Got a VH2 on the way

[dougywarren]

Been lurking for a bit, finally decided to jump in. Just bought a used VH2 supposedly in great condition coming in this week. My amp experiences have been mostly Fender style amps, boutique and vintage. I did have a Friedman Dirty Shirley 40w combo I got new right after the came out and had a load of issues with it, Dave helped me out a lot but sending it back and forth to BAD for warranty repairs really sucked the fun out of it. So I’m a bit paranoid getting new to me amps haha. I’ve always wanted a Diezel and thought this would be a great one to start with. Anything I should look out for? Should I retube it soon as I get it or feel it out first? This is actually my first “big boy” amp so I wanna make sure I don’t mess it up too quick. I just want it to sound good and be reliable. Thanks friends

 

[Pierre]

Congrats mate....mine had KT77 ...i found cleans / crunch good but channel 2 awful ...really compressed , tight ( channel 1 is the exact oppoosite ) ....not happy at all....so i changed to 6L6 and the amp was not the same anymore....lot more headroom , less harmonics ( but you can add a boost ) ...better first channel and channel 2 was way more open , less congested in the mids , more articulate .....a lot of guys prefer EL34 though.....my own taste .....try and let your ears decide ....in my case impress by this amp ...was always dreaming of a VH4 but not anymore ....have fun with it , cheers

 

[merkaba]

Welcome to the club!

The VH2 is an amazing amp. The second channel is my favourite and I pretty much hang out there. The variation in tone and gain available can do everything from edge of breakup to classic Diezel high gain. It’s incredibly versatile for a 2 channel amp.

I bought mine used and have only replaced the power tubes now as one started red plating. You will likely be fine with the current tubes but it can’t hurt to have a spare set available should you need them.

 

[GoingDeafProbably]

I love my VH2. I have 6l6's I mine as well. I prefer it over the kt77's. It's definitely different sounding than a VH4, but a great sounding amp nonetheless.

 

[dougywarren]

That’s good to hear about using 6L6. That’s been my preference in amps where I had the choice. In the Fender style amps I go with TungSol 6L6GC

 

[J_Rocket]

Interesting how I keep running across people that prefer 6L6's in their Diezels. I'll have to put that on my list of things to try out when I get a VHX.

 

[GoingDeafProbably]

What I want to know is which 6l6's. Probably a rabbit hole to get lost in, but there's so many. I'm using JJ 6l6GC's. But I have no idea how they compare to sovtek, tung-sol etc., not to mention TAD, vs GC, vs WGC.. etc. When I switched from JJ 6l6's to Tung-Sol 6l6's in my PRS Archon 100, it really brought it to life.

 

[dougywarren]

What I want to know is which 6l6's. Probably a rabbit hole to get lost in, but there's so many. I'm using JJ 6l6GC's. But I have no idea how they compare to sovtek, tung-sol etc., not to mention TAD, vs GC, vs WGC.. etc. When I switched from JJ 6l6's to Tung-Sol 6l6's in my PRS Archon 100, it really brought it to life.

My experience has been the Tung Sol 6L6GC sound a bit warmer and not as “splashy” as the JJ 6L6. Almost as if the Tung Sol has a bit more of a 6V6 quality with the openness, volume, and low end of a 6L6.

 

[Pierre]

TAD Rebase 6L6 with TAD 7025 in V1 ...very clear warm and articulate

 

[Spookylou33]

I wanted to like mine, i could get a good tone out of it, maybe it was the cab and speakers i was using?

 

[dougywarren]

I wanted to like mine, i could get a good tone out of it, maybe it was the cab and speakers i was using?

I played around with a lot of suggested settings over the last several months, swapped speakers, and figured out the VH2 sounds best with the channel volumes at 1:00-2:00 and then the master to taste. I’ve seen several posts claiming it’s the other way around, but to eliminate fizz for me, you gotta turn those channel volumes up. If the Deep and Presence is around 2:00 then the master doesn’t need to be up much at all to get good warm tone at low practice volume.

Currently running a Scumback H75-100 and a Celestion Cream in a Zilla Super Fatboy and couldn’t be happier with the VH2. Channel 1 rivals the best vintage Fender cleans I’ve ever played and Channel 2, being a slightly more hi-fi Channel 3 of the VH4, is perfect for crystal clear gain and works well with the volume and tone knob of the guitar. And the EQs do whatever one could imagine. I get the Diezel sound being subjective, but other than that, it’s one of the best amps in that price range available. I don’t think I could get a better amp no matter the price, just different.

 

[Spookylou33]

I played around with a lot of suggested settings over the last several months, swapped speakers, and figured out the VH2 sounds best with the channel volumes at 1:00-2:00 and then the master to taste. I’ve seen several posts claiming it’s the other way around, but to eliminate fizz for me, you gotta turn those channel volumes up. If the Deep and Presence is around 2:00 then the master doesn’t need to be up much at all to get good warm tone at low practice volume.

Currently running a Scumback H75-100 and a Creamback in a Zilla Super Fatboy and couldn’t be happier with the VH2. Channel 1 rivals the best vintage Fender cleans I’ve ever played and Channel 2, being a slightly more hi-fi Channel 3 of the VH4, is perfect for crystal clear gain and works well with the volume and tone knob of the guitar. And the EQs do whatever one could imagine. I get the Diezel sound being subjective, but other than that, it’s one of the best amps in that price range available. I don’t think I could get a better amp no matter the price, just different.

I was running it through my Bogner 2x12 loaded with a V30 and Creamback 65

 

[dougywarren]

I was running it through my Bogner 2x12 loaded with a V30 and Creamback 65

Those are great cabs. Correction on my end, I’m running a Scumback H75 and a Celestion Alnico Cream. Not the Creamback. I forgot the Alnico is just “Cream”

And it could be the speakers. I tried to like the Chinese V30s that came in the Zilla Super Fatboy but I couldn’t get rid of that V30 fizz so many people have trouble with. I thought about swapping them with the new England V30s but figured I’d go with exactly what I wanted. The gorgeous Cream mixed with some H75 Sabbath goodness. Best of both worlds for me.

 

[Spookylou33]

Those are great cabs. Correction on my end, I’m running a Scumback H75 and a Celestion Alnico Cream. Not the Creamback. I forgot the Alnico is just “Cream”

And it could be the speakers. I tried to like the Chinese V30s that came in the Zilla Super Fatboy but I couldn’t get rid of that V30 fizz so many people have trouble with. I thought about swapping them with the new England V30s but figured I’d go with exactly what I wanted. The gorgeous Cream mixed with some H75 Sabbath goodness. Best of both worlds for me.

Unfortunately for me, i had to send it back. It was a beast to carry around too!