As a german i like the diezel product names... Herbert was the name of my grandfather so i always smile when i hear somebody talking about how gnarly his Herbert is...😅
Own a VH2 with KT77 ....always dream of a VH4 until i change for 6L6 ( with tad 7025 in V1 ) ....not the same amp anymore ....so more low end , definition , clarity ....love my VH2 so much
This video demonstrates pretty well why I went with the vh4 and i think it's well worth the extra 1500 bucks even if you're never gonna use MIDI. Channel 2 of the vh4 doesn't really happen anywhere on the vh2
@jaykelley103 yeah, definitely, if that's all you wanna do, and you can afford to have a 3000 dollar amp just for that sound, more power to ya. but channel 1 and particularly 2 on the vh4 are super underrated. Everyone knows about 3, and 4 will get you that super modern, ultra compressed sound. It's the best amp I've ever played through, and there's not even a close 2nd place.
FLUFF!!!!! Thank you so much for doing this video. Being a fellow west coaster, Sacramento, without going down to LA, it has become impossible to hear some of these awesome German amps. You have covered some great Engls as well, and even the Shiva. Thank you sir. If you can get your hands on the Ecstacy 101B that would be equally amazing, either way though, much appreciated
The difference in overall frequency response is absolutely massive to the point if I'm wondering if that new VH4 as substantially different component values on the high tolerance parts.
Would love to see you kick the tires on an VHX as well. It's a really really flexible amp, and would seem to fit well with how you use your amps mostly hooked up to load boxes and IRs and whatnot since it integrates all that stuff onboard.
Yeah but the vhx doesn’t have a loadbox it’s just a preamp that bypasses the power amp. Something that was disappointing to me when I bought it since it was made to seem like it was one on some videos. The sound is very very different with the power amp engaged.
just ordered a VH2 from Thomann in Germany....just over $1700 with shipping to USA. will need to change the input voltage which seems pretty straightforward....
@@Jimmy-iu4qj Got it! took maybe a week to get to me here in USA (NC)....i took it to an amp tech and he felt a little guilty taking $80 to make the change cuz it was fairly simple and exactly like it shows in the Diezel service maunual online....Maybe a little risky ordering in this way but now....Es klingt verdammt großartig!
Thanks for the cool video, the VH2 seems a LOT brighter, all along the video I was think "when is he gonna back that presence/trebble down ???". The VH4 sounds warmer and fatter, but I'm sure the VH2 could get closer by backing off the trebble and presence !
For me, the Vh2 model it's perfect for live. More simple and less expensive. However, the VH4 for studio application it's way more versatile than the little brother. From the hard rock, to the modern Djent sound with unique style.
Myles Kennedy has started pairing a VH4 with his Herbert in Alter Bridge. Yeah, they were close, but every time you switched to the VH4 it sounded better.
🤦♂🤦♂ Your video was in my suggestions and queue so I hit play and went to get some grub.. and My dude... YOU had a nice 4th of July. LOL... he still lit and smoked out... giving us his heart while slurring his words and speaking slow... 😂😂 I was like man I got to get in there and see what's up with the FLuFF MEiSTeR 👇 👇 👇 👇 🤷♂🤷♂ apparently I'm the one that's a bit off today.. somehow my playback speed was at .5 .... THESE DANG KIDS lol! BONUS : It did help me to notice/realize how awesome you are at muting unwanted string noise!!
That deep difference is 100% a capacitor value difference.. and it's in the EQ stage and the depth setting in the power stage. I don't know why diezel thinks that ++bass is good (maybe the vh2 was released at the same time as the beats by dre eatbuds/headphones
Some older ones came with a 0.1uF cap. They have way more depth than the newer ones. Does that 0.1uF cap make the amp mushy? More depth = better or worse tone? Its all up to personal taste. If im not mistaken, 0.68uF is a kind of “standard”!? Not sure tho.
Awesome vid per usual. Question for you. I’m a big Diezel fan and owned a Hagen with the Diezel K100 front load…..awesome amp but unfortunately had to let ago. I’ve been thinking of getting a VH2 and this vid helps confirm that. The question…..is the VH2 slightly less compressed than the VH4? It sounds like it might be in this vid. The Hagen was definitely less compressed. Just curious. Thanks for having this channel! !
To my ears, the VH4 always have sounded like they have way too much crossover distortion so it sounds like one's playing out of blown up speakers. I dont know if it has to do with the configuration of the tube bias, but it's way too jaring.
I thought the VH-2 was ch3 of the VH-4, but with channel 1 of the Paul, not VH-4. So that might be why the channel 1s seem to match less. Never owned a VH-4. Tried one in the shop but went with the Herbert in the end. Then later decided to buy a Hagen about 10 years later, which I just love to bits. With the kinda music I play I really need 3 channels - something clean, something a bit crunchy and something big and heavy, sometimes with middle channel tickled with a bit of extra overdrive to give me 2 flavours of medium gain. So the VH-2’s stripped down vibe is too little for me, and I use the extra switching, midi control and solo boosts. Used to (well, still do) use ch3 of the Herbert for heavy rhythm as I need ch2 in the minus mode for the bluesy stuff and +/- isn’t remotely switchable in the older Herberts. Not only do I slightly prefer the ch3 of Hagen to the Herbert for my heavy rhythm style, I then get the bonus 4th channel if I want higher gain more compressed leads if I want (as well as usual solo boost functions on any channel). The tone of the Herbert may be slightly better for certain types of metal, and it’s undeniable the 6 output tubes give it a sum-remember amount of punch the Hagen can’t quite match. But for my personal tastes and music, I’m a Hagen lover (although would love to try a VHX). For years people were saying they want a stripped down version of the VH-4, and other people saying they want a low wattage one. Not for me, gimme all the bells and whistles and all the power! 🤘🏻🔊
Oh man this video is dangerous for me. I'm a Tool fan and recently got myself a used VH2. If the VH4's channel 3 is much better than the VH2's channel 2, I'm gonna cry. Edit: Damn ... I guess one kidney has gotta go! I read you can live quite fine with only one kidney. 🤷♂☠
There are pictures floating around from a vh4 previously owned by Adam with his settings marked on. If those really are his setting, then obviously VH2 needs to be set differently. With those settings VH2 is really bass heavy and flubby. Not that i’m after anyone else’s tone, but my tonal preference is in the ball park. Same thing you can notice here. I reduced the nfb on mine and now it’s fucking ace.
@@vl292 I own both a VH2 and VH4 now. The VH2 is different and needed a bit more gain in my case. Other than that they are pretty close to one another. But the VH4's brown sauce on top of the mashed potatoes is definitely thicker!
@@fraenkiboii Yes, more is more with VH2, apart from the lowend. I'm waiting the kt77s to die to justify the switch to EL34, but those are seriously rugged tubes. Briefly already tried with EL34 and I think that's the way to go. Are you running the same tubes in both?
Diezel was smart on this VH2. Basically, ch1 and ch2 of vh4 = ch1 on the vh2, and then vh2 2nd chanel = chanel 3 and 4 of the vh4. Let's be honest live musicians especially in the metalsphere don't need 4 chanels, he'll even 2 is sometimes too much
I've never tried real VH4/VH2 but based on yt-videos, there's something about the gain structure that I can't really like. (I might be able to set it up to my liking.)
I'm actually amazed at how little low end your VH4 seems to have here. If i dime the deep on mine it has so much low, sluggish end that it almost makes cabs fart out. And i mean that in a good way it jas a very wide anf usable low end. But yours here doesn't seem to have that.
I really don't think either of them sound good. About half way through I was thinking about turning the video off because of how rough it sounded. Im listening on Kali studio monitors.
@@RiffsAndBeards haha nothing against you fluff, love your videos! Keep up the amazing work! Just watched your Soldano SLO 100 video and was like oh yeah thats what im missing in my life.
the 2 is spiky as hell compared to the 4, not necessarily in a bad way, but the 4 is better. but good lord that is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on an amp haha!
That would be a good shootout. The VH2 is really versatile. IMO, and because I like the scooped Fender clean, the VH2 has a better clean channel, But you can’t go wrong with either one.
Another demo where the amp isn't going through actual speakers, meaning we're just hearing a digital recreation. I'd need to hear it through a cabinet to make any kind of assessment. There's no way all that digital impulse gear isn't coloring the tone, plus, if you're going to buy an amp this big and expensive, I would sure hope it's going to get taken out of the bedroom occasionally.
@@johnbach2380 Sigh. I don't know if you're trolling or what but I wouldn't have made my initial post if I couldn't hear the difference. Sorry if your ears can't pick up on it. I have no idea how old you are but I'm 48 and I've been playing through real amps all my life. But I do recognize that there's a couple generations behind me at this point me for whom 95% guitar playing is through headphones in the bedroom. Which is fine. But it does means you don't even know what you're missing.
@@aldersmoke1 The fact that everyone fails a blind test makes me stick to my guns. I own real amps. Diezels, Soldanos, ENGLs, mesas, friedman. You're complaining about IRs coloring with their digitalness when you're listening to digital files...
I love how the vh2 seems to have more life to it, a bit tighter and a little less compressed to my ears anyway. The vh4 still sounds great but the vh2 would take my money
Not quite. According to the Diezel website and some youtube videos by Peter, the VH2's channel 1 sounds like the Paul's channel 1. From the website: "CH1 = Paul’s CH1 / CH2 = VH4’s CH3"
The sweep of channel 1 is alot like the lil fokker they used to make (the original Vh2) the crunch is in channel 1 of the vh2 not the 2nd channel. Dime the gain in channel 1 and watch it overdrive.
Sounds like a 5150 that went to college
HAHAHA
to the school of rock....
I love this! 😂
As a german i like the diezel product names... Herbert was the name of my grandfather so i always smile when i hear somebody talking about how gnarly his Herbert is...😅
Herbert was Peter's dad. He was supposedly a pretty gnarly guy, and very loud. so it's befitting lol
Now we need a Diesel Herbert on the channel lol!
Own a VH2 with KT77 ....always dream of a VH4 until i change for 6L6 ( with tad 7025 in V1 ) ....not the same amp anymore ....so more low end , definition , clarity ....love my VH2 so much
I wonder if Fluff could dial in a nice clean tone if he had a gun pointed at his head. Haha. The gain stuff sounded great though!
I can wander around the neighborhood now and the dogs stopped barking at me.... HI YAW!!!
This video demonstrates pretty well why I went with the vh4 and i think it's well worth the extra 1500 bucks even if you're never gonna use MIDI.
Channel 2 of the vh4 doesn't really happen anywhere on the vh2
Yeah the vh2 seems to be for people who just want that channel 3 Tool sound
@jaykelley103 yeah, definitely, if that's all you wanna do, and you can afford to have a 3000 dollar amp just for that sound, more power to ya. but channel 1 and particularly 2 on the vh4 are super underrated. Everyone knows about 3, and 4 will get you that super modern, ultra compressed sound.
It's the best amp I've ever played through, and there's not even a close 2nd place.
FLUFF!!!!! Thank you so much for doing this video. Being a fellow west coaster, Sacramento, without going down to LA, it has become impossible to hear some of these awesome German amps. You have covered some great Engls as well, and even the Shiva. Thank you sir. If you can get your hands on the Ecstacy 101B that would be equally amazing, either way though, much appreciated
The difference in overall frequency response is absolutely massive to the point if I'm wondering if that new VH4 as substantially different component values on the high tolerance parts.
Thats almost eq'ing by distortion. I love how in your face the sound is at any tone stack setting. Gnarly but never too harsh
Would love to see you kick the tires on an VHX as well. It's a really really flexible amp, and would seem to fit well with how you use your amps mostly hooked up to load boxes and IRs and whatnot since it integrates all that stuff onboard.
Yeah but the vhx doesn’t have a loadbox it’s just a preamp that bypasses the power amp. Something that was disappointing to me when I bought it since it was made to seem like it was one on some videos. The sound is very very different with the power amp engaged.
@@AutopsySuiteable Oooooh is that right, I didn't know that. Good info.
Love when the videos drop!
I love the chuggernaut update from Discord letting me know he’s got something going on.
me: I want a VH-2
also me: looks at Axe-Fx III, Fryette 2/90/2, and MESA 412
me: I still want a VH2
just ordered a VH2 from Thomann in Germany....just over $1700 with shipping to USA. will need to change the input voltage which seems pretty straightforward....
How would you go about changing the input voltage? I was thinking about ordering one from Germany because of how much cheaper it is
@@Jimmy-iu4qj Got it! took maybe a week to get to me here in USA (NC)....i took it to an amp tech and he felt a little guilty taking $80 to make the change cuz it was fairly simple and exactly like it shows in the Diezel service maunual online....Maybe a little risky ordering in this way but now....Es klingt verdammt großartig!
Thanks for the cool video, the VH2 seems a LOT brighter, all along the video I was think "when is he gonna back that presence/trebble down ???". The VH4 sounds warmer and fatter, but I'm sure the VH2 could get closer by backing off the trebble and presence !
Fluff, get yourself a Diezel Paul - More your flavour of the week. 🎉
I’d like to see you compare one of these with the Diezel VHX, I haven’t seen anyone do it.
3:00 "Just a stock, regular" $3500 guitar. 😐
Affects playability not sound
For me, the Vh2 model it's perfect for live. More simple and less expensive. However, the VH4 for studio application it's way more versatile than the little brother. From the hard rock, to the modern Djent sound with unique style.
Love your vids fluff
Myles Kennedy has started pairing a VH4 with his Herbert in Alter Bridge.
Yeah, they were close, but every time you switched to the VH4 it sounded better.
Hey guys lets make the subjective objective!
I hope to someday reach the level of this, right now I can only shootout $17.00 drive pedals😂 you are the best🍺
Been a while since I caught one of your vids dude you're looking so great! Keep up the great work dude 🤙
nice chug!
Wasn't expecting to like the VH2 quite a bit more.
🤦♂🤦♂ Your video was in my suggestions and queue so I hit play and went to get some grub.. and My dude... YOU had a nice 4th of July. LOL... he still lit and smoked out... giving us his heart while slurring his words and speaking slow... 😂😂 I was like man I got to get in there and see what's up with the FLuFF MEiSTeR
👇 👇 👇 👇
🤷♂🤷♂ apparently I'm the one that's a bit off today.. somehow my playback speed was at .5 .... THESE DANG KIDS lol!
BONUS : It did help me to notice/realize how awesome you are at muting unwanted string noise!!
I'VE BEEN WONDERFUL HELLL YEAH.
VH4 all-day!
That deep difference is 100% a capacitor value difference.. and it's in the EQ stage and the depth setting in the power stage.
I don't know why diezel thinks that ++bass is good (maybe the vh2 was released at the same time as the beats by dre eatbuds/headphones
Some older ones came with a 0.1uF cap. They have way more depth than the newer ones. Does that 0.1uF cap make the amp mushy? More depth = better or worse tone? Its all up to personal taste. If im not mistaken, 0.68uF is a kind of “standard”!? Not sure tho.
The VH2 sounded more modern and bass heavy than the VH4. I would use both for different tones If I had them.
Ooooooooooooh that VH2 sounds so damn good
Are you using a load box?
Because the low end of the vh4 with a real cab is insane.
Great video Fluff. I love my 2014 VH4. What power tubes are in both the VH2 and the new VH4 you just got?
KT77’s
@@RiffsAndBeards Awesome! I was wondering because I know Peter has done some newer VH4’s with 6L6’s and EL34’s.
@@vogtgrant1yes mine came with el34s brand new
ENGL, Diezel, Larry Dino...German Jewels to the music world!
VH2 is better for me :)
Awesome vid per usual. Question for you. I’m a big Diezel fan and owned a Hagen with the Diezel K100 front load…..awesome amp but unfortunately had to let ago. I’ve been thinking of getting a VH2 and this vid helps confirm that. The question…..is the VH2 slightly less compressed than the VH4? It sounds like it might be in this vid. The Hagen was definitely less compressed. Just curious. Thanks for having this channel! !
it is ....but if you really want to open it more change power tubes to 6L6
I love my VH4. It has sauce.
How would you compare Engl to Diesel? As far a heavy chugging?
To my ears, the VH4 always have sounded like they have way too much crossover distortion so it sounds like one's playing out of blown up speakers. I dont know if it has to do with the configuration of the tube bias, but it's way too jaring.
Great shootout, VH4 for me! What device are you using for switching between amps?
N-audio 8X7 Amp Cabinet Switcher. You can check it out here: n-audio.net/8x7-amp-cabinet-switcher/
Idk remember the name but he literally says what it is at the beginning
Anyway, great demo Ryan, there's no way my vh4 sound this bright in a good way with ch.3 eq at 2 and deep on full. It'll never happens.
I thought the VH-2 was ch3 of the VH-4, but with channel 1 of the Paul, not VH-4. So that might be why the channel 1s seem to match less. Never owned a VH-4. Tried one in the shop but went with the Herbert in the end. Then later decided to buy a Hagen about 10 years later, which I just love to bits. With the kinda music I play I really need 3 channels - something clean, something a bit crunchy and something big and heavy, sometimes with middle channel tickled with a bit of extra overdrive to give me 2 flavours of medium gain. So the VH-2’s stripped down vibe is too little for me, and I use the extra switching, midi control and solo boosts. Used to (well, still do) use ch3 of the Herbert for heavy rhythm as I need ch2 in the minus mode for the bluesy stuff and +/- isn’t remotely switchable in the older Herberts. Not only do I slightly prefer the ch3 of Hagen to the Herbert for my heavy rhythm style, I then get the bonus 4th channel if I want higher gain more compressed leads if I want (as well as usual solo boost functions on any channel). The tone of the Herbert may be slightly better for certain types of metal, and it’s undeniable the 6 output tubes give it a sum-remember amount of punch the Hagen can’t quite match. But for my personal tastes and music, I’m a Hagen lover (although would love to try a VHX). For years people were saying they want a stripped down version of the VH-4, and other people saying they want a low wattage one. Not for me, gimme all the bells and whistles and all the power! 🤘🏻🔊
Which cab do you use ?
Poor Fluff fell on hard times now he has to size up those cheap Diezel amps, I'll take them if sweet water doesn't want them back. Thanks Fluff
Oh man this video is dangerous for me. I'm a Tool fan and recently got myself a used VH2. If the VH4's channel 3 is much better than the VH2's channel 2, I'm gonna cry. Edit: Damn ... I guess one kidney has gotta go! I read you can live quite fine with only one kidney. 🤷♂☠
The vh2 100% does the AJ thang. Just gotta work with it and get used to it.
There are pictures floating around from a vh4 previously owned by Adam with his settings marked on. If those really are his setting, then obviously VH2 needs to be set differently. With those settings VH2 is really bass heavy and flubby. Not that i’m after anyone else’s tone, but my tonal preference is in the ball park. Same thing you can notice here. I reduced the nfb on mine and now it’s fucking ace.
@@vl292 I own both a VH2 and VH4 now. The VH2 is different and needed a bit more gain in my case. Other than that they are pretty close to one another. But the VH4's brown sauce on top of the mashed potatoes is definitely thicker!
@@fraenkiboii Yes, more is more with VH2, apart from the lowend. I'm waiting the kt77s to die to justify the switch to EL34, but those are seriously rugged tubes. Briefly already tried with EL34 and I think that's the way to go. Are you running the same tubes in both?
@@vl292 I've got KT77s in the VH2 and EL34s in the VH4. Which is a bummer, because I **think** I prefer the KT77s
Nice video
I spy a Pepsi bezel. Nice one.
It’s just a Seiko haha
Diezel was smart on this VH2. Basically, ch1 and ch2 of vh4 = ch1 on the vh2, and then vh2 2nd chanel = chanel 3 and 4 of the vh4. Let's be honest live musicians especially in the metalsphere don't need 4 chanels, he'll even 2 is sometimes too much
4500? Whoa, that's ridiculous
I've never tried real VH4/VH2 but based on yt-videos, there's something about the gain structure that I can't really like. (I might be able to set it up to my liking.)
You gotta back off the treble/presence on the VH2 to get the same sauce as the VH4.
I'm actually amazed at how little low end your VH4 seems to have here. If i dime the deep on mine it has so much low, sluggish end that it almost makes cabs fart out. And i mean that in a good way it jas a very wide anf usable low end.
But yours here doesn't seem to have that.
Is yours an earlier one? The 90s and early 00s ones are a bit darker and smoother. The 01 I used to have had crazy low end
The JCM800 2203 wins.
It's only four channels, with a switch for a different routing that doesn't make it eight channels, am I right?! I don't know. Namastè.
I don’t trust anyone nicknamed “Fluff”
Just call yourself Meth.
sound similar to 6505 or 5150 to me
I really don't think either of them sound good. About half way through I was thinking about turning the video off because of how rough it sounded. Im listening on Kali studio monitors.
🤷🏼
What's a "good" sounding amp to you for reference?
@@RiffsAndBeards haha nothing against you fluff, love your videos! Keep up the amazing work! Just watched your Soldano SLO 100 video and was like oh yeah thats what im missing in my life.
@@DirtyDemos Im currently playing a Orange Rockerverb 100 MKIII boosted with an Xotic RC Booster.
They are known for raw, raunchy roughness
the 2 is spiky as hell compared to the 4, not necessarily in a bad way, but the 4 is better. but good lord that is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on an amp haha!
VH2 = N O gain.
VH4 SOUNDS EASIER TO MIX IN.
i think your watch may have scratched your guitar
Keep the vh4, toss everything else.
🤘🏼
Are they really worth the 3000 to 4500 new price tags? 🤔
Yes. They are worth every penny.
Yes for sure. Herbert is amazing as well.
These amps are like having several tube amps crammed into one.
Not anymore
Paul wouldn't pay retail, he knows the components total about 643.00 bucks all together.
I would rather spend 500 more and get a Bogner uber ultra that has more versatility to it over the VH2.
That would be a good shootout. The VH2 is really versatile. IMO, and because I like the scooped Fender clean, the VH2 has a better clean channel, But you can’t go wrong with either one.
In Europe Uber Ultras are mad expensive. Like 1.5k more than even a CH4
Another demo where the amp isn't going through actual speakers, meaning we're just hearing a digital recreation. I'd need to hear it through a cabinet to make any kind of assessment. There's no way all that digital impulse gear isn't coloring the tone, plus, if you're going to buy an amp this big and expensive, I would sure hope it's going to get taken out of the bedroom occasionally.
You're listening to a digital file on compressed TH-cam 😂
@@johnbach2380 Sure am. That doesn't mean I can't still hear the difference.
@@aldersmoke1 sure you can.
@@johnbach2380 Sigh. I don't know if you're trolling or what but I wouldn't have made my initial post if I couldn't hear the difference. Sorry if your ears can't pick up on it. I have no idea how old you are but I'm 48 and I've been playing through real amps all my life. But I do recognize that there's a couple generations behind me at this point me for whom 95% guitar playing is through headphones in the bedroom. Which is fine. But it does means you don't even know what you're missing.
@@aldersmoke1 The fact that everyone fails a blind test makes me stick to my guns.
I own real amps. Diezels, Soldanos, ENGLs, mesas, friedman.
You're complaining about IRs coloring with their digitalness when you're listening to digital files...
Adam Jones approved
I love how the vh2 seems to have more life to it, a bit tighter and a little less compressed to my ears anyway. The vh4 still sounds great but the vh2 would take my money
You are fussing over the same circuit.
When are you gonna start shaving your head? It’s almost that time fluff….
Let this man have his big forehead
@@DerSilvano I just want him to experience the free feeling of accepting your baldness
In theory channel 1 of the VH2 should be Ch1 and 2 of the VH2. That's why you have more gain on the vh2. Love my 2015 vh4 so much.
Not quite. According to the Diezel website and some youtube videos by Peter, the VH2's channel 1 sounds like the Paul's channel 1.
From the website: "CH1 = Paul’s CH1 / CH2 = VH4’s CH3"
The sweep of channel 1 is alot like the lil fokker they used to make (the original Vh2) the crunch is in channel 1 of the vh2 not the 2nd channel. Dime the gain in channel 1 and watch it overdrive.
@@sebastienruesch6350 exactly what I meant.
Vh4 is just clearer and maybe high definition would be my words.