Richie Kotzen VICTORY RK100 Limited Edition User manual

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VICTORY RK100 Limited Edition
All Valve 100 Watt Guitar Amplifier
User Guide

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Thank you, and congratulations on acquiring a Victory Amplification Limited Edition RK100. This
amp was proudly designed in conjunction with Richie Kotzen and built by our committed team
of engineers and craftsmen in the UK. The facilities and tonal characteristics are exactly as Richie
has specified and he has been involved at every stage in the design process.
We value simplicity in operation, flexibility in use and absolutely no compromise in tone. Our
aim is simple: to create amplifiers that inspire you ever onwards in your playing and never let
you down.
SAFETY FIRST
We want you to enjoy your amplifier to the best of its potential. So please…
Before you go any further, take a moment to read these SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
• Read these guidelines & keep them
• Follow all instructions, guidelines & warnings, especially those in RED
• Do not use this amplifier near water or any other liquid
• Do not block any openings
• Do not attempt to clean the amplifier with any fluids: use only a dry cloth
•Do not attempt to modify or service this product yourself
•Removing covers could mean you are exposed to dangerous voltages that may result in severe
injury or death
• Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel
• Damage Requiring Service: Unplug this product from the wall outlet and refer servicing to
qualified service personnel under the following conditions:
(a) When the power-supply cord or plug is damaged;
(b) If liquid has been spilled, or objects have fallen into the product;
(c) If the product has been exposed to rain or water;
(d) If the product does not operate normally by following the operating instructions. Adjust only
those controls that are covered by the operating instructions. Improper adjustment of other
controls may result in damage and will often require extensive work by a qualified technician to
restore the product to its normal operation;
(e) If the product has been dropped or damaged in any way;
(f) When the product exhibits a distinct change in performance - this indicates a need for service.
•Replacement Parts: When replacement parts are required, be sure the service technician uses
replacement parts specified by the manufacturer or have the same characteristics as the
original part. Unauthorized substitutions may result in fire, electric shock, or other hazards.
What’s included?
Your new Victory RK100 comes with the following:
A mains lead for your country
A dust cover
This User Guide

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FRONT PANEL
INPUT
Plug your guitar in here!
BRIGHT VOLUME with PULL-BRIGHT Function
This controls the amount of bright channel gain. The amount of treble, (or Brightness) can
also be boosted by pulling the control out.
CHANNEL SWITCH
This toggles between the Bright Channel, (up), the Normal Channel, (down) and having
both channels on at the same time, (middle).
Switching to both channels, you can use both volume, (gain) controls and open up a vast
palette of sounds. We encourage you to experiment at all settings to find those that suit
your playing style and genres of music.
NORMAL VOLUME
This controls the amount of normal channel gain, or drive.
TREBLE
Controls the high frequency content of your sound and is also a powerful tone shaper
when it comes to overdrive character.
MIDDLE
Controls the midrange frequencies in your sound. Run the middle control higher to help
cut through a band mix, or generally fatten and ‘widen’ your sound. Run it lower for a
lighter, less ‘in-your-face’ kind of sound.
BASS
This controls the low frequency content of your sound. Higher levels of bass can be good
at low volumes, but take care when running the amp louder –you may find you need to
reduce the bass control. As with all the EQ pots, adjust to taste!
Master Volume
The Master Volume control is used to set the stage or overall volume of the RK100. If this
is turned to maximum, then the RK100 becomes a non-master volume amplifier where
the Input Gain controls in conjunction with the Volume control on the guitar allows for a

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wide range of Volumes & Gains to be achieved. This can be very powerful for tone
shaping.
PRESENCE
This controls a different part of the high frequency response of your amplifier than the
treble control. You might like to see it as a ‘master high end’ control that helps you tame,
or perhaps enliven your tone depending on your environment, without having to change
your EQ. As the Master Volume is post phase-splitter on the RK100, the Presence control
is positioned between the outputs of the Phase Splitter rather than in the more
conventional position in the negative feedback line. This means that it works more
effectively over the range of the Master Volume control. It also incorporates a passive
tone circuit to tailor the high frequency content of the sound. It has a distinct effect on
how your guitar feels, so play, listen and set to taste.
HIGH –PREHEAT–LOW Switch,
Ensure this switch is in the centre, (PREHEAT) position before applying mains power,
(switch on the rear). Then apply mains power using the rear rocker switch. The amplifier
is now in ‘PREHEAT’ or ‘STANDBY’ mode with just the valve heaters and low voltages on.
This allows the valves to heat up before they get 100s of volts up them, (it’s less of a
shock). After around 40-60 seconds, the amp can be switched to either HIGH or LOW
power. Due to recent EU regulations on the use of Standby functions and their associated
low-power requirements, we are replacing the name of this function with PREHEAT to
avoid any legal confusion. There will be no difference in operation of the amplifier. When
switching the amplifier ON or OFF please ensure the Master Volume is turned down and
you leave at least 20 seconds before switching from PREHEAT to Off. This will ensure
extended valve life and avoid any power-down noise. This is especially relevant if you’re
running through a large PA system as any small pop may become amplified to audience
damaging levels, which may limit your music career.
Power Lamp with Jewel
When lit, this indicates that mains power has been applied to the amplifier. It houses a
6.3V 10mm bayonet filament bulb which can be replaced by unscrewing the jewel from
the front.
REAR PANEL

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Voltage selector
Selects the correct mains voltage for your territory. Please refer to a qualified technician
before even thinking about moving this switch. If you do find yourself in foreign climes
where the mains voltage is different to home, (and the water tastes funny), it will be
necessary to switch this selector. The mains fuse must always be changed at the same
time. Failure to do this will result in either the mains fuse blowing as soon as the amp is
turned on or the amp running with a fuse that is of too higher value to provide adequate
safety protection. Generally, the fuse value will double if the mains voltage is halved, (i.e.
if it’s a 3.15A fuse in the UK @ 230V, it will need to be a 6.3A fuse for the USA @ 115V).
Always use the correct rating and type of fuse. Victory amplifiers exclusively use UL-
approved 20x5mm glass ‘T’ or ‘Timed’ fuses. If you have difficulty acquiring the correct
fuses, please contact Victory using [e-mail].
Mains Inlet, (IEC Socket), Mains Fuse and Mains Power Switch
Please only use the correct mains cord for your territory! Ensure the RK100 is switched to
the PREHEAT position on the front toggle switch before plugging the mains lead in this
socket.
The mains fuse is located in a small tray between the inlet and switch which can be
removed using a small flat blade screwdriver. Please note where this fuse is located in the
tray before replacing it with the correct type and value for your territory.
HT Fuse
The HT or ‘High Tension’ fuse protects the high voltage for the valve supply. If this fuse
blows, the first step is to replace it with an identical T1A 20x5mm fuse. The HT fuse may
sometimes blow due to ‘flash-over’ inside an output valve. This is where during the
manufacturing process, not all of the gas is removed from the glass envelope and the
‘getter’ inside the valve, usually made from barium or magnesium oxide, will burn or
evaporate these remaining gasses resulting in the common silvered internal surface of the
valve. This process, which is more likely to happen with new equipment, draws high
current momentarily and can blow the HT fuse or the Mains Fuse. It will rarely cause any
damage so just replacing the fuse is sufficient to get the amp running normally again.
However, if the HT or Mains fuse blows multiple times, it may indicate a serious valve
failure where internal parts of a valve are shorted and in this case the amplifier needs to
be checked by a qualified engineer to assess the problem.
SPEAKER OUTPUTS
PLEASE NOTE: The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle,
is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated ‘dangerous voltage’ within the
product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric
shock. Terminals labelled as “Speaker Outputs” must be connected to a speaker cabinet
of the designated load rating using an un-shielded two conductor cable for speaker use at
all times during operation. Never use a guitar cable to connect the amplifier to a speaker
as this presents the amplifier with a ‘capacitive load’. This can cause instability or