Can somebody please tell me more about the Hagen?
- Thread starter hopkinWFG
- Start date
Hmmm... are you familiar with VH4 and Herbert?
I recently bought a Hagen because it was the only Diezel I hadn’t owned and I love it. It’s not much like a Herbert at all. The Herb Mk3 I had I didn’t like, could never get it quite dialed right, always felt too congested and compressed.
The VH4 I have loved for a while and is my favorite amp. It’s not going anywhere even with the Hagen in the house. If you’re familiar with the VH4 the Hagen is very similar except it’s more saturated, not quite as tight and more “bouncy and open” while still sounding very much a Diezel. The big diff to me is that the top end is more open on the Hagen and the mids are centered in the upper mids, whereas I feel like the frequencies of the VH4 are more centered in the lower mid spectrum, giving the VH4 a thicker more growly voice. Channel 4 of the Hagen is much superior to the VH4 I think, and channel 3 of the VH4 is the greatest, the others are a toss up.
When I first fired up the Hagen I thought: This is kinda what you would get if you mixed a VH4 and an Orange. There’s a certain fuzziness to the Hagen that I really like, others may find it dark sounding. It’s not sharp and bright up top like a Marshall, but does kinda have the open voice quality of them.
Does that help?
I recently bought a Hagen because it was the only Diezel I hadn’t owned and I love it. It’s not much like a Herbert at all. The Herb Mk3 I had I didn’t like, could never get it quite dialed right, always felt too congested and compressed.
The VH4 I have loved for a while and is my favorite amp. It’s not going anywhere even with the Hagen in the house. If you’re familiar with the VH4 the Hagen is very similar except it’s more saturated, not quite as tight and more “bouncy and open” while still sounding very much a Diezel. The big diff to me is that the top end is more open on the Hagen and the mids are centered in the upper mids, whereas I feel like the frequencies of the VH4 are more centered in the lower mid spectrum, giving the VH4 a thicker more growly voice. Channel 4 of the Hagen is much superior to the VH4 I think, and channel 3 of the VH4 is the greatest, the others are a toss up.
When I first fired up the Hagen I thought: This is kinda what you would get if you mixed a VH4 and an Orange. There’s a certain fuzziness to the Hagen that I really like, others may find it dark sounding. It’s not sharp and bright up top like a Marshall, but does kinda have the open voice quality of them.
Does that help?
Hiya thanks for helping... yup i gotta VH4 and Herbert at quite a nice deal all thanks to Peter generous design...
I would also be on same boat as you... the VH4 3rd channel is only way to go... i also like the Herbert after few preamp tube swap... and i generally find the herbert has got way way tone of low dark mid and maybe due to KT77 nature it sound kinda mid deprived but in a good way...
I have no idea what you mean "bouncy" on the hagen... but if tge Hagen is going to be a tad more pronounced on the mid than VH4? Being more open rather than focus ie VH4 , with less compressed on both 3rd and 4th channel but more saturated...
It be really awesome to hear on the Hagen really... thick saturated punchy less conpressed than VH4 and with the mids more pronounced than vh4 in a polite way... it would be my ticket !! But will the Hagen sound as tight as a herbert ? Or least a VH4 ?
I would also be on same boat as you... the VH4 3rd channel is only way to go... i also like the Herbert after few preamp tube swap... and i generally find the herbert has got way way tone of low dark mid and maybe due to KT77 nature it sound kinda mid deprived but in a good way...
I have no idea what you mean "bouncy" on the hagen... but if tge Hagen is going to be a tad more pronounced on the mid than VH4? Being more open rather than focus ie VH4 , with less compressed on both 3rd and 4th channel but more saturated...
It be really awesome to hear on the Hagen really... thick saturated punchy less conpressed than VH4 and with the mids more pronounced than vh4 in a polite way... it would be my ticket !! But will the Hagen sound as tight as a herbert ? Or least a VH4 ?
By bouncy I mean less tight and dry than VH4. Unkle Mo described it as rubbery. Similar in feel/tightness to Herbert but not as compressed, and yes the mids are more pronounced and rounder than a VH4, but the VH4 has a thicker sounding low-mid spectrum.
I feel like the VH4 is more articulate due to it’s dry stiffness.
I feel like the VH4 is more articulate due to it’s dry stiffness.
Ventura
Well-known member
Just read up and am only going to say what's already been said is pretty much bang on.
One of the biggest things I've come to realize is one can't truly appreciate what the Hagen is capable of via YouTube clips. The best I've seen that are all encompassing are by Josh Wibaut, maybe search him up. But even those are still leaving a touch to be desired as compared to the "real deal sitting in front eating my meal" kind of experience. There were a couple soundclouds too, I thought they were great considering they were "all" Hagen, below are the links (Engarn kicks ass here
https://soundcloud.com/engarn/diezel-hagen
https://soundcloud.com/engarn/diezel-hagen-test
Here's my take on the Hagen in a nutshell - can you believe Channel 3 is a fucking masterpiece yet I find myself in "heavy enough territory" with Ch.2 - fact. Channel 1 (clean) isn't just clean, it's got hair on it and is seriously beautiful. I'm a heavier player, but have found HOURS pass by with my just being on Channel 1 - go figure. Then Channel 4 - it's 100% complete and useful - not just a noisier more compressed gainier version of Ch.3 I play this amp ALL the time (and that's outside of the VH4 and D-Moll being ready for action any time). Now, tastes are personal - I can't tell someone they're fucked up if they don't like the Hagen - I can't say it's better than the Herbert - I can't say it's anything other than an amp that FOR ME is not just unique because it's a Diezel (offering that rubbery 3D bounce and punch), but it's unique within its own Diezel family lineage as it's not a mix of anything else. It's its own beast.
More open, more raw, bouncy, 3D, and the one thing I will repeat over and above the details described in above posts (thanks guys) is that with proper technique, it can be very percussive hard-hitting and "dry" like a VH4 death-palm-mute on Ch.2 and most certainly Ch.3 The other thing is it does NOT cover up slop. At all. It's so sensitive that a change in plectrum material is immediately noticeable. Those are the 2 characteristics I'll add to what's already been said or what can be brought up via "Search".
Might not be for everyone; but it's definitely for me. And the louder she goes (3 o'clock on channel, 1 o'clock onwards with MV) the more she opens up and just rips...but still holds tight, deep, crushing focus. It "blooms". That's it that's all
Peace
Unkle Mo
One of the biggest things I've come to realize is one can't truly appreciate what the Hagen is capable of via YouTube clips. The best I've seen that are all encompassing are by Josh Wibaut, maybe search him up. But even those are still leaving a touch to be desired as compared to the "real deal sitting in front eating my meal" kind of experience. There were a couple soundclouds too, I thought they were great considering they were "all" Hagen, below are the links (Engarn kicks ass here
https://soundcloud.com/engarn/diezel-hagen
https://soundcloud.com/engarn/diezel-hagen-test
Here's my take on the Hagen in a nutshell - can you believe Channel 3 is a fucking masterpiece yet I find myself in "heavy enough territory" with Ch.2 - fact. Channel 1 (clean) isn't just clean, it's got hair on it and is seriously beautiful. I'm a heavier player, but have found HOURS pass by with my just being on Channel 1 - go figure. Then Channel 4 - it's 100% complete and useful - not just a noisier more compressed gainier version of Ch.3 I play this amp ALL the time (and that's outside of the VH4 and D-Moll being ready for action any time). Now, tastes are personal - I can't tell someone they're fucked up if they don't like the Hagen - I can't say it's better than the Herbert - I can't say it's anything other than an amp that FOR ME is not just unique because it's a Diezel (offering that rubbery 3D bounce and punch), but it's unique within its own Diezel family lineage as it's not a mix of anything else. It's its own beast.
More open, more raw, bouncy, 3D, and the one thing I will repeat over and above the details described in above posts (thanks guys) is that with proper technique, it can be very percussive hard-hitting and "dry" like a VH4 death-palm-mute on Ch.2 and most certainly Ch.3 The other thing is it does NOT cover up slop. At all. It's so sensitive that a change in plectrum material is immediately noticeable. Those are the 2 characteristics I'll add to what's already been said or what can be brought up via "Search".
Might not be for everyone; but it's definitely for me. And the louder she goes (3 o'clock on channel, 1 o'clock onwards with MV) the more she opens up and just rips...but still holds tight, deep, crushing focus. It "blooms". That's it that's all
Peace
Unkle Mo
