AT HIS FORMER gig, designing amps for the now-defunct Cornford Amplification, Victory head designer Martin Kidd helped produce some of the most highly regarded hand-wired creations in the history of British boutique guitar amplification. Since turning his talents to Victory for the past 10 years, he has delivered what is to my mind an “archetypal tube amp for our times” in the fully revamped Sheriff 25.
The two-channel, 25-watt Sheriff 25 is the smallest member of the newly redesigned Sheriff lineup, excluding the V4 pedal amplifier. It replaces the previous Sheriff 22 model and adds a bevy of handy new features to the template, as wellpounds, the Sheriff 25 is nevertheless a full-size amp in every other regard. Those compact dimensions will be a big part of the amp’s appeal for many players today, and they allow it to come in a rugged and very handy gig bag, complete with shoulder strap and room for accessories. That said, guitarists who don’t need to save space or weight shouldn’t rule it out.
