Pinch harmonics on the VH4

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VH4_BigRig

VH4_BigRig

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Hey guys, I just have a quick question about your experiences with channels 3/4 on the VH4...

I love my VH4 to death, and have been getting great tones from it...however one thing has kind of puzzled me. Despite the large amounts of gain on tap for channels 3/4, I just can't seem to get authoritative pinch harmonics from them. I've used 3 guitars, one with EMGs, one with Duncans, one with Dimarzios and just can't seem to make the amp "squeal." I can make my buddy's 5150 squeal like a stuck pig, heck I even got some great pings from my old AVT boosted with an OD pedal, so I don't think it's my technique....Even my buddy who was over the other day and likes to play a few BLS riffs said "man, this amp sounds amazing, but I can't do pings on it."

They're there, but you seem to have to work hard for them, they don't "leap off the fretboard" like some other amps I've played- and yes I have played the amp at "real" volume. Have any of you had this issue? Is this just because of the fact that the amp is voiced to be less saturated and super tight, or am I going crazy?? :confused:

Thanks!

Bigrig
 
Low output pickups... seriously, I don't know why but it works like a charm.
 
I can blow 'em out like nobody's business, even on the neck pup with the git tone turned down... Not easy, but still doable. Get me into the bridge zone and it's unavoidable - I play LPC's and ESP's.

Not sure man, but I bet ya it has to do with a global EQ setting on the amp somewhere along the line...

V.
 
Something doesn't sound right. My Herbert is the most dynamic amp I own, and a VH4 is pretty similar to the Herbert.
 
didn't play one yet, but that sounds normal
some amps just spit monster harmonics, others don't
I had a very cheap made preamp based on the soldano avenger/hot rod and that thing had the easiest, loudest and fattest harmonics I ever had through any equipment
I still have that preamp, but I modded it to a Bogner style circuit, and now it lost that character :cry:
my modded JMP can't do that too :aww:

 
i'd say mess with your settings, because the harmonics ringed LOUD when I tried a vh4 a few days ago, and they,re easy on herbie as well.

Keep in mind I do make 'em LOUD even on accoustic guitars haha :rock:
 
I also have trouble with pinch harmonics on my VH4. They are more difficult to pull off on this amp, for me.
 
~devils advocate time~

I think it has more to do with the players technique than the amp, I'm able to pull of pinch harmonics on clean amps let alone anything with gain. I spent alot of time working on it and studying Billy Gibbons, Dimebag *RIP* and pretty much any other player that does them and just really listened.

There are so many harmonics available on the guitar you should be able to get them just about anywhere and even more so with high gain. I used to own a Diezel Herbert and it was stupid how easy it was to get them, even on the lowest gain setting on Mike Fortin's Bones I was able to rip them out.

now I can't play for shit otherwise but ah well! I can do all sorts of fancy gimmicks!

anyhow dude I'm not sayin you are doing it wrong or anything, and not disputing it might be hard on that amp, but 99.999999% of the time I find it's technique!

just food for thought.

At least you have a VH4! that's pretty fuckin Rad!

C
 
I use a tele w/lindy fralins most of the time and I pop em out all the time on my vh4...maybe a retube?
 
its the eq. Some amps are harmonicly richer than others in some aspects. With the right eq youle make the herbie and vh4 squeel. I also find that other amps ''squeel better'', but hey, i cant have everything. Some off my guitars also squeel better than other, depends on how well there balanced.
 
As far as I know, Joel Stroetzel from Killswitch Engage plays a VH4 and he is a god in playing pinchies :rock:
 
DiezelMonster":12bzhsqs said:
~devils advocate time~

I think it has more to do with the players technique than the amp, I'm able to pull of pinch harmonics on clean amps let alone anything with gain. I spent alot of time working on it and studying Billy Gibbons, Dimebag *RIP* and pretty much any other player that does them and just really listened.

There are so many harmonics available on the guitar you should be able to get them just about anywhere and even more so with high gain. I used to own a Diezel Herbert and it was stupid how easy it was to get them, even on the lowest gain setting on Mike Fortin's Bones I was able to rip them out.

now I can't play for shit otherwise but ah well! I can do all sorts of fancy gimmicks!

anyhow dude I'm not sayin you are doing it wrong or anything, and not disputing it might be hard on that amp, but 99.999999% of the time I find it's technique!

just food for thought.

At least you have a VH4! that's pretty fuckin Rad!

C
Click to expand...

You can't play Devil's Advocate when we're talking about the VH4 and you're talking about the Herbert. Pinch Harmonics are easy for me on other rigs, but the VH4... just don't happen easily for me.
 
I also say it's in the EQ. Make sure you have enough mids in the tone and that your treble and presence isn't backed way off.
 
I agree on the EQ end of things, turn up the presence, mids and treble. that being said, the Herbert is the all time best pinch harmonic amp. dude, honestly certain amps( and ususally because of a different transformer), can pull them out easier. or it might be something like the kind of tubes you're using. ive seen some people use an overdrive to help as well. but honestly from a guy that plays pinch harmonics alot, I think it's alot easier in general on the Herbert to get em to scream out.
 
Usually, but not always, players that are good in getting harmonics off thier amps, would most likely be able to get them off 'most' other amps too..Theyve just nailed the technique down...but there are exceptions, where some amps just dont have it....but the VH 4 is not one them;there are more pinch harmonics from that amp on more records than we all realize. :)
 
I have the same problem. I bought this amp a couple of years ago and was blown away with the tone.. my technique on pinch harmonics may not be the best but they are more difficult for me to pull off on this amp than others I have. I tryed putting a clean boost in front of the amp but fror some reason it took something away from that awesome diezel tone. I tryed a marshall powerbrake so I could crank the power section... it did the same thing... affected the tone!!! I am going to try an external eq and see what happens...
I have high output pickups.. I need to try a guitar with low output and see if that helps.. I dont know.. :confused:
I posted a thread on this over a year ago and peter replyed that there was a resistor or 2 ( if I remember correctly ) that could be changed to address that issue as well as adding more dynamics/less compression. I replyed back to peter to get more details but I never heard back from him
any mods we can do to this peter? thanks
 
Out of all the ampps I own and have owned , the VH4 has to be the easiest ever to get pinch harmonics!!
 
i have a herbert and play very high output pups.
never had probs with pinch harmonics.
maybe anything wrong?
 
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