There are countless ways that guitarists approach the manifestation of tone.  Finding the tools which inspire optimal personal expression is a wonderful experience; but the gear used to achieve such a universal goal often differs wildly from player to player.  Some guitarists prefer large, high powered rigs with massive amounts of preamp gain.  Others go the low-powered and portable route.  Then we have the categories of vintage and new equipment.  The seemingly-infinite combinations one can use to approach sonic bliss can be overwhelming to discuss.  I think it's safe to say that no one piece of gear is going to satisfy all of the needs of all of the people.  If your needs require a low-wattage combo amp with a minimum of bells and whistles, while providing warm American-voiced clean tones, our Steelbender Spotlight subject for today.....the Victoria Regal.....could very well be worth investigating.

As little as five years ago, aside from trying to find something from the vintage eras of the 1950s and '60s, it was difficult to find a new lightweight and toneful handcrafted tube combo amp excelling at deep clean tones which could also serve as a good foundation for a few select effects pedals.  The boutique market of today has gone a long way toward addressing these needs, as there are many companies producing small amps that are ideal for recording and toting to jam sessions or club dates.  Beyond that, the low-wattage market is seeing many varying tonal realms covered with these offerings.  Everything from low-gain to high gain, British to American, etc...seems to be out there somewhere.   Had the Regal been available ten years ago, I would've gotten one in a heartbeat and proclaimed it a godsend, as my wishes for something easy to move around with reverb and tremolo would've been answered.  Now that there are so many options in the music world today, many which I still haven't played, I wondered how this relative newcomer from one of the early boutique amp stalwarts would fare in handling my current preferences as a player.

In the early half of the 1990's, Mark Baier (pronounced buy-er) established the Victoria Amp Company due to his desire to meticulously recreate the classic tweed-era circuits purveyed by the late Leo Fender and later abandoned by the monolithic company bearing his surname.  Victoria essentially became one of the first "boutique" amp companies of the modern era and won critical acclaim for its line of authentic tweed-style models.  In fact, Baier makes no attempts to hide his resolute mission of exactly re-producing the details of earlier Fender amplifiers.  With all of the acrimonious litigation among music manufacturers today regarding copyright and patent infringements, one might think that Baier and the current Fender company would be at each others throats; but the reality is quite to the contrary.  According to Baier, he maintains a very friendly relationship with Fender and is even involved with them on some design projects (listen to the accompanying audio interview).

Victoria's ties to the spirit of vintage Fender, however, are not all that drive the company today.  In the past few years, Baier has sought to expand his lineup and offer some personal twists on ideas not governed in totality by the revered tweed designs.  One such foray has produced the Regal amplifier, which could feel right at home in the possession of tweed lovers; yet owes a large degree of its heritage to the vintage designs of Valco amps.  Years ago, I heard the comments of many players yearning for the quality construction of a Victoria amp with the addition of reverb.  For a very long time, Baier resisted the calls for reverb and would not produce an amp with the onboard effect because he thought it compromised the very essence of the tweed amps he was trying to make.....he felt his exact recreations would no longer be precise since the early tweed Fenders didn't have reverb!   He has occasionally made a very fine outboard reverb unit with a syrupy chorus-like tremolo (reminiscent of the old Fender brownface amps) called the Reverberato; but only in the past several years has he turned his design efforts toward the production of reverb-equipped amps to compliment the bread-and-butter tweed models of the company.  The Regal is an example of this willingness to provide players with the typical tonal integrity of a Victoria amp while supplying loads of the verb!
 
 

Sporting cosmetic cues which owe a lot to the old "tv-front" amps of years gone by, the vanilla tolex Regal sent for this profile exuded a feeling of warmth.  From the cream and brown accents of the combo box itself, to the thick, stitched leather handle on top of the amp, the Regal features appointments that could be be appropriate for a luxury automobile.  Speaking of the leather handle, let me take a moment to comment on this sometimes-overlooked aspect of amp building.  While it's true that the handle doesn't affect the tone (maybe unless you can tell from listening what kind of batteries are in your effects pedals  ),  it is a very important part of my amp experience from a tactile perspective.   Most of us spend a fair amount of time lugging our amps around from place to place.....sometimes the walks can be long.....and there's something very unpleasant to me, whether the amp is light or heavy, about carrying one with a chintzy handle.  While there are some manufacturers using a very similar feeling handle as found on the Victoria, in my opinion, every amp maker should use something as comfortable as the Regal's.  It provides a soft yet stable grip and cushions the impact of the amp's weight on my hands.  I've noticed that some amps with leather handles use a rougher grade of hide which imparts a cutting sensation into the skin.  All of this might seem like a minor detail; but again, to me, it's attention to things like this which reinforce the quality feeling in a product.
 

Other nice attributes are a color-coordinated reverb tank cover and a clear, legible control panel.   My only complaint with the latter might be the age-old issue of top-mounted chassis amps where the dials and lettering are "upside down" when looking over from the front of the amp.  Some amp companies have addressed this issue and align their panels in such a manner as to make reading the controls easier at a quick glance.  It's not difficult to maneuver the Regal's controls as is; but I would prefer the dials to be flipped for my tastes.  That said, the Victoria's panel is tastefully-executed and fits in nicely with the rest of the package from a thematic standpoint.
 

I have only one other minor quibble with the Regal's accouterments, and it is something that might not be a factor with other guitarists.  Actually, I own other amps with the same feature.....the feet on the bottom of the Regal are the traditional "Sphinx Glide" units commonly found on Fenders.  They are durable and have been in use for many years on countless amplifiers.  My gripe is twofold regarding their metal construction: 1) If you have hardwood floors that you want to protect in your home, a Sphinx Glide can leave dents in them even if the amp is placed gently on the floor.  2) I've seen some Sphinx Glide feet prone to rust over time.  Now, I realize that few people are ever going to see the feet of an amp, nor really care about them.  So, keep this all in perspective.  The hardwood floor issue is more important to me, so in that regard, I would prefer to see heavy rubber feet on an amp like this.

Getting back to the control layout of the Regal, the setup is straightforward and devoid of clutter.  There wasn't an owner's manual supplied with the test amp, nor was one necessary.  About the only thing I could find that might remotely be describes as uncommon, would be the standby switch's designation of "yield" and "run" functions; but if you can't figure out what they mean.....then you should probably stick to acoustic guitar  .

Looking behind the amp and at the panel from left to right, there is a fuse holder followed by the power switch and the standby control.    A vintage-style jeweled pilot lamp comes next (I love these things.....you can switch in a different color of your choice. We all know amps sound better with blue ones....right?  Though sometimes the yellow ones set the proper mood. )   preceding the chicken-head dials for tremolo intensity, tremolo speed, reverb, bass, treble and volume.  The panel is completed with high and low input jacks.
 
 

Spec-wise, the Victoria Regal is rated between 12 and 15 watts with a single 6L6 power tube operating in Class A.  A GZ34 tube rectifier is also part of the deal.  Since the Regal is cathode-biased, the user can effortlessly swap in different tubes without biasing.  This is good news for tube connoisseurs who enjoy tweaking endlessly with the glass bottles.

The most eye-opening stat on the Regal's fact sheet is the use of a 15" speaker.  It is not very common to see small combos using 15" units these days. Upon first approaching the amp, one might mistake it for a higher-wattage combo because it seems a bit larger than the typical 1x12 format that everybody and his brother seems to build.   Rest assured that the amp seems to weigh a bit less than the size would initially indicate. Our Spotlight sample arrived loaded with an Eminence Legend.  Victoria's Pete Galanis says "We offer the Legend and a custom Weber 15 as factory options.  The Weber is  brighter and breaks up nicely while the Eminence is darker with more bottom end and does not really break up."

As with all Victoria amplifiers to date, the Regal is constructed with point-to-point handwired techniques.  The included photos reveal clean wiring and the open-back  pine cabinet, the latter contributing to a very manageable weight and increased resonance.
 
 

So, with all of the eye candy and vital stats accounted for, it's time to talk tone.   As I mentioned before, the Vicky is focused on the American side of the ocean.  Warm bass tones and a deep midrange are the first things I noticed when firing up the Regal for the first time.  There is a component of upper frequency sparkle available.....make no mistake about that.  Hopefully the soundbytes below will give evidence of the amp's clarity.  However, the Regal doesn't even think about going anywhere near the accentuated trebles I normally associate with a typical Fender blackface or silverface-style of amplifier for instance.  If the steely and crisp characteristics (which can be a very good thing for certain situations) of a blackface Fender or even a British-style Vox or Matchless could be the musical equivalent of vodka or gin, then the Regal is all bourbon or rum.  There's a darkness....a smoothness that the circuit bubbles forth, most appropriately through the 15" speaker.   It's an interesting combination.....the low wattage driving the large speaker.   The Regal is not what I would call a very loud amp.  I don't think it would have the type of clean headroom that I'd desire on a large stage.....though a good PA and monitoring system could make the Regal appropriate for such venues.  It's certainly ideal for studio use in my opinion, and has more than enough headroom for my applications in that type of environment.  I strongly believe that every piece of gear has its ideal purposes, and just because something might not cover every base, it doesn't mean it's not worth having for what it does excel at.   In my world, the Regal is not going to be something I'd use at loud volumes with a live drummer and bass player.  I simply don't think it would cut through enough for me.   Yet at more casual levels, and again in the studio, I think the rich voicing of the Regal is seductively thick and would get quite a bit of use.    I own a number of amplifiers that I play exclusively at home.  Their power ratings and voicings are different....as they should be.....from the ones that I use live onstage.   This is not to say that the Regal couldn't be a viable live entity for the right player......for me, it would be a home and studio amp.....and I felt very comfortable with it as such.  (As a sidenote:  I think something like the Victoria Victorilux would give me more of what I want at higher volumes).  I've always felt that my "home" amps are equally as important to me as the things I take out of the house.  When you get right down to it, even for professional working guitarists, a great portion of one's playing is done at home....practicing, composing, or simply playing!   I have no problems with paying a fair value for a well-crafted product even if it will be limited to a degree in what it will be used for.   Maybe a better way to put it is wattage isn't always proportionate to the price as far as I'm concerned.

The Regal's reverb and tremolo are first-rate.  It didn't take long on the reverb's single-control dial for things to get quite wet.....I rarely found myself playing much above "3" on the dial.  Maximum reverb settings yield enough effect to drown Dick Dale.  It was still possible to find a useable sweet-spot within the first three "notches" on the dial though, with enough variation between bone dry and "just wet enough" tones.   It might be cliché to mention a fine guitarist such as John Fogerty whenever tremolo is discussed; but since he has classically embodied the use of the effect with some of his well-known songs over the years, I'd venture to guess that he would find the Regal's trem sounds to be suitably "swampy".   The speed and intensity controls for the volume modulation, along with the other functions of the Regal, are demonstrated in the videos below.

I enjoyed the "neutrality" of how the Vicky managed the stomp boxes I introduced it to.  Time domain-based pedals such as chorus and delay all worked well through the front-end of the amp (there is no effects loop) and they actually sounded good to my ears even when pushing the amp into natural overdrive at its high volume settings.    Overdrive pedals, in particular, did not turn to fizz with the Regal as they can in some setups.....so the best of both clean and overdriven worlds can be had if you are a player who likes to use pedals to generate gain.   I might add that the Vicky's natural breakup when driven hard was sweet and warm.
 
 

With an MSRP of $2,395, the Victoria Regal is going to fall in the category of premium low-wattage amplifiers.....a market segment that I'm glad is being attended to by a number of builders today.   Not everyone will be moved to lay out the dough for such specs, especially if they can only afford one amp to handle both home and gigging needs.  However, there is no shortage of quality in Mark Baier's Regal.  Everything feels tight and sounds right.  The Regal's strength is dense midrange to lower frequency thickness but still has enough shimmer to shine.  I tried it with a variety of guitars and pickup configurations and found the EQ section versatile enough to make the necessary adjustments to accommodate the different instruments.   There isn't a midrange control on the Regal, and I think it would be a good addition if Mark ever decided to make one; but as with the array of other Victoria amps I've played in the past, the Regal sounded good right out of the box with the stock features.  Overall, the Victoria Regal is a fine warm-sounding American combo amp that is fun to play!
 
 

Thanks to Mark Baier for lending his insights and experiences to our audio conversation.  Additional thanks to Pete Galanis, artist relations for Victoria Amp Co.

For more information on Victoria Amp Co. visit the official website at:   www.victoriaamp.com

or contact them at:

e-mail: sambisbee@sbcglobal.net
 

Shop Address:
Victoria Amp Co
10 S. 059 Schoger Rd
Suite 34 & 36
Naperville, IL 60564

phone: 630-820-6400
 

Office Address:
Victoria Amp Co.
1504 Newman Court
Naperville, IL 60564