So where to start? There have been years of benchmarks and expensive amp brands who all prided themselves on making the best Handwired amps on the market, we think of Matchless, Dumble, Bad Cat, Trainwreck, Two-Rock or even Cornford, the british company, who in the 90s had Gary Moore, Richie Kotzen and other famous artists in their catalog of endorsers. And the brains of Cornford was and always has been Martin Kidd (you understand the initials of Victory MK Clean…) who created his brand Victory in 2013, and who finally revives the tradition of Handwired with his MK series. Hallelujah one might be tempted to say, as these amps are crazy, and Leadmusic, after trying them at NAMM in January 2024, has finally received its order.

These new MK Cleans have absolutely incredible dynamics and sound amplitude and deliver completely crazy tonne and natural compression. Victory’s MK Clean was designed with the aim of being the best clean tube amp ever built and according to the brand and its designer, Martin Kidd believes he has designed the best amp of his career, and there had been some very, very good ones during the Cornford years… But now the MK Clean is really a dream amp!!! These amplifiers are manufactured and wired by hand in England and their development took 4 years.

The MK Clean develops 100 watts through 4 6L6 lamps and delivers an ample and hyper-musical headroom. Obviously, with a name like MK Clean, this amp focuses on clean sounds, but the MK Clean can also saturate and has been designed as a platform and the ideal amp to accommodate effects pedals, and particularly overdrives. The amp benefits from 2 voicings which change the character of the mid frequencies, as well as an Accutronics reverb with a long tank, and as the reverb tank is mounted upside down in the amp this allows the quality of the drop of the reverb to be increased in the treble range. For extensive control over this reverb, there are Reverb IN Level and Reverb OUT Level settings. According to Martin Kidd himself, the MK Clean is a perfect amp, certainly with a big headroom, but completely controlled and as I said, musical, so that it can properly exploit overdrive and Boost pedals.

The two preamp voicings allow you to switch between superb dynamics and a 50s style rendition, quite typical of Fender, with this ample and dynamic clean but without being too midrange. And in order to get more pronounced ’60s-style British sounds, with the “Voice” switch you completely change the timbre, getting more high-mids. And to round out the preamp section, you’ll add extra treble and control your low frequencies for increased clarity with the “Bright” and “Bass Shift” switches.

From the design phase to production, each component is designed not only to get the best sound from an amplifier, but also to provide a luxurious experience, pleasant and satisfying to the ears and beautiful to look at… So each amp MK is decorated with the finest materials from Muirhead Scottish Leather, world-renowned supplier of upholstery and leather goods to Aston Martin, Land Rover and The Orient Express. And the choice and combinations of finishes are almost endless, so these amps are either available to order, in the materials and finishes of your choice, or in stock at Leadmusic, in Bottle Green and Pepper Pot Grill Cloth, because it’s so beautiful !!!