I used my Diezel herbert for a show over the weekend :(

[Les Zombie]

I used my herbert for a show over the weekend and honestly i thought it didnt sound as good as the other amps i have used over the years,the quickrod,nitro,uberschall rev blue and 5153 sounded better in a band mix to my ears, the mids was the biggest difference i noticed when playing with the drums and bass. i didnt cut thru the mix like im used to and for years i have seen people say it can get lost in the mix but i had to try it for myself, at home i love how it sound and i think it would sound great for recording but for live use i wasnt really impressed.

i messed around with alot of settings but wasnt 100% happy, it sounded ok but not great imo. i used my kenneth lawrence explorer and prs.

i turned off the mid cut and played the herb on ch2+ with the mids at 2:30, bass at 11:00, treble at 12:30, pres at 2:00 and depth at 11:00 and as you can see i didnt scoop the mids or try and use too much lows or mid cut, at one point i had the mid cut turned on and the intensity was at 8:30 and level at 12:00 and kinda went back and forth with it but ended up turning it off at times. i had my ch3 settings similar to ch2, i also used my uberkab with it and mic'd the v30 to see if that would make it have more cut, i tried clean boosting it too. the amp sounded good but not great to me compared to the other amps i have used live.

anybody else used a herbert live? i would like to hear your thoughts on how it sounded live?

 

[glpg80]

ive been saying the same thing about them for a long time.

IMHO i would love to hear someone do a live comparison with the new herbert mk II and see if those problems have been resolved, i believe that was the intension of revising the circuit of the amplifier - to alleviate the live cutting/sitting mix of the original herberts

 

[Les Zombie]

I seen a bunch of people over the years that said it and my friend ansley was one of them, he used one for a short time in his band and it didnt work out. i posted my settings so people could see that i wasnt scooping mids and setting it up for a dark tone, i kept the mids pretty high and the pres and had the bass low and at some points in the night didnt even use the mid cut and when i did use it i had the intensity really low, i had the gain at 1:00 on ch2 and 11 or 12:00 on ch3, so its not like i dimed the gain, and bass and had no mids, and i also noted that i even mic'ed the v30 speaker that was in my cab.

i dont know alot about this stuff but it seems like certain drums and cymbals with a bass player can bury certain amps, maybe its just user error on my part.

 

[glpg80]

I seen a bunch of people over the years that said it and my friend ansley was one of them, he used one for a short time in his band and it didnt work out. i posted my settings so people could see that i wasnt scooping mids and setting it up for a dark tone, i kept the mids pretty high and the pres and had the bass low and at some points in the night didnt even use the mid cut and when i did use it i had the intensity really low, i had the gain at 1:00 on ch2 and 11 or 12:00 on ch3, so its not like i dimed the gain, and bass and had no mids, and i also noted that i even mic'ed the v30 speaker that was in my cab.

i dont know alot about this stuff but it seems like certain drums and cymbals with a bass player can bury certain amps, maybe its just user error on my part.

IMHO the designer of the amplifier has full control over its intended voicing, you can only do so much within that design as which is allowed by its circuit. i believe thats partially why the herbert II now exists

 

[Les Zombie]

What it sounds like to you and what it sounds like 20 ft. In front of you or thru the house are sometimes completely different..

i had my drummer playing it while i was dialing it in, i would stand 20 to 30 feet away and then go back and adjust my settings, it sounded ok but i didnt think it was great and i wished it would cut better.

 

[SwampDonkey]

I always had the mids dimed when I was using my Herbert with the band. The other guitarist is using a Triple Rec, so it was kind of hard to blend with him in the mix, since the Mesa naturally ate it up. In the end I am glad I went the way I did, letting the Herbert go, even though I adore the tone of the amp, and getting something that cuts.

Sorry you aren't happy with it in the band bro...

 

[Mizati20]

Love my VH-4, but I've been saying for the longest time the Herbert is such an overrated expensive amp, your experience is the same I had, and the reason I got rid of mine, just about any other high end amp on the market will bury it in a live situation.

 

[Les Zombie]

no i dont really like it in the band but i still wanna keep the amp because i love it at home, i will go back to my uberschall if i play another show anytime soon or i might try the markiv next time. i been playing uberschalls live since 2004 but i just wanted to try something else to see if i would like it better. i had a herbert 3 yrs ago and had to sell it before i got a chance to play a show with it, so it kinda haunted me and i always said the next time i get a herbert i will try it with the band.

im still very happy with my uber but its kinda fun trying out other amps live to see what they can do. i dont wanna be that guy that has had the option of playing a bunch of amps at home but never using it live, i always liked speaking to the guys that was in bands when i wanted a opinion of a amp, its hard to go by a guy that only plays in his home because they havent delt with drums,bass, singers, pa, and etc.

 

[Les Zombie]

Love my VH-4, but I've been saying for the longest time the Herbert is such an overrated expensive amp, your experience is the same I had, and the reason I got rid of mine, just about any other high end amp on the market will bury it in a live situation.

I had somebody pm me earlier and he said he felt the same way i did about the herbert and he liked the vh4 better.
I owned a vh4 but didnt like it at all, it just didnt work out for me. i liked the feel of the amp but hated the tone.

 

[Shark Diver]

Different cab/speakers might help. I had a VH4 and Herbert for years, I was able to get the Herbie to cut just fine. Not like my SLO, but right combo of equipment can work wonders.

 

[Les Zombie]

what speakers was you using, i have a uberkab with gt75/v30 and we decided to mic the v30.

i also have a splawn cab with v30/k100 but i think i wanna try something else now.

 

[Shark Diver]

what speakers was you using, i have a uberkab with gt75/v30 and we decided to mic the v30.

i also have a splawn cab with v30/k100 but i think i wanna try something else now.

The Diezel ones mixed with V30s.

 

[Les Zombie]

I think i bought a herbert from you back in the summer of 2006.

 

[Jimmie]

Doesn't Andy Wood use a Herbert?

 

[Les Zombie]

Doesn't Andy Wood use a Herbert?

yeah he does actually, he loves it and plays in a 2 guitar band.
i should read some of his threads and posts about it.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

i dont wanna be that guy that has had the option of playing a bunch of amps at home but never using it live, i always liked speaking to the guys that was in bands when i wanted a opinion of a amp, its hard to go by a guy that only plays in his home because they havent delt with drums,bass, singers, pa, and etc.

I value and enjoy reading opinions with band mix experience over home players so much more it's not funny, even though I'm primarily a home player myself these days and realize my own opinions are devalued because of it.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

yeah he does actually, he loves it and plays in a 2 guitar band.
i should read some of his threads and posts about it.

That's another interesting aspect of it, I specifically remember having had negative experiences cutting through with certain amps in a mix but other players would cut right through and sounded great with no problems.

After you do the usual knob tweaking and cabinet/speaker experimentation that people on forums always like to use to explain away your problems and you still have cutting issues, you just come to the conclusion that the amp just isn't working out in your specific situation.

 

[Les Zombie]

I play at home more than i do with my bands, erock is one of my favorite people on the boards and he plays at home but he has a great ear and knows what to look for in a amp and has played with guys before, so not every home player is to be dismissed. I should say that some home guys really know their shit and im not trying to say anything bad, im still learning about getting better tones and need all the help i can get.

Mhenson plays at home but has very similar taste to me and likes alot of the same amps as i do.
I guess when it comes down to it you need to try stuff for yourself and see what works best.

 

[Mailman1971]

I guess when it comes down to it you need to try stuff for yourself and see what works best.

I couldnt agree more!
What works for some...may not be the best for the next guy.
Trial and error......and its FUN doing it!

 

[Shiny_Surface]

I should say that some home guys really know their shit and im not trying to say anything bad, im still learning about getting better tones and need all the help i can get.

Yes there are always exceptions.