Another Hagen vs VH4 thread...

Romans 1:16

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Sorry about beatin' a dead horse, but I'm missing my Diezel.

My first and only Diezel has been a D-Moll. It was completely balls-out for modern metal, especially compared to my EL34 and 6L6 amps.

Then, for some reason I can't remember, I got a wild hair and got rid of it :doh:

Now I'm wanting another KT77 bad@ss, but can't decide on a VH4 or a Hagen. I thought about another D-Moll but the thought of 4 channels has got me droolin'.

I'm leaning towards a Hagen (in white) but I'm reading you can't go wrong either way. I just scored a Huber Krautster so kind of looking for something that it can mesh with.

Any thoughts if one might be better than the other?
 
I regularly play both of them. Here's my take;

Ch 1 - Hagen wins, much livelier cleans. The first Diezel clean I don't wish I played through a blackface or a CAE OD100

Ch2 - I tend to not use this one that much

Ch3 - this is where it's at! A tie IMO:
- VH4 for classic 80s and 90s hard rock and metal with the German Diezel signature sound!
- Hagen for modern metal, less compressed, crushing mids!! You can also alter the mid character far more by increasing the preamp volume, it is way more versatile tone-wise than the VH4. IMO this is the hidden secret of the Hagen. Low preamp volume - gritty marshallish. Preamp volume beyond noon - more modern tighter mids, still fuller sounding than the VH4 and less compressed. Never had an amp with this effect being so overtly pronounced.

Ch4 - way too gainy and compressed to be used more than as solo channels, however I prefer ch3 on both amps for that purpose as well.

Bottom line - VH4 for classic rock/metal, really like that amp. Hagen is the best choice for more modern metal, to me it is the inverted brother of Herbert, while Herbert is more boomy and offers a mid cut option, the Hagen was given all the mids :)
 
blacksun,

I so totally appreciate your comments.

+1000 on ya mate.

It's exactly what I was wanting to know and since I'm looking for something with a modern edge, you've made up my mind for me. Hagen it is!!

cheers
 
Glad to be of some assistance! Keep in mind that this is only opinion, how I hear these amps. Always a good thing, if possible, to try both of them out first.

IMO the Hagen is a better "band amp", sharing some similarities with a 5150, less likely to be drowned than say the Herbert if that makes sense. The VH4 is a great "studio amp" to me, somewhat more compressed but it also has a more restricted midrange frequency habitat which makes it a great amp to combine with some complementary amp. The Hagen on the other hand is everywhere, while retaining the thick low Diezel mids it is also has a higher mid emphasis (and in this regard it is not like the Herbert either).

There is also a difference in feel - the VH4 is stiffer, Hagen feels looser, somewhat more like a jcm800 in that regard.

What I don't like about the Hagen is the cosmetics and the knob layout on the front. To me, with all due respect to the great people at Diezel's, this is a case of bad marketing of perhaps the best Diezel product out there..
 
Just to throw a spanner in the works, I traded my old Hagen for a D-Moll and would never look back. The mid-cut totally changes that amp. Maybe worth looking into a Herb, 3 channels plus midcut can effectively give you 6 different sounds. 8 if you don't mind manually flicking between the modes on Ch2. I'd be more inclined to go with a VH4 personally.
 
I have owned the VH4, Herbert, D-Moll and the Lil Fokker.
All are great! :yes:
But for my personal tastes on what I play (80's metal thrash/hard rock)
I liked the VH4 for my best.
2nd I would take the D Moll
3rd the Fokker (lot of strong mids reminds me of a mix of the VH4 and Herbert)
then the Herbert. Herbie is killer!!
But more modern metalish to me.
I would not kick anyone of them out of bed though. :D
 
There you go! Good to see we all differ somewhat in opinion. I can't comment on D-moll or the lil f, I've only lived with the Herbert, Hagen and VH4. To me good pronounced and complex mids and feel of the amp are the main priorities and therefore I could never understand that feature on the Herbert, might been a user error thing. I don't hang out with the Herbert anymore, only the Vh4 and Hagen.. I did like the external bias feature on the old Herberts though.
 
Good stuff, people!
I pulled the trigger on a Hagen as I'm pretty sure it'll fit what I'm looking for a little bit better than a VH-4 but I'll get a chance to see for myself shortly.
At some point I'll need to have a head to head with another D-Moll just to satisfy the ? that always seems to be somewhere in the back of my mind.

Now about that new Paul...... :doh:
 
Owned a VH4S, VH4, Hagen, Einstein and not just one but a couple of each at least at any given time. Oh, one Herbert too.

Problem with VH4 is I couldn't LEAVE Ch.3 :rock: :LOL: :LOL:

Hagen, for me, was a touch looser and was more playful - but didn't have that magical Ch.3 VH4 to it.

For versatility - either or. But the problem with Diezel is they're all just a weeeeee bit different, and that "different" just happens to be outrageously awesome to each amp. Never gelled with the Herbert - just me - no flames. But if I had to only have TWO Diezels?!??!?!

VH4 and a Hagen and an Einstein.

I suck at math :LOL: :LOL:

You'll love the Hagen :thumbsup:
Unkle Mo
 
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