Fair Cop

Victory’s new preamp pedal adds a modern twist to vintage Brit tone with spec-beating valves onboard

- Nick Guppy

Since their debut a couple of years ago, Victory’s award-winning V4 series of preamp pedals has proved very popular, distilling full-sized Victory tone into a pedalboard-sized steel case, with real valve power at proper high voltages. In this issue, we’re looking at the new and much-anticipated V4 pedal version of Victory’s very impressive VC35 The Copper head, a modern boutique-flavored tribute to the AC30 that’s full of vintage Brit chime, jangle, and crunch. Like the other V4 pedal preamps, the V4 The Copper isn’t just a stompbox. With the capacity to function as a foot-switchable complete preamp replacement, it can significantly expand your rig’s versatility.

The Copper is typical of the other V4 pedals we’ve seen so far, with a rugged steel case that’s perforated on the back and one side to help cool the two NOS EC900 triodes and two CV4014s, which produce The Copper’s vintage tones. According to Victory, the V4s have an all-valve signal path and are the only valve preamp pedals with four valves. If you live with a valve amplifier, you’ll probably know that modern valve quality isn’t what it used to be, expensive replacements sometimes degrading in a year or less of minimal use.