Question on Diezel Herbert Ch 2

Econ

Well-known member
I’m in the market for a three channel amp that will allow me to have a nice clean, great 80’s hair metal distortion and a more modern channel for Megadeth, Pantera, and progressive metal music. Will channel 2 of the Diezel give me a good 80’s metal distorted sound? I guess you can probably get those type of tones, but wonder if for the music I play the Herbert will be too much. Anyway, any feedback on this will be greatly appreciated.
 
I think it does really well for 80s metal. Channel 2 can go from barely clipping to full-on metal, it's really versatile. Being able to switch between + and - via MIDI in the next version will be even better. Channel 3 can be dialed in for great 80s metal sound, too. It's just a little more compressed and a little thicker than channel 2, which can be better for leads. Both channels can get very modern, too.

I think the trick is in how (little) one uses the mid-cut. The best sounds I've found only use a little of mid-cut. I use it kind of like a Pultec, where you can boost one frequency and cut another frequency that's very close to the first frequency. That way, you can create somewhat resonant peaks and valleys that you couldn't do with a typical tone stack. Herbert sounds incredible out of the box, but spending some time learning all the ways to dial it in really pays off.

FWIW, other than the 2 Peters' demo, I have never heard any clips that really do the Herbert justice, not even close. It's just such a versatile amp! Great cleans, great crunch, gets brutal like *nothing* else, modern, vintage, and everything between. And the best part, to me, is that it all sounds unapologetically Diezel.

So, basically, I don't think it would be too much for what you're looking for. :)
 
How good is the master volume on these? It’s a 180 watt amp, so do you need to crank it to get the full benefits of headroom?
 
:rock: ^^^
The master on the one I had was great.

Now that that's out of the way, IMHO the Herbert, like all tube amps, obviously sound best when you get em cranked up. I used to not understand why so many bashed the sound of these machines at bedroom volumes, but that's because I was confined to low volume playing and had never heard my amps at volume.

It wasn't until I got my own place and was able to play at small--->>>medium venue volumes that I understood why many people said that tube amps only sound " marginal" or "just ok" at bedroom volumes.

Some tube amps do sound better than others for bedroom playing, and the Herbert and the Engls fill that bill well. KSR, Wizard, and Splawn all sound good too, but the true goods, the true ability of these amps to make a guy grin are not revealed until you get em cooking :rock:
 
Spending thousands of dollars on an amp that was actually not designed for bedroom use doesn’t makes sense. Maybe I should rethink my strategy here and think about something for suitable for home playing.
 
Yeah, the master's really good on these. I think Herbert still sounds good at conversation levels. Mike's got a very valid point, though. It sounds much better with some volume behind it. I think all tube amps do, some more than others, but all of them. Having said that, for 180w, it's surprisingly civilized in that it doesn't have to be more loud than say a 50w amp to deliver the goods. Still, not really a bedroom amp, though.
 
Herbert is a seriously versatile tone machine. Amazing amp!!
I LOVE channel 2!! It has a ton of ability and with +/- switch as well as mid-cut, it’s even more.
You can really get a lot from channel 2. Master works very well, yet as mentioned above, Herbert really brings the goods with some juice behind the preamp. Although I believe Peter has said it’s the preamp that has the tone.

All that said, have you considered other options like modelers for low volume playing and recording? Certainly there’s some excellent options to help with lower volume playing as well, especially if you already have a tube amp.
Of course, far be it from me to try to talk you out of buying a Diezel amp...every Diezel I’ve ever owned has been AMAZING!!

I currently have Herbert AND Hagen :rock:
In the end, as I’ve said, Herbert will certainly be able to get you what you are looking for :thumbsup:
Also, you might consider Hagen for some of the more open, raw sounds. Plus 4 channels
 
I have the Herbert.

Clean: here i spent most of my time now a days, its just amazing. Im doing jazz now and this channel is perfect for it.
Ch2: i use this for rhythem and lead. When playing rhythem i get a fat punchy modern sound that i just love! For lead playing its smooth, creamy tone that sustains as long as i want. Here i always use a low level mid-cut, it changes that character of the tone and feel for me.

TBH it comes down to, do you like the amps voicing for 80's metal!

On ch.2 i have my gain around 11 o'clock. Here i have less compression, fatter tone and the longer ive been playing the less gain im using, but i dont see myself going lower then this.
 
Econ":2nwmaw34 said:
Spending thousands of dollars on an amp that was actually not designed for bedroom use doesn’t makes sense. Maybe I should rethink my strategy here and think about something for suitable for home playing.

Don't get me wrong, it sounds great at low volume, but be careful, once you get to put some volume behind it you'll be addicted. Nothing wrong with having a Herbert to play at home, it's just a matter of how loud you'll be able to play. I play at home only right now, but I'm able to crank the volume to ears bleed levels and do most the time :D
 
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