Victoria 518 Tweed Champ — Anatomy of Guitar Tone

More and more guitarists are searching for ways to get great tone in their home studios or on quieter gigs.

Higher-wattage amps are falling out of favor for these situations. These bigger amps are harder to control at lower volumes and saturate only when played loud.

Some guitarists have tried products like Kemper, Fractal, and amp simulators. There’s a wide variety of products today aimed at the volume-restrained guitarist.

I’ve struggled with these products to dial in a guitar amp tone I love. I find myself spending more time tweaking than playing. While mixing, I keep going back to make adjustments I wouldn't need to with a real amp.

To my ears, there isn't a better sound than putting a mic in front of a tube amp. Some may disagree, but it’s what works for me.

Option overdose

Some guitarists are seduced by lots of sound options. The prospect of having any sound at their fingertips entices a lot of players. But I still say that no product can do everything.

Roll your own

Having the option to move the mic in front of the guitar cab is essential to me.

UA Ox, for example, has fixed mic positions that focus on a very modern miking technique. This preset method can be useful for some, but I find I need more control. I will say that UA has done an excellent job of emulating real cabs. For me, it still isn't like recording a real amp.

Small is king

For home studio recording with volume limitations, I use a Victoria 518 tweed Champ with an 8" speaker. It's a 5-watt tube amp with a 5F1 circuit, point-to-point wiring, and a solid pine finger-jointed cabinet.

The 518 has a 12ax7 tube, a 6v6 tube, and a 5Y3GT rectifier tube.

The pine cabinet resonates in a way that’s similar to the body of an acoustic guitar. A lot of sound resonates from the amp. This cab is very different from the cabs of blackface reissues and the Hot Rod line of Fender amps. The Fender cabs can sound and feel dead.

At 5 watts, the 518 lets you get some natural power tube crunch. Power tube saturation is usually the hardest element to create in quiet environments.

Still, 5 watts is pretty loud. Enough to wake up a baby or piss off some neighbors. But because of its size, the 518’s sound doesn't travel far.

Eric Clapton and Duane Allman used tweed Champs on the “Layla” record. And George Harrison liked to play slide guitar through a tweed Champ.

Low-end depth

There is one control on the Victoria 518: Volume! It's an idiot-proof amp with no effects loop, no reverb, no tremolo, no tone knobs. The 518 is constructed exactly as Leo Fender would done it in the '50s.

Accuracy

Victoria tweeds sound like authentic tweeds ‘cause they are. I own two Victorias. I have played a lot of vintage tweeds. The Victorias are so good, I don't long for a vintage tweed.

Use

Lately I've been using my 518 for a lot of recording. I have the luxury of being able to record a variety of lower-wattage amps in my NYC apartment. I have super cool neighbors. But I tend to stick to amps around 20 watts and below.

I choose the 518 when I want a tweed sound, which is quite often. I can get a pretty wide variety of sounds from it. At super low volumes, I can get a clean tweed tone.

It doesn't take much to drive the 518. You can get a wide variety of drive tones pretty quickly. But it’s easy to get clean tones, too—a plus for you home studio owners.

My tones mostly center around the vintage variety. I don't expect the Victoria 518 to sound like a Diezel amp. The 518 doesn't pretend to be anything but what it is—a tweed Champ.

Tone

The absence of tone knobs on these circuits can make the amp a little dark, depending on what pickups and amp you use.

When I use low output, scatter-wound vintage-style pickups, the amp is brighter than if I use the stock pickups in an American Stratocaster. The same goes for stock Gibson humbuckers (darker) and the Voodoo PAFs in my Les Paul and ES-335 (brighter).

The 518 is exceptionally responsive to your guitar.

In the studio, I simply choose a brighter mic or add EQ after the mic. Some of my favorite mic pres for the Victoria 518 are the API 312 and the UAD Helios plugin.

Live

In live settings, I may use a guitar pedal to brighten up the 518. I love the AnalogMan Beano Boost. I may also use an Effectrode Tube Drive as a preamp or a Hudson Electronics Broadcast.

These usually do the trick, versus using a Boss or MXR EQ, neither of which I find flattering to the tone.

Buried

Using guitar amps live is a delicate thing. You can end up buried pretty quickly. I’ve addressed this in my post on choosing the best wattage amp for playing live gigs.

The Victoria 518 is my favorite amp for gigs with no drums. With drums, I find myself needing a bigger amp. I have learned never to rely on monitors.

“For acoustic gigs, the 518 is the perfect volume. Once drums get introduced, I find myself needing a bigger amp. I have learned never to rely on monitors. ”

But for acoustic gigs, the 518 is the perfect volume. I can get the amp to saturate and not blow out the performer.

Because of its low wattage and small speaker, the bass doesn't get overwhelming, either. I think we've all had that experience of trying to play really quiet live using a 50-watt amp and having that bass just boom.

The 518 is balanced—and that also makes it easy to record! The same frequencies that pop out on some gigs and fight with the bass are also an issue when recording. The Victoria 518 sits perfectly in a mix.

Pedals

“The Victoria 518 takes well to guitar pedals and loves fuzz and drive pedals. ”

The Victoria 518 takes well to guitar pedals and loves fuzz and drive pedals. I don't find it finicky like blackface circuits.

I've used everything from the Vick Audio 73 Ram’s Head (Big Muff) to a LIC Tonebender MKI to a Maestro FZ-1A. Records like a dream.

Wrestlemania

I mentioned earlier my struggle with amp sims and cab impulse responses. When I record the Victoria 518, it's pretty much set-it-and-forget-it. Once I settle the mic, EQ, and compression settings, I seldom have to go back.

Response

The Victoria 518 is very responsive to your touch. The first time I played through a tweed Victoria, it was a revelation. My guitar felt directly connected to the amp speaker.

I struggled for years playing mass-produced amps such as those offered by Fender. I was starting to believe the problem was with my touch.

But the touch sensitivity of the 518 and the 35115 allowed me to play and control my dynamics more. Suddenly, I could express what I couldn’t on mass-produced amps.

One trick pony?

I would rather have one great sound rather than several mediocre tones. I have many so-called “one-trick-pony” amps. Fine. Being the tone snob that I am, I want amps that nail a tone. I don't want an approximation.

Simulator un-stimulator

If you're like me and have found devices like the Fractal, Kemper, and others to lack authenticity and feel, I suggest you check out some 5-watt amps. If you're into classic rock, alt-country, blues, rockabilly, psychobilly, surf, pop, and funk, the 518 is a great choice.

I have even cut a lot of punk tracks on the 518! But it's not going to do metal. Sure, you can throw a high gain pedal in front of it. But, it's still going to be a pedal in front of an amp. Some jobs require specific tools.

Iron

Due to the tweed Champ’s design, the low-end push isn't as robust as it is on higher-wattage amps. It’s not that the Victoria 518 sounds thin or lacks body. It just means that there is a specific authority you get in the low end from a 50-watt amp.

Not all music or tones require this iron in the low end. Many sounds are better without it. But it is vital when choosing an amp to decide what you need from the bottom end of an amp. Your tone preference may not require a large transformer. (There’s a misconception that low end comes only from speakers. In truth, there are more components at play.)

I've been using a Victoria 518 for quite a long time. There are no cut corners in its production. The 518 is made to be used happily for many years. As you can tell, I'm a fan!

Let's listen to some examples:

(All examples recorded using the AmpRX Brownbox, keeping amp voltage a 117V.)