NAD - Diezel Herbert Mk III

[Meeotch]

Pic first!

So I've been on a serious amp quest lately. Bought and sold 4 or 5 amps in the last year, looking for god knows what. I even bought and sold a Fortin Cali (bad ass amp btw). I've owned a Herbert Mk I in the recent past, and the second channel has been haunting me. When the Mk III was announced I knew I would own one again eventually. Well a great deal came up and now here it is, and it's ridiculously good.

Channel 1 right off the bat, the cleans are lush. The Mk I would break up too quickly with hot pickups, but this one is just right. You can get some nice hair on it with the channel volume cranked, but otherwise ungodly headroom. This is big iron at it's finest. With the treble and presence up, this turns into a shimmering, sparkling clean channel that hangs with the best of them!

Channel 2 - the minus mode has really killed my gas for mid gain tones. So much flexibility, and the mids are just right. You can play with the channel volume and master volume to get different approaches to your gain (as with the other channels). Tight or a little bit looser, but at the end of the day this is a tight amp. It can do vintage or modern. Love it.

Channel 2 + I had read the big differences with the Mk III are that it's a bit tighter, and slightly revoiced, and I'd say this is accurate. And all for the better. The low end still dominates, but jesus the chugs hit this perfect balance of tight but full. Just the right amount of gain for death or thrash. Roll off the gain for Diezel meets hot rodded tones. Super punchy, and plenty of grind. I'd say not quite as hi-fi sounding as the Mk I, which is an improvement in my opinion. It's still got that classic Diezel tone that is not for everyone, but this version just seems to sound even better. No boost needed, but I'll be experimenting no doubt.

Channel 3 I haven't delved too deeply into this one yet, but it definitely has a bit different character than channel 2. Right off the bat, I can tell the gain is more usable across its range compared to the Mk I. Ultimately, there is even more gain on this channel. With the MK I, I found channel 2 was more about low mids, and channel 3 was upper mids. With the Mark III the differences are less obvious to me (at this stage). I can make both channels sound pretty similar, which is cool. I guess you could say channel 3 is more of a lead channel, but it does brutal rhythms with ease. I'll have to report back after spending more time here.

Mid-Cut Yes! What an awesome feature. I'm not in a band right now, so for Madison Square Bedroom this blows my mind. Certainly best used in moderation, but even at 50% the mids seem to cut fine. In a way, this is almost like having a pair of graphic EQ's like the JP-2C, but more straight forward. Engage for Metallica in a box.

There's definitely a lot more to be said about the Herbert. The effects loop is maybe the most transparent I've ever heard...and there's 3 of them LOL. The Herbert Mk III is an instant classic, IMO deserving a spot somewhere on the podium of best amps you can buy in a store today. And it probably should be for the price hah! For metal, it really doesn't get better than this...it more comes down to personal preference in the intricacies of how you like your gain, and whether you're down with the Diezel sound. Because it is unique, and that makes it even cooler. 9.5/10 (just so I can convince myself to buy more amps in the future )

 

[DragonCrestPC]

Awesome!

 

[cujo]

Congratulations on the Diezel ... it was that or the Driftwood n I had a Driftwood built. Cannot beat a Diezel stellar machines !

 

[MetalHeadMike]

Congrats!

 

[Meeotch]

Thanks guys! Yes all three of those were sweet in their own way. I'd say I miss the Purple Nightmare the most. It has a rad high gain sound with the built-in boost (and takes boosts well), and the cleans were pristine. The effects loop was finicky though...with the boost engaged, the channel volumes became very touchy acting as a level control for the effects loop. I would get unwanted distortion very early in the sweep of the pot. Kinda hard to describe but the effects loop is a big part of my rig, and this felt limiting to me.

The Revv 120 was a let down for me. I couldn't bond with the attack, and couldn't get it to punch to my preference. Everything sounded too modern and surgical for me. Channel 3 was the highlight of the amp, but I couldn't bond with the voicing. All the switches were cool, but I was constantly flipping them searching for something. Oh well...

I was very close to keeping the Cali. It came down to whether or not I had the funds to keep a boutique hot-rodded tone in my quiver. I bought the Cali in hopes it would cover all my bases, but for high gain tones I like the JP-2C and Herbert better. In fact there are several amps I've owned that I would take over the Cali for high gain rhythm (Purple Nightmare, Archon, 5150/Invective). It's on another level when it comes to mid gain/hot rodded tones, but that's not my priority right now. I'd actually love to try a Butterslax to see how it stacks up to the Cali.

 

[LunatiBSW]

Thanks guys! Yes all three of those were sweet in their own way. I'd say I miss the Purple Nightmare the most. It has a rad high gain sound with the built-in boost (and takes boosts well), and the cleans were pristine. The effects loop was finicky though...with the boost engaged, the channel volumes became very touchy acting as a level control for the effects loop. I would get unwanted distortion very early in the sweep of the pot. Kinda hard to describe but the effects loop is a big part of my rig, and this felt limiting to me.

The Revv 120 was a let down for me. I couldn't bond with the attack, and couldn't get it to punch to my preference. Everything sounded too modern and surgical for me. Channel 3 was the highlight of the amp, but I couldn't bond with the voicing. All the switches were cool, but I was constantly flipping them searching for something. Oh well...

I was very close to keeping the Cali. It came down to whether or not I had the funds to keep a boutique hot-rodded tone in my quiver. I bought the Cali in hopes it would cover all my bases, but for high gain tones I like the JP-2C and Herbert better. In fact there are several amps I've owned that I would take over the Cali for high gain rhythm (Purple Nightmare, Archon, 5150/Invective). It's on another level when it comes to mid gain/hot rodded tones, but that's not my priority right now. I'd actually love to try a Butterslax to see how it stacks up to the Cali.

I’m prob one of the only guy to talk to about that
Got both sitting in my jam room.
Edit: Oh yeah.....and errrrrlll has both

 

[skullfxr]

I was underwhelmed with the revv 120 I demoed. I really wanted to like it. But I never brought one home so there is only so much I can say.

How is the invective? I would like to get my hands on one. I have yet to see one out in the wild.

 

[DragonCrestPC]

Thanks guys! Yes all three of those were sweet in their own way. I'd say I miss the Purple Nightmare the most. It has a rad high gain sound with the built-in boost (and takes boosts well), and the cleans were pristine. The effects loop was finicky though...with the boost engaged, the channel volumes became very touchy acting as a level control for the effects loop. I would get unwanted distortion very early in the sweep of the pot. Kinda hard to describe but the effects loop is a big part of my rig, and this felt limiting to me.

The Revv 120 was a let down for me. I couldn't bond with the attack, and couldn't get it to punch to my preference. Everything sounded too modern and surgical for me. Channel 3 was the highlight of the amp, but I couldn't bond with the voicing. All the switches were cool, but I was constantly flipping them searching for something. Oh well...

I was very close to keeping the Cali. It came down to whether or not I had the funds to keep a boutique hot-rodded tone in my quiver. I bought the Cali in hopes it would cover all my bases, but for high gain tones I like the JP-2C and Herbert better. In fact there are several amps I've owned that I would take over the Cali for high gain rhythm (Purple Nightmare, Archon, 5150/Invective). It's on another level when it comes to mid gain/hot rodded tones, but that's not my priority right now. I'd actually love to try a Butterslax to see how it stacks up to the Cali.

Yeah wasn't a fan of the Revv 120 mk II i had either. Sounded sterile to my ears and could never dial in a sound i really enjoyed.

 

[Meeotch]

PM sent on Cali vs Butterslax!

The Invective is pretty damn cool. I've never owned an original 5150, but they say it's like that plus bells and whistles. The clean channel is decent...it's not top shelf, but probably better than the original. Channel 2 is pretty fat, with channel 3 being the quintessential 5150 sound. I gravitate towards channel 3 for both heavy rhythm and lead. There's tons of gain, but it's not all usable. I find balancing the post with the master volume a bit finicky...high post levels makes everything sound nasally, but both gain channels around 3 sounds pretty good to me. The gate works really well, as does all the midi switching and dual loops. The built-in boosts are a bit run-of-the-mill, but sound pretty good as is. Channel 2 definitely needs a boost, channel 3 is more optional but most will probably still opt for it. Overall I dig it, but probably wouldn't pay retail for it.

 

[Ventura]

Never gelled with the Mk.I

But this Mk.III is really REALLY romancing me from afar.....

Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak

Congratz on a KICKASS new Diezel, fellow RT Brethren!!

Unkle Mo

 

[errrrrl]

Nice dude. Very curious on Diezel amps. Never seen one in my neck of the woods, same goes for the JP2C. I got to hear the Invective live recently and sounded like a 5150 more or less.

As for Slax vs Cali, I compared mine a few times but not cranked up too loud. The Cali has a different more open sound to it than the Slax in my opinion. Without the jose mod and violence engaged it reminded me of friend's Budda superdrive 80. The slax has a totally different kind of mids going on too and is a bit compressed sounding in comparison. I like both amps a lot but when the Cali is set just right with the toggles n stuff to taste its the shit. When A/B'ing with my ampete it has a scooped kind of sound without it actually being scooped if that makes sense. Sounds damn good for thrashy palm muting riffs With that said the Slax is no slouch, just different.

 

[skullfxr]

Interesting on the invective. I have a 5150 and it does what I need well enough for the high gain stuff. Is the gate the same as the one on the JSX?

 

[311boogieman]

Congrats and nice collection there.