So it's back to Diezel...

[AngryGoldfish]

I first had Diezel-GAS about two years ago when I was messing around with Vetta II's and Powerball's and it has never really let up since. I've tried to quench it with Soldano's but to no avail. I then decided against Diezel because I really wanted to have an amp custom made. Which is where Baron Custom Amps and Titan came in. But, because of taxes, duties and shipping fees, etc. getting the amp into the country could turn out to be so expensive that I may as well buy a VH4 and be done with it. So I decided against it.

I then progressed onto Fryette and Elmwood but found Fryette a little too dry. If they were cheap then I'd snag one easily, but they're not.
The Modena 60 from Elmwood is pretty much perfect in terms of features – and sounds great from the clips I've heard. But €2500 for an amp I've never played and heard little from... not a relaxing experience.
I've also been interested in Egnater amps - the Renegade. It sounds fantastic from all the clips I've heard, and is cheap. But just doesn't seem to have the pinnache of a Soldano, Diezel or Elmwood. Which sounds snobby, I know, but I'm not gonna lie to myself.

So after all that I came back to Diezel I had totally forgotted that Peter sometimes offers a few customizable options; in the Einstein's case, a footswitchable clean channel to change the three modes on-the-fly. By the way, does anyone know whether that mod affects the tone at all? I've read somewhere that Peter and co. don't like to do it because it can have a negative impact on the core tone. Is that true? Also, what tubes/valves can the Einstein be fitted with?

So the choices are:

• Diezel Einstein 50 head (mid-priced; great features and great tone; sold in a choice of places; not as epic as a Herbert or VH4)
• Elmwood Modena 60 (very expensive; more suitable features; liquid tone; extreme versatility; difficult to find)
• Egnater Renegade (cheap; sounds amazing; awesome features; doesn't really get my juices flowing for some reason; sold in various places)

I know I've posted this in the Diezel forum so I'm pretty much expecting a Diezel consensus but I'd still love to hear RT's opinion on what my next move should be.

Cheers!

 

[cml694]

I'd go Einstein over the Elmwood no doubt but the Egnater is a totally great amp for the cash if you want to save some money. There isn't anything wrong with it....the tones are different though. I'd spring for the Einstein though, Texas mode is sweet!

 

[Mailman1971]

I had the Elmwood M90...
it was gone within 4 days.
Have to go Diezel.
Either VH4 or Einy 100 or Herbert.


nothing else matters.

 

[headown]

The Einstein(100) is a super great amp.
If 2 channels are enough for you get the Einstein.
The channel switching thing didn´t do it for me,
because of the different volumes you are getting from each channel.
I´m still looking for my lead guitar sound on the Herbert, but found one on the Einstein in a second.
But I´m more into rhythm guitar so I don´t spent to much time to find one.
If you can make it, save some money and get a Herbert/VH4.
There are so much more sounds in the Herbert (I love the angry ones)
But if 2 channels are ok, you don´t need the midcut and midi thing get the Einstein,
nothing better like this little amp.

Cheers,
Sascha

 

[Rob Tahan]

Man the Einstein is just an amazing sounding amp.!
Great DYNAMICS!
Awesome array of lead tones! Genuinely authentic blues tones as well as shred esque tones too.
I also have a Herbert which i only use for playing bigger shows with a full band at loud volumes. BALLS LOADS of bottom end on that thing! HUGE! I think i like the mids in the Einstein better though..
All in all they all sound so amazing..

 

[AngryGoldfish]

Why is the 100 watt model suggested over the 50? I really have no need for 100 watts, even 50.

Also, I'm not really much of a lead player, in that I don't find it fits into the songs that I write/play. Is the Einstein still recommended? And what's this talk of channel volume discrepancies?

Why is the Elmwood Modena not recommendable?

 

[Mailman1971]

The Elmwood M90 sounded GREAT!!
But I wanted it for a METAL AMP.....and to me it was more a GREAT SOUND metal....not Brutal metal......
if that makes sense?

 

[AngryGoldfish]

Kinda.

To be honest, I've got my Soldano Avenger for the br00talz. I kinda wanted something with a beautiful clean tone and a liquid/rhythm tone. I think I'd rather an Elmwood over a Herbert or VH4, simply because I don't play in a band or live anymore.

 

[Mailman1971]

The M90 thinking back on it sounded really good.
But I got it for a BRUTAL AMP....and it didnt cut it.
If I was just into the 80's metal and less....it sounded good.
But (at least for me) it fell short on the SUPER HEAVY SHIT!
Thats when I got my Rivera KR7 and it DELIVERED IN SPADES!

 

[AngryGoldfish]

I don't really want another 80's shred amp. So maybe the Modena should be ruled out? Though if I had the chance to play it I might think differently.

I might pick up a Renegade from Thomann or Music Store in Germany and send it back if I don't get along with it. I mean, it's like €1000 with free shipping. Can't fault that, really.

Though I'll still have GAS for a Diezel.

 

[Mailman1971]

Though I'll still have GAS for a Diezel.

Then screw the rest........get the Diezel and put out your gas flames.......
or you will always be in WONDER.......trust me........

 

[AngryGoldfish]

I'll have to decide. I'm not in any rush (I have to collect the funds). It could be about four months before I'd have the Renegade, six months before I'd hyave the Einy 50, eight months before the Modena 60 and a year before I'd buy a Herbert or VH4. So... choices choices choices.

Cheers for your help though, Dan!

 

[blackslide]

Well, at least in my case, I usually play rythm too. But the dynamics in the Einstein let you get rythm and lead tones without touching anything, this is totally amazing. I havent experienced it quite like this on other amps. It responds to different playing styles and dynamics so perfectly. For me, that is. And the separate Volume, gain and EQ's of the two channels mean you get just the volume you want at just the right spot, and you can use the second master volume for boost or quiet cleans, etc. I miss an option to footswitch the CH1 modes, but I've gotten used to it. Have CH1 set up as clean with the gain set up so that it just starts to get distorted when you play heavy chords and CH2 as a hard rock/metal rythm, so basically I only need the mode switch when I plug in my 7-string and play some grind. The modes don't seem to affect CH2 at all, when everything is working like it should, I just learned that faulty pre-amp tubes might mess this up too..

I haven't tested any Soldano's or Egnater's, but when I was getting an amp, I was choosing between some used Hughes&Kettner Switchblades, MesaBoogie Dual Rectifiers and an Orange RockReverb 100, I think. Problem was, that one of the guys in my last band had a 50W Einy, and that roaring sound with all the simplicity of a 'simple 2 channel amp' was banging in the back of my head.. And for around 2000$, well, it's not that much, usually early recto's cost more and the cleans were a bit too dry and 'clinical' to my taste, that basically threw it out of the window and so I ended up ordering and waiting for an Einstein.. I mean 'The Einstein'.

I'd go 100W over the 50W one any day just because I like to tweak things, and the price difference here is around 100-200$ The volume difference is, I guess around 3dB, so mostly you gain clean headroom and you can always remove the outer tubes and it's 50W then. Tweak-wise you can easily mix & swap pre-amp tubes and power-amp tubes on a 100W, to get just the sound you like (I'm planning on getting a set of EL34's and KT88's to play with, maybe). But for me, the default voicing sounds almost too good, The 6550's give the amp a very round tone, and the ruby HG+'s in the preamp, accompanied by the TAD 12AX7C's.. It's perfect for my playing style. With my PAF Joe / D-Sonic equipped Hamer Std. It's close to perfect for cleans, rock and pretty rough grindcore The only sound I'm not totally satisfied is the CH1 Mode 3 when I use my 7-string LTD, but I guess it's the cheap mics.

I wouldn't sell my Einstein for anything. Rather lose a kidney.. or two So Einstein it is for me.. Still need to figure out the right 4X12" cab, but the current 2x12" HarleyBenton loaded with celestion C30's is really good, and a total bargain.

Sorry for the long reply and good luck in whatever you get!

Regards,
Kristjan

 

[ttosh]

I have got to hear Elmwoods for almost the last two years. Our other guitar has owned up to 3 at once and has 2 still. They are amazing amps for anything up to 80s metal, and they have some modern tones in them for sure, but nothing in the sense of angry modern tones, very polite tones to be exact IMHO. It sounds amazing and the mids are voiced very nice. It is nothing like a Herbert and nowhere near as mean, modern at all. Also the Herbert's clean channel is way ahead of the Elmwood IMHO.


Good luck with your quest!!

 

[Mailman1971]

I have got to hear Elmwoods for almost the last two years. Our other guitar has owned up to 3 at once and has 2 still. They are amazing amps for anything up to 80s metal, and they have some modern tones in them for sure, but nothing in the sense of angry modern tones.........

That is a PERFECT description of my Elmwood M90...

 

[AngryGoldfish]

Well, at least in my case, I usually play rythm too. But the dynamics in the Einstein let you get rythm and lead tones without touching anything, this is totally amazing. I havent experienced it quite like this on other amps. It responds to different playing styles and dynamics so perfectly. For me, that is. And the separate Volume, gain and EQ's of the two channels mean you get just the volume you want at just the right spot, and you can use the second master volume for boost or quiet cleans, etc. I miss an option to footswitch the CH1 modes, but I've gotten used to it. Have CH1 set up as clean with the gain set up so that it just starts to get distorted when you play heavy chords and CH2 as a hard rock/metal rythm, so basically I only need the mode switch when I plug in my 7-string and play some grind. The modes don't seem to affect CH2 at all, when everything is working like it should, I just learned that faulty pre-amp tubes might mess this up too..

Have you noticed any variances in the volumes between channels?

You mentioned seven strings; I play seven and eight's a lot but never had the chance to try them out with a Diezel. And I've heard a few whispers that Diezel isn't the ideal partner for low tuning. How do you find it with your seven string?

The features are pretty much perfect with Diezel, but a little better with the Renegade. I have no use for the Herbert with it's midi and 180 watts. And the Vh4 is a bit overkill for what I need, too. And they both are very expensive.

I haven't tested any Soldano's or Egnater's, but when I was getting an amp, I was choosing between some used Hughes&Kettner Switchblades, MesaBoogie Dual Rectifiers and an Orange RockReverb 100, I think. Problem was, that one of the guys in my last band had a 50W Einy, and that roaring sound with all the simplicity of a 'simple 2 channel amp' was banging in the back of my head.. And for around 2000$, well, it's not that much, usually early recto's cost more and the cleans were a bit too dry and 'clinical' to my taste, that basically threw it out of the window and so I ended up ordering and waiting for an Einstein.. I mean 'The Einstein'.

Mesa Boogie isn't really an option for me. They cost a fortune here in Europe - and they don't sound that great.

I'd go 100W over the 50W one any day just because I like to tweak things, and the price difference here is around 100-200$ The volume difference is, I guess around 3dB, so mostly you gain clean headroom and you can always remove the outer tubes and it's 50W then. Tweak-wise you can easily mix & swap pre-amp tubes and power-amp tubes on a 100W, to get just the sound you like (I'm planning on getting a set of EL34's and KT88's to play with, maybe). But for me, the default voicing sounds almost too good, The 6550's give the amp a very round tone, and the ruby HG+'s in the preamp, accompanied by the TAD 12AX7C's.. It's perfect for my playing style. With my PAF Joe / D-Sonic equipped Hamer Std. It's close to perfect for cleans, rock and pretty rough grindcore The only sound I'm not totally satisfied is the CH1 Mode 3 when I use my 7-string LTD, but I guess it's the cheap mics.

Ahh, yeah, I never thought about it that way. The 100 watt version will mean I can mix n' match tubes. Sweet. How does it sound at low volumes, though. That's something I'd be concerned about.

I wouldn't sell my Einstein for anything. Rather lose a kidney.. or two So Einstein it is for me.. Still need to figure out the right 4X12" cab, but the current 2x12" HarleyBenton loaded with celestion C30's is really good, and a total bargain.

Sorry for the long reply and good luck in whatever you get!

Regards,
Kristjan

I already have a very good cabinet. It's a Matamp 2x12 with a V30 and a K100. It feels like a Diezel cab.

Thanks, by the way, man. I really appreciate the great reply.

I have got to hear Elmwoods for almost the last two years. Our other guitar has owned up to 3 at once and has 2 still. They are amazing amps for anything up to 80s metal, and they have some modern tones in them for sure, but nothing in the sense of angry modern tones, very polite tones to be exact IMHO. It sounds amazing and the mids are voiced very nice. It is nothing like a Herbert and nowhere near as mean, modern at all. Also the Herbert's clean channel is way ahead of the Elmwood IMHO.


Good luck with your quest!!

Thanks! The Modena is definitely still on my list. It would take a long time to save up for one, though. They're two and half times expensive as the Renegade.

 

[dass101]

The volume difference is related with the Ch1 "modding" If you set the gain on ch 1 let's say at 12 o'clock, you will have a big drop in volume when you switch from clean to texas. The Ch 1 isn't designed to ofer all three modes at once so if you choose to mod it and switch them on the fly you will also need a way to compensate for the volume drop.

I did the mod, and switch the amp with a MIDI switcher, and one of the things you could do is assign MV1 to clean, and MV2 to anything else (all the other modes are consistent in volume). I set the clean MV to about 9 o'clock, and the other MV to about 11 o'clock.

 

[AngryGoldfish]

The volume difference is related with the Ch1 "modding" If you set the gain on ch 1 let's say at 12 o'clock, you will have a big drop in volume when you switch from clean to texas. The Ch 1 isn't designed to ofer all three modes at once so if you choose to mod it and switch them on the fly you will also need a way to compensate for the volume drop.

I did the mod, and switch the amp with a MIDI switcher, and one of the things you could do is assign MV1 to clean, and MV2 to anything else (all the other modes are consistent in volume). I set the clean MV to about 9 o'clock, and the other MV to about 11 o'clock.

I'll probably leave off from the mod unless I really need it - if I end up buying the Einstein, that is. Thanks for the info.

 

[eddiespaghetty]

Hi,

Peter doesn't do the mod - he always insists, that the Einstein is a 2 Channel amp. I have the mod done and I switch all modes on channel one and the channels and master-volumes via midi (programmable) and it works fantastic for me. The mod cannot influence the tone/sound. But as said before, you have to compensate gain/volume-differences when switching the modes especially between clean and the other two modes. I don't find it a problem between crunch and mega mode, but in the clean mode I use a booster. On the other hand - the Texas-mode with volume rolled back on the guitar gives me a wonderful clean tone, so I don't use the clean mode too often.

Best wishes

ed

 

[AngryGoldfish]

Hi,

Peter doesn't do the mod - he always insists, that the Einstein is a 2 Channel amp. I have the mod done and I switch all modes on channel one and the channels and master-volumes via midi (programmable) and it works fantastic for me. The mod cannot influence the tone/sound. But as said before, you have to compensate gain/volume-differences when switching the modes especially between clean and the other two modes. I don't find it a problem between crunch and mega mode, but in the clean mode I use a booster. On the other hand - the Texas-mode with volume rolled back on the guitar gives me a wonderful clean tone, so I don't use the clean mode too often.

Best wishes

ed

Thanks. That's really the clarification I needed on the matter of the Einstein's modifiability. I have more faith in the people who designed the product than my own inclinations. If Peter hadn't planned the amp that way, I won't mess with that vision.