Diezel VH4

2002 Diezel VH4. 4 channel amp: clean, crunch, hi-gain, and lead. Separate eq and volume for each channel and bright switch on channel 1&2. Midi switchable and super-ez to assign channels to any midi footswitch. Serial and parallel effect loop, with two send channels which gives great flexability to turn on/off f/x's from your midi pedal board. There is a general presence and deep knob to help zero in your sound and the handy "send 2" mix control (dry/wet) for the parallel f/x loop. Each channel also has a dedicated channel insert for f/x's, tuners, etc....and yes you can easily assign the insert on/off via your midi pedal board. Example, on my clean channel I like to use my vintage MXR phaser, so I set it up on channel one, channel two I set up a guitar tuner (as recommended in the manual) which is active only when I enable the channel insert control, in other words I can go from channel to crunch, then hit a button to mute the channel and tune the guitar. For channel 3 no f/x's (when you hear it you won't want to color that tone) and I have my favorite delay pedal set up through channel 4...this set up is simple and sweet and works perfect for me, but remember if you like multi-f/x's processors they work well to. Also, the amp accepts virtually any type of tube you can think of, it comes with 6l6's and can be easily switched to el34's and others. Check the Diezel website. The bottom line is total flexability to accomodate any guitarist.

I play mostly humbucker guitars, les paul classic and PRS Custom 22. My amp cam with el34's and I love it. The channel eq's are very responsive and the tonal intergity is simply amazing. The amp also sounds great at low volumes, which is rare in hi-gain amps. The clean sparkles and has so much harmonic girth, you'll swear there's reverb built in, and the gain channels are in a word fantastic,v ery rich with lush overtones. Virtually any level of gain can be accomplished to satisfy the mildest to heaviest players out there. The only slightly disapointing thing is the lead channel it a bit more midrangey than channel 3..cool, but the gain doesn't inspire that effortless finger flying lead style, I found channel 3 actually feels better for lead playing, however I put a slight delay on channel 4 and it works very well. I feel when I play with the band that the lead channel should be set at a slightly higher volume than the rhythm 'channel 3' in order to really cut through. This is why I use channel 4 for leads 'live', however when I record with this amp I will likely use channel 3 for leads, it just feels better to me. I acutually tried using channel 4 for rhythm and 3 for leads but ultimately channel 3 works much better for rhythm. I have ownerd Marshalls, Bogners, Soldano's, and even line 6, and this amp sounds better than the best of each of those others. Overall, this amp truly out-performs any amp out there in the bang for your buck catagory. I

I have had the amp for a bit over a month, so there have been no problems. The construction of the amp is very sturdy. I'm giving this amp a 10 for dependability despite not having it very long because there is another factor to consider under reliability...that is the sound from day to day. I play this amp 4-5 times a week for aprx. 3-4 hours each day and from day to day the sound is consistent. I turn it on with the previous days settings and the amp sounds like it did the day before, not kinda like or close enough, it sounds exactly the same! Try that with other amps, "not gonna happen. " Reliable? you bet!

Customer support: Great! called Uwe in California on some tube questions and biasing info and he was generous with his time and totally helpful and patient towards me. Also, email reponse time is very quick. Diezel stands behind their amps. The warranty is 5 years.

Don't buy an amp then complain about the price, that just not right. Like everything else in life, you get what you pay for. A BMW costs more than a Toyota and they will both get you from point A to point B, but it's 'HOW' you get there, certain refinements that are desirable to those that can appreciate them. There are good amps out there, that mostly specialize in one sound. This amp has 4 channels of very tweakable sounds that sound great at any volume. Each channel has special qualities and don't under-estimate the value of separate eq's for each channel. I've been playing for 25 years and have never played a better amp period.

I bought a used VH4 through a friend who knew a friend who got into some financial difficulties. I had heard much about this amp and salivated at the thought of just trying one out. When I finally tried it, I bought it at the spot and have been in amp bliss for about 4 months now. I was told that this amp was made in 2001 by the guy selling it. He had obviously taken really good care of it although he gigged a lot. It was in a nice broken-in shape.

Features-wise, I don't know what else could possibly be crammed into an amp head. I play all kinds of styles and really love the way this amp covers all the stylistic bases. I mainly play pop-rock and classic-rock for my cover gigs four nights a week, but on my own, I'm a closet shredder and fusion-head. I have a trio I play with for the fun, progressive stuff, but we'd be lucky to get a gig more than once every other month.

From the Stones to SRV to Journey to Metallica to Def Leppard to Bryan Adams to Creed, this amp allows me to cover a variety of popular guitar sounds in a very authentic kind of way. Personally, I love listening to fusion music and players such as Holdsworth, Shawn Lane, Scott Henderson, Greg Howe, etc. I like to use the 3rd channel with a different EQ setting for the hyper-speed fusion sounds. For Yngwie-like shred, the 4th channel is great with the bass turned down to about 3 or 4, mid at around 12 o'clock, and the treble turned up to about 7 or 8.

It's great having separate, independent EQ's for each of the amp's four channels. It means more knobs, but it actually simplifies my life quite a bit. I never have to worry about how EQ tweaks for one channel is going to affect another channel. I hate worrying about that. I like to just focus in on one channel at a time. The VH4 provides that and in spades.

I use this amp at a local club that caters to the classic guitar rock crowd. It depends on the evening. Some nights we'll be more blues-oriented and some nights it will be more metallic. The club's main hall and stage area is about 50' by 50' and can accommodate about 200 people. This amp has more than enough power to pummel the crowd into submission. Having the master at 4 is enough to have the club owner to come over screaming, "Turn that thing down!!!" It is a friggin' LOUD amp!

Currently, I play a John Suhr Custom with an HSH pup configuration. That is my main guitar for the cover gigs. It is very versatile and is a perfect match for the VH4. From molten metal to down-to-earth blues to spanky clean to dirty classic rock, this guitar and amp combo kicks it all out in a convincing fashion. My other guitars include a PRS Custom 24, a Fender '62 Vintage Reissue Strat, and an old Les Paul Custom. All these guitars sound fine through the VH4, imparting their own distinct characteristics.

As already explained, this amp covers a variety of styles in a very convincing manner, but it also has its own distinct sound, which is what makes this amp so awesome. It allows me to get all the sounds I need for the cover stuff and also for me to dial in what I feel are my very own tones. I keep this thing busy all the time!

This is the most quiet amp I've ever heard. Even at loud stage volumes in the high-gain channel, when I have the guitar volume turned down, there's nary a hiss out of the amp. This amp is truly an engineering marvel.

The clean channel can get ridiculously loud without distorting. I haven't tested to see how hard I need to push to make the clean channel distort. Let's say that it's got the headroom! As for the distortion, what can I say? I can't imagine it being any more "brutal". The thing is that all the sounds are usable. It could sound less-than-good if the knobs aren't set properly, but overall, I found it hard to coax bad sounds out of it.

I've used it on gigs for about 4 months now, 4 nights a week. It hasn't failed once. My backup is a Boogie Mark IV which I've owned for over 7 years now. I rarely use it now and will probably end up selling it. Still, I may decide that I should have a backup around since my living depends on good amp performance night after night. The VH4 seems rock solid and extremely reliable. I'm not sure if 4 months of 4-nights-a-week is enough of a time to judge its reliability, but I think it's pretty good.

I haven't had to deal with Salwender. The guy who sold me the amp told me that they're really easy to deal with and that they'd take care of me real good. That's good to know, but since I haven't had any experience, I won't give any rating here.

I've been playing about 20 years now. My other amps include the Boogie Mark IV, a Fender Princeton Chorus, a Fender Bassman Reissue, a Marshall JCM800, and a Line6 POD. The Boogie Mark IV has been my workhorse for many years, but now it's relegated to backup status and I may find that I need to move it and get something a little less high-end to have as a backup. I feel the VH4 is going to be a pretty reliable amp.

I got a decent deal on the used VH4, but if it got lost or stolen, I'll definitely get another one. I don't see how another amp is going to replace this amp. I've tried the Bogner Ecstasy and the VHT Pitbull, but I feel the VH4 is a much more versatile and better sounding amp.

The Diezel VH4 is a monster of an amp. I can't really imagine what else I'd want in an amp. As someone already mentioned, it's a weird looking amp and a lot of my friends also comment on the same thing, but I don't care. It sounds awesome and that's all that really matters in the end. I'm even beginning to like the look of it now.

I recommend this amp highly to anyone who wants a no-compromise all-out amp that delivers four distinct great sounds. It's like having 4 great amps in one. Considering that, $4250 doesn't seem all that much. I was lucky to pick one up used at a lot lower price, so I feel pretty lucky. If I had only been able to hear it and not buy it used, I would definitely picked up a new one. It's a great amp. To my ears, it's the best I've ever heard or played.

It was made in 2002 and came with EL34's. I'm not a fan of lead playing and i had Peter change the fourth channel into a dark sounding, heavy crunch channel. It has all the features you'll ever need.
And it goes incredibly loud. This allows me to keep the channel volumes around 1 and crank the poweramp, what gives a different type of distortion. And even with the volumes on 1, it goes loud enough for practice and gigs.
I never missed a built-in spring reverb, I have a G-Force for that. Although I don't use the channel inserts now, it's a very handy feature, as well as the thru jack and the serial/parallel loop.
Poweramps that can be used are (so far): EL34, 6L6, KT88, KT66, 6550 and 5881.

I use a Les Paul Standard, a Diezel 4x12 cabinet, a Morley wah and a TC electronic G-Force. With this setup, I can get every sound I want, although a nice Tele would be a welcome addition.
The diezel is the only amp I know that is market leader on EVERY channel. It sounds very fat, and has the best low-end response I've ever experienced. From very clean to ultra high-gain, everything is possible. The 6L6 version has more low in the sound, but is also a bit looser in the bottom end. It still is tight, but not as tight as with EL34's.
The signal-to-noise ratio is, due to the state-of-the-art parts, incredibly low.

this is the only amp that is completely reliable. If a poweramp tube breakes down, the amp continuous with no significent loss in fidelity. Even if you put it on with no speakers connected, it doesn't break down. Try that with another amp.
The inside of the amp reveils the craftmanship that lies behind the great tones and reliability. Only the best parts are good enough.

The best you can get. Making customers completely satisfied is a quest for these guys. I wish I could give them an "11" for this

I play for 9 years now. My past amps were a Marshall anniversary, Crate Blue Voodoo and An Engl sagvage SE. The Diezel annihilates all other amps I've ever heard or played, including the most expensive Boogie, soldano, VHT, rivera and other gear.
I'm a Diezelfan and I'm willing to help everyone interested in The greatest guitaramps on this planet.

I won't repeat what's already been described by other reviewers here. All I can say is that it's got everything I could ever want in a head.

I'm a hard rock/metal player but I like to absorb all kinds of styles and play them on my own when I get the chance: blues, jazz, Bossa Nova, funk, country, New Age, you-name-it. So, my main thing is an awesome high-gain and main-gain thing, but for my own use, I want a beautiful clean sound as well as a good medium gain sound. The Diezel VH4 delivered well beyond my greatest expectations. That was a real treat.

My main guitar is an Anderson Drop-Top Classic in a HSH configuration. Other guitars include a PRS Custom 24, a Steinberger GS with EMG 89-SA-89 pickup configuration with their SPC and EXG controls, an ESP Horizon with a pair of EMG-81s, a Gibson ES-175 Reissue and a Fender '62 Vintage Reissue Strat. For my metal band, I mainly use the Anderson and the ESP. I also like to play fusion kind of stuff and for that, it's the Steinberger. The ES-175 keeps the jazzy side of me happy and the Strat is for my closet blues and funk side of me which I keep hidden from my metal bandmates.

I've owned various Marshall JCM800s, Boogie Mark IIs, Mesa Dual Rectifiers, an Engl Savage 120, a Bogner Ecstasy 100B, a Soldano SLO100, a VHT Pitbull Ultra Lead and a Marshall 30th Anniversary 6100 head (the one with the blue covering). I used to think the Ecstasy 100B and the SLO100 were unbeatable. I thought the Engl was like a great compromise between the XTC and the SLO. Then I tried the VH4. Well, it blew everything else away. It just annahilated anything else I've owned and tried. I couldn't believe it!

It's a very quiet amp. I can honestly say that I've never heard a more quiet amp with so much amount of gain. I play in a metal band that would resemble a cross between Pantera, Megadeth and some Dream Theater. I also like listening to and playing along with Slayer, Anthrax and even Korn. The VH4 could easily cover these bands and still have some gain left over.

Channel 1 is great for the closet Nile Rodgers and the Jim Hall in me. I'd dare to say the clean channel on this amp is as good as any Fender Twin Reverb, Fender Dual Professional, Polytone Mini-Brute, and the Roland JC-120. The headroom is sky high. The channel one on this amp is worth as much as Fender's Dual Professional, which I considered the benchmark for great clean sounds with mega amound of headroom. The VH4 matches the Dual Professional easily. I never thought that was possible from a high-gain head.

Channel two was comparable to the best Matchless, Top Hat, and Diaz amps I have tried. It's not quite a Dumble, but those amps go into 5 figures. It does the SRV thing real good and when you crank the gain and the volume, it does the 70's classic rock thing to perfection. It's not exactly a Plexi or a Bassman in heat, but it does both admiringly well.

Channel 3 starts off in Free territory and ends up in early Van Halen. Brown sound? I'd say it's damn close. The clarity and the solid bottom end of this channel has to be heard to be believed. It's the ultimate hot-rodded JCM800 as far as I'm concerned. Arredondo-modified Marshall. Fuggedah bout it! This one smokes my hot-rodded JCM800s if yore.

Channel 4 picks up where the 3 left off. This channel alone, in my opinion, is worth the cost of the amp. After listening to the first 3 channels, I figured that Diezel couldn't possibly have this one right as well. As some people have mentioned, I thought: "Man, I bet it's muddy. I bet it's loose and floppy. I bet it just doesn't have the tone with the amount of gain it's supposed to have." Man, was I wrong. It sounded like the best of the SLO100, the XTC 100B, and the VHT UL all rolled into one. It had the cutting edge but it wasn't shrill. It had a sweet midrange but it wasn't squishy. It had the fast attack but it wasn't like a friggin' bass amp. It was smooth yet articulate and sweet. It was aggressive and thumping, but controlled and sensitive. Sound too good to be true. To my ears, it really was and I still marvel at the incredible balance it keeps at hyper-loud so

I've had it for about 3 months now, so the jury's still out. The thing is built like a fortress, not just a tank! But I feel I need more time to really offer my opinion about its versatility.

So far, I haven't had to deal with 'em. I keep hearing about how nice these guys are to deal with. The amp's been perfect, so I just haven't had to deal with them.

This amp ain't cheap by a long shot, but I feel it's worth every penny. If it was only about $700~1000 cheaper it'd get an easy 10.

The only other amps that I'd rate up there with the VH4 are the SLO100, the XTC 100B, and the VHT UL. As far as I'm concerned, the VH4 beats all these amps with one hand tied behind its back. It destroyed the Engl Savage 120 and the Mesa Triple Rectifier. They shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence with the VH4.

What do I love about it? I love all the sounds and the features. What do I NOT like about it? It's a weird looking amp. I don't particulary like the slanted knobs, but I see that they needed to save some space.

I wish it had a Class A/AB switch and a built-in Variac like my Bogner 100B. I wish I could assign the presence and deep controls to each channel. This is the only area where a certain amount of compromise comes into focus.

I feel I've tried it all and this is by far the best amp I've ever played. It's the most versatile and it's the best-sounding by far. It gets the brutal, intense over-the-top metal sounds that have a ton of character to 'em, which is what I need for my metal band, but it also satisfies this very personal and mellow side of me that I never thought was possible from an amp with so much loads of gain. From Albert Lee and Wes Montgomery to SRV and Keith Richards to Van Halen and Satriani to Slayer and Korn, this amp TRULY covers it all. Mine's already insured, so if it got lost or stolen, I'll replace it with another one right away.

I realize my gushing and raving may sound like hype, but to me, it's anything but hype. For me anyway, the VH4 is the ultimate amp. I wish it had been a little cheaper, but I have no regrets. It's simply the best sounding guitar amp as far as I'm concerned. I knew the moment thta I plugged in that this one was going to attain Classic status real soon. I guarantee that the Line6's and the Roland's of the world will have Diezel models in the not-too-distant future. It really is THAT good!

This is a follow up to my other review (I was the guy who replaced the Dual Rect. stack with this monster). Anyway I just finished cutting tracks in the studio with this amp. All I can say is this amp is nothing short of AMAZING. I was blown away with the tone, as was the studio engineer, and everyone else who has heard it. Here's the scary part, I left the eq's exactly how I practice and play out and all he did was mic the cab. He didn't have to do any eqing on the board. For the record I was using a Diezel Vintage 4x12 cab. I play mainly heavy music with many tone changes and very, very precise rythm parts. I recorded with all 4 channels with a Korina wood Jackson King V with Seymor Duncans. All of them sounded killer. My main heavy rythm tracks were recorded on channel three with 2 separate tracks. The soundwith only two tracks is "HUGE!" Sounds like a freight train, but still very tight and defined. I've never heard a tone like. I can't even begin to imagine what it'll sound like when it's done getting mixed and mastered. Later.

mine was made in 2001 i think....
this thing is the best amp out there(side by side with the SLO)...
you can play almost anything with it.not suited for blues because of the 1st channel.its very sofisticated for recording but not punchy enough for srv style playing...four channels enough to satisfy whoever dares to challenge this amp.
1st channel)crystal clean ideal for using with a good chorus or whatever you feel like.it'll never peak like those damn treble tones from the past.switch for bright tone...
2nd channel)blues with a twist!!thats my best way to discribe that channel.same switch for bright tone...
3rd channel)oh brown sound at last.amazing sound at every setting i've tried so far...slightly compressed and ideal for rhythm playing.
great string to string definition and clear,round sounding at full gain.
4th channel)the gift from god to peter diezel delivered to us...
its a dream.perfect harmonics,incredible sustain,massive power easy controled to your taste...lead sounds to infinity or rhythmic madness ala petrucci or korn.
i play something between blues rock and progressive metal.this thing is perfect for me.had a rack set up but gave it all away.
now i'm only using this amp with a tc effects processor.it sounds better than a 10U rack.believe me i've tried that...
its fully equiped with midi very easy in programming.2 inserts for each channel,two sends(the one programable to switch by midi),two returns,seriel and parallel loop with mix control,bass-treble-mid-gain and volume knobs for each channel,a master volume,presence and a deep knob.
it has everything i could demand from a perfect amp.
it is very loud though so if you want to experiment a lot go bye a THD hot plate to make more versatile to practise without loosing an ear.this amp also is ideal for loud performing.it sounds better at half volume(12 o'clock) but then you'll probably hear the police siren outside your house.use 7 12ax7 jj's i think for preamp,input,buffering etc. and 4 6L6 power tubes.

i'm using a custom guitar with warmoth woods and tom anderson pickups.this amp,the guitar and the processor is all i need,at least for now...its the most quiet hi gain amp i've ever heared.even sold my super c hush gate.

it looks like a military vehicle.i cant wait to gig with.that's what it was made for...looks solid as a rock..

i cant tell yet because i've never had a problem with it but everyone speaks the best words about peter diezel.
time will tell...

i've been playing for almost 13 years.
if it were stolen i would sell a kidney or something to bye one back.
i personaly like it more than the vht amps but they're great also.
its far better than the boogie rectifier or the marshall shit...

This is an update from a past review done earlier in November of 2001
concerning a new VH4 amp. Please read my other review of this amp and you will see all the details I mentioned initially. This review is to let everyone reading this know what kind of people and company you would be dealing with, should you need any further encouragement to make up your mind concerning the purchase of a Diezel amp.
Uwe Salwender has gone way out of his way in seeing that those who have a Diezel amp, new, or used, are completely satisfied with the amp. He has provided very quick return e-mails, phone calls, and service on Diezel amps that I have not seen in my 46+ years of dealing with people who manufacture amps or guitars. I sent my amp out to have a resistor fixed, which I had taken out of the amp, to experiment with the voicing. I am not a good soldered, not even a bad soldered, I am probably someone who should be arrested if seen with a soldering iron in my hand. I had really done quite a horrific job of botching the amp board up trying to solder, which I blame myself for, and finally had to send the amp out for repair. All I asked for was to put the amp back to stock, as it sounded fine that way. My experimenting was done out of curiosity, not from dissatisfaction with the tones I was already getting from the amp. Uwe took the amp and replaced the entire board. Not only did he replace the board, but Peter, who was in Los Angeles attending the NAMM show, went over the entire amp to insure that it was correct. They re-biased the amp, and at no charge to me, even made it sound better then it originally did! I thought it sounded absolutely unbelievable before, but it sounded even better upon getting it back! Peter, and Uwe were only interested in seeing that I was personally satisfied with the sound and tones of the amp. Their attention to detail and customer support is beyond anything I have ever experienced before. Why? Because Uwe and Peter are both only interested in seeing that tone and customer satisfaction is not only met, but surpassed by your past experiences with other companies and their products! The amp is built like a finely tuned racing machine, with no bad sounds in it.
Peter Diezel and his staff have been so thoroughly dedicated to seeing that a super high quality product is made for his customers, that he spares no expense in getting only the finest parts and does the most amazing work in hand making his amps to last several liftimes. When you buy a Diezel, you can rest assured that it will outlive you, if given the same care a reasonable person would give themselves. A flight case will also insure that transporting this amp will save it from unnecessary dinging and save it from damage which it otherwise would not have to endure. These simple precautions, just like having a case for a guitar, will allow the user decades of quality tones and workmanship that will stand up to the test of time. You can see and feel the quality as soon as you touch the amp and twist the dials. It is built far more ruggedly then other amps in it's price range. It delivers so many usable tones quickly, without having to hunt them down through a lot of extra switches and internal wiring that would add extra circuitry and strangle the tones, which this amp can easily deliver without these extra tone-consuming devices.
Peter Diezel responds personally to his e-mails, and phone calls and gives the personalized service to his customers that make him and Uwe stand apart from all other amp manufacturers that I have dealt with. Peter has come out with a new amp called "The Herbert", which is specifically designed for the "Metal" players, but from reports I have received from NAMM visitors, The Herbert will deliver far more then just the desires of metal guitarists. They also have introduced a VH2 for those wishing to get the amazing Diezel tones but may not wish to go for the larger VH4.
My experiences

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Diezel VH4 (2001) I''ve had it for a while and have really tried it out.
this is a very versitile amp and can do almost any sound you cound want (I like all the channels). I play a lot of rock, metal but also blue and whatever. It does it all very well but i would have to say that there are a lot of amps that sound very good as well. I got this amp because of the reviews and versatility. It is one of the best for sure. I have owned Matchless (also great for it's tone), fenders, marshalls, boogies, top hats, bogners( great amps) and many rack mounted amps/effects. I don't like pedals as they color the sound way to much (all of them do it, I've owned or tried em all!) the Diezel is great as no pedals or other noise makers needed! I can't say enough about this amp as it is close to the perfect sound (but not quite) there is always room for improvement!

I use mostly pauls and strats, all different pickups emgs, fralin, and buckers. All sound great with this amp. It is a very quiet amp but as all, makes some noise when turned up some. The distortion is fantastic but again, not perfect ( I still can get tired of the sound as it too is voiced in it's own way). Still pretty hard to beat but I have owned amps that also sounded this good (old 60's marshall, bogner shiva, and matchless also have great sound). I have to take it down a little here because of the hype (nothing is a 10 people). I'd give it a perfect 8 though. But also would give an 8 to a matchless or bogner as well. This amp is very over priced but I liked the versatility so I bought it. It also has it's own voice that is great and shines but not 4k brightness! They need to get this amp in the 2k range because that's an appropriate price for these kind of amps.

The amp is made so well I doubt I will ever have a problem with it. Seems that it would be easy to fix though ( I don't know I'm not an amp tec).

Way to expensive! hope I dont have to get it fixed!!

I have been playing for 30 years, all styles. I stolen I would be upset but dont think I would buy another one (to many other things to try, and a lot of great amps out there!!) No it's not the be all end all, sorry, It does have great tone and versitility but there are a lot of amps it can't do (Matchless, Vox, and the great old marshall tones) does the over top stuff great and the clean is as good as a twin. I think I'll check out a UV hear they are great too. I give the VH4 a solid 8 overall but that price is sad so knock off a point for that so we give it a solid 7. Still, an amazing amp!

I bought the amp used. I think the amp was made in 1998. I'm playing rock - blues and heavy stuff. The amp has four from each other completely independent channels. Channel switching by Midi foot controller. It has prallel and serial effect loops. Parallel loop can be contolled by a mix section on the front panel. (Sorry for my poor English).

I'm using a Gibson Les Paul Custom and a Hamer Chaparral. The amp is very quite. To get out a Marshall, Boogie, Fender... Sound no Problem so far. It is really the best amp I've ever played.

Never had any problem. Also not the guy who owned the amp before me.

I'm living very close to Munich. Peter made some maintenance for my Marshalls, Engl.. at Music Shop in Munich in the past. He's a very polite guy and his service was always perfect.

I'm playing guitar for more than 10 years. I still have my Marshall 6100 Anniversary but I don't use it anymore. If the amp were stolen or lost I would buy it again. I am shure that I'll never have use for another amp than a VH4.

The amp purchased is a new Diezel VH4, hand made in 2001. It is a 4 channel, 4 preamp/one power amp mono 100 watt version of the VH4S stereo amp head. The amp has four independent channels, each with it's own set of gain, volume, treble, middle, and bass dials. Channel one and two each have a bright toggle as well. The amp has 2 separate effects loops(series, and parallel) as well as separate channel inserts to assign specific effects to specific channels as desired, AND is fully MIDI to allow use with any MIDI product. I play all styles of music from classical to heavy metal, with 46 years of playing time and many years of session time. Oh how I wish I had this amp a long, long time ago, say about 1955! I will be using this amp for session work, and live playing. Although, the rating for this catagory goes only to ten, I give it a 20 on a scale of 1 to 10.

I am using one Custom Shop Fender Strat, and one Masterbuilt Fender Strat. One guitar has Lace Sensor Gold pickups and the other has Lace Sensor Chrome Domes, although with a Diezel amp, a broomstick would sound fantastic! The amp is cabable( an understatement) of playing any style of music one might wish to play. Guitars of all kinds would sound better then anyone could imagine coming through a VH4. A Tele could be made to sound as ferocious as a Les Paul, and a Les Paul could sound as thin, or as big, fat and radical as the player could stand to be subjected too. Let me start by saying that every dial on this amp really works the way I feel an amp dial should react when twisted. Think how certain amps, or guitar volume dials have reacted to your turn, with a smooth, continuous graduation in change from one end of the dial to the other, and you have the idea of how each knob on the VH4 reacts. No adjustment is all on one side of the knob and the rest of the knob showing no real change in character, as say the way a tone control responds on a Les Paul, with all the change taking place on the lower dial settings. When you turn the dials on a VH4, both volume and tone dials, alike they have a really great reaction to them. There is no overly-active, or under-responding action on any dial on this amp. They all feel very natural to the ear and may be compared to test-driving a Mercedes-Benz, then getting back into your 8 year old American compact when you go back to your old amp.
Channel One gave me the feeling that I was playing on the best '65 Twin Reverb I ever played; one that was not too thin, not to boomy, not too harsh, but just perfect. The tone controls only added to my amazement, and the bass response was not to be believed! It did not cover up the tone of the channel as I added more bass, or subtracted bass, it enhanced the tone without making it boomy, or causing the bottom to fart out. The middle and treble controls also were fantastic in the way they enhanced the tone. The amp became more responsive to finger-style, and picking attack and allowed the best attributes of the guitar to be released. I was able to get from a strat; Tele tones, amazing Strat tones( Clapton/Knofler fans will be totally blown away!)PRS tones, 335 tones, Ricky tones, Gretch 6120 tones to die for, and the most fluid, alive arch-top jazz(think Johnny Smith)tones one might hope for. These were the most immediate tones I searched for, but channel one was barely given a chance, before my excitement caused me to proceed to channel two!
Channel two has the ability to simulate channel one if the tone controls are rolled off, but as they are applied, the sound became more aggressive, yet articulate and lush with detail. This channel can be clean, or when pushed take the blues into a totally new territory. Roll back the guitar's volume and it cleans up beautifully. Crank the guitar's volume and the amp can do AC/DC till the cows come home! This channel is a single channel boutique amp lovers dream. If all you want is a one channel high-end boutique amp, look no further. The VH4 has it in spades for you right there!
Channel three starts off like a SLP in the clean territory. As the gain is brought up to about 10 0'clock, Eddie Van Halen's famed and much-desired Brown Sound came right out of the amp! No buzzy, fizzy tones here. This was as good as I THOUGHT it would get, and I was so satisfied at this point that I started laughing from the pleasure the sounds I heard so far were giving me. As I twisted the gain up, the tone never got muddy, never got boomy, never got fizzy, it just blossomed into the most amazingly aggressive, brown sounds I have ever thought were possible to come from any amp, modded, souped up or otherwise! Try to imagine a dragon of enormous size uncurling itself higher and higher right above your head, then letting out the most ferociously terrifying ROAR you ever thought possible and

When I ordered this amp, Mr Uwe Salwender of Salwender International, the US distributor for Diezel asked me to send him any tubes I wanted other then what the amp comes with(6L6). I preferred El-34's and sent him 8 matched tubes for him to try. He measured each tube one to the next and separated the top four from the least-matched four, re-biased my amp and checked it out for six hours prior to sending it FED-EX 2nd day. I ordered a flight case for it as well which Mr. Salwender got for me. The amp was magnificently packed with the power tubes removed, marked 1 through 4, wrapped in bubble-wrap, then in cloth and inside the amp housing for the tubes. FED-Ex must have been very rough in handling the amp as when it arrived, a valve had lost it's vaccuum and needed replacement. The amp fired right up and was absolutely perfect in all channel modes. It is built as well as a Mercedes, in true German fashion and will be around long after I am dust, and probably long after the next person who gets it when I'm gone is dust as well. MR. Peter Diezel, and Mr. Salwender both contacted me to insure that I was satisfied with the amp, and that there were no complaints, or other problems they could help me with. The manual is extrememly well written and is very user friendly in it's approach and understanding. They are the most professional, polite, helpful and concerned amp maker and dealer I have ever had business dealing with. They are both very fine gentlemen, and have made me two new and wonderful friends.

The people of Diezel and Salwender International are top shelf individuals who know their business and conduct it in a totally professional manner. As the amp is so new, it needs no repair at this time, but I have been informed that if I wanted a channel changed in it's tonal structure, that it could be done for me. I will use Salwender International as my service center.

If this amp were stolen, I would get another one without even considering other options. I love every detail about the amp, it's design, and the fact that it does what everybody else wished their company's amps would do...IT DOES IT ALL!
One other thing I would like to share about this amp. I have owned many other amps over the 46 years I have played. I read on different forums how owners of Double and Triple Rectofiers and similar other amps have to "find" their sound, have to spend time locating the "sweet spot" on their amp, etc. You know the amps I am referring too. The Diezel amp was designed, built and reacts so naturally to the touch that you won't have a problem finding "your sound", but you may have a problem deciding on all the available sounds that make you sound better then you have ever in your life heard yourself play. You'll be able to do things with this amp that you have here-to-fore only dreamed about with other amps. It will totally surpass even the most picky, demanding players amongst you, without question. It is the standard by which all other amps on this planet are judged, and fall short of. And no , I don't work for the company, I'm just a guitarist telling you the truth about the only amp I can consider using from now on!