VH4 Les Paul Custom Shop w/BKP Nailbomb Pickups - Clip

[1meanplexi]

Hey crew,

Here is a quick clip of my VH4 with my LP Custom and freshly installed BKP Nailbombs!!!! Diezel 4x loaded in an X pattern 75 and 30 watt Celestions and Marshall Vintage 4x loaded with Rola 65 watt celestions. I love it. Let me know what you think. As always Diezel rules and on!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1ugLvqg ... e=youtu.be

 

[1meanplexi]

Amazing, what were your settings? Your vh4 has a lot of gain!

Hey Rez.

I had the gain at 2:00. I just got her back a week ago with new winged C EL34's and a complete set of ruby pre's from Laura. My tech said that he went a little hotter on the biasing and whew....was he right. I was almost S&^t myself when I plugged it in. He said something with the plate voltage vs. the MA on the plate of the EL34's????? Greek to me! You think the clip sounded hot? You should hear my RR Jackson custom loaded with Duncan Blackouts. Just stupid!!!!!!

 

[Ventura]

VH4 never disappoints.

Ever.

 

[FourT6and2]

Ugh, that sounds sick! Making me regret selling it.

 

[1meanplexi]

Amazing, what were your settings? Your vh4 has a lot of gain!

Hey Rez.

I had the gain at 2:00. I just got her back a week ago with new winged C EL34's and a complete set of ruby pre's from Laura. My tech said that he went a little hotter on the biasing and whew....was he right. I was almost S&^t myself when I plugged it in. He said something with the plate voltage vs. the MA on the plate of the EL34's????? Greek to me! You think the clip sounded hot? You should hear my RR Jackson custom loaded with Duncan Blackouts. Just stupid!!!!!!

My guy never worked on a Diezel and was amazed by how much was in one of these things. I made him the copy of the manual for him to use. He said while reading the manual he found something that would work with boosting the gain while keeping the integrity of the tone. He did not share what that was but I have to say that I am VERY satisfied with the end result. I spoke to him about drifting of the power tubes which I think 5ma is acceptable, his response ....the way I set that thing up, I will buy you dinner for a week if they move 1/10th. I really have no idea what he did nor did he share the info. Either way, I will ask him if he is OK with passing his info. on. Stay tuned!

 

[1meanplexi]

Ugh, that sounds sick! Making me regret selling it.

I love ya Mike!!!!! I think this one is gonna stay in the family for a looooong time !

 

[cardinal]

Sounds great. I had a completely stock '07 that sounded about like that with the gain up around 2:00 (it got really nutty with anything above noon, just tons and tons of gain). I used much lower output pickups, so I can only imagine how saturated it would have been with Nailbombs.

Did your tech say he modded the amp? Or that he just biased it hotter? Either way sounds like a VH4, which is to say it sounds awesome.

 

[1meanplexi]

Sounds great. I had a completely stock '07 that sounded about like that with the gain up around 2:00 (it got really nutty with anything above noon, just tons and tons of gain). I used much lower output pickups, so I can only imagine how saturated it would have been with Nailbombs.

Did your tech say he modded the amp? Or that he just biased it hotter? Either way sounds like a VH4, which is to say it sounds awesome.

It is a 2005. If he modded it I think he would have told me. But yes, it is absolutely hotter now. On the bias and of course the gain ! He is one of those dudes that does not drink, smoke, party and digs deep into his work. Very lucky find on my end.

 

[cardinal]

Got it. I was confused because you were talking about boosting the gain. But yeah, I've never understood the hate for hotter pickups with the VH4. That extra saturation they can add obviously sounds great. The way some folks talk, it's blasphemy to use anything hotter than a PAF.

 

[shadowdevourer]

Man....I can't wait for October when I'll be getting a VH4.

 

[FourT6and2]

Amazing, what were your settings? Your vh4 has a lot of gain!

Hey Rez.

I had the gain at 2:00. I just got her back a week ago with new winged C EL34's and a complete set of ruby pre's from Laura. My tech said that he went a little hotter on the biasing and whew....was he right. I was almost S&^t myself when I plugged it in. He said something with the plate voltage vs. the MA on the plate of the EL34's????? Greek to me! You think the clip sounded hot? You should hear my RR Jackson custom loaded with Duncan Blackouts. Just stupid!!!!!!

My guy never worked on a Diezel and was amazed by how much was in one of these things. I made him the copy of the manual for him to use. He said while reading the manual he found something that would work with boosting the gain while keeping the integrity of the tone. He did not share what that was but I have to say that I am VERY satisfied with the end result. I spoke to him about drifting of the power tubes which I think 5ma is acceptable, his response ....the way I set that thing up, I will buy you dinner for a week if they move 1/10th. I really have no idea what he did nor did he share the info. Either way, I will ask him if he is OK with passing his info. on. Stay tuned!

I hate to say it, but your tech is full of it. Bias will drift. No way around it. Just plugging the amp into a different power outlet will cause the bias to drift. There is no way to "lock" the bias. And as the tubes age over time, bias will also drift. Adjusting the bias consists of turning a bias pot with a screwdriver. That's it. There's no magic or secret to it.

 

[1meanplexi]

Amazing, what were your settings? Your vh4 has a lot of gain!

Hey Rez.

I had the gain at 2:00. I just got her back a week ago with new winged C EL34's and a complete set of ruby pre's from Laura. My tech said that he went a little hotter on the biasing and whew....was he right. I was almost S&^t myself when I plugged it in. He said something with the plate voltage vs. the MA on the plate of the EL34's????? Greek to me! You think the clip sounded hot? You should hear my RR Jackson custom loaded with Duncan Blackouts. Just stupid!!!!!!

My guy never worked on a Diezel and was amazed by how much was in one of these things. I made him the copy of the manual for him to use. He said while reading the manual he found something that would work with boosting the gain while keeping the integrity of the tone. He did not share what that was but I have to say that I am VERY satisfied with the end result. I spoke to him about drifting of the power tubes which I think 5ma is acceptable, his response ....the way I set that thing up, I will buy you dinner for a week if they move 1/10th. I really have no idea what he did nor did he share the info. Either way, I will ask him if he is OK with passing his info. on. Stay tuned!

I hate to say it, but your tech is full of it. Bias will drift. No way around it. Just plugging the amp into a different power outlet will cause the bias to drift. There is no way to "lock" the bias. And as the tubes age over time, bias will also drift. Adjusting the bias consists of turning a bias pot with a screwdriver. That's it. There's no magic or secret to it.

Well...I know there is gonna be drifting, Not even being a tech I know that much ! I think he was saying in Jest cuz he really spent a lot of time with it.

 

[narad]

Sounds great - did you go with the ceramic or alnico nailbombs?

 

[21_guitars]

Sounds great! Congrats on the amp.

 

[andreli]

Sounds great!
I also play a LPC with c-bombs and it sounds awesome to me. Peter Stapfer told he also plays c-bombs with the vh4. Winning combo..
I'm also curious about your settings for ch3 and ch1. What are they?
Thx, grtz

 

[chris_1984]

That sounds nothing like my VH4 on ch3. It's actually Ch4 levels of gain on Ch3.

Changing the bias or powertubes will not have a huge impact on overall gain. I've tried all kind of tubes and bias settings on my VH4 and the biggest change was going to KT88s so far, which made the gain feel a bit less compressed.

My guess is that your VH4 is either a one-off from peter, or it was modded at some point. It definitely isn't the amount of gain and saturation you'll get out of just three gain stages (Ch3).

It sounds great, though!

 

[FourT6and2]

That sounds nothing like my VH4 on ch3. It's actually Ch4 levels of gain on Ch3.

Changing the bias or powertubes will not have a huge impact on overall gain. I've tried all kind of tubes and bias settings on my VH4 and the biggest change was going to KT88s so far, which made the gain feel a bit less compressed.

My guess is that your VH4 is either a one-off from peter, or it was modded at some point. It definitely isn't the amount of gain and saturation you'll get out of just three gain stages (Ch3).

It sounds great, though!

I was the previous owner of this amp. It is stock. No modifications. I got it, unmolested, from the previous owner of Diezel USA. And it has the same amount of gain as all the other VH4s I've played.

Here's a previous recording I made with it on Channel 3. Check out that sustain. I hit an open chord and I swear it would ring for more than a minute if you wanted it to.

 

[1meanplexi]

That sounds nothing like my VH4 on ch3. It's actually Ch4 levels of gain on Ch3.

Changing the bias or powertubes will not have a huge impact on overall gain. I've tried all kind of tubes and bias settings on my VH4 and the biggest change was going to KT88s so far, which made the gain feel a bit less compressed.

My guess is that your VH4 is either a one-off from peter, or it was modded at some point. It definitely isn't the amount of gain and saturation you'll get out of just three gain stages (Ch3).

It sounds great, though!

I was the previous owner of this amp. It is stock. No modifications. I got it, unmolested, from the previous owner of Diezel USA. And it has the same amount of gain as all the other VH4s I've played.

Here's a previous recording I made with it on Channel 3. Check out that sustain. I hit an open chord and I swear it would ring for more than a minute if you wanted it to.

Yup!!!!! I bought this from Mike. I had all the tubes changed. Outside of some minor differences on the EQ side of things, Mike's clip is dam close to mine. As a matter of fact....this is the clip that sold me on the 4 hence why I now own it. Understand that each amp is different from one to another. I was running it through 2 4x12's and pushing the hell out of the pre's with that master just barley cracked open.

If you watch my clip of my modded 59 reish I am pushing the same amount of gain, different beast of course. Cab? Pickups? diezel dust???? who knows ?

 

[1meanplexi]

Sounds great - did you go with the ceramic or alnico nailbombs?

Alnico !

 

[Mailman1971]

Sounds Killa my My Man!!!

I had an older VH4S.....and I could get them tones and level of gain.
No denying that VH4 roar!

The VH4 can do no wrong.....

My Next amp for sure.