Thanks for a great walk-through. A VH4S (the stereo version) has been my main amp since the mid noughties… and I still LOVE it! IMHO, people constantly underestimate the clean and lightly distorted tones of the VH4 - the GREAT tones of channel 3 are as advertised and channel 4 (generally) surprises by being less usable than people expect - the high gain leads are glorious, though. However, channels 1 and 2 are truly excellent and the entire package still about at as versatile as tube amps get. All in all, I’m closing in on 20 years of Diezel VH4S ownership - and it’s still VERY much a keeper!
I must say, you boys are quickly becoming my favorite channel on TH-cam. It's really great to see so many classic and legendary amps, well recorded, with different players/styles/guitars! One thing was the text that popped up during the Lamb of Zen section about how well they sit in the mix given how thick sounding they are. I was just wondering that myself! Normally in a recording scenario I would've thought it would need a healthy dose of HPF to sit in the mix double tracked and not mask the drums and bass. Sorcery! I think I'm about to pull the trigger on one of these heads. Thanks again for the solid demo!
Thanks for the loyal viewership! Yep thickness can be a problem but some amps seem to sit better in the mix than others, even when isolated they seem similarly 'large'. Really depends on the bass and kick of course, and the tuning too.
i had to chuckle when i first saw the amp-settings for the Full Mix Playthrough. I use the exact same ones on the pre and post EQ for my Diezels. Just with a boost in front to get them tight, and less gain on the amp respectively.
@@zenamplification i started out with the classic Maxon OD9, like probably every metal-guitar player. however i wanted a more modern sound (a bit tighter). i found out that (my) Diezel amps are not the biggest fans of Grind/33-Type pedals, as they can overload the input and make the amp sag out or just not sound as good (limited controls make it tough to fine-tune those pedals to the amp). i finally tried the MXR M77, that is somewhat similar to a TS/SD1 but with an added 100Hz-control to finetune that massive lowend. This poti also helps shaping how "modern" you want the sound to be, as its sits right around that chuggy palm mute area of frequencies. In my ears it also lacks that TS-typical dry through, that is so well liked about the TS, just not my thing. I've been using it for years now, and i even leave it on for clean-ish single note stuff, to make it cut through the band-mix better. The pedal works with other amps that i've tried as well i.e. Peavey 6505, Marshall 800-style amps (those especially profit from that switchable low-mid shift). Never tried it through a Recto, doubt it'd suck though. Excuse my long-winding answer.
@@aaaargl plus 1 for MXR M77 here. I've had one for years, but not used it much. I finally dug it out again after not being able to get the sound I was after with my Tube Screamer clone. The M77 gives my Studio Jubilee the push and girth I've not been able to dial in with the amps eq alone. It might just be my guitars, but I find the amp really bright and dry so the pedal does help heaps. Wish I'd tried it sooner really...
My main Quad Cortex presets are based off a Diezel VH4, one hell of an amp and once I played it I quickly understood why so many use it. To me it's as if Mesa and Marshall had a baby, it's name is Diezel! ha!
Since you include the master section settings but not the master volume i quess we are suppose to assume it's 2 or less right? 2 1/2 -3 onward the MV is another gain knob and where it's set matters....that's a pet peeve of mine though....otherwise good vid
Very similar to the Herbert MkIII but not quite as tight (using Lamb of Zen as my A/B to compare). At least that's how it sounds to me. How different are they under the covers?
Woah, I’ve loved your videos, but this one made me consider selling my Bogner Ecstasy and Silver Jubilee to get a VH4. So please record those two amps to help me change my mind. 😂 Though the VH4 would be a fantastic companion to my Diezel Paul.
It’s funny how gear fashion trends influence people. Everyone is so obsessed with the mesa oversized cab with the V30s but I remember back when rectifiers became really popular the preferred combo was having the head with a Marshall 1960a. The Marshall cab sounds so much better than the V30 cabs, it’s got a fuller tone. We’ve gone from scooping mids to cutting bass, it’s just gear fashion imo
Knowing the quality of these reviews, I knew this test was going either confirm or nullify the VH4-hype and in my opinion....I reckon it's confirmed. I really wanted to know if the amp could 'Holt' and 'Shuck' and to my surprise it does these well. It's not the amp I would choose for my specific tastes as the BE100 is still my preferred for cleans, classic rock, high gain rock, early - pre MESA Mark series - thrash and the Wizard MTL for modern metal, but if the budget permitted I would purchase it for it's unique tone; channel 3 sound enjoyable. Another popular opinion I wanted challenged, was that the 'VH4 needs to be played through a front-loaded Diezel cabinet': this opinion has been busted unless a front-load Diezel cabinet has some remarkable effect on its tone. Excellent review! Looking forward to Part II.
Heavier gain settings just sound the same.. its the in between clean dirty where you can tell the difference and where the notes bloom between axe fx and VH4.
@@zenamplification I never saw this reply . I have a 79 Sb , like I said this one hasn’t yellowed and you said it’s a recent refinish . So it’s a modern one sprayed with nitro ? Hope you hit me back I’m curious
Thanks for a great walk-through. A VH4S (the stereo version) has been my main amp since the mid noughties… and I still LOVE it! IMHO, people constantly underestimate the clean and lightly distorted tones of the VH4 - the GREAT tones of channel 3 are as advertised and channel 4 (generally) surprises by being less usable than people expect - the high gain leads are glorious, though. However, channels 1 and 2 are truly excellent and the entire package still about at as versatile as tube amps get. All in all, I’m closing in on 20 years of Diezel VH4S ownership - and it’s still VERY much a keeper!
Amazing demo of one of the best amps ever made! So versatile that everyone from Metallica, to Tool, to John Fogerty played one!
I must say, you boys are quickly becoming my favorite channel on TH-cam. It's really great to see so many classic and legendary amps, well recorded, with different players/styles/guitars! One thing was the text that popped up during the Lamb of Zen section about how well they sit in the mix given how thick sounding they are. I was just wondering that myself! Normally in a recording scenario I would've thought it would need a healthy dose of HPF to sit in the mix double tracked and not mask the drums and bass. Sorcery! I think I'm about to pull the trigger on one of these heads. Thanks again for the solid demo!
Thanks for the loyal viewership! Yep thickness can be a problem but some amps seem to sit better in the mix than others, even when isolated they seem similarly 'large'. Really depends on the bass and kick of course, and the tuning too.
The VH4 is sort of the St Anger tone, but with a more up-tuned guitar it sounds less so. Great great sounds! Also Syu from Galneryus
This Diezel sounds really good for heavy tones.......... nice review and great playing, my goodness!!
Thanks for stopping by - have a very Zen day 🤘
first time that I heat a clip of the 75's that I freaking love!
Yeah those old ones actually sound great. They changed the voicing of them significantly (for the worse) at some point in the early 90's, no idea why.
Wow, awesome! Best amp demos ever!!
Everyone talks about ch3 but 4 is where I live on the vh4 v2 pedal. Every time I hear 4 on this amp it blows me away.
I thought it was just me, the ch4 sounds the best
i had to chuckle when i first saw the amp-settings for the Full Mix Playthrough.
I use the exact same ones on the pre and post EQ for my Diezels. Just with a boost in front to get them tight, and less gain on the amp respectively.
Clearly a man of good taste!
Actually out of interest what boost do you like?
@@zenamplification i started out with the classic Maxon OD9, like probably every metal-guitar player. however i wanted a more modern sound (a bit tighter). i found out that (my) Diezel amps are not the biggest fans of Grind/33-Type pedals, as they can overload the input and make the amp sag out or just not sound as good (limited controls make it tough to fine-tune those pedals to the amp).
i finally tried the MXR M77, that is somewhat similar to a TS/SD1 but with an added 100Hz-control to finetune that massive lowend. This poti also helps shaping how "modern" you want the sound to be, as its sits right around that chuggy palm mute area of frequencies. In my ears it also lacks that TS-typical dry through, that is so well liked about the TS, just not my thing.
I've been using it for years now, and i even leave it on for clean-ish single note stuff, to make it cut through the band-mix better.
The pedal works with other amps that i've tried as well i.e. Peavey 6505, Marshall 800-style amps (those especially profit from that switchable low-mid shift).
Never tried it through a Recto, doubt it'd suck though.
Excuse my long-winding answer.
MXR M77, not Maxon. Edited
@@aaaargl plus 1 for MXR M77 here. I've had one for years, but not used it much. I finally dug it out again after not being able to get the sound I was after with my Tube Screamer clone. The M77 gives my Studio Jubilee the push and girth I've not been able to dial in with the amps eq alone. It might just be my guitars, but I find the amp really bright and dry so the pedal does help heaps. Wish I'd tried it sooner really...
First song sounds like i am broken and rosetta stone mixed…great demo
Great clips. CH4 gain at about 11 seems to be the sweet spot I've found too. It can get into too much saturation higher than that.
Yeah an incredible amount of gain on ch 4, even for us!
I have this amp. It doesn’t cut through as well as a Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ without a boost engaged. But the lead tone is amazing
My main Quad Cortex presets are based off a Diezel VH4, one hell of an amp and once I played it I quickly understood why so many use it. To me it's as if Mesa and Marshall had a baby, it's name is Diezel! ha!
I’ve been wondering about good quad cortex vh4 presets for the QC. Do you know of any on the cloud or is yours?
I need a VH4 in my life.
Do it, you deserve it!
Chug comparison #1 (James' Fury):
- Wizard MTL: th-cam.com/video/W2spvokbK6M/w-d-xo.html
- Diezel VH4:* th-cam.com/video/EaV8AjiupDI/w-d-xo.html
- Diezel Herbert:* th-cam.com/video/YLW2WGEODLc/w-d-xo.html
- Bogner Uberschall Rev Blue: th-cam.com/video/eoYfea_AT88/w-d-xo.html
Chug comparison #2 (Lamb of Zen):
- Wizard MTL: th-cam.com/video/W2spvokbK6M/w-d-xo.html
- Diezel VH4:* th-cam.com/video/EaV8AjiupDI/w-d-xo.html
- Diezel Herbert:* th-cam.com/video/YLW2WGEODLc/w-d-xo.html
- Bogner Uberschall Rev Blue: th-cam.com/video/eoYfea_AT88/w-d-xo.html
* Slight clipping of converters or mic pre on the Diezel tracks, unfortunately.
The tone at 10:24 is godly
Since you include the master section settings but not the master volume i quess we are suppose to assume it's 2 or less right? 2 1/2 -3 onward the MV is another gain knob and where it's set matters....that's a pet peeve of mine though....otherwise good vid
Very similar to the Herbert MkIII but not quite as tight (using Lamb of Zen as my A/B to compare). At least that's how it sounds to me. How different are they under the covers?
Yep pretty much, is a little less modern than the Herbert in general.
What can't this amp do?
Make my morning coffee
Woah, I’ve loved your videos, but this one made me consider selling my Bogner Ecstasy and Silver Jubilee to get a VH4. So please record those two amps to help me change my mind. 😂 Though the VH4 would be a fantastic companion to my Diezel Paul.
Both are planned, not enough hours in the week lately!
It’s funny how gear fashion trends influence people. Everyone is so obsessed with the mesa oversized cab with the V30s but I remember back when rectifiers became really popular the preferred combo was having the head with a Marshall 1960a. The Marshall cab sounds so much better than the V30 cabs, it’s got a fuller tone. We’ve gone from scooping mids to cutting bass, it’s just gear fashion imo
I am the REAL Leon Todd! The man they have portrayed on this channel is an IMPOSTER! AN IMPOSTER I SAY!
Leave AI Leon alone, he's doing an incredible job.
Knowing the quality of these reviews, I knew this test was going either confirm or nullify the VH4-hype and in my opinion....I reckon it's confirmed. I really wanted to know if the amp could 'Holt' and 'Shuck' and to my surprise it does these well. It's not the amp I would choose for my specific tastes as the BE100 is still my preferred for cleans, classic rock, high gain rock, early - pre MESA Mark series - thrash and the Wizard MTL for modern metal, but if the budget permitted I would purchase it for it's unique tone; channel 3 sound enjoyable.
Another popular opinion I wanted challenged, was that the 'VH4 needs to be played through a front-loaded Diezel cabinet': this opinion has been busted unless a front-load Diezel cabinet has some remarkable effect on its tone.
Excellent review! Looking forward to Part II.
Great clips! What year is the VH4?
Will have to check, we think early 2000’s.
So do you feel the guitar better with the VH4 vs your Axe FX? $2500 difference in pricing
Heavier gain settings just sound the same.. its the in between clean dirty where you can tell the difference and where the notes bloom between axe fx and VH4.
What year is that silverburst ?
Hasn’t yellowed too much
It’s a recent refin.
@@zenamplification
I never saw this reply . I have a 79 Sb , like I said this one hasn’t yellowed and you said it’s a recent refinish .
So it’s a modern one sprayed with nitro ? Hope you hit me back I’m curious
1990 model. Yep nitro refin and very light relic by a talented local luthier.
Will it “shuck?” What does that mean?
th-cam.com/video/efX3hg2tTxo/w-d-xo.html 🤘🏼
Is this the 6l6 or el34?
KT77
❤
Do the vh4 pedal for us plebs haha
Send us one and we will!
Adam Jones is great!
Agreed 🤘
Because of the sag, I find the Hagen does Tool better than the VH4. Go figure.
Haven't tried that model, looks interesting.