VICTORY VX THE KRAKEN MKII LUNCH BOX HEAD
Victory’s compact high-gain monster is back, revamped and improved, and with a new Clean mode
One of the most popular British guitar influencers on YouTube, Rabea Massaad is well known as a tasteful and highly accomplished modern rock player who can out-metal the best of them whenever he needs to. He’s also an artist and consultant for Victory Amplification and Victory’s VX Kraken is Massaad’s baby –the result of a longterm, ongoing collaboration that’s inspired a range of definitive British metal amps and pedals, which are a perfect fit for Massaad’s high-gain detuned signature tones. Over the past few years, the lunchbox VX Kraken has been reworked and tweaked, and was recently released as VX The Kraken MKII Lunch Box Head. Let’s check out the new, improved version.
The MKII Lunch Box Head uses the same robust steel chassis and perforated steel lid as Victory’s other lunchbox models, with anew graphite sparkle paint finish adding a touch of class. The steelwork is precision folded and uses larger than average machine screws to secure everything, so it’s easy to dismantle and service when needed. This isn’t always the case with lunchbox products; to dodge mishaps we replace screws by hand to avoid stripping threads, fit them all loosely before tightening and use the correct screwdriver with the right sized tip.
Inside the chassis, the MKII’s electronics sit on one large high-quality printed circuit board, including most of the front- and rear-panel controls and all the valve bases. The resistors are metal film to minimise hiss, with clean bright solder joints and neatly bundled wiring.
Like its predecessor, the MKII Lunch Box Head is a two-channel head, with separate gain and master volume controls feeding a shared EQ. Gain I is a Britishvoiced crunch/rhythm channel, with a foot-switchable attenuated gain stage offering anew Clean mode, while Gain II is the American-voiced lead channel. These three voices can be accessed from the front-panel three-way toggle switch, or by using the supplied footswitches. The front panel now includes a Presence control, while on the rear panel the Bass Focus switch has also been joined by a Presence Shift button.
