vh4 vs. Hagen

What do you think is the difference soundwise?

I think many people prefer the vh4 because it is a classic and famous people use it, not because of the sound alone.
 
Hagen sits flat in between the VH4 and Herbert. It is more aggressive and raw than the polished crushing sound of the Herbert, but has some of the Herbert's sub bass low end characteristics. Hagen also has a better FX loop setup than the VH4. Hagen is better suited for low tuned guitars than the VH4 with how it's low end responds.

I personally think the VH4 and Hagen, head to head, the Hagen is a better amp. But I like that Herbert enfluenced bass too. The FX loop is a big deal to me with the VH4, as I don't use the channel inserts and I don't like Parallel loops and the fact that Peter opted to make the parallel loop switchable instead of the serial. But, the VH4 has a huge legacy behind it at this point and probably will maintain the #1 spot in the Diezel realm for a long time coming. Having all 3 heads at the same time, I sold the Hagen because in stereo I preferred the Herbert paired with the VH4 over the Hagen. But, if I were to play through just a single head I would take the Hagen over the VH4. It's a VH4 2.0 IMHO, but popularity would say otherwise.
 
The "magical" Ch3 of the VH4 is "magical" because it's what people have heard for the last 20 years from the VH4 and especially from big acts like Tool and Metallica. Hagen Ch3 is very similar, but not quite as aggressive and a bit more low bass.
 
If you say aggressive, I understand "more bite".
Even with the new Diezel videos on the page, I cannot really tell what's the difference.
I guess one has to play both side by side to find out.
 
Vin Diezel":1xm3y0ht said:
If you say aggressive, I understand "more bite".
Even with the new Diezel videos on the page, I cannot really tell what's the difference.
I guess one has to play both side by side to find out.
Essentially yes, I guess. Hagen is a terrific amp.
 
I've not played a VH4, but I have played a Hagen, D-Moll, and Herbert.

It may have been the cab I played it through (a Koch 4x12) but I didn't like the Herbert as much as the other two. It seemed scooped constantly, even with the midcut turned off and the mids cranked.

The D-Moll and Hagen are very similar for high-gain. But the Hagen has nicer cleans I think.

The D-Moll sounds good when tightened up with a tubescreamer type pedal, but the Hagen often doesn't need it. So I think the Hagen is a little tighter off the bat.
 
Ive played D-Moll, Herbert and VH4 but never side by side. The thing that strikes me about all Diezel amps is the punch and the clarity.
 
I have both. Which I prefer depends on context. Mainly guitar and band.

I prefer Hagen for classic rock tones and 'modern' heavy tones. Drop tuned to B or 7 string. It has more saturation on tap and the mids cut differently.

I prefer vh4 for more tool-ish type tones. Drop D, Db : Modern Metallica etc.

Both have good cleans but slight edge to Hagen for me.

Ch2 is a toss up. Vh4 blues edge Hagen for classic rock.

Ch4 I dont use much but both are great. Maybe edge to Hagen for me.

Best advice? Listen to videos and see which comes closer to what you want to hear. I've had tons of trials to see which I like better in given situations. Im starting a new project and going through the process all over again.

Best of luck, but you don't need it. They're both truly amazing amps.
 
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