One-fifth of the UK company’s V1 series of compact preamp pedals, the Victory V1 The Duchess is a little bit like the child with a double passport in that family of stompboxes, since it can deliver both American-styled cleans and break up with a British accent, just like the amp it’s voiced after.
Versatility and great tone go hand in hand here, whether you’re using it with a guitar or a bass, thanks to its wide range of tonal options that allow it for use in a variety of musical styles, from rock and metal to jazz and blues.
The Duchess V1 also features a built-in 3-band EQ, always useful to fine-tune the pedal to your amp and guitar or to sculpt the tone as needed. The EQ is highly responsive and allows you to shape the sound easily, whether you’re looking for a punchy, aggressive tone or a smooth, warm sound.
There are currently three pedals under the Duchess “umbrella,” and two amp heads, delivering differences in features from slight to notable, but similar if not identical voices.
Victory V1 The Duchess Preamp, Builder’s Notes
Designed to emulate the V40 Duchess, the V1 pedal is a collaboration between Victory and award winning pedal builder Adrian Thorpe MBE. The brief was simple to build the truest representation of the Duchess sound.
The V1 Duchess is built to be versatile but simple to use, you can use the pedal to add a vintage American clean sound, a clean boost or a surprising amount of American style gain to your pedalboard.
All Duchess Tone
Based on our Duchess range of amplifiers, this pedal is simple but versatile. It has all the sparkle and warmth you would expect from a Duchess amp!Dynamic Gain Control
While the Duchess range is known for Clean headroom and edge of break-up sounds, this pedal can also be used as a gain pedal.Three-Band EQ
Powerful bass, middle and treble controls. These have been designed to have a significant effect on the gain character and drive levels – just like a guitar amp.
