Diezel VH4S

This is a 2002 Diezel VH4S head, powered with EL34 tubes.
I use it for Death Metal in a band context, and more progressive stuff when I'm playing on my own. It copes very well with both styles, which is why I bought it in the first place.
Feature-wise, this is one of the most complete heads in existence. The only way to do better is to build a rack system - in fact I bought this head because I got tired of lugging around my rack. I'm probably repeating what everyone else has said, but here are the important features:
- 4 discrete amp channels, with separate volume, gain and three-band EQ. These channels are almost completely separated, there is no overlap - that's why there are so many preamp tubes. Channels are clean, dirty, heavy and lead.
- Stereo Deep and Presence controls for very high and very low frequency sounds. This amp can go REALLY deep, be careful not to annoy your bass player!
- Stereo master volume and stereo parallel loop mix.
- Stereo power section with 5 speaker outputs each. There aren't many heads that I know of that are stereo. The poweramp in this head is top-notch, and VERY loud. Mine is 70Watts per side.
- MIDI in and thru for channel switching. This amp does not use a normal footswitch, it's controlled through MIDI. Very easy to program.
- A global stereo serial FX loop, global stereo switchable parallel FX loop, and switchable mono insert loops per channel. Switchable here means programmable through MIDI.

Currently, I do not use the insert loops, because I've never been a pedal man. I use a TC Electronic G-Major in the serial FX loop and it sounds great, but I have gigged several times already without using any FX at all - the amp sounds great on its own.
The only feature that I could think of to add would be a by-passable serial FX loop. The manual seems to suggest that this is possible, but using the switchable loop output in the serial loop actually breaks the circuit causing the amp to mute. If you want to switch FX in and out of the loop, you need to use the parallel inputs, and the G-Major does not particularly like being in parallel (NOT a gripe with the Diezel!)

One might say that 70Watts per side is overkill, but one of the nicest things about this amp is that it was designed to sound good at lower levels, around 85dB. Granted, that's probably still a bit loud for your parents, but you won't have ears bleeding before you get to the "tone of the gods".

I play a stock Ibanez Universe and a Jackson Kelly with EMGs through this amp. The EMGs give a lovely clean, dirty and lead sound, but the heavy crunch sounds are a little sterile. The Blaze pickups in the Universe make the heavy crunch sounds come alive, and with the added deepness of the low B-string really makes the amp punch your lights out if you're not careful.

This is without a doubt the quietest high-gain amp I have ever seen. There is practically NO noise if you're standing more than a foot or two away from the amp, even on really high gain settings. You can get some musical feedback if you want, even at quite low volumes, but it's not uncontrollable and you can easily avoid it. I feel no need to use a noise gate with this amp at all - which is a VERY big difference from my previous rack rig.

On to the sounds, per channel.

Ch.1 is the clean channel. It has a bright switch, which I currently keep off because I like to have a darker sound. The channel does a lot of different types of clean: chimey and sparkly to dark and moody. It's equally suited to chord work as it is to jazz leads. Ratchet up the gain to about 75% and you start noticing a slight breakup if you hit the strings hard. I really like this sound because it's dark and moody. Keep the gain around half or less, and it will not break up, even at very high volumes.

Ch2 I use least of all. It is the light crunch channel (also with a bright switch), and while it is very good, it doesn't really fit in the context of the band. Blues leads and gritty rhythm come from here. AC/DC would be proud to have this channel, as would the Stones. With low gain, you have a second clean channel. With high gain and a heavy pick attack you're in hard rock territory.

I use the 3rd channel for my rhythm work (Death Metal), and I keep the gain quite low, around 12 o'clock or slightly higher. When playing alone, this may seem a bit weak, but this way it has a lot of punch yet also a lot of crunch. It works perfectly in the band, where there is another guitarist and a bass player. Adding more gain gives more compression - this channel could easily be used for lead work, but I use the fourth channel for that. The sound is somewhat like a Marshall, but really it has a character of its own. It's a very "big" sound and you can't really hide behind the amp - if you mess up, the audience will know about it. This is THE heavy rhythm channel as far as I'm concerned. I will never need another.

Ch.4 is amazing. How did they get so much gain in a channel without ever losing definition? Around half, it's enough gain for ANY normal situation. You can use more gain for a wall of sound, such as you can occasionally hear in Tool or with the Smashing Pumpkins.

This amp is a tank. It weighs about as much too. The only thing that will break is the tubes. There was a factory mistake with my cab, causing it to be labeled with the wrong impedance. I played the amp like this for a week or two, not knowing the problem but realising there was something odd with my sound. Do this to most other amps, and you will kill the output transformer. Not this amp, it happily goes along with you. I got the problem sorted out and then the amp sounded marvellous.

I gig without a back-up. The only thing I'm worried about is people running off with it because it's so good and hard to get.

This is where Diezel shines. I've e-mailed with Peter Diezel and Peter Stapfer to figure out the impedance issue mentioned above. There was also a mistake with the type of power tubes in the amp (I ordered EL34 but got 6L6 instead) - and Peter changed the tubes and rebiased it himself - tweaking the amp to sound even better in the process. He also signed the back of the amp :). All this without charge!
The people at the shop where I bought it are extremely helpful too. I will never lose sleep over any problem with this amp. Oh yeah, there's a 3 year warranty on it.

I've been playing for probably around 15 years now. I've gone from Marshall Valvestate in the early beginnings, over a Fender Hotrod Deluxe with pedals, to a rack system with a Marshall JMP-1 and Peavey 50/50 poweramp (having also had a TriAxis, a Mesa Studio Pre, an ADA MP-1 and a Mesa/Boogie 50/50 poweramp). When I heard this amp, my search was over, all the amp I'll ever need and not nearly the tweaking and transportation nightmare of my rack system. I had been looking for another amp for a while, playing a Marshall TSL60, Laney VH100R, Peavey 5150, H&K Duotone and Line6 Vetta, and this was better than all of them.

If it were stolen, I'd get another one, no question about it.

Overall, a 9 - there is no perfect ten, and the manufacturing errors should not have happened with an amp this expensive, but they got solved quickly and painlessly.

Diezel VH4 Stereo 4 channel 150/180 watts depending on tubes.This is one of the most versatile amps ever.4 channels with 4 bass,mid,tre,gain,and volume.Then 2 master volumes,2 effect mixes,2 presence,and 2 deep controls.Also for tone junkies like myself a send and returns for each channel.For all those stomp pedals that like to eat tone before your signal reaches the amps input.10 12ax7 preamp tubes and 4 power 6l6 or in my case kt88.The VH4S also has 16 midi and 128 program changes.10 speaker outputs and send1,send2,parallel and serial returns.I think thats it!

PRS artist cu22 dragon 1 pickups ,PRS singlecut 7's pickups,7 string universe 2000 evoultion pickups.I play jazz,funk,acoustic,rock,hard rock,METAL and lots of SOLO'S.This amp does it all!!!!! Channel 1: fender clean sparkle (bogner, dr.z,and fender's new stuff don't come close) Channel 2:Marshall plexi to AC/DC classic sounds Channel 3: Van halen brown to TOOL, in fact this is what Adam Jones is using this same channel to get most of Tool's sound Channel 4:Hi-gain to it's purist form it don,t get better than this.The tightest,heavyist,deepist sound I've ever heard.I've owned Mesa recto's,Triaxs,DC-10,50+Calibers,Marshall TLS 2000,koch and played through everthing else peavey XXX,5150,bogners X and Ubershall.Nothing sounds this bad ass!!!!

I've owned it about a year and no problems.I would use it at gig with no back up.Plus it has 3 year warranty which is really cool.

No problems,I've had to deal with the company,the mannel is simple and cut and dry to understand.I have heard that they give good support.

I've been playing 15 years and it's by far the best amp I've ever played.If it were stolen or lost I'd buy another with out hesitation but I don't even want to think about that happening (KNOCK ON WOOD).If you can get one of these amps buy it you won't be disappointed.It will be the last amp you ever buy.

No other amp IMHO is this versatile bar none! With 4 channels, 2 effect loops, inserts for each channel, tube fault lights warning you if power amp tubes are bad, switches for easy tube-type changes, stereo, master volumes which allow me to get great tone at low volumes, fully independent preamp and eq for each channel....need I say more?

I've owned or played Fender, Mesa, VHT, Twqo Rock, Egnater, and Bogner to name a few and while these amps in their own right are OK, the Diezel in not even comparable. I've heard others say it is not as "touch-sensitive" as say a Dumble, Bruno or Two Rock but and if that's true, it won't matter because the richness and definition of the tones is so awesome. Channel 1 is beautifully Fendery clean and rich but you can get good bite if needed, Channel 2 can deliver great breakover distortion like the Stones, ACDC, SRV, Channel 3 is a delight! Great distortion and low end crunch and slightly compressed. Channel 4 I was afraid of at first hearing all the descriptions, mainly because I don't play real heavy Rock/Metal etc. But I'm finding this to be a favorite. Very smooth and creamy distortion but with an edge capable of removing heads and other body parts!! As I said before, each channel resembles other GREAT sounding amps, BUT, the Diezel is an improvement on them all! And to top it off, idle noise and hiss, especially on the high gain channels is so low....what a nice feeling not to have a noise gate! I'll give channels 1-3 a 10 but I have to give channel 4 a 10+.....I'm just really impressed with it!

Too early to tell but most Deutsch-made stuff is as reliable as it gets! I may be a little biased here though ;^]!

Gene at Ultra Sound (where I bought the amp) is just GREAT! He will bend over backwards to help you make the amp choice of your dreams! And Uwe at Salwender is someone I know I can count on to help with any issue. He too will do everything in his power to make sure you are satisfied with the Diezel! Now if I could just say thanks to the brains behind the amp, Peter Diezel. I've never spoken with him but based on my experience with Gene and Uwe, I probably could if I really needed to!

I won't belabor the point here. I've never been so content with my sound after almost 30 years of playing. If I can one day afford another Diezel, I'll use it as my everyday practice amp! I wish I would have known of this amp a few years ago...I could have saved myself a lot of $$$ and frustration! BTW, I'm willing to answer any questions if you email me. One last thing, if you want to end your search for an amp, call Gene (212) 967 - 5626 or Uwe 714-538-1285!!!!

Hi people, I'm not gonna submitt any features cause they are already on the web. My opinion is the true 10. Someone can claim it doesn't have a reverb but who needs a crapy spring reverb in a head like that...

I'm not gonna be a micro-brain moron and list all my gear so you'll be jeallous, but the only thing I'll tell is that I have an YJM Strat which suits me like no other guitar on this earth. Low output DiMarzio's YJM and HS3, make this fantastic for blowing arpeggios.
Sounds unbeleviable. I was dreaming about that tone for years and finally got it. Think of Magnum Opus by Yngwie - The Only One has a monstrous sound to me. It has it. Pure heaven!!!

Excellent

Never dealt with them

Diezel plus YJM Strat is all I want. I won't say anything more.

Questa testata mi ha aperto gli occhi su cosa vuol dire avere un bel suono professionale, costituita da 4 valvole di finale 6L6 e da 4 sezioni di preamp indipendenti comandabili via midi. I 4 canali vanno dal suono piu pulito al suono piu grosso. Adatta sia per fusion, rock e metal (io suono metal prog).

Io suono con una ibanez Universe a 7 corde, con pick up di marzio, e sono riuscito ad ottenere suoni motlo caldi e dinamici che erano improponibili con altra amplificazione. Prima utilizzavo una pedaliera con compressore, riverbero, equal...etc.. ora non utilizzo altro che la testata ed ho una distorsione impressionante.

Non ho ricevuto libretto di istruzioni, e le regolazioni via midi sono complicate.

Suono da 9 anni ed ho provato molte soluzioni digitali e alcune valvolari tipo marshall, fender, laney, ma tutto questo risulta come un suono per principianti a confronto del Diezel.

Bought my VH4S in 1998 as replacement of my SLO-100, Hot Rod 50 and a Fender Tonemaster. 4 Channel vs. 5 Channel. One of the most important things to understand is the interaction of Amp and Speaker, especially closed and open back systems. There isn't any Amp around the world which really fits to anybody. It's always like in real life, experience, experience and spending a hell of money.
Conclusion: I'm using open back and closed back cabinets and I get the sound I really want out of a single box driven into different cabinets.

I'm using custom Charvel Tele with Tom Holmes PU's, Music Man Axys,
Hopf 1963. Non Tremolo. Style of music from Funky to Pop and Rock,
sometimes trashy.... The variety of sounds is more the typical british type, but customized in the right direction... no noisy bits..
Clean could be better but thanks god, we have EQ.... therfore oki doki. Distortion - warm, smooth, brutal, vital - whatever you want...

Backup always required. I never had an amp on tour which felt of the rig or broke down. Transportation always kills tubes. With all of my
amps I never had trouble, but my Diezel was the first one who felt of my tower of cabinets and did not stop or broke down.......

If Mr. Diezel would live in the U.S., he would visit you whenever you have a problem with your equipment.... is this common in the U.S. or with the dealers you buy amps ?
My experience; whenever a problem occurs - next day repair !!!!!!!!

...nothing more to say, because we need time to play and enjoy music.......

This is a followup to my last review. Peter Diezel read my review and called me from Germany. He gave me the data I needed to install a bias pot. I now can adjust bias with a turn of a screwdriver. He also had me change a few resistors and caps for channel two. I now have the Keith Richards style overdrive I was looking for in channel two. What more can I ask for! Great!

See previous review

See previous review

See previous

I changed this from 9 to 10 because of the changes I implemented from Peter as I mentioned above.

This amp was made in late 2000 . I have owned another and after selling it regreted it and after a wait of a few months got another. This is the most versatile amp that I have played. Four totally separate channels and since the amp is stereo it has right and left master controls. With 10 speaker outs (5 per side) set up for any ohm config imagineable, the possibilities are unlimited. I have owned a ton of multi channel amps but nothing compares to this in the range of tones to be found. The fact that each channel has gain, volume, mid treble and bass is like four separate amps. The master controls, presence, deep, volume, effects mix are so effective in further tailoring the individual channels that to find your tone is easy. Then add the channel inserts for adding individual effects to each channel , a parallel and series loop and full midi capabilities and you begin to see what the beast is capable of.

Sounds incredible. I use a John Suhr Strat, Callaham Strat, Anderson Hollow Drop top classic and an Anderson Cobra S. Each guitar sounds as individual as it should and the amp shows no prejudice towards single coils or humbuckers. I play hard rock, blues, fusion etc. and this amp easily handles every type of music. The amp is quiet compared to other amps of it's type and yet sounds as good as anything I have ever played but does more. The clean channel is capable of the chime and sparkle found in the finest boutique amps ever built. I run a TC reverb unit in the channel inserts for ch. one and two and access them via midi with a DMC ground control allowing me to select wet or dry settings. I have ab tested the clean channel with great amps and can only say that the clean channel on the Diezel is as good as any, it has a bright switch as does channel two.

Channel two is a great channel and with the gain and mids up is a great sounding blues lead tone. The response from the amp is amazing. This channel can be setup to have any mid gain tone you desire.

Channel three is a blast- has great higher gain tones and again can be setup to be anything from blues to metal.

Channel four can be the most punishing low end driven nastiness or with the gain almost off and the mids up bass and treble down, can even do a dumble type lead tone. I sometimes use channel one with some reverb and delay to get the EJ clean tones and by cranking the gain on #4 and turning the mids up a bit, treble at 12:00, can nail his lead tones. The stereo fatness and tube tweaks that can be had make this amp the best "do it all amp" ever made.

Well, I have had this one 4 weeks, no problem and my last one is still flawless over a year later. I sold it to Matte Henderson who reviewed it last year. These amps are built to last and a peek inside the chassis shows Peter Diezel's genius. The guy built the best swiss army amp ever made and the quality is unbeateable.

I have spoken to Uwe the US distributor and Peter Diezel a few ties and both are extremely helpful. I have had no need for repairs.

I have been through a bunch of amps and love Bogners and lots of others. I owned several Ecstasy's and prefer the 100 series to the 101s but Bogners are great too. I have to say that the Diezel eliminated the need for my Ecstasy's and although the Bogner has great tones th range of great tones in the Diezel is much bigger. The features are amazing. The other amp I currently love is my Two Rock Emerald Pro, major mojo , absolutely killer but the Diezel is still the most feature laden tone machine I have ever played. If you need an amp that does amazing tones in every dept from clean to metal and like having lots of variety, you will not find a better amp.

Jan.2000 4 channel, midi switchable, 2 effects loops,and 4 channel inserts which are Midi programable. I play all styles except jazz and classical with a seven piece band. Stereo all tube 50 watts per side. It has 5 speaker output jacks per side for any combo of 4,8 or 16 ohm cabs. It has more than enough power for my needs

I use a 55 tele, a strat and Tommys Moderne with 2 of the new Bill Lawrence Humbuckers (I love these pickups). The clean channel reminds me of a mixture of a Hiwatt, a Twin, and a Matchless. It stays clean very loud. The other channels get progressively more overdriven. This amp is very quiet. I sometimes wish Channel two was more of a Keith Richards sound rather than a clean AC/DC sound but my solution was to put a Siegmund Micro Tube overdrive in Channel 1 insert and then I have a patch on my Midi controller that uses channel one with the overdrive unit and then I have 5 different sounds.

I've owned this amp since May of 2000 and never had a problem.I gig just about every weekend and more in the summer.

I've spoken with Peter the builder and Ove Salwender the distributer and they are both great guys. My only request is for a complete owners manual but I'm told it should be coming soon! It would be good to have a limited schematic that wouldn't give away trade secrets but could be used for possible repairs by local repairmen. Again this is built so well I don't forsee any breakdown and I've play in very hot weather and last week in a tent on the ice of Lake Winnebago using a generator.

I've been playing over 25 years and I've owned many good amps but I'd be hard pressed to find a more versatile amp. Old school blues players might want something a little more touch sensitive. I own a Warbler Juke 1210 that does that very well. I wish it had an outside adjustable bias but its easy to take out of the cab. It uses resistors for the bias so you have to change those if you radically change power tubes. Peter feels they are more reliable and safer but as technology advances it would be nice to have a good quality adjustable bias control.

Terrible. Died after about a month and could not be repaired. They did provide a new replacement, but that took months to get. I think for $4000 it should work. This amp was not yet gigged, this all happened sitting in my house. You MUST have a back up amp.

While I gave this high marks originally, I must revise. You can not have your amp serviced anywhere but in NYC by Ultra Sound or return it to Salwender in LA. So if you live away from those two cities, you must mail teh amp to CA for repair? They have no service centers otherwise. So using UPS ground, you can expect to be ampless for at least two weeks maybe more. Peter Diezel seems like a nice guy, and Uwe at Salwender was nice as well, but this policy of having to return everything to LA is bullshit. If your amp dies on Thursday and you have a showcase gig on Saturday, forget the Diezel, you'll have to dig out that old Marshall you hopefully didn't sell to help pay for the Diezel to get through the gig.

A great sounding amp that is unreliable, like a Ferrari, it is great when you can get it to start up.