Diezel VH4

This amp has everything you need including for chanels wich is awsome.plain and simple if you want it this amp has it.

WOW!!! Igot interested in this amp when I saw Adam Jones from tool playing it.Nowdays it's hard to find an amp that has it all.That's what I was looking for.Messas have tons of low end Marshalls have huge roar but if you put them by there selfs theres something big lacking.Even when you get three or four great amps running at one time they still can't match the complete tone of the Diezelvh4.Bottom line-THE ONLY CONPLETE PERFECT AMP OUT THERE.

This thing is built like a tank.I'ts almost indestructible.Amazing.

Diezel definitly has the best custemor suport out there.They will gladly help you wether you have a supid question or a complex problem.They are never to buisey.

I usually plat real heavy stuff like tool or korn.I'm not sucking upwhen I say this i'ts the truth-THE BEST AMP EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

please read other eviews or visit www.diezelamplification.com

Well, I'm not going to rate this category for the simple fact I only tried this amplifier in a little shop in Bassano, Italy for about 15 minutes. I tried it with a bad Epiphone SG (150 euros), but the sounds from this amp were amazing. I tried Channel 1 first: it's a very good clean channel, deep and sparkling in the same time, even if it can't compare to a good fender... however I liked it very much. I didn't try Channel 2. Channel 3 has a great amount of gain and I think it's perfect for rhythm, although it isn't very smooth. Channel 4 is instead very smooth, perfect for solos, and has got an enormous amount of gain, too much i think to play rhtythm parts when maxed. But solos are great with this channel.
The thing that surprised me was that this amp sounded very very very well at low volume (I was trying it in a small room), even the distortion was big and defined. This amp has got a very tight distortion, specially on channel 4: I tried also a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier and an Engl Powerball, but their distortion weren't tight and focused at all, specially the Engl. But I must say I hadn't time to try them very well. However I think Diezel VH4 it's the best hi-gain amp if you're searching for an amp which must sound perfect at any volume. This fact is, I think, the reason for which a guy wrote it sounded like a transistor amp... but I definitely say that this is the better amp I played, and, having played it at low volumes, I only hope for better things when you turn up volume

I'm gonna try it another time when I return down to Bassano, and compare it to a Soldano, a Mesa Dual rectifier, a Marshall JCM900 and others.

Can't say, only tried in a store

I don't own this amp, but I definitely go for a 10. You can contact Peter Diezel and get your amp modded when you want. He also in person answer the messages you write on the forum of he's website (www.diezelamplification).

Can't rate it, I should own it

I waited a while to wrote this review for the vh4. I wont say anything about what has already been cover. 4 channels of beautiful tone....Period......Hands down the best amp I have ever played. I have owned a vh4s and the current 2004 vh4 im running. What is most outstanding to me is the fact that this amp will truly give you YOUR SOUND.No other amp truly forces you to be a better player. The amp is very unforgiving in that it does not have the buzzy lose gain structure. It is very in your face and focused.

No other amp truly forces you to be a better player. The amp is very unforgiving in that it does not have the buzzy lose gain structure. It is very in your face and focused. vh4 works with you to truly bring out your playing. If you miss a note in a fast run on most amps, it's not that noticeable. Vh4 does not hide this at all!! Also I know of no other amp that cuts through like this in the high gain sounds. I got to sleep thing about the sound of this amp.
Channel 1 is beautiful dark to bright clean tones. Took a little while before I liked it since I was used to crappy mesa amps. Truly a very open natural clean that can even get a little gritty with higher gain. Channel 2 is a good one but I don't use it to much. Great for a bluesy classic rock sound. Very vintage "fat" sounding!! Channel 3=This is worth the 4K alone!! This is the sound.....period. I have to give it to Peter with this channel. The best sound ever from a amp. Channel 4 is also great for leads and very extreme. Not as open as channel 3 but stands on it's own. I play this amp and my Herbert with Diezel 4x12 front and rear loaded cabs. The only cabs that can stand up to these tone machines. The vh4s I had KILLED the Mesa Recto cabs I had. They started farting out cause they could not handle the bass. I also play with Paul Reed Smith guitars(custom 24's and singlecuts).
The one thing that is good and bad is it is very responsive to different pickups. I wish it would sound a little more accepting off different ones.

You know I hate to do it but I got to give only a 9 here. The only thing I have ever had a problem with is the midi. My first vh4 got midi freaky every now and then. It would sometimes switch to the wrong channel with midi changes. Not very cool when your at a show. It still worked and Uwe and I could not figure it out. These things happen and I thing everything else is a 10.

HANDS DOWN THE BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE ANYWHERE! Ive never met Peter but hope to sometime. Uwe Salwender is the coolest guy ever! He has always helped with the tons of questions I call him about. Never to busy to talk to you and help to make sure your getting the most from your amp. I bug him constantly ; )

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Playing 9 years and tried Mesa,Bogner,Marshall,Vht.....Not cutting it. Diezel is the way to go. sold the other crap and got more DIEZEL. I am a happy owner of a VH4 and a Herbert. I also own 2 Diezel 4x12's front and rear loaded. If I buy another amp.......I will be the next Diezel.

This VH-4 was made in 2003. I waited eight months for it. I owned tons of amps, and this is the only one that addressed all my needs as a funk player who also plays blues and hard rock.This amp has 4 channels, each with it's own EQ, stompbox insert, assignable parallel
loop, and global series loop. I love that this amp only switches via midi, and powers the footswitch. This amp never pops when switching channels. I wish the master volume boost was separate from the parallel loop, but it is a very transparent boost. Personally, I believe this is the most versatile amplifier available to date.

I use Fender Strats with Bridge Humbuckers, and an Anderson Swap Ash
Drop top Classic, all SSH. Over my 27 yrs of writing, playing, and recording, I've come to realize I need four basic tones. High headroom
clean with good highs and lows, and in-between Spin Doctors hairy clean that morphs into defined crunch in Humbucking mode, Delicious Heavy Crunch for rock riffs and power chords, and a Gary Moore style
"Pretty Woman" style lead. This amp can do all of this with very little tweaking, if you have a killer guitar or great pickups.
Ch-4 was too compressed, so I had Uwe modify Ch-4 to have less gain and more cutting power. I also had the Deep frequency set to match the Herbert for bigger lows and the Presence moved to @6k. I found 4k a little strident to hear all the time. These guys care about tone. I'll play my Bogner XTC and switch to the Diezel. The Diezel says
"so what". I'll play an Aiken Sabre, go home and plug in the VH-4
and again the Diezel is just badass. These other amps are incredible,
but the four tones I need exist without compromise in the VH-4.
The Herbert is not better, in my opinion, just different. To me the
VH-4 is the Flagship amp by Peter Diezel.

The most Reliable amp I've ever owned. Period

Lifetime Warranty to original owner. Best customer Service by far.
Uwe Salwender gave me amazing response times, And listened to my ideas,and did the mods.

Incredible Amp. I will never sell it. I've stopped plugging in at Music stores everytime I go, or researching new amps. Quite frankly, it's up to me now. I've got no excuse. This amp is worth the money.
I've been waiting 27 years for this amp. Stop spending money on amp after amp, and get a VH-4

I left a review a while ago, this is just an update on the Customer Support. One of the coolest features on this is that for each tube there is a little light and a fuse, when that tube goes out it blows the fuse, but it doesn't kill the sound. So if your in the middle of a set, you will hardly even notice at all, so no embarassing moments. Another cool feature. If you want to have a boost button you can. Just use Send Loop 2 and the efects loop knob on the front acts as a second Master Volume. Totally killer!!!

Super reliable. Not one problem yet.

I delt with Uwe and he was amazing. I have never imagined in a million years that I would call and order tubes from him and he would tell me that when I received them that he would teach me to BIAS MY AMP OVER THE PHONE!!!! If that isn't customer support than I don't know what is. I noticed someone saying that the only Service place for these is in Germany. That is not true Uwe is in L.A. and would be more than happy to work on your amp as long as you pay for shipping.
Diezel USA
Salwender International
1140 N. Lemon Street #M
Orange, Ca 92867
714-538-1285

Just a point of clairification for Craig below....the VH4 is not point to point wired....it is PCB.

This model is probably 2003.It has Peter Diezel's initials written with a sharpie on the back panel.4 channels and you have a send/return on each channel! Brilliant design and flawless workmanship! It is 100 watts,6 ecc83's electro harmonix's and 4 el34's electro harmonix tubes, but it will take 6L6 and EL34 and 6550 and KT88,5881 and every other power tubes I didn't mention.The Engl Savage 120 I own is versatile too, but with send and returns on each channel,can it get any better than this???

I use & play Jackson's & Ibanez's & Washburn's & ESP's and that's it, mainly.I have over 40 instruments.My style of music is "Christian Progressive Metal" original music and hopefully,GOD WILLING,I will be recording my first CD within a year's time.I LOVE THIS AMP! It is truly EXPENSIVE,BUT YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR,and that is an old and true saying most of the time.This amp has ZERO noise,handwired point to point and the distortion/gain is MORE than any of the other so called "high gain amps".The DIEZEL has a killer clean sound and this amp's third and fourth channels just sing with a violin type smooth creamy overdrive that is BETTER than any amp, and I've tried them all or most of them anyway.
I own:Framus Cobra head,a Marshall/Splawn modified head,ENGL POWERBALL 7 SAVAGE 120 & Krank Revolution series one head, Mesa Mark 4 Head,Carvin X100B head, and many other Rocktron power and preamp units.This head just KILLS anything and I'm really happy with the Diezel VH-4 head.What else can be said that hasen't been said already???

AWESOME HEAD, I DON'T HAVE TO GIG WITHOUT ANOTHER AMP BUT I WOULD WITH THE DIEZEL.NEVER BROKE DOWN, THIS IS A DIEZEL HANDMADE FROM GERMANY....I'VE HAD IT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, AND DON'T EXPECT ANYTHING WILL HAPPEN.IT'S MADE LIKE A TANK AND HAS THE BIGGEST AMP CABINET I'VE EVER SEEN.

Emailed Peter Diezel and he emailed me the next day.Seems very cool and happy that I own his line of amps.He stands behind his amps 100% and that's the way it should be.Besides that, it's a DIEZEL!!!

PLAYING SINCE 1979, SO THAT'S 25 YEARS.I OWN 40+ ELECTRIC GUITARS AND A FEW BASSES AND BASS AMPS.I OWN REALLY GREAT AMPS(SEE ABOVE) AND THERE IS NOTHING I HATE ABOUT THE DIEZEL, EXCEPT THE PRICES,BUT HEY, NOW I OWN ONE AND IT WILL BE MINE FOREVER! IF THERE IS ANYTHING, IT COULD HAVE A LITTLE MORE LOW END, BUT THAT'S BEING SUPER CRITICAL.MY FRAMUS COBRA AMP HAS A LITTLE MORE LOW END THAN THE DIEZEL BUT THE DIEZEL HAS MORE GAIN, A LITTLE MORE THAN THE FRAMUS.THE ONLY AMP I CAN EVEN COMPARE THIS TO IS:FRAMUS COBRA HEADS.I OWN A CUSTOM ONE IN RED AND I'M REALLY ENJOYING THAT AMP TOO! ENGL AMPS SOUND GREAT TOO! BUT THE DIEZEL FITS ME AND ALLOWS MY PLAYING STYLE TO SHINE BECAUSE THE SOUND JUST JUMPS OUT OF THOSE SPEAKERS WHEN PLAYING RYHTHM OR LEAD.LET ME MENTION THAT THE CLEAN TONE IN THIS AMP IS CLEAR,AND DISTORTION FREE, WITH MASSIVE HEADROOM.ALL YOU FENDER FREAKS CAN'T TOUCH THE DIEZEL CLEAN.YES, IT'S THAT GREAT OF AN AMPLIFIER IN MY OPINION AND THEREFORE,I'M MARKING ALL THE CATEGORIES A 10, BECAUSE THIS AMP IS THE HOLY GRAIL OF AMP TONE.IT CAN DO ANY GAIN AND SOUND FROM THE 60'S ALL THE WAY UP TO DEATH METAL TO JAZZ, TO PUNK MUSIC TO PROGRESSIVE MUSIC.MANY PLAYERS MAY ENDORSE OTHER AMPS BUT I KNOW THAT BANDS ARE FINDING OUT WHAT ALL THE FUSS IS OVER THESE, BECAUSE ALLOT OF BANDS HAVE NOW BOUGHT THESE.THANK YOU VERY MUCH PETER DIEZEL, FOR MAKING ME SUCH AN INCREDIBLE AMP HEAD THE VH-4...........

4 channel with independent EQ, basically. With the ability to control through midi or pro tools off stage. The only thing I would love to see added is reverb...otherwise I would rate this a 10. But you can get it added inside the head.

I am a professional player. I use several Diezel heads. I use 2 or 4 Mono heads (for big shows with lots of equipment) and I also have a Stereo head for smaller venues.


This is a great head! Probably the most versatile head out there. One thing that gets me, when I read some of the review (mainly VH 4 reviews) is they don't know how to use them. If you buy a mono head, guess what it's not going to sound as large because it's one signal, hence the name Mono. Or when they say the channels are great but I'm not to happy with the first one for whatever reason. You have to keep in mind they make the amps kind-a at a level that suits most players. If your not to keen with something, you can call Peter Diezel and "he'll" modify it for you exactly the way you want right in front of you. With that said there is no reason why the amp can't sound the way you want it to sound. Really what we are taking about is quality of construction and design, and that is 10. Sound is awesome, 10.

I would say extremely dependable.

Diezel, is a great company. I've seen Peter treat kids as good as me~ and that's very rare in LA

10

I've been playing over 10 years and have went thru alot of gear over the years. The last head that I had was a Mesa Road King. The Diezel does not have the power amp and speaker switching capability that the Road King has, but I have seldomly used these features. I have become very accustomed to a 4 channel head, and the Diezel delivers. The built in MIDI functionality is an excellent feature that is easy to use and I greatly appreciate it. My current set-up requires that I change effects presets and amp channels with one hit of my MIDI footswitch. The Road King required a separate device to convert the amp channels to Midi and there were alot of extra cords to deal with. The VH4 is simple because you just plug a MIDI cord right into your footswitch or effects unit. The Diezel will also supply phantom power to your MIDI board----so throw away that bulky AC adaptor.

I've found this to be the best all in one amp to date. By this I mean, it's an amp that can produce a variety of sounds due to the fact that it has 4 channels. There is no perfect amp, but if you had to choose just one amp and stick with it, this is IT. In comparison to the Road King, the Diezel wins out on every single channel. The clean channel is way better and get get alot more sounds, the second channel is somewhat better for that light distortion sound. The third channel absolutley detroys the Road King. There is no comparison. Leads sing thru the Diezel. The Road King cannot touch this and comes out vey flat in comparison. Channel 4, which I use for the heavy distortion (high bas and treble, low mid) is a little better and more focused than the Raod King. How they do this without the rectifier tubes, I don't know, but it is definetly better.

So far, so good. This seems to be put together pretty well and with quality parts. The Road King, on the other hand, is really a problem. They have so much stuff crammed in there that they use crappy parts.

N/A.

THE BEST in this genre of amps.

2001 2nd hand VH4. The amp has a new set of unbiased 6L6's in it with various 12ax7's in it. (Chinese and Russian)

Great amp! It is a lot "squishier" on the gain channels than I expected. I didn't like that at 1st, but I have really started to love this amp. he 2 clean channels sound good but not as good as I had hoped for (after trying a Diezel Herbert). Channel one has a clean channel that I think compares to most high gain amps- just okay. It works. Channel 2 has more gain and works great for when you don't want to roll your volume down on a gain channel (or don't have time)It works great for "SHE @#$^in' HATES ME" by Puddle of Mudd.
This amp has killer tones; both LIVE and at home at any volume. Channel 3 and 4 are what I think this amp is about! Awesome and very warm, it reminds me of a Bogner Fish preamp. A very "organic" gained out natural tone. I just can't express how much I crave this tone. I go thru the day craving to play some power chords thru it! Really awesome. Channel 3 has a little more "tone" to it but is just enough gain for me when the gain is cranked.... it's enough, but I've been using a ?ZVEX Super Hard On? pedal in the series loop lately to boost it a little more... than it's KILLER. But when I need a little more gain I'll use Channel 4. It sounds similar to Channel 3, not as much tone as Channel 3, but similar and with more than enough gain. I think I have it set up less than 1/2 up. Both channels work great for leads and rhythm and it depends on the circumstance which channel I choose. I gig and play professionally and I have used Soldano's, Bogners, Marshall's, Mesa's, Matchless's etc. I own many high end amps and have played and owned most everything out there.

This amp has a MONSTER size box. I've never seen such a MONSTER amp!! It looks better in person than in the pics- I think it's a REALLY cool looking amp. The logo is just KILLER.
I found it difficult to change the preamp tubes without taking the amp out of the box. (4 screws no biggie)

I hear it's very good. Although the factory is in Germany!

This amp is killer. It'd be perfect if the 1st channel was as good as the Herbert. Thats another Killer amp I'm looking to own. Diezel- what a great amp company. Believe the hype!!

I have this amp only for a few days now, so i haven't really been through all the MIDI options right now, but from what i have read from the manual, there will be nothing left to wish for in this beast. There are Rubytubes el34's in mine. One major let-down is the missing of a spring reverb though... there's room enough for it inside the head. Now i will be forced to buy a tone-degrading digital reverb or a $$$$ hard to take-along spring reverb unit like Fender. So i'll take two points off there. Furthermore the series/parallel loops and channel inserts are something i dreamt of having in an amp for years... I play different styles of music so with four completely different sounding channels it's like i bought four new amps for the price of two.

My main guitars are a Gibson LP custom '57ri with Duncan distortion and '59 and a Ibanez s540fm with diMarzio X2N,Fasttrack and PAFpro. My cab a Mesarecto std. I play in a pop/rock band, a modern metal band and a grunge/rock band. At home i play alot of clean stuff also so the versatilaty of this amp was just what i was looking for. I'll run through the channels;

1) very articulate, warm sounding on the right settings. I prefer it with bright switch on. I like my clean on the edge of beeing clean so i turn the gain fairly high up here and when i want pure clean it cleans up nicely when rolling back the volume on my guitar. Really miss a spring reverb here though.................

2) Well it sounds okay but i don't think i will use it quite often. I use it now as my E-bow channel with some delay.

3) Yeah... Unfortunatly i haven't been able too crank the volume up real loud since i have only used it at home 'till now but i can hear already this thing is gonna blow some people's heads of my first coming gig. My other amp is a DSL 100 and after comparing those the Diezel sounds much more defined and less shrill on high gain settings. There's an incredible pumping low end that doesn't fart out. I really like this channel, Like a Marshall, but much more focused and dead quit when needed.

4) Sounds kinda like the third channel with even more gain. It has more high-end and less lower-mids too imo. Wouldn't use it as a rhythm channel only for leads. A little noisy on high gain settings but nothing to worry about.

I can't comment on that since i have only had it for a few days.

I can't comment on this either 'cause i never tried. (And hopefully won't ever need too)

I am playing for about 14 years now and it's the most expensive piece of gear i ever bought. If someone tried to steal it from me he would also take my 4x12. Up his tailpipe!!!!! I love it's versatility and it sounds very good. Perfect is something impossible to achieve 'cause tastes differ. I think this will be a keeper maybe for as long as i live or someone else makes an amp that's even more to my tastes.

Too much to sum up. It has everything you'll ever need, and then some.
4 channels of tube power: from clean to crunch to high gain to lead.
You can switch between the channels by means of a MIDI-footboard, or the new Diezel-footswitch.
2 sends, 4 insert loops,parallel & serial returns
send 2 FX, ....
4,8 or 16 ohm speaker out.
100 watt. Loud enough to bring down the house, but also great sounding at lower volumes. Cuts through in any band situation, gigs...

Mine has 6l6-tubes, but it's compatible with just about every type of tube out there. The EL-34's I had in the beginning were too compressed, the 6l6's open everything up nicely and give you some nut-cracking low-end.
I play mostly metal. Lately I'm very much into Killswitch engage, Soilwork, fear factory, trivium, mnemic,... Pretty hard stuff.
I hear that a lot of people are using channel 4 for extremer metal, which makes absolutely no sense to me. Channel 3 is the rythm channel, and it has enough gain for ANY style of heavy music. Hell, you can make single coils sound like beasts on this channel with the right tweaking. It can go from a small crunch to AC/DC to Van Halen to Metallica to fear factory to whatever you can think of.
My current sound is almost identical too Killswitch Engage's sound on "the end of heartache", if not even more defined. And all I use is my guitar and channel three, that's it. No boosts, nothing!
Channel 4 does what it's supposed to do as a lead channel. Do NOT use it as a rythm channel, channel 3 is a masterpiece and will cover all your rythm needs (think of a hotrodded JCM 800, but with extreme versatility and definition)
Channel 1 provides you every type of clean out there. I play a lot of clean stuff aswel which it does perfectly. The melodies that flow from this channel bring tears to your eyes. From juicy gibson-jazzy type-sounds, to the brightest fender clean (just flip the bright switch!). Channel 2 I almost never use. I guess it would be great for bluesy type stuff, but I don't know enough about that stuff.

It always keeps its clarity. It sounds insane at low tunings!! The tone never turns to mud, always keeps its clarity and definition.

The amp is pretty unforgiving also. very fast attack.

It's a tube amp, so it's never solid state-reliable, but it definetly is the next best thing. It has a tube fault system that tells you if a tube is causing problems. If a tube breaks down on you (which usually happens 10 minutes before a gig), you can just take the bad one out, and continue on the remaining three! It's the only amp, I would ever consider gigging with, without a backup.

I gave it a 9, because it still is a tube amp.

Excellent. You're dealing with Peter Diezel. that's all you need to know.

If your reading this you probably know all of the specs. This amp is GOD!!!! Hands down the best sounding amp I have EVER heard. You can do everything with it. I bet it would do my dishes if i hooked it up to the sink.

I use Les Paul guitars. I play mostly hard rock and thrash metal (Alice in Chains, Tool, Slayer, Megadeth, 80's cock rock). This thing doesn't make sounds, it sings. It rich and WARM, I had to turn the air conditioner on this this is so warm. Sounds great at low and high volumes. The distortion is what it distortion is suposed to be. Not that mesa boogie crunch that sounds like rocks in a blender.

Brand new. Can't answer yet, feels like a tank though.

I dealt with tone merchants and Ed was great.

I have been playing for 10 years. I have owned Mrashalls, Crates, I have a Mesa Boogie Triple Rect. I have two Gibson Les Pauls, Standard and Custom. I have a few boss pedals, a Line 6 POD, and a Digitech GNX3. I do wish it had reverb, but thats ok, I can manage with out it.
Don't waste your time getting something in the middle, save the extra money and buy one. If i could give this thing a 12 I would.

This amp was born in 2003. I play metal, aggressive music with plenty of palm-muting. I am mainly a rythm player, though I do occaisionally play leads (I handle all the guitar chores in the band). This has all the features I could possibly need. Just for the hell of it, here we go: Serial and Parrallel (which can be midi controlled) effects loops. Channel inserts for stompboxes on each channel. A thru jack for plugging into a second head. LOUD (or quiet, if desired, much better master control than most tube high-watt amps). The Deep and the Presence controls really makes this amp stand out in dynamic control. I'm too lazy to go on in this section.

I feel this amp is definitely geared towards METAL. And, in my opinion, that's a good thing. I use two Studio Gibson LP's (one gothic) loaded with a Duncan JB and a Jizz. I also own an ESP Grynch with EMG 81 and 60, and a Gibson gothic SG with the Duncan combo. I don't bother playing the latter two any more. To reach this amp's true metal potential, nothing beats a LP. This amp really need to have the right guitar and the right pickups, the amp really lets each different guitar shine through, with all their faults exposed. This amp sounds much tighter and has much better tone with PASSIVE pickups. With any quality handbuilt amp, EMG 81's are unnecessary (but they are necessary for a Triple XXX or a piece of crap rectifier (I hate those things!-- had to vent)), and will make the amp much, much harder to tame. With the JB I can turn the gain up on the fourth channel to 3 o'clock (or so), with the bass maxed out and the depth at noon (using more on the bass control than the depth control makes the sound much tighter), the presence at one, and have a massive tight sound that still responds to your playing dynamics. If you set the gain above 3 you get a more compressed sound. The fourth channel is where it's at for me, comparable (but with even more gain) with the Uberschall's distortion channel. I should note that I did have the amp modified so that the fourth channel is eq'd like the third channel for maximum clarity since I'm mainly a rythm guy.
It has a better clean channel than anything but say, a roland jazz chorus, better than any other high-gain tube amp I've played except for the VHT Ultra-Lead, this amp did have a nice clean channel (but got squashed when it came to high-gain channel).
I don't use the second channel, and use the third channel only occasionally.
I play in a band, but I also like to play by (with) myself at low volumes, and the amp's master control makes both a cinch, and it always sounds great (I keep the channel volumes at noon).
This only amp I could consider putting in the same category as this amp for metal tonewise would be the Bogner Uberschall. No solid state or mesa or peavey can compare. This things eats those for breakfast, and eats VHT's Ultra-Leads (sorry!) for lunch. The low end of the VHT couldn't compare. I do play this amp through a VHT Fatbottom straight 4x12" loaded with P-50e's (better than celestion V-30's in my opinion),however, and that cab really brings the amp to life. I have played it through Mesa rectumfire cabs, and those sound dead (or vainly struggling to live) in comparison.
This is not a blues amp, or an amp for the fender fan (PLEASE!). Make sure this amp suits your style of music before you buy it, and make sure you have a good guitar and if you really want the most out of it, a good cab! Throw those EMG's away! You won't miss them with this amp. Even James Hetfield doesn't use EMG's with this amp (he uses this amp live and in the studio, the rectumfiers on stage are just for show).
This amp will rattle your chestcage and balls like no other!

Gonna give them a pass on this one, it did develop a problem shortly after I got it, and had to be repaired, but since I've got it back there have been absolutely no problems. Read below. Now that it's been fixed I feel like it's utterly reliable (even if a power tube blows, I'll still be playing).

No other amp company can compare in customer service. Period.
I got the amp and after a month or two it started wigging out. I called Uwe, and shipped it to him (in California) for repairs. I figured since it was there, I might as well ask to have the fourth channel modified to suit my style of playing better. Uwe told me Peter Diezel was flying in the next week, so I waited a week and Peter Diezel personally repaired, retubed, and modified the amp.
These guys will take care of you!
The amp has operated flawlessly since, and Peter- I really love what you've done for my amp. Thanks!

I've been playing for 11 years. I have owned a Mesa Dual Recifier (what a piece of crap--fizzy mud), a Peavey Triple XXX (Better than the Dual Rec, but still squashed!), and a VHT Ultra-Lead which I sold after I got this amp. I also own a Bogner Uberschall, which is a great amp (I love that amp too). I have a hard time deciding between the two. If you only need a high-gain metal channel, you should check that amp out, too. I will never sell the Diezel, though, I play it all the time and record with it, too. It's a lifetime amp, a keeper. I'm not a yuppie hobbyist, I use this amp with a band at shows and recording, I have spent a love of time and tried a lot of things to get the best sound, and the only amp I've heard that would compare is the Bogner Uberschall. The Herbert sounds good, too, from what I've heard, but I think the VH4 sounds more organic and pure. I mainly just play guitar straight into the head for the best tone, with no processors, and occaisionally use a stompbox through the channel inserts.
The only thing I wish it came with is a footswitch, midi or otherwise. This amp is expensive, so if it got lost the only other amp I would consider would be the Uberschall. If I had the dough, though, I would get it again. With the Bogner, however, I would (do) pair it with a Roland Jazz Chorus.

Tons of features. Well thought out, midi capable. 6l6 version. Doesn't come with a footswitch (pretty cheesy for a amp this expensive).

4-ch amp. Channel 3 is very good. Channel 4 was the let-down. Channel
1 is very good clean like I said and ch2 was okay. Sorry, I sold it after 6 months.

Good clean sounds on ch 1. 3-d like and chimey. Ch2. - very good distortion sounds from ac/dc style crunch to more intense metal. Ch3. somewhat disappointing, it doesn't take you over the top, like you might expect. My least favorite channel and a major let-down. The amp is good, not great! If you think you are getting great you will be very disappointed. This amp is a perfect example of HYPE. You would think this amp represents the best out there but it is no better than amps half its cost. Some of the comments on this site are just kids with no experience or better yet they are the from the manufacturers and dealers taking advantage of people making them believe this amp is worth over $3500plus. It is not worth the money, period!

Seems very sturdy and reliable.

Very good. call and speak to a real person.

A decent amp but at these prices there are many better choices. I wanted to love this amp, but it just doesn't deliver the goods that a amp in this price range should. Over-rated.

This is an ammendment to my review found below

The very next day after posting the below review, which was critical of th amp, I got an e-mail Peter Diezel himself. WOW! No that's outstanding support. I didn't even buy the amp, and he felt it necessary to modify the amp to my liking. I have purchased amps from Bogner, Soldano, and have tried almost all the other high end boutique amps...and spoken with the people who build them, and although have had great service from all of them, none like this. Peter reads the reviews, and listens. My review was based on my personal opinion and is totally subjective. Tone is subjective anyway...I now guys who think Marshalls are still the best...go figure. I didn't think I could be blown away by an amp guru's desire to serve the little guy, but Peter Diezel did it. I've had great service, but none like this. He is comming out with a new amp this year, and I will be sure to check it out.

As previously discussed, very versatille with lots of features. Great idea in theory. No footswitch for channel switching, need to buy a midi pedal for that ( how silly is that! ) This is ridiculous, so take away 3 points.

I'll go channel by channel:

Channel 1 - Clean alright, but no character and quite sterile. Both my Bogner Shiva's and Fenders have far more depth and warmth. I compare this channel to that of the Ecstacy, or Marshall JCM 2000. I'm a snob, so I say garbage. With effects, it could be ok.

Channel 2 - Like a Reissue Plexi, ok but nothing special.

Channel 3 - Killer. This channel rocks! Tons of harmonics and sustain. Reminds me of channel 3 of the Ecstacy. Outstanding.

Channel 4 - Over the top. Really good I guess, just something I wouldn't ever need. Like a Ubershall, or like a Dual Recto is supposed to sound like. Drop D, chest thumping power. As a novelty to piss off the neighbors, 10 Fantastic value...as a classic rock style musician, I'd never use it. But it is sure good at what it does.

Built like a tank with the best parts. No knocks here. Heavy as hell, good tubes, wired very well.

N/A

If you buy a midi pedal for channel switching and use digital effects, this amp could function as a one amp does all amp. I personally don't need to do a whole bunch of things at once, I like to go for just two great tones, clean and overdrive, which the Shiva does better for me. This amp has the compression of thew Bogner Ecstacy, and lacks the overall tonal complexity I like for a guitar into amp setup. Well built, quiet, very expensive for the sound it puts out in Channels 1 & 2. I tried it several times and wanted to buy it based on it's design, but I'd much rahter use a Shiva for gigging or recording. What it does it does way better.

4 channel amp, channel switching, lots of tubes, features discussed by other reviewers.

I'm using a variety of professional instruments with the amp

The amp is harsh and very solid state sounding. It's way over priced but is built very well. I play a variety of styles and am on the road and in the studio quite often being a professional guitar player. My producer got me this amp thinking I would like it. He had heard it was a great sounding amp. It has one clean channel that sounds just like an old Crate amp, so it's very clean and decent sounding, just not warm, rich and deep like an old Fender or even a Mesa.
The other channels are just not any different, just more the same, a bit britlle and harsh, but distorted. It's a very good amp for crunch, but it can't do any more than what a Crate SS amp can do and I can get those for $150 used

It worked just fine for when I had it, but it was unusable for the kind of money my producer paid for it. He was able to sell it to some rich hobby player who couldn't tell his ass form a hole in the ground and had the chops that fit with that take on him, and got his money back and a few hundred extra.

Never bothered to find out.

Way over priced. I've been a professional guitarist for 30 years. I own enough gear, all of it more usuable and more musical than this over-priced white elephant.

If it was stolen, I am sure Dave would have been happy to use the insurance money to take a long vacation in the tropics, I'd get along fine without it. I wish it had a really nice musical sound, but it's harsh and nasty.

1998, custom tolex, other preamp- and presence section than today`s VH4s.
4 channels, 8 ECCs, 4 EL34s, midi-built-in, four channel-inserts, 2 master-loops, 16, 8 and 4 Ohm outputs, individual fuses for each EL34, toggle switch for 6L6, 6550 and EL34s use, . . . .

ch1: sparkling clean, the bright switch adds even more. Mucho headroom, very very good
ch2: like an old non-MV Marshall. Same organic feeling with the Master set to >50%.
ch3: whow. better than any modded 800s Marshall I had.
ch4: forget Soldano. This is the sh*t - sustain for ages, smooth - the perfect lead sound of all time.

Never use a backup. Built like a tank, heavy as a tank (30 kilos).

the best customer`s support in the world. Just contact Peter and he helps - whereever you are . . .

This (old model) came without a bias-pot and Peter helped me to install one (on the phone). Excellent !!!!

I`m playing for more than 25 years now and this is amp is a dream, which came true fortunately. I got the matching cab (everything in blue leather tolex) too for a steal-price of 2.500 Euros, just changed the speakers to the famous "Uberschall" combination (G75T and V30s, X-pattern) and LOVE this rig.

Feel free to have a look at my website for even more infos, pics and details about this and other Diezel amps:

www.thinlizzy.de

Diezel VH4... assembled early/mid 2003. Same features as those listed below, but if still curious, here you go:

100w (mono) w/4 EL34s (electro harmonix); 4 channels (bass/mid/treble/volume/gain), master section: deep, presence, mix (loop send 2 - parallel), volume. 1 serial loop, 2nd loop is parallel (switchable). All midi, mute, channel inserts for each channel, store function, thru jack right next to input for direct feed to another unit (tuner, amp, etc.), midi channel selection (1-16 / omni, learn mode), phantom power for midi via 5-pin, ch1/ch2 bright switches, channel push buttons. Tube-fault bypass system relieves the faulty duet out of the chain via individual fuse per tube; allows you to finish the set with 2 tubes instead of no amp. Very clean cut, well-arranged, easy-to-use, can outfit absolutely any style, without question. Only debate would be that channels would have individual deep/presence knobs rather than the section, but the current arrangement keeps things in better balance and harmony.

Using a PRS Standard 24, no effects, amp run through Mesa Std. (tall) 4x12 w/V30s, very clean at low volumes, breathes nicely at stage levels, feel the air under your fingers, exposes flaws, forces growth in playing ability. Channels are very distinct, all very usable, sparkling clean ch1, ac/dc or rolling stones dirt/shine with ch2, even a fender/parallel tone chime, ch3 roars and rolls off clean very nicely, much more body than any old marshall, great dynamics, not compressed at all, ch4 gives singing leads, slightly compressed due to high gain nature, but very full and round, plenty of body, and can even roll off clean, very tasteful, can sound like a violin at low gain or shred like metal. Gains are never turned up all the way, always satisfying. It's no death metal amp, which is why the Herbert is here. Very quiet, no hum/buzz/clicking of any sort, even when turning on/off channel inserts/loops. Solid.

Follows the pricy side, but compare it to four $1000 amps in the US, and couple that with midi functionality, loops, mute, tube-fault bypass system, all in an attractive large head, and you really can't beat it. No need for a backup, German made, built better than a tank.

Friendly and resourceful relations with the Diezel company, US distributor, and retailer were made far before the purchase, all very informative, helpful, genuinely kind, and concerned people. Questions always answered in a prompt, detailed, and friendly manner.

Been playing under 10 years. I tell myself that I don't deserve to have this amp, but it will definitely be something to grow and learn with. As an upgrade from a Mesa/Boogie Tremoverb/Dual Rec., this amp has unmatched tone, great hi-fi character, very modern, all the clarity desired, very easy to dial-in sounds (all eq dials at noon = very playable), plenty of body, power, punch, life, and will always put a smile on your face. Do not create opinions based on clips and samples. Must play to own! Will be the sole touring amp of my future. 10 all the way, there is nothing better.

Probably the most versitile head around. 4 Channels each with its own effects insert (lots of routing possibilities here) and eq, serial and parallel master fx loops w/mix pot for the parallel, mute button (really cool), midi switchable and programable, a host of output jacks to accomodate any type of speaker configuration, bright switches on channels 1 and 2, power amp eq(bass, presense) a thru jack on the front panel for routing your signal elsewhere.... I mean how much can you ask from a head in terms of features?

I use the VH4 with a Warrior guitar (mahogany neck and body, maple top and ebony fretborad with gibson Iommy and Burstbucker pickups) and an Ibanez 7-string. I also use fx but who cares. My speaker is a 4X12 VHT cab. I've had the VH4 for about a year and a half now and have tried most tubes in it (6L6's, KT88's and El34's) having settled with the EL34's as my favorite. I'm basicly a metal-rock player but I love to experiment. As far as tone goes the VH4 is really a marvel. I'm not saying its the perfect amp, there is no such amp, but it realy realy realy is satisfying. Even if you tweak the knobs randomly you will still end up with a usable AND musical tone. All four channels sound extreemly good and they all have something different to offer. From beautiful, solid cleans (keep in mind though this is not a fender type clean), to blues crunch, to heavy rythm and ultra high gain leads. It realy doesn't sound like any other amp (why should any amp for that matter?.....anyone play a POD?). You could get a "brown sound" type thing if you want in channel 3 but it doesn't sound like an old marshall. That's because it's not, it's a modern amp made by Diezel. You can't get every sound you've ever wanted but it can sing like an angel and scream like the devil....convisingly. This is a very good amp indeed!

No problems so far. I use it mainly in the studio but have giged 30 or so times with no trouble. That includes the midi!

This is a very solidly constructed head (it's expensive and it's German!) It has killer tone, a bunch of features, is very versitile and looks awesome (whoever says eye candy isn't important is either a liar or shouldn't involve themselve in any art). Is it worth the price tag? Is it the right amp for you? You should ask these questions of the gear you already own anyway. I am usually very qucik to replace gear if I don't like it. I don't see myself selling this though. Check one out!

Cheers!

Too many to talk about.I am really amazed by all of the options this amp has,but there are a few thing that make me scratch my head.Why there is no footswitch is a mystery to me.Peter Deizel has said that channel switching circuits adds noise to the amp,but I'm sure that it is nominal and would be worth it(at least to me).Anyway with channel 4 cranked up you will hear noise like it or not.Now if Deizel had an easy to use footswitch you could hit the mute button on the floor and solve that noise problem between songs.I'm just not a fan of the Midi thing.Sorry I want to keep it a simple as possible(that's why I like tube amps.Right?).Also a reverb would have been nice.I personally will take a good spring reverb over an outboard unit anyday(it just sounds warmer to me).I know that I am a picky bas**rd,but I am sure that other Deziel owners can see my point.The owners manual is something they sould be ashamed of.Cheap looking photocopy with a staple in it.Not a whole lot of info in it either.Sorry, but If someone pays 4 grand for the thing,they shold get high class everything.Oh yeah speaker inputs in the back can be confusing until you get used to it.I would have prefered a simple ohms select switch like the one on my Dual Recto.Don't get me wrong I am very impressed with it just not "blown away"

I play mostly harder rockin stuff so the amp suites my needs very well.Channel one has an amazing clean sound.For sure the best I have heard.Channel two to me is useless.Sorry I just can't find a usefull sound on it,but that's me.Channel three is great for crunchy tones and Van Halenesque tones.,but it sounds different than a cranked Marshall.Putting in some high quality EL-34 tubes will greatly improve it's ability to cop Marshall tones.Now the legendary channel four.OH MY GOD!!! It is freakin amazing.Tight as a virgin.Thick as a brick and with some good 6550 power tubes will blow your head off your shoulders.Lets not kid each other this is what the amp was built for and what most guys are buying it for.The other channels are just a plesant surprize.Bottom line killer tones from this monster.

Have not had it long enough to know for sure,but I have kept it cranked for extended periods with no problem.Oh yeah,did I mention that channel four gets noisey what cranked.I have tried changing tubes and everything but it still makes the noise, maybe something is wrong with it and I just don't know.No biggie,comes with the territory I guess.

No opinion really.I think that the web site is no good.Not much information(kind of like the owners manual)It's in German and that's fine but I'm willing to bet that most of their customers are English speakers.So when in Rome!!!!

I have been playing for twenty years and own over 20 amp heads(I got em all)If I could go back in time I would do it again.It is awesome,but I am a little suprized at some of the reviews that sing only praises and dare not make mention of some of the amp obvious short comings.Almost as if they fear looking stupid by questioning the mighty Diezel.My favorite amp is my Bogner Ecstacy the Deziel being a close second place.Just my humble opinion.I hope this review has been helpful.Good luck. Happy amp hunting...

The specific amp was made in 2002. This amp perfectly suits my needs, for sure. My guitar playing style varies from classic rock to heavy metal, so I m considered as a rock guitarist. It has 4 channels, MIDI switchable, 4 individual serial loops one per channel and 1 master parallel loop with mix control on the front faceplate. I use all the features of this amp, and is extremely easy to use. I use this amp at home for the time being with its Diezel 4X12 (very masculin huh, ask my neighbors), and in the studio. It's all TUBE, mine came with 4 Electro-harmonix EL34s (excellent tube, although i love EL34 I ve never used an Electro-harmonix) and 7 Svetlanas 12AX7. Mine is the Mono head 100W, but there is a second version VH4S which is stereo 50W per side.

Kicks ass. The arsenal of Diezel players grows stronger every day. From Frankie Sullivan and Neal Schon to James Hetfield and Wes Borland. If rock/metal is your thing, Diezel is the dirty deed! I am leaning towards the Neil Schon style, but when I bought it something struck me and I started to become more agressive day by day.

Built like the Luftwaffe Aircrafts. If it has a broken tube an indicator lights up, the set of two goes out and you carry on your gig with the second pair. In other words it never stops!

It has a three year warranty and as we all know Peter Diezel is a very kind and helpful person and I ve never heard of someone being disapointed.

EVIL!!!!!!!!!!

THE DESISION OF BUING THIS HEAD WASN'T DIFFICULT.THIS TANK WAS THE DREAM THAT CAME REAL AFTER 2 YEARS.I'M THE SECOND OWNER OF THIS AMP.MY FRIEND FLOUROS PROPABLY LOST HIS MIND WHEN SOLD IT TO ME.BUT I'M HAPPY ANYWAY.FULL MIDI, FOUR CHANNELS(CLEAN,CRUNCH,RHYTHM,LEAD) ALL TUBE AND READY TO ROCK THE PLACE OUT.MY MAIN GUITARS IS A CHARVEL 650 SOLOIST DELUXE(DIMARZIO TONE ZONE AND TEXAS SPECIAL) AND A CHARVEL 6(JACKSON PICKUPS).THE REST OF MY GEAR IS A TC ELECTRONIC G-MAJOR AND BBE SONIC MAXIMIZER.I KEEP IT ON A FRIEND STUDIO.THE PEOPLE THERE GET INSANE WITH HIS POWER AND GAIN.

MY MAIN GUITARS IS A CHARVEL 650 SOLOIST DELUXE(DIMARZIO TONE ZONE AND TEXAS SPECIAL) AND A CHARVEL 6(JACKSON PICKUPS).ALSO USING IT WITH A GIBSON EXPLORER AND SOME OLD KRAMERS.I PLAY FROM 70'S ROCK TO HEAVY ROCK/PROGRESSIVE METAL.VERY QUIET AND COMFORTABLE WHEN THE VOLUME TURN UP.NOT NOISY AT ALL IN ANY DIFFICULT SITUATION ON STAGE.EXPEPT WHEN I USE IT WITH HIGH OUTPOUT PICKUPS I GET SOME HUM NOICE.FAT RHYTHM SOYND WITH RICH HARMONICS AND AMAZING STRING DEFINITION ON 3RD CHANNEL,STANDS UP ANY CHALLENGE.NICE MIDLLES WITH BALANCED BASS, GIVES EXACTLY WHAT I NEED:POWER AND TONES OF SUSTAIN.4RTH CHANNEL BRINGS THE HELL ON EARTH!TONES OF GAIN GIVES YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE SCREAMING LEADS AND POWERFULL SOLOS.A TRUE DYNAMITE ON YOUR HANDS.2ND CHANNEL GIVES YOU THE CLASSIC CRUNCH SOUND ALA AC/DC/RAYWAHN.NICE WORK I THINK THAT 2ND CHANNEL MAKES THIS AMP UNIQUE AND GIVES HIM THE 1ST PLACE IN HIS GATEGORY.THE 1ST CHANNEL GIVES YOU A RICH AND FULL OF TONE,CLEAN SOUND.NICE WORK GUYS

NO PROBLEM HERE.BUILT LIKE A TANK AND RELIABLE LIKE MY DOG STATHIS.

NEVER HAD TO DEAL WITH THEM.

I OWNED A ATTAX 100 HEAD(HUGHES & KETTNER)THE SAME TIME WHEN I BUY IT.NO COMMENTS.AT FIRT PLACE I FELT THE NEED TO SMASH IT (THE ATTAX).I SOLD IT AFTER ONE MONTH AND I'M REALLY HAPPY ABOUT IT.A REALLY GOOD INVESTMENT WHICH WORTH THE MONEY I SPEND FOR IT.A STATE OF ART.

This is a follow-up review of the Diezel VH4 after having owned and played it for almost a year.

I gave a reivew of this amp in November of 2001. I heard manny nay-sayers tell me tat I couldn't have heard all the tones in it after having it only a few days.
Well, I'm hear to say that this amp is the most amazing amp I have ever played in my 47 years of playing! I have come to appreciate and love the amp more every time I use it. No words can describe accurately just how much I have come to appreciate the versatility, quality of tone, build and all that it delivers with ease!
It is so powerful with EL-34's in it that I have purchased a set of Smicz TADS to add to 2 of the EL-34's to tame it down a bit to 52 watts from 100 watts with the 4 EL-34's in it. What this has done is allow me to open up te amp a bit more, still getting insane power and volume, but now releasing even more of what the amp can deliver!

I have since sold all my other amps and am going to get a VH2 as a companion amp which I will use for the smaller gigs where the 4 channel VH4 would be wasted on the crowd.

I find that this amp plays any style of music, makes any guitar sound just the best it can sound and does it all effortlessly. It loves effects and can handle anything plugged into the effects loop, bringing out the best of the tone the effect can put forth.

I have read on the forum where other players have purchased what they have thought was the amp of their dreams only to sell it off later on due to finding that it does not deliver the goods as they wanted to hear them delivered. My only reply would be to try a Diezel amp, as you have tried everything else and have been dissappointed. Move up to the last amp you will ever need, unless you like them so much that you cannot resist having more then one Diezel!