Finally played some Diezels for the 1st time

VH4+Diezel 4x12:
At last, I get to experience VH4's ch3.
A bit darker than I would have liked, but playing riffs on it was very satisfying, aggressive and huge but not too extreme.
To tell you the truth, I get what the fuss is about the ch3 but... wasn't really "take my money now!" blown away by it, still a very cool overdrive tone. Ch2 had some nice mid gain crunch which was totally useable, the ch4 was quite saturated. I wish they had a VH2 in stock for me to try. VH2 might have been more to my liking with simple design for less $.


Herbert MKII+Diezel 4x12:
This amp is punchy and aggressive with high gain. Contrary to people saying this amp sounds great at low volume, I felt this amp needed some volume to sound good. At low volume it sounded dark and not as inspiring, with some volume it was roaring like an angry beast. Mid cut feature was a very useful and fun feature to shape the tone with. Herbert definitely has the right voicing for metal players, but I felt it didn't perform as nicely as VH4 on mid gain tone.


D Moll+Diezel 2x12:
I've actually played and was impressed by D Moll before... so not the 1st time playing it.
People say D Moll is like Herbert's little brother, well I felt I connected better with the little brother.
The tone is a bit more tame than Herbert, still killer lead, clean and mid gain tone. It just made me spend more time playing on it than the other amps which is saying something. Really wish they had a Paul in stock as I would have loved to compare it next to D Moll but I figured mid cut >> digital reverb.

They also had a Hagen but I just didn't have any time left to try it.

In the end I ordered a D Moll, will see if it's a keeper... or I might search for a deal on a VH2.

Awesome. Owned all the ones you played.
Still own the D-moll. It’s really versatile just gotta dial it in and play with it.
Really sensitive though. So smallest turns makes huge difference.
Congrats on this one

I've never dug any of them. Even played the dude from Weezer's amp which was supposed to be one of the Grail vh4s meh!

I've never played one, but have this on its way...

Jeff Hilligan":369oxbg6 said:

I've never dug any of them. Even played the dude from Weezer's amp which was supposed to be one of the Grail vh4s meh!

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I'm with ya...I get it, they have nice clarity and thump, and really define a nice modern tone...I'm just not into modern tones. I can see why guys dig them if they're not into Marshall type tones.

Mailman1971":koclsecw said:

Awesome. Owned all the ones you played.
Still own the D-moll. It’s really versatile just gotta dial it in and play with it.
Really sensitive though. So smallest turns makes huge difference.
Congrats on this one

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Thanks, I hope I can bond with this one nicely.

Racerxrated":koclsecw said:

Jeff Hilligan":koclsecw said:

I've never dug any of them. Even played the dude from Weezer's amp which was supposed to be one of the Grail vh4s meh!

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I'm with ya...I get it, they have nice clarity and thump, and really define a nice modern tone...I'm just not into modern tones. I can see why guys dig them if they're not into Marshall type tones.

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I dig Marshall tone. In fact I've come to realize I am a Marshall/Boogie guy and have been playing them exclusively for years.
With that said, me being a gear whore, I keep wanting to try something new every now and then.

I really like the VH4 but always got a bit frustrated with it. Channel two sounds and feels awesome but just isn’t quite aggressive or gainy enough. Channel 3 has that extra aggression and gain but feels and sounds “squished “ or “narrow” compared to Channel 2.

I really would want a Channel 2.5 or something. Or maybe I should have tried Channel 2 with an OD pedal or really hot pickups. Just at the time I had those amps, I avoided those things.

Never played on the Dmoll...but think I prefer the Einstein over the VH4. Herbert is probably my favorite.
I like the sound and feel of these amps. But they seem to disappear in a mix live often. I can see why Adam Jones blends it with a NMV Marshall.

cardinal":2hmh8l9g said:

I really like the VH4 but always got a bit frustrated with it. Channel two sounds and feels awesome but just isn’t quite aggressive or gainy enough. Channel 3 has that extra aggression and gain but feels and sounds “squished “ or “narrow” compared to Channel 2.

I really would want a Channel 2.5 or something. Or maybe I should have tried Channel 2 with an OD pedal or really hot pickups. Just at the time I had those amps, I avoided those things.

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Maybe the VH2? I recall Peter explaining VH2's ch2 is more of a tweaked version from VH4's ch3.
Ch1 seems to get quite gainy from youtube clips too. The VH4 just seemed like a too much of an amp for me.
I would be ok with 2 channels sans midi.

stephen sawall":2hmh8l9g said:

Never played on the Dmoll...but think I prefer the Einstein over the VH4. Herbert is probably my favorite.
I like the sound and feel of these amps. But they seem to disappear in a mix live often. I can see why Adam Jones blends it with a NMV Marshall.

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Yeah I found their overall tone dark with low mid emphasis.
I did really like what I heard from D Moll so I am willing to bring it home and work with it.

Had a Herbert and a Dekomp modded Einstein the Einstien ruled ...

I'm in love with the recorded tone of this clip. Gives me a boner every time I hear it.

slyym":2xoctzkj said:

I'm in love with the recorded tone of this clip. Gives me a boner every time I hear it.

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Yeah the MKIII looks promising.
Will definitely try when it hits my store.

Currently using the Herbert. It's overkill for most places we play, but I don't care! It's the closest thing I've heard to my ideal tone.

stephen sawall":251k3i9c said:

Never played on the Dmoll...but think I prefer the Einstein over the VH4. Herbert is probably my favorite.
I like the sound and feel of these amps. But they seem to disappear in a mix live often. I can see why Adam Jones blends it with a NMV Marshall.

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Yeah, I've heard people say that some of the Diezels can get lost in a mix. Not sure how true it is though. I guess some of it depends on how you dial in the amp. I remember seeing Warren DeMartini live when he was using a VH4 while the other guitar player (John Corabi) was playing through an SLO. Warren's tone was cutting through the mix big time, and he was definitely plugged into the VH4 at the time.

I like all the Diezel amps I've owned/played, but the Paul is the best of the bunch for me. With the right eq settings, I can get Channel 2 to sound pretty similar to some of the best Marshall/Marshall style amps I've owned. Then there's the added bonus of a killer clean channel as well. Most youtube clips do not do the Paul justice.

littleguitars":1k63lx2h said:

I like all the Diezel amps I've owned/played, but the Paul is the best of the bunch for me. With the right eq settings, I can get Channel 2 to sound pretty similar to some of the best Marshall/Marshall style amps I've owned. Then there's the added bonus of a killer clean channel as well. Most youtube clips do not do the Paul justice.

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I really wanted to try the Paul as I really dug the clips. While I would love classic Marshall tone, I primarily wanted that diezel high gain for heavy rhythm playing. From the clips, the Paul seemed to be capable of getting that tone, but I felt like D moll can get more aggressive from actually playing it. How would you compare the D-moll to a Paul? some say they are quite similar.

I have a lot of experience with VH4 and was able to play a Herbert, Fokker and Dmoll all on the same day with a bunch of different cabs and very loudly at that!

I agree, VH4 has the midrange and trademark Diezel voicing and is a riff monster. Very inspiring amp for me and perfect blend of familiar classic tone and modern vibe (even though it’s nowhere near modern these days).

I didn’t like the Herbert. I get why people do, it’s cool and crazy aggressive sounding in a certain way but it’s not for me, at least not the third channel. I do like the clean and lower gain stuff from ch 2.

I liked the Dmoll a lot, probably a close second to the VH4. It’s like the more “alive” version of the Herbert to me. Just all around more fun to play.

Fokker is sort of similar to the VH4 but had its own thing going in the feel department. Not bad but I didn’t love it like I love the VH4. VH2 is something I get really excited about when I remember that it exists! Maybe someday I’ll try to grab a used one

I've owned an Einstein....loved that Plexi channel but the rest.....meh....
I've owned a Herbert Mark 1. Awesome amp in every way, except when you need to carry a 65lb head from gig to gig. Loved the amp in every way, but I really don't need 160 watts of power! Still...the Diezel stuff is so well made and sounds great!

Amazing amps in every way. I should have bought the VH-4 first before I made my first purchase of the Einstein years ago....probably would have kept it.

glassjaw7":19txm703 said:

I have a lot of experience with VH4 and was able to play a Herbert, Fokker and Dmoll all on the same day with a bunch of different cabs and very loudly at that!

I agree, VH4 has the midrange and trademark Diezel voicing and is a riff monster. Very inspiring amp for me and perfect blend of familiar classic tone and modern vibe (even though it’s nowhere near modern these days).

I didn’t like the Herbert. I get why people do, it’s cool and crazy aggressive sounding in a certain way but it’s not for me, at least not the third channel. I do like the clean and lower gain stuff from ch 2.

I liked the Dmoll a lot, probably a close second to the VH4. It’s like the more “alive” version of the Herbert to me. Just all around more fun to play.

Fokker is sort of similar to the VH4 but had its own thing going in the feel department. Not bad but I didn’t love it like I love the VH4. VH2 is something I get really excited about when I remember that it exists! Maybe someday I’ll try to grab a used one

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Yeah for some reason, I just had more fun with the D Moll than Herbert.
I wish I had gone to the store early to try the VH2. They had it in stock for a while but it got sold not too long ago.

PBGas":19txm703 said:

I've owned an Einstein....loved that Plexi channel but the rest.....meh....
I've owned a Herbert Mark 1. Awesome amp in every way, except when you need to carry a 65lb head from gig to gig. Loved the amp in every way, but I really don't need 160 watts of power! Still...the Diezel stuff is so well made and sounds great!

Amazing amps in every way. I should have bought the VH-4 first before I made my first purchase of the Einstein years ago....probably would have kept it.

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Yeah I think I was a bit overwhelmed by the VH4 and Herbert, too much power for my usage and the weight... That VH4 tone was quite addicting though, that's why the VH2 keeps haunting me.
I was curious about the Einstein too. GC now has several of them used starting from $1400.
I didn't risk buying it because of the mixed reviews, some people say it's amazing but others like you say it's too dark, too compressed, etc.

I have been really wanting to try a VH2, but there is no way I will ever get to try one in my area. I've never had a chance to play through any Diezel amp at all.

megaboogie":1jrnkwud said:

littleguitars":1jrnkwud said:

I like all the Diezel amps I've owned/played, but the Paul is the best of the bunch for me. With the right eq settings, I can get Channel 2 to sound pretty similar to some of the best Marshall/Marshall style amps I've owned. Then there's the added bonus of a killer clean channel as well. Most youtube clips do not do the Paul justice.

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I really wanted to try the Paul as I really dug the clips. While I would love classic Marshall tone, I primarily wanted that diezel high gain for heavy rhythm playing. From the clips, the Paul seemed to be capable of getting that tone, but I felt like D moll can get more aggressive from actually playing it. How would you compare the D-moll to a Paul? some say they are quite similar.

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Hey man. Sorry. I can't offer any input on that. I've never tried the D-moll. You can certainly do high gain, heavy rhythm stuff with the Paul, but I think there are other Diezel amps that would be better suited for that. I use channel 1 of the Paul for fender type cleans and channel 2 for classic rock tones (AC/DC to Van Halen type of gain). I rarely use Channel 3. It's more compressed than what I normally go for.