Diezel VH4S

Ok this is an update to my original VH4 review, now that I have had the amp for a while. Four descrete preamp channels, each has it own bass, mid, treble, preamp gain (volume) and master volume. Channels one and two have bright switches. Channels three and four share deep and resonance controls. Stereo output 50 watts per side. Two master stereo effects loops (mono send, stereo returns), one is serial, one is parallel, the late of which has mix function to keep your dry tone away from the digitalizing that effects cause. Each channel has it OWN mono effects loop as well. Five outputs per side for running any type of speaker configuration. Comes w/ 6l6 tubes, but can be changed to EL34s, or 5881s or 6550 or KT66s, if you so desire. Gong to anything other than the EL34 INCREASES the output and thus makes it even LOUDER, so unless you need to play Giants Stadium, not really necessary. Also, while each channel has it's own master volume, the entire amp has two master volumes (left and right) that over ride the channel masters. This is why the clean channel is so clean, run Ch 1's master on 100%, run the amp's masters around noon and then just reduce the diry channel masters to fit the volume of Ch 1.

Fantastic. Ch 1 is the loudest clean channel of any head I have ever heard. You can be super loud and super clean, however you can dial in a good low gain sound here as well, but who needs to with three channels to go? Ch 2 is the SRV zone, Rolling Stones, good old fashioned rock tones. Ch 3 does the Marshall thing, you can get almost any rock sound from the 1970's through 1980's here. Ch 3 sounds like a Marshall but with more bottom. Ch 4 is the VHT Pitbull zone, it can pummel. Scooped out death tones to the most singing Vai type tones imaginable.

Too new to say, but it made it from Germany in a poorly constructed box and worked.

Uwe at Salwender is great. Both Gene at Ultra Sound in NYC and Gary at Splash Sound in LA were very helpful as well. Gene can be reached at 212-967-5626, or Gary at http://www.splashsound.com/ or 818-817-9566.

It is the best amp out there, I have owned them all. Since comes stock with 6L6's, it does not have that upper end chime EL34's have, so Channel 3 suffers about 2% because of that. You can change to EL34's, but what effect that will have on the other channels, I do not know. Like all tube amps, it sounds better louder. Therefore, to get the tone, I have opted to get two THD Hot Plates at 8 ohms a piece to run teh head into so that I can rank the output tubes and get the tone, but use 8db of sound reduction to make the volume less overall. I have a Bogner 4x12 w/ vintage 30's use that I have wired in stereo, into 8 ohm parallel pairs. Still, with the volume reduced, you lose a little bottom since you are not producing enough cabinet volume, so Shawn at Bogner suggested I add an EQ in the effects loop and boost the 100hz to put the ommph back into the quieter cabinet, I have to try this this weekend. If you want the best, this is it. Ferraris cost over a $100,000 new, so if you are wiling to spend 3~4 as much on a car as normal people, then $3900 for an amp should seem reasonable.

The amp which I am reviewing is a 1999 Diezel VH4S head. This is an all tube STEREO, 4 channel head with separate serial and parallel effects loops as well as effects inserts for each channel. All channel switching and loop activation is controllable via internal MIDI switching. This amp has independent volume and tone controls for each channel, as well as having independent bright switches for channels one and two. Channel switching is also enabled from the front panel, via the channel designated LED's.
This amp also has presence and depth controls as well as parallel effects loop controls. The Diezel can run 6L6's, 5881's, EL34's or 6550's. This enables the amp to run at anywhere from 60 watts(EL34's) to 95 watts(6550's) a side.

I am primarily a 7 string player and I am using 2 Stevens LJ 7 string prototypes(see the 7 string LJ review in Harmony Central for more details), one with 2 strat pickups and an Alnico P90 in the bridge. The other LJ has 2 Humbuckers. I also have a 1986 PRS custom and a 1990 PRS studio(S/S/H) for my primary 6 strings. This amp covers more ground than any amp that I have EVER owned and operated. I have never in my life heard an amp that has so much bottom end. Not murky, boomy and undefined, but focused and punishing, like an SVT. This is the first amp that I have owned that amplifies a seven string with clarity, definition, from superclean to way over the top grinding
post industrial mashing DOOM! Each channel has it's own particular voicing. Channel one is somewhere between a Blackface Twin and a Hiwatt. Stunning ping and top end shimmer(via the bright switch), as well as beautiful late "50's fat clean humbucking tones can be found here. Tons of headroom.
Channel two walks the line between SRV/Jimi clean with a little hair to AC/DC crunch. Channel three is capable of picking up where channel two left off and taking crunch to another level. Roll off the guitar volume and the amp cleans up, nicely. Channel four is BRUTAL! This is what I always hoped for and never quite got out of any amp, with the notable exception of some custom built Bogners. This channel is SCREAMING even at low volumes. Controlled feedback is no problem.

All four channels are well voiced and I can't find one thing about this amp, both tonally and in terms of MIDI control, that I don't LOVE. The effects loops and inserts work flawlessly.

I haven't had the amp long enough to encounter any problems so I can't answer this question yet. I will be using this amp without any backup so I'll soon see how reliable the Diezel is. It's overbuilt and seems to be bulletproof.

Salwender is extremely cooperative and I believe that they will stand behind this amp. As I stated previously, I haven't had this amp long enough to have any problems. I don't know how long the warranty is but I know that expired warranties have yet to stop people from buying vintage Fenders, Marshalls, Hiwatts, Voxes, etc.

I've been playing guitar fulltime for 27 years. I have owned a number of amps, from Gibson Falcons, Magnatones, Black face twins, point to point Marshalls, JMI Vox AC 30's to Boogies, VHT's, Soldanos, Bogners, to the Line 6 POD. I have everything from a Univox superfuzz to a cock diesel G3 that functions as my hard disc recorder.

If this amp got vic't, I would replace it in a minute. There is nothing about this amp that isn't stellar! I can't think of any other
stereo tube heads with MIDI switching, so there is no point in comparisons. People WILL compare this amp to the flagship amps built by VHT, Bogner and Boogie.

To me this is the STATE OF THE ART in guitar amplification.

For more info, go to:
www.salwender.com