the Reverberato. I'm able to get great reverb and tremolo while still retaining the pure sound of the 45410 and my guitars.

Best regards,
David

Mr. Baier,
I only intended to sell my backup amp, which no longer thrilled me, and replace it with a no-frills amp that I would enjoy practicing with. I never intended to replace my gigging rig. Well, the review of the Victoria 50212 in Guitar Player intrigued me, but I knew of no Victoria dealers in my area. In fact, I never even heard a Victoria amp, in person. GP was good enough to include your URL in the review, so I looked up your homepage, in the hope that it had a dealer list. Sure enough, it had one, and I found a dealer close enough (Los Gatos Guitar Gallery). They not only had a new 50212 in stock, but also a (barely) used one. I had to see if the glowing review I read was the truth. Well, it was the truth, all right. I couldn't pass on the used Twin. I've owned a bunch of amps over the years -- even a few vintage ones -- but this is the first that screamed "Keeper." This is the sound I have been looking for. So, what's the problem? Now, I'm in the same boat I was in, before. I still have a backup amp that no longer thrills me, though it is not the same backup amp. The dealer also had a new Deluxe, which I had to try. I suspect you'll be able to finish this story, yourself. The end has not yet been written, but it should be obvious. I've read glowing amp reviews, before, and when I tried the amp, I often found myself wondering what the reviewer was listening to. Not this time. That review was right on the money. It is a rare thing, indeed, when I write to a manufacturer to tell him how much I like his product. I literally cannot wait for the opportunity to play through the Twin. I have no idea whether anyone in the clubs we play will ever hear the difference in tone, but they just might hear a difference in the feel. When my tone is on, then I'm on, and with this amp, the tone is on.
Thanks for making a terrific product.

Jim Collins

Dear Mr. Baier:
I recently purchased a Victoria 35310-T amplifier and would like to thank you for producing an amplifier that looks, preforms, and sounds as good or better than a 50's tweed amp. I had long been looking for the tweed sound in something that I could take outside my home, and was presuaded to try your product by the many positive reviews in Guitar Player, etc.. Upon playing and hearing one, I was incredibly pleased to find that somebody finally got it right.
Great job!