Diezel VH4S - Still Disappointed

Definitely will listen to this tonight when I can. Love the VH4.

I notice, though, for your pic that this amp is an older one, maybe 2005 or earlier IIRC. In my experience, those need to be run really loud, otherwise they are too dry and stiff IMHO. Around '07 there was a tweak that gave them better sane-volume tone IMHO, though they don't roar the same way when cranked up, unfortunately.
 
cardinal said:
Definitely will listen to this tonight when I can. Love the VH4.

I notice, though, for your pic that this amp is an older one, maybe 2005 or earlier IIRC. In my experience, those need to be run really loud, otherwise they are too dry and stiff IMHO. Around '07 there was a tweak that gave them better sane-volume tone IMHO, though they don't roar the same way when cranked up, unfortunately.
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Yes, this one was a 2002. Even cranking it up, it just wasn't for me. Too fat in the low mids for my personal taste.
 
I liked the non-S versions more, but honestly Diezel hasn’t really come out with a truly great amp in over 20 years now and liked other brands the later versions are sadly nowhere near as good. Even the early blueface’s though may not be your thing, but I think you’d still see that it’s clearly a very special amp in its own way

For the type of riffs you play my top amp choices would be either a mark iic+, Badlander, Naylor with a boost, late ‘70’s JMP2203 with a boost or maybe also a Wizard. All of those have been keepers for me thus far
 
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I expect that the VH4 would not be my thing. The three Diezels I've owned (MKI Herbert, MKII Herbert, and Dmoll) all had round/soft/saggy low end response and a low mid focus. The Herbert wasn't as bad as the DMoll, but still lacked the fast low end attack and upper mids I like in an amp. The DMoll I hated...the lows were soft/sluggish/round and the mids were just to dark. Even boosting did not change the former attributes.

Not bad amps by any stretch, just all personal preference. My preferences have been Engl, Splawn, Wizard, VHT, 6505+, KSR, Uber Rev Blue. They all have much more upper mid presence/attack and faster, harder, more immediate low end response.
 
MetalHeadMike said:
I expect that the VH4 would not be my thing. The three Diezels I've owned (MKI Herbert, MKII Herbert, and Dmoll) all had round/soft/saggy low end response and a low mid focus. The Herbert wasn't as bad as the DMoll, but still lacked the fast low end attack and upper mids I like in an amp. The DMoll I hated...the lows were soft/sluggish/round and the mids were just to dark. Even boosting did not change the former attributes.

Not bad amps by any stretch, just all personal preference. My preferences have been Engl, Splawn, Wizard, VHT, 6505+, KSR, Uber Rev Blue. They all have much more upper mid presence/attack and faster, harder, more immediate low end response.
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All the Diezel’s I’ve tried tend to have a rounder low end. The Hagen was more in the direction of the qualities that sounds like you’d like, but was too synthetic sounding and feeling

You might possibly like the Badlander or a Naylor with a good boost. Also a c+ of course
 
braintheory said:
All the Diezel’s I’ve tried tend to have a rounder low end. The Hagen was more in the direction of the qualities that sounds like you’d like, but was too synthetic sounding and feeling

You might possibly like the Badlander or a Naylor with a good boost. Also a c+ of course
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Agreed! I think the Badlander would be cool from what folks, including you, are saying about it. I borrowed a Loop modded MKIIB for a couple months that I expect isn't worlds apart from a C+. It was a tricky bugger to dial in, but once I figured it out, it was epic & right in my wheelhouse...I regret not buying it.
 
I love their VH4-2 pedal. It's the only pedal that can get that Tool's Adam Jones sound. It is such a specific tone. I rarely see this amp used much but when it comes out you expect the band using it to be doing something unique and smoking loud.
 
The VH4 to me has always had the dry flub and lack of clarity of a Recto, but with none of the redeeming thump and hugeness of a Recto.

They're marketed as these ultra modern, hi-tech high gain amps but they sound and feel more like a poor man's weak Recto that is somehow much more expensive. Go figure.
 
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Funny you say that about the Ubershall - the vh4 and Uber both have the same sort of low freq control circuit in the NFB which gives them that low end

The amp is quite different if you reduce or remove the loading on the last / cathode stage. Opens it right up
 
What’s in the NFB circuit that makes it so dark and mid heavy? I’m assuming your referring to some unconventional value RC circuit?

I’ve moved the NFB tap to 4ohm. Helps but not much. I’ve also lifted a resistor on the board, I forget which one, to make it less bass-heavy. Still was too much.
 
I love mine, but not for the super heavy stuff most of you guys are into. It sounds great for rock, and IMO prefers G12H speakers over V30 or anything else really. The H's retain the balls but give it some nice high end, rather than the upper-mid poke of the V30.
 
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