Hagen vs. Pitbull

[maddnotez]

How close are these amps? Anyone have experience with both?

I am listening on shit headphones at work but these sound fairly similar on these specific settings. or is this one of those all amps sound the same type of thing?

I can hear the difference, more so when the guitars are solo'd toward the end but it seems like such a small difference. Something that a slight eq change would match.

 

[RedB4Black]

Never a Hagen (though I've played one and it was my least favorite of the Diezels) but I've owned a VH4, Herbert, Einstein and D-moll at the same time as my Ultra Lead. All of them were darker, more compressed, more saturated and had more sag in the bottom end. The UL is tighter, clearer, more immediate and has more punch. The Diezels are gone, but I still have my Ultra Lead.

 

[MetalHeadMike]

I've never played the Hagen or a Pitbull, but I owned a D60 and a Herbert and a D-Moll, and the Diezels were NOTHING like the Fryette in any way.

I agree with mhenson42 and in my experience with the Diezels I've played they are way more compressed and definitely had this spongy flubby low end. Even when smacked with a TS type od, the low end just isn't hard or direct like I'm partial to. The mids are not how I like them either. Too low mid heavy.

They seem well built, but for my tastes I couldn't gel with the feel and the mids. If the right deal came along I'd give the Herbert another go, and I would like to at least try the VH4, but I could not get rid of the D-Moll fast enough. Fastest I've ever flipped an amp.

 

[K-Roll]

The UL in that video does not have the EQ which would have been a much greater improvement. The pitbull that i tried years ago is still the best sound to date that i have experienced. No diezel ever came close (vh4, lil fokker, d moll, herbert) But you know how it is - opinions, styles, application and preference differ.

 

[stephen sawall]

Diezel makes a great amp. I'm into Fryette. I use my Fryette amps more than anything.

 

[Markedman]

The GEQ turned me off to Boogie amps, until I bought a Mk.IV from a pawn shop for $650.00. I wouldn't own an amp without the GEQ built in, I've tried the GEQ in the loop, blah. That little GEQ on the Freyette is an awful great idea.

 

[maddnotez]

The GEQ turned me off to Boogie amps, until I bought a Mk.IV from a pawn shop for $650.00. I wouldn't own an amp without the GEQ built in, I've tried the GEQ in the loop, blah. That little GEQ on the Freyette is an awful great idea.

The Mark EQ is something ridiculous. I've had a Pitbull CL a long time ago with EQ but I don't remember it being nearly as powerful as Mesa. If I got another Fryette it would still be with eq regardless.

 

[knightbrolaire]

I'd love to try a Pitbull UL at some point, but they're getting harder and harder to find , especially the eq'd versions. How does the Pitbull UL compare to the mesa mark series in tightness? I'm just curious if it's significantly tighter than my mk3...

 

[steve_k]

The GEQ turned me off to Boogie amps, until I bought a Mk.IV from a pawn shop for $650.00. I wouldn't own an amp without the GEQ built in, I've tried the GEQ in the loop, blah. That little GEQ on the Freyette is an awful great idea.

The Mark EQ is something ridiculous. I've had a Pitbull CL a long time ago with EQ but I don't remember it being nearly as powerful as Mesa. If I got another Fryette it would still be with eq regardless.

Difference in GEQ's with Mesa and the UL is where the GEQ sits in the tone stack. With the Boogies, its early in the gain stages and on the UL, it sits after the tone stack before the power amp. Almost like running a GEQ in the loop. That said, I wouldn't buy a UL without it. Its a good tool. The GEQ is part of the design of the Mark series and without it, its not a Mark.

 

[BSRIAudio]

The GEQ turned me off to Boogie amps, until I bought a Mk.IV from a pawn shop for $650.00. I wouldn't own an amp without the GEQ built in, I've tried the GEQ in the loop, blah. That little GEQ on the Freyette is an awful great idea.

The Mark EQ is something ridiculous. I've had a Pitbull CL a long time ago with EQ but I don't remember it being nearly as powerful as Mesa. If I got another Fryette it would still be with eq regardless.

Difference in GEQ's with Mesa and the UL is where the GEQ sits in the tone stack. With the Boogies, its early in the gain stages and on the UL, it sits after the tone stack before the power amp. Almost like running a GEQ in the loop. That said, I wouldn't buy a UL without it. Its a good tool. The GEQ is part of the design of the Mark series and without it, its not a Mark.

The tone stack in a Mesa Mark amp is after the first gain stage so it primarily affects the feel of the amp rather than the overall tone shaping. The graphic EQ is after the gain stages so it allows for dramatic sculpting of the overall tone. This is why you see mark series amps set up with the bass pot on 0 and the mid pot on 10 and then the inverse on the graphic EQ.

In a VHT amp both the tone stack and the graphic EQ are after the gain stages. The graphic EQ just offers an option to boost frequencies while the tone stack for each channel is passive.

 

[Kagami]

The EQ on Fryettes interact with the sliders next to them whereas on Mesa EQs they don't so that is something to keep in mind as well. My UL does not have an EQ but I've never really used them on my amps so it doesn't bother me. Perhaps if you want to fine tune your cab then it'd be nice but I don't have that issue.

I really want to get a Hagen sometime but don't see them for sale too often.

 

[Ventura]

I've played and owned and held onto both brands - Diezel and Fryette.

I think Fryette overall doesn't get the press they deserve for their amps, but then again, it's like a lot of kickass amps out there - their tone does the talking (Rivera is another one).

Diezel are incredibly well built and engineered amps - and nothing sounds like a Diezel. But that doesn't mean everyone will like what they bring to the table. I actually love the Hagen out of the entire lineage of Diezels. But it's a personal preference, that's the beauty of it. It's not just how it sounds, it's how it feels to play - the feedback between player and amp is incredible (to me). And Diezels are very sensitive to pickups, in my experience, I find they don't like overkill uber-high output pups. Diezels are extremely unique sounding - whether you gel with them or not is up to you.

Fryette?? Man, these amps are underrated and overlooked. They're fucking work horses - beasts - and cover a lot of terrain. Steve is a funny guy (ever seen the little messages he leaves on his PCBs?? They're hilarious) and knows how to build extremely solid, high performing amps. I've found his amps to be less sensitive to pickups, and tend to gravitate to a number of different speakers/cabinets, all with a good modicum of awesomeness. They're hot sounding - biting - and punchy as hell. And loud. And quiet.

Between the Hagen & Pitbull? Hagen will be juicier and more thick sounding, and tightening the amp up is achieved by turning the amp up - not adding ODs in front - simple. The Pitbull will be drier and offer more of an immediate percussiveness. Both are "large" sounding. The UL will have more emphasis on upper mids and that searing hot Marshally tone; the Hagen will maintain its "girth" in the lower mids and lows arena. Different animals. And they play very differently finger to guitar to amp feel-wise.

Hope this helps.

 

[Rdodson]

What a great post, Ventura. Really well thought-out and I totally agree.

I sessioned a VHT for years. If you can ever find the old Pitbull Fifty/Twelve that is in good order, it is hard to beat from a small combo. I agree, however, that a Hagen is just an incredible amp that is a blast to play.

 

[Ventura]

What a great post, Ventura. Really well thought-out and I totally agree.

I sessioned a VHT for years. If you can ever find the old Pitbull Fifty/Twelve that is in good order, it is hard to beat from a small combo. I agree, however, that a Hagen is just an incredible amp that is a blast to play.