The Sheriff 44 is Victory's take on the divine Marshall "Plexi" tone with some modern twists. I must admit that I haven't got the chance to rock real old "Plexi"s, but I've played a reissue and I grew up on their sound and the music they inspired some of my favorite artists to bring into this world, so I know what to expect when I hear this name. However, the Sheriff is not merely a "Plexi" clone. It is a tastefully modern take on a classic, that provides a wide range of tones alongside practical features such as a channel footswitch, low power mode, cathode bias mode, and an optional series effects loop.
"Just" a "Plexi"
Before I dive into features, I want to do what no other review I encountered did and give you an introduction to a "Plexi" style amp. It will help those who consider that amp but have never played one before adjust their expectations better.
So, we are talking about an amplifier design that is based on a design from the 1960s! A time when overdrive was still considered by many an unwanted side-effect of an amplifier being pushed too far. A time when pedals weren't really a thing, if they existed at all. Think about how music has evolved (or declined - depending on who you asked) since then. Think about how contemporary players use their gear today compared to then. Think about what your expectations from an amplifier are.
A "Plexi" is, in a way, a one-trick pony. A hell of a trick if you ask me, but still one, and I'll explain. The fundamental character of a "Plexi" is also what makes it so great to some players and not so great to others. It is extremely sensitive to input signal strength, it compresses like a full-on compressor and spits dirt when it does so. What that means in reality is that you can't just plug anything into it and expect it to sound consistent - it just won't. If for example, you put a clean boost pedal in front of such an amp thinking that you're going to get a volume boost when you engage it - forget it. Unless you're running the preamp close to zero, all you will get is a thicker more gainy sound. This is why some people say these amps do not take gain pedals well. And while I disagree with that as a general statement, it can definitely sound horrible if you expect to hear the character of a pedal coming through as it would come through a high headroom amplifier. But it is really a matter of expectations and needs. People who sound such opinions probably just don't understand or appreciate the nature of these amps. In either case, they should probably release it back into the wild and move on...
that is not a general-purpose pedal platform
So if it's not clear by now; that is not a general-purpose pedal platform kind of amp. Moreover, this is an amplifier you buy for its gain characteristics and not for anything else. You only need to acknowledge that and decide whether or not it suits your needs. I know it definitely suits mine.
A Different Kind of Control
The Sheriff can take some time to get used to and feel a little out of control at first, especially to those used to clean amps paired with gain pedals. But if you are open to it, you will soon discover a very different kind of control you may have never experienced before. Something you don't need a footswitch for and sometimes not even a knob. It's your pick dynamics that can work wonders on what comes out of the speaker. If you listen to Jimmy Page plays "Stairway to Heaven" in Madison Square Garden in the 1973 "The Song Remains The Same" live show, you can hear how he starts the song with an almost clean sound on his neck pickup and as the song progresses, you hear more grit in very specific parts where he clearly picks much harder. As he approaches the guitar solo, you can already hear a substantial amount of gain and compression and he hasn't touched his amp or a pedal the whole song! That is exactly the type of control you get from a "Plexi" and the Sheriff is no exception.
Inputs Channels
The Sheriff 44 delivers that "Plexi" attitude and more. It has two separate inputs, each provides a slightly different character and gain level. Input one is comparable to a vintage "Plexi". At lower volume levels it is sparkly and crystal clear when paired with low output single-coil pickups. As you drive it harder using the "Volume I knob, you get more midrange and the sound gets overall fatter and more compressed, with chime and sparkle topping. Input two adds a significant amount of gain but preserves the tactile response of the amp all along. Input two gets further into early metal territory and is excellent for Sabbath kind of tones with humbucker-equipped guitars as well as for more aggressive thicker sounding riffs. I heard people say that it gets into JCM 800 territory, but to my ears at least, it has a different gain structure and overall feel. It definitely has comparable amounts of gain, but it is spongier, more vintage style to my ears at higher gain levels.
you can switch between channels using the included footswitch
Although the two channels have separate physical inputs, you can switch between channels using the included footswitch. The footswitch should be connected to input one and the guitar to input two in that case. If I understand it correctly, that means that when the footswitch is engaged, the two channels are cascaded, much like what you get when jumping the two channels on a "Plexi", but I'm not sure and it doesn't really matter, does it?
Sheriff 44 Demo Tracks
Both tracks were recorded using an open back Mesa Boogie wide-body cab, loaded with a 12" Mesa Black Shadow #Celestion speaker close-miked with a Shure SM57. The guitars on both mixes are barely processed, but the speaker and miking technique contribute a lot to the sound of course.
Clean Sound
Most of the online demos I could find focus on the aggressive side of the Sheriff and I think that it is a damn shame. This amp is capable of some extremely tasty clean tones that are rich with harmonics and chime. Use any single coil equipped guitar into input one, dial the volume back around nine or ten o'clock and there you have it. With a P.A.F equipped Les Paul guitar it's not crystal clear, but still by far the best clean tone I have ever got out of my Les Paul.
Tone Stack
Both inputs of the Sheriff share the same three-band tone stack. The treble knob controls the high and high-mids and has a very drastic effect on your tone throughout its range. The middle knob controls the lower mids, and according to Victory is centred somewhere between 400 and 500 Hz. I tend to keep it somewhere between nine and ten o'clock because past that, things get a bit muddy and blurry for me. However, the effect of the middle knob is more subtle compared to the other two bands. You might not notice a tonal change at all if you play a chord and then turn the knob. But when you continue playing, it becomes obvious.
One thing that's worth mentioning here is that if you think of the two inputs as separate channels, the tone stack can be somewhat limiting. You can't really get two radically different tones out of the two inputs without touching the amp. As you dial in more gain on the second channel, the sound gets significantly fatter, so you might have to shave a significant amount of bass to keep things clear. But, if at the same time you want the first channel to run clean, it might sound too thin with most of the bass rolled off, so the two channels work against each other in that case, and there is no way around that. Another issue can be unacceptable differences in volume between the two channels that you cannot control without adjusting the master.
I hope I managed to get my point through. The bottom line is that you should really think of that amp as a single channel amp to make a fair judgment of what it is capable of. Maybe that was the reason it was originally designed with separate physical inputs...
Effects Loop
One of the modern features packed into the Sheriff is a series effects loop that can be completely bypassed and removed from the signal path using a small switch on the back panel. This comes really handy if you want to use delay and reverb effects and still enjoy the gain and compression of the amp. However, because of the design of the Sheriff, the effects loop return signal might still get squashed and distorted depending on how you set the master and push the front end. The cure for that is to simply lower the output level on your effect unit. This is another design tradeoff that allows the amp to behave the way it does at the expense of an always clean effects loop. For me personally, that is a well-thought compromise that keeps the amp loyal to its main purpose and the effects loop is merely a bonus feature.
The Master Section
On the master section, you get a presence knob that controls the amount of top-end that goes through to the master. It is a subtractive control, so when set all the way clockwise, you get all the natural top end and you can tame it down to taste if needed.
The master control sets the overall volume of the amplifier as you would expect. What surprised me when I first played with it was how good and open the amp sounds with the master set relatively very low (it's a loud amp).
Power Modes
The Sheriff has two power mode switches. One that allows you to select between fixed and cathode bias modes and one that allows you to select between high and low power modes.
In fixed bias mode the amp produces 45 watts of power. In that mode the amp offers more headroom and the tightest bottom end. I'd like to think of that mode as the "default" operation mode.
Cathode bias mode takes the power down to 30 watts according to the manual, but it is not designed to be a power scaling feature, but give you a different tonal flavour. To my ears it sounds a little more present in the mid range and a tad more dynamic. I sometimes find that it complements single-coil pickups better and it's great to have that option on board.
The low power mode gets the amp power down to 6 watts in both fixed and cathode bias modes. It makes it possible to crank the master at volume levels that will keep the building attached to its foundations, but your eardrums might not be able to keep up as it still gets very loud. The amp sounds significantly darker in low power mode, which may or may not be a good thing depending on what you're trying to do. I found that it pairs well with some fuzz pedals and can also help getting a specific type of high gain tones at relatively lower volumes. However, I generally prefer the open sound of the amp in high power mode.
Loudness Considerations
The Sheriff 44 is a 45 watts tube monster. Yes, it has a low power mode, but it doesn't sound quite the same, so you may want to use it in high power mode for the tone, at least some of the time. It is definitely not a bedroom level amplifier and online demos simply can't demonstrate that well enough. You have to feel the air moving to truly understand that - be aware and very careful! I use the amp in a soundproof room at around 90db and the master volume scarcely goes beyond nine o'clock in high power mode.
If you want that amp for bedroom level use, either get an attenuator or use a reactive load with an IR of some kind. I still prefer real guitar speakers at as high volume as possible, but I might get there someday too...
Noise
The Sheriff 44, like many original "Plexi"s, is not the quietest tube amp I have played, especially compared to modern amps. The noise level was not high enough to make me return the amp when I first got it, but it certainly bothered me. However, replacing the stock EL34 power tubes made the noise less of an issue for me, although there is still some audible buzz coming out of the speaker when the amp is in high power mode and the master is anywhere past nine o'clock. That can become a problem if you record a sparse piece with long-sustaining notes that need to decay slowly and there is not much going on to mask the noise.
Judging such an amplifier in terms of pros and cons is a bit problematic because especially with that kind of amp it is very subjective and it's hard to understand some aspects of it before you experience it first hand, but this is my take on it.
Pros
an excellent modern take on a vintage #Marshall
tactile dynamic response - this is really priceless and cannot be explained with words, sound clips, or videos
a wide range of very useful sounds from sparkly cleans trough glassy chimy overdrives to full-on high gain sound
pairs exceptionally well with fuzzes
foot-switchable input channels (footswitch included)
cathode bias mode adds a very nice and useful tonal flavour
low power mode is a nice to have option
big and round bass response
built and feels like a high end product. The knobs, the switches, the sockets - everything.
I really appreciate the rear panel bias test points, which makes it much easier for an average person to replace power tubes
Cons
extremely loud. Not a bedroom amp, unless attenuated or used with a load box and IRs
not a quiet amp compared to other tube amps I used over the years, especially with the stock EL34s.
Verdict
The Sheriff 44 delivers that "Plexi" signature sound and feel and even goes beyond that to more modern rock territories. It is not a clear canvas type of amp and will not please those who seek that, but for players who love the sound and tactile response of old Marshalls, this is just heaven. But even if you don't consider this your kind of amp, you might fall in love with it after a short bonding session. For me, there is no looking back. I still love my many years old Marshall DSL 401, which is more of a pedal platform for me, but this is the real deal. It makes all of my guitars shine in an all-new way and I just can't get enough of it.
Find out more about the Sheriff 44 and its little brother on the Victory website.
Cheers
Sheriff 44 vs 22
If you seriously consider this amp, one of the inevitable questions you will have to answer is should I go for the Sheriff 22 or the 44? These two amps sound very close to each other in all demos, and they are essentially the same amplifier with a different power section. So why choose one over the other? Below I listed the strengths of each model, so you can make your considerations.
Sheriff 22
smaller, much more portable
earlier power section breakup
less powerful
0.3 watts speaker output is perfect for bedroom level practising
different kind of bass response, spongier, looser, smaller
Sheriff 44
more clean headroom
rounder, bigger bottom end
the larger enclosure is less prone to self-noise issues
the power mode switch on the front panel is convenient
loud as hell