NAD: Diezel VH4... ish

guitargeek62

This thing is ridiculous in many ways

fretmeister

It's tiny!

Any good?

guitargeek62

It really, really, really is!!!

It sounds the part to my ears at least, the gain structure has that Diezel tone in spades with a hugely aggressive drive, clarity, depth and brutality. The EQ is nicely powerful, although it's not a hugely versatile sound - the gain character is just too distinctive and aggressive imo. That said, I don't think anyone's buying these to play cleans or jazz on so I doubt that'll be a problem!

I'll try it later with the HX, both into the front-end, 4CM, and also simply using the FX return and using the VH as a power amp. At present I'm just enjoying the LP straight into the amp and jamming along to T00L.

Huge caveat to all this: I've never played a VH4 in person (only an Einstein 50 in fact!), I just love the recorded tones of them plus the virtual/modelled versions that I've played through

guitargeek62

p.s. I'm getting some brilliantly musical feedback from this rig as well on held notes... very cool indeed


*edit* though I can see some people wanting a noise-gate if you're not on the ball with palm muting etc.

TTBZ

I want that guitar is it just a de-golded Custom?

Be interested to hear how the VH mini compares to the Mega model on Helix! I've never got on with it despite loving the tones other people get out of their Diezel, it just feels too dry and boxy.

WiresDreamDisasters

I'm keen to try one of these next to the big bad boi! Very curious!

guitargeek62

@TTBZ - it's a mid-80s MIJ Greco something or other, soon to be getting the silverburst treatment from @lamf68 as soon as I pull my finger out and sort out a date to drop it off to him! Bloody brilliant guitar though, all-mahogany body and neck, proper ebony fingerboard, SD 59/JB setup (w/ceramic mag on the bridge... basically an SH6 now)

@wiresdreamdisasters - aye I thought of you earlier, I'd love to hear it alongside the proper one through the same cabs etc and see how far off it is!

PolarityMan

Interesting to see how close it gets. It's a bold move by diezel, wonder if they are looking to get out of the boutique game and more into mass production stuff.

guitargeek62

@PolarityMan - I’m pretty damn sure it’s a proposal by B.A.D. in the states that’s created these for Friedman, Bogner and Diezel; they already handle some of the production, marketing and distribution for them in various levels and markets. The ‘platform’ on the micros are identical really, take a pre-existing pre-amp pedal, put the curcuit in a small amp chassis, add a class-D transformer, package it up in a cute headshell, bam - new product from existing IP.

The big question now is whether we see similar offerings from Soldano*, Morgan or Tone King amps, though none of those already had pre-amp pedals like the first three, so I doubt we will any time soon.


*I think Soldano have already come out and said they’re not interested in creating one of these.

TTBZ

guitargeek62 said:

@TTBZ - it's a mid-80s MIJ Greco something or other, soon to be getting the silverburst treatment from @lamf68 as soon as I pull my finger out and sort out a date to drop it off to him! Bloody brilliant guitar though, all-mahogany body and neck, proper ebony fingerboard, SD 59/JB setup (w/ceramic mag on the bridge... basically an SH6 now)

@wiresdreamdisasters - aye I thought of you earlier, I'd love to hear it alongside the proper one through the same cabs etc and see how far off it is!

Awesome, look forward to seeing that. I almost had him refinish my SG in silverburst but due to the aged/cream neck binding it would have needed to be that aged greeny silverburst to look right, which I'm not into so much. 

guitargeek62

Ah fair enough @TTBZ. Thankfully I love them when they age like that, so the cream/aged binding and inlays on mine aren’t a problem for me!

octatonic

WiresDreamDisasters said:

I'm keen to try one of these next to the big bad boi! Very curious!

Ditto.

Jonathanthomas83

Can you get real ones from anywhere in the UK. They seem rare as rocking horse shit.

Jetfire

https://www.andertons.co.uk/diezel-vh-micro-30w-amp-head-vh-microhead?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=surfaces&gclid=CjwKCAjwk6-LBhBZEiwAOUUDp7EhLM53yRqnys6bFbUdlpsUU8IXAnCvVcZKV3wUQVwUZd8vT7j3lBoC-JYQAvD_BwE

7 in stock?

Jonathanthomas83

Sorry, I meant the real real ones.

octatonic

Jonathanthomas83 said:

Sorry, I meant the real real ones.

Thomann are your best bet if you want new but why buy new?
(I think there is a 5 week wait too)

Be patient and wait for one to come up used around £1500 ish.
Most high wattage tube heads are relatively underused.
I finally bought one last month and it didn't have mark on it.

Jonathanthomas83

octatonic said:

Jonathanthomas83 said:

Sorry, I meant the real real ones.

Thomann are your best bet if you want new but why buy new?
(I think there is a 5 week wait too)

Be patient and wait for one to come up used around £1500 ish.
Most high wattage tube heads are relatively underused.
I finally bought one last month and it didn't have mark on it.

Agree, though you don't see them very often sh either.

octatonic

Jonathanthomas83 said:

octatonic said:

Jonathanthomas83 said:

Sorry, I meant the real real ones.

Thomann are your best bet if you want new but why buy new?
(I think there is a 5 week wait too)

Be patient and wait for one to come up used around £1500 ish.
Most high wattage tube heads are relatively underused.
I finally bought one last month and it didn't have mark on it.

Agree, though you don't see them very often sh either.

There is a stereo version up on Reverb right now but it is stupid money.

PolarityMan

Jonathanthomas83 said:

Can you get real ones from anywhere in the UK. They seem rare as rocking horse shit.

I went straight to diezel for mine and had to wait about 3 months because they were in the middle of a production run for the asian market at the time. Def worth it though. 

PolarityMan

Jonathanthomas83 said:

octatonic said:

Jonathanthomas83 said:

Sorry, I meant the real real ones.

Thomann are your best bet if you want new but why buy new?
(I think there is a 5 week wait too)

Be patient and wait for one to come up used around £1500 ish.
Most high wattage tube heads are relatively underused.
I finally bought one last month and it didn't have mark on it.

Agree, though you don't see them very often sh either.

theres been a few on here over the years plus the odd herbert or hagen too. Suspect you would need to be patient and maybe willing to colelct too. 

Jonathanthomas83

Thanks, I'll keep an eye out. I'm not in a position quite yet, have a few priority items to get before hand. But now I'm back in amp land, I'm definitely interested in finally getting a VH4, I've wanted one since Muse's Absolution came out, years and years ago.