Which amp has the closest sound to a Diezel VH4?

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Kai

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I played a Diezel VH4 at a guitar store a while ago and I was blown away. It's become my dream amp... but what wasn't amazing was the $4,400 price tag. So I did some looking for amps under $2000 that sound like a VH4. I've heard that the Bogner Shiva and the Soldano Avenger (basically an SLO-100 but without cleans and much less expensive) can get close to a Diezel VH4. Out of those amps, which is the closest? I'm guessing the Soldano Avenger would cut nicer in the mix, but the mid scooped (not really scooped, but not as much mids as the Soldano) sound of the Bogner would be closer to a Diezel VH4. Or I might be completely wrong.

If these amps both sound nothing like a Diezel VH4, what amps do?
 
The VH4. Lol. Really, though. In my opinion, it is its own thing . The "Diezel" tone. You're not going to find it in a Bogner or SLO etc.... Maybe look into the VH4 pedal and run it through the clean channel of one those amps. But even then, I'm sure it will be a bit different as it relates to the power section being different, but close I assume. Good luck I your search!
 
Hey! Thanks for the reply.

Would this distortion tone in the video fall into the "unique Diezel tone" category, or could it be achieved by one of these amps?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9u98HO5js8 (Skip to 1:34 if you don't wanna hear the clean bit. I already have a good clean amp, so cleans don't matter to me)

The distortion tone in that video comes from a Diezel VH4 into a Soldano cabinet.
 
Only a VH4 sounds like a VH4, specifically the 3rd Channel which is where most players spend 95% of their time.

I dug the Hagen... A little looser of an amp, maybe a bit more grindy, I thought it was more playful than the VH4. But the VH4 remains a staple in my arsenal - solely and only for its ridiculously voiced Ch.3

Sorry - nothing compares - and don't get me started on the Axe-IIs rendition of it (mega fail :thumbsdown: ) or many if not all of the KPA profiles I've heard (not bad, but just not the real thing.... as someone so eloquently put it, the KPA VH4 profiles is like decent sex with a condom; the VH4 is like awesome sex without a rubber).
 
The Shiva is a killer amp but very different from the VH4, HOWEVER, here's an idea.

Grab a used EL34 Shiva. They have an excellent clean channel. Get a VH4 pedal and there you go, a tone very similar to ch3 of the VH4. Much closer than any amp alone (besides a Diezel) will get you. Not to mention you'll have a killer rock tone from the Shiva to boot.
 
glassjaw7":3izko6cs said:
The Shiva is a killer amp but very different from the VH4, HOWEVER, here's an idea.

Grab a used EL34 Shiva. They have an excellent clean channel. Get a VH4 pedal and there you go, a tone very similar to ch3 of the VH4. Much closer than any amp alone (besides a Diezel) will get you. Not to mention you'll have a killer rock tone from the Shiva to boot.
Click to expand...
Shiva is a funny amp... With a cutesy name and small head size and all....

Then you open it up on the higher gain settings and realize it obliterates practically every other amp out there in the hi-gain world :LOL: :LOL: :rock:

Ya, good idea about the Diezel pedal in front of a clean Sheevs... It could work, for sure. It'll get you close, 75% IMHO, YMMV.
 
Ventura":3vf00lj4 said:
Sorry - nothing compares - and don't get me started on the Axe-IIs rendition of it (mega fail :thumbsdown: ) or many if not all of the KPA profiles I've heard (not bad, but just not the real thing.... as someone so eloquently put it, the KPA VH4 profiles is like decent sex with a condom; the VH4 is like awesome sex without a rubber).
Click to expand...

This +1000000

The profiles and sims of all the Diezel line I've heard to date sound nothing like the real deal... let alone feel and react like the real deal when you play them.
 
In the Bogner family, the closest I can think of to the VH4 would be the Uberschall for the aggressive voicing it has. But, I really think of the trademark Bogner sound as kind of opposite to the Diezel signature. Both Bogner and Diezel amps have Marshall-like lineage, but I think that while they both increased gain from something like a JCM800, the Bogner sound is usually looser, with less aggressive high end, and bit more traditional Marshally voicing. The Diezel trademark sound to me has very particular compression, overall very aggressively voiced, and is absolutely tight all over. Both the Bogner and Diezel do tend to have emphasized low-mids.

I have the VH4 pedal which can work as a preamp into the FX return, sounds pretty close really; that tight low-end and signature attack transient really comes from a tight preamp and high headroom power amp. A Soldano Avenger with a Diezel front loaded cab would get you close enough in my opinion; they share similar voicing in the high mids to me, and also both have that tight attack. Soldanos aren't known for low-mids very much, but you can absolutely dial them in more than fine.

Check out the sound of this rack SLO with a Diezel front loaded cab:


Also check out Lasse Lammert's SLO clips!
 
A wise man once told me that the dirty channel of the Archon 100 can be dialed in to sound almost identical to the VH4 channel 3.
 
Vh4 pedal into a New Yorker and/or clean channel on an Atma is the most crushing tone you can get out of 1x12 open back combos under 20 watts.
 
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