Victory Amplifiers Launches the V30 Countess MkII and the VX100 Super Kraken
The Countess MkII was developed in conjunction with Guthrie Govan.
England, UK (January 24, 2018) -- Victory Amplification from the UK proudly announces V30 The Countess MkII a 42-watt, two-channel, three-mode, all-valve guitar amplifier. V30MkII is evolved from – and replaces – Victory’s first ever Compact Series head that was developed with the help of Guthrie Govan in 2013. Guthrie has of course had input to this one too!
The original V30 has very distinct clean and overdrive channels. There is massive headroom and clarity in the former, with a ton of heavy rocking overdrive in the latter. With V30MKII, we’ve added an extra footswitchable crunch mode to the clean channel – developed for V130 The Super Countess – that offers a whole new palette of pushed clean, crunch and light overdrive tones. In addition, the power section now features a footswitchable ‘Nomod’ function to tighten up the bass resonance that some V30 users found a little thick at times. However, Guthrie Govan loves the sound of the original voicing, so the ‘Nomod’ switch – geddit, ‘no modification’ – enables you to choose either option: original or tight. We made ‘Nomod’ footswitchable to further increase the V30MkII’s versatility.
V30MkII has also been updated with external bias test and adjustment points which means no more fiddling around inside the amp when changing power valves. The skeletonised metal chassis is now finished in a super cool black chrome powder coat, protected by an included padded carry bag. Like its predecessor there is a low-power mode accessible from the front-panel power switch that drops the output to around 7 watts RMS. You can choose to run either two 6L6 or two EL34 power valves for subtle differences in tone and response, and of course there is a series effects loop too.
Victory V30 The Countess MKII sets a whole new standard as a versatile and portable – yet thoroughly professional – lunchbox guitar amp head. Please visit our YouTube Channel youtube.com/VictoryAmps to hear it in action.
Other key spec & info
- Valves: 4 x 12AX7, 2 x 6L6 or EL34
- Size: 342(w) x 185(h) x 185mm(d)
- Weight: 8.2kg (18.1lbs)
- Footswitches (channel change/crunch and Nomod) and padded carry bag included
- Available at dealers: From February 2018
- SRP/MAP: UK: Head £999 / EU: Head €1,129 / USA: Head $1,239
Victory Amplification from the UK proudly announces VX100 The Super Kraken a 100-watt, dual-channel, three-mode all-valve guitar amplifier. VX100 is evolved from the award-winning Compact Series VX The Kraken (Guitarist Magazine Gear Of The Year 2016) developed with Dorje/Toska guitarist, Rabea Massaad.
Our Compact Series VX The Kraken defined a new standard in hard rock, metal, progressive and extended range tones when it launched in 2016. Half hot-rodded British drive machine and half mid-pushed American grind monster, it’s diminutive stature belies the giant tones that now fill stages the world over, not least via the music of Rabea Massaad, our great friend and collaborator who helped bring it to life.
For 2018 however, The Kraken morphs into an even more powerful beast via 100 massive watts of 6L6 power. You still get the Brit-inspired Gain I channel. You still get the colossal smack of Gain II’s US grind... but now there’s a whole new footswitchable clean mode, plus a footswitchable Preamp Focus function to add a little juice and cut to any and all modes. Think of it like a TS-style boost/EQ shaper. There’s also a preset Bass Focus option in the power section, footswitchable FX loop, assignable/ footswitchable dual masters, full MIDI switching capability (not shown in these images), plus a useful 30-watt low-power mode.
VX100 has external bias test and adjustment points which means no more fiddling around inside the amp when changing power valves. It’s swathed in grey vinyl to match the V212VG cabinet with which it forms an imposing yet portable half stack.
Legend has it that VX The Kraken is easily enough guitar amp for most mortals. Yet there are those who seek extra versatility, even more headroom and truly the power to stop all beasts, mythical or otherwise. Release VX100 The Super Kraken, say we! (And to hear it in action, please head to our YouTube Channel: youtube.com/VictoryAmps)
Other key spec & info
- Valves: 4 x 12AX7, 4 x 6L6
- Size: 480(w) x 235(h) x 235mm(d)
- Weight: 12.5kg (27.5lbs)
- Standard footswitch (Gain I/II, Clean/Crunch, Master I/II, Preamp Focus, FX Loop, Solo Master) and slip cover included
- SRP/MAP: UK: Head £1,399 / EU: Head €1,579 / USA: Head $1,699
For more information:
Victory Amps
Nineties-style high-gain heaviness that can be surgically tailored with a powerful EQ.
Excellent variations on high-gain modern distortion tones. Powerful EQ.
Not many low- or mid-gain sounds here.
$199
JHS Hard Drive
jhspedals.com
JHS makes many great and varied overdrive stomps. Their Pack Rat is a staple on one of my boards, and I can personally attest to the quality of their builds. The new Hard Drive has been in the works since as far back as 2016, when Josh Scott and his staff were finishing off workdays by jamming on ’90s hard rock riffs.
During these sessions, Scott’s go-to pedal was the Ibanez SM7 Smash Box. He realized that JHS had never offered anything along those lines, conferred with his then lead engineer, Cliff Smith, and the wheels were set in motion. Over several years of design, the Hard Drive evolved from an SM7 homage to a unique, original circuit.
JHS’ Hardest to Date
The Hard Drive’s control panel is streamlined, consisting of knobs for volume, mid frequency, drive, bass, middle, and treble. Driven by cascading gain stages, the Hard Drive can cop a wide range of modern distorted tones. Even at the lowest drive settings, the Hard Drive simmers, delivering massive bottom end on muted power chords. Nudging the drive up very slightly transforms the Hard Drive into a roaring Marshall JCM 900. And if you bring the drive all the way up, you’re in for all out chaos. Even with an amp set just louder than bedroom levels, the Hard Drive, with its volume at just 11 o’clock, is very loud and in-your-face. You don’t have to work hard to imagine how this could sound and feel like multiple stacks raging at Madison Square Garden in the context of a recorded track.
Even at the lowest drive settings, the Hard Drive simmers, delivering massive bottom end.
Zoning the Frequencies
Unlike some heavy pedals that concern themselves with mega-gain and little else, the Hard Drive’s EQ controls are very effective and powerful. Moving the treble knob from 11 o’clock to 1 o’clock changes the pedal’s tone and response characteristics completely, opening up and transforming the naturally relatively dark sound of my Fender Super Sonic amp. Turning the treble knob all the way off with the bass and mid knobs at noon gives me a vocal lead tone that’s creamy, warm, and still immediate and responsive.
The middle and mid frequency controls work in tandem. The mid control itself works as a cut or boost. The mid frequency control, however, lets you choose the specific frequency you cut or boost. I found these controls invaluable for sculpting tones that could leverage the copious gain without being abrasive. Meanwhile, adding more high midrange lends clarity to complex chords.
The Verdict
The Hard Drive is an unapologetically heavy pedal—if you’re looking for a dirt box that can double as a clean boost, well, the Hard Drive is not that. It’s meant to slay with gain, and it performs this task well and with a vengeance. There are countless dirt boxes on the market that deliver hot rodded, ’80s-style brown sound. Fewer cater to the subsequent generations of high-gain players that used the ’80s as a mere jumping-off point. The Hard Drive is very much voiced for this strain of heavy music. If that’s your jam, the Hard Drive is hard to beat.
Tailored for Yngwie Malmsteen's signature sound, the MXR Yngwie Malmsteen Overdrive is designd to offer simple controls for maximum impact.
Working closely alongside Yngwie, the MXR design team created a circuit that delivers clarity, expressive dynamics, and rich harmonics—all perfectly tailored for his light-speed arpeggios, expressive vibrato, and big, bold riffs. The control setup is simple, with just Level and Gain knobs.
"Want to sound like Yngwie? Crank both knobs to the max."
“This pedal is the culmination of 45+ years developing a sound that’s perfect in every possible way,” Yngwie says. “I present to you: the MXR Yngwie Malmsteen Overdrive. Prepare to be amazed.”
MXR Yngwie Malmsteen Overdrive highlights:
- Perfectly tailored for Yngwie Malmsteen's signature sound and style
- Simple control setup tuned for maximum impact
- Boost every nuance with superior clarity, expressive dynamics, and rich harmonics
- Dig into light-speed arpeggios, expressive vibrato, and big, bold riffs
The MXR Yngwie Malmsteen Overdrive is available now at $129.99 street/$185.70 MSRP from your favorite retailer.
For more information, please visit jimdunlop.com.
Voltage Cable Company's new Voltage Vintage Coil 30-foot guitar cable is now protected with ISO-COAT technology to provide unsurpassed reliability.
The new coiled cables are available in four eye-grabbing retro colors – Surf Green, Electric Blue, Orange and Caramel – as well as three standard colors: Black, White and Red. There is also a CME exclusive “Chicago Cream” color on the way.
Guitarists can choose between three different connector configurations: straight/straight plugs, right angle/straight and right angle/right angle options.
The Voltage Vintage Coil offers superior sound quality and durability thanks to ISO-COAT treatment, a patent-pending hermetic seal applied to solder terminations. This first-of-its-kind airtight seal prevents corrosion and oxidization, a known factor in cable failure and degradation. ISO-COAT protected cables are for guitarists who value genuine lifetime durability and consistent tone throughout their career on stage and in the studio.
Voltage cables are hand made by qualified technical engineers using the finest components available and come with a lifetime warranty.
Voltage Vintage Coil features include:
- Lifetime guarantee, 1000+ gig durability
- ISO-COAT treatment - corrosion & oxidization resistant cable internals
- Strengthened structural integrity of solder terminations
Voltage Vintage Coils carry $89.00 USD pricing each and are available online at voltagecableco.com, as well as in select guitar stores in North America, Australia, Thailand, UK, Belgium and China.
About Voltage Cable: Established in 2021, Voltage Cable Co. is a family owned and operated guitar cable company based in Sydney, Australia. All their cables are designed to be played, and built for a lifetime. The company’s ISO-COAT is a patent pending hermetic seal applied to solder terminations.
Featuring dual-engine processing, dynamic room modeling, and classic mic/speaker pairings, this pedal delivers complete album-ready tones for rock and metal players.
Built on powerful dual‑engine processing and world‑class UAD modeling, ANTI 1992 High Gain Amp gives guitarists the unmistakable sound of an original "block letter" Peavey 5150 amplifier* – the notorious 120‑watt tube amp monster that fueled more than three decades of modern metal music, from Thrash and Death Metal, to Grunge, Black Metal, and more.
"With UAFX Dream, Ruby, Woodrow, and Lion amp emulators, we recreated four of the most famous guitar amps ever made," says UA Sr. Product Manager Tore Mogensen. "Now with ANTI, we're giving rock and metal players an authentic emulation of this punishing high gain amp – with the exact mic/speaker pairings and boost/noise gate effects that were responsible for some of the most groundbreaking modern metal tones ever captured."
Key Features:
- A complete emulation of the early '90s 120‑watt tone monster that defined new genres of modern metal
- Powerful UAFX dual-engine delivers the most authentic emulation of the amp ever placed in a stompbox
- Complete album‑ready sounds with built‑in noise gate, TS‑style overdrive, and TC‑style preamp boost
- Groundbreaking Dynamic Room Modeling derived from UA's award-winning OX Amp Top Box
- Six classic mic/speaker pairings used on decades of iconic metal and hard rock records
- Professional presets designed by the guitarists of Tetrarch, Jeff Loomis, and The Black Dahlia Murder
- UAFX mobile app lets you access hidden amp tweaks and mods, choose overdrive/boost, tweak noise gate, recall and archive your presets, download artist presets, and more
- Timeless UA design and craftsmanship, built to last decades
For more information, please visit uaudio.com.