Victory V4 The Kraken Preamp Pedal.

Description

In its short history, Victory has become one of the UK’s leading amplifier brands.Known for its portable lunchbox-style amp heads,theforward-thinking company has made its first stepinto the pedal world, with itsV4 series of preamp pedals.

The V4 Design

Takingthe core sounds of its most popular amp head designs, these fully-analogue, valve-driven stompboxes from Victory can convincingly emulate their full-fledged counterparts. Powered bythreeCV4014 valves and a singleEC900, thatgenuine tube amp feel and sound is captured.

Boasting two channelsand multiplecontrols for flexible tone-shaping, a Victory V4 Preamp pedal can become the centrepiece of your guitar rig.Enclosedwithin compact steel chassis’, you can easily mount these potent-soundingpowerhouses to your pedalboard, so that your core sounds are literally at your feet!

Release the Kraken!

The V4 Kraken Preamp pedal is just one of the V4 models on offer from Victory, but is no doubt the most gnarly-sounding.Delivering thecrushinghigh-gain tone of its bigger brother, you can turn your existing amp into a fire-breathing, modern metal machine.

With a tight low-end response, the V4 Kraken pedal will accentuate your picking attack to ensure a dynamic and immediate feel. Developed with Rabea Massaad(guitarist of Toska and Dorje),the heavy, percussive tones synonymous with his distinctive playing stylecan be attained easily, thanks tothis incredible pedal.

Flexible Controls

Much like the amp version of the Kraken, the V4 Preamp pedal features a similar control set for excellent versatility. With a typical 3-band EQ section, the V4 Kraken also boasts a bright switch to tailor the top end frequencies. This means that ifyou’reusing the pedal in conjunction with a dark-sounding amplifier, you can compensate with this thoughtful addition.

Withthe ability to switch between two channels via a dedicated footswitch, you can set the amount of gain for each of these modes withthe Vol 1 and2 knobs. Giving you two separate voices, when running into a clean amplifier you can essentially create a 3-channel amp, withclean, rhythm and lead sounds. You can also control the volumes of these modes via the Master 1 and 2 controls, meaning that you canset one of themlouder than the other for a solo boost.

Routing Possibilities

Speaking of amplifiers, the most noteworthy aspect of the V4’s design is its ability to be used in two particular manners. The most simple way to setup the V4 Kraken Preamp pedal is toplugit directly into the front end of your amp, much like a conventional overdrive unit. Victory refer to this as ‘Standalone Mode’.

While you can achieve great results thatway, you can take full advantage of the pedal by routing it through your existing amplifiers’s effect loop section. Bypassing you amp’s preamp section, you canconnect the unit straight to the power section via the effects loop return.Routed this way,when the pedal is disengagedyoure basically using your ampas normal, but when you turn the pedal on you bypass your amps preamp. This will giveyour amplifieran almost entirely new voice, character and feel, transforming the sound of your rig as a whole. This is referred asAmp Through Mode.

The jacks at the rear of the enclosure are clearly marked, to make it easy for you to set up the unit in ‘Standalone’ or ‘Amp Through’ modes.

Remote Switch

Another feature that is worthy of note is the Remote Switch input at the side of the chassis.This allows you to flick between the V4’s channels with a device like a pedal s