King of the Metal Pedals? Diezel VH4-2 Review

This dual channel high gain pedal might be a contender for best metal pedal out there... you decide!
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[@RobbDizzl]

I can’t decide if this shirt is stupid or genius, I think it’s both. Love it.

[@bukutu939]

6 ou j ml

[@leonardkian4305]

I know it's kind of randomly asking but do anyone know a good website to watch newly released series online?

[@koamarco2366]

@Leonard Kian flixportal :P

[@leonardkian4305]

@Koa Marco thanks, I signed up and it seems to work :) Appreciate it!

[@koamarco2366]

@Leonard Kian glad I could help xD

[@thebuddybud]

The comparison to the Revv G3 was EXACTLY what I needed. Awesome! This vid rules.

[@The404Erorr]

Getting this for my small pedalboard going into a Seymour Duncan Powerstage 170. All I need baby! Well that and a closet full of stuff from Mr. GuGu.

[@Milankoful]

Intro song really reminds me (as far as guitar playing goes) of Coroner. Great playing Henning!

[@johnpabst2960]

So I just picked up this pedal and... yeah... Blown away! Currently running it into the effects return of my Peavey JSX w/ 6L6 power tubes... Just brutal!

[@burningempire666]

I'm intrigued, I have a JSX as well. I can't recall what tubes I put in it, I think EL34. Also run with a Vader cab. I am curious to how brutal I can make it.

[@southpawsNfriends]

Does the amplifier itself have to be set a certain way? Only the master volume will work right?

[@paulhoffmann4521]

@@southpawsNfriends It depends on the amp. I am running it into a JVM410H which has a dedicated send/return for stuff like preamp out/poweramp in, and I found out that both Deep and Precence control still have their function.

[@Waynent]

This video was esential in my decision on getting the vh4-2, thank you SO much for your content, great job!!!!

[@stoneysdead689]

So how did that work out for you- 3 yrs later? Thinking of getting one myself.

[@MykToronto]

Henning, I love your videos! Been watching for years (and that moment when you talk about "chasing the dream" in your TC spark review was epic). I would love to hear your thoughts on the Emma Reezafratzitz 2. I've tried dozens of drive pedals, and for a long time this has been the one... or the Foxrox Octron (it's a gem). Thank you for doing what you do!

[@Eventual420]

In Alaska the mud flats are similar to quicksand. When the tide comes back you drown. Was advised at a young age to stay out of the mud flats.

[@stepp___]

Your Sweaters and editing are nearly as brutal as the Riffs. Awesome!

[@ontheroad579]

HP42s are, in many ways, the best guitar videos in KZbin.

[@derrotamundial4554]

For me is the best metal pedal....it is brutal!!

[@K415h1n6]

Thank you for all the demo, they are all very great works. I’m really like diezel Vh4 amp sound, thus considering getting a diezel VH4-2 or a Zerrer or both together. Could you give me a suggestion if I should do each of them or both. BTW, me personally mainly want to do no amp recording or home practice. How does it like if using VH4-2 with zerrer together?

[@yesfan157]

Great review! I must get myself one of these. And your intro song was sick!

[@niclastname]

In the comparison I thought the Diezel sounded the worst actually. That could juts be the mixing/EQ setup though. It was the least clear and most "buried" in the mix. The Metal Zone cut through the best, but sounded a bit thin. I liked the overall tone of the Revv most, but it needed a little more high dialed in or something to bring it out in the mix more.

[@PartyChicken407]

Just to add to your comment : I have quite a few gains to play with, and while many / all of them sound fantastic... while I'm actually playing I find myself repeatedly going back to the Revv G3... it just stands out. Funny enough it even sounds rather special on bass guitar. One of the best pedals I've ever bought.

[@fooser77]

I had a Laney at one time .. In fact, nearly 40 years ago .. Got it in the early 80s .. Lost it in the late 80s .. It was a hard, very hard choice at the time ..

[@PooNinja]

I'm a bit partial to the purple pedal but I agree with Quentin James. give me full independant controls for each channel but Que Será, Será they messed up you logo on here or is it a translation thing Its HP42 right ? not VH4-2 right ? wait what !

[@DoNoise]

I thought the Metal Zone was the best at the comparison at the end.

[@skippityblippity8656]

i actually liked the metal zone

[@hannibalbarkas1350]

Agree, sounds best in the mix.

[@Hendrek81]

+1

[@Eradake223]

I was too afraid to say it 🤫

[@Dieselpower994]

I have an old metal zone from the late 90’s and to tell you the truth I love the sound I can get from it. I know the controls take some getting used to but I love that pedal for some high gain sounds for Metallica or even tool. But I still might have to get the diezel

[@scottstevens3345]

For Tool tones the Diezel is the only way to go.

[@ItaiIfrach]

We all need comparison between this and Vh-4 real amp

[@johnpabst2960]

Look it up. They did this already with the VH-4 pedal.

[@wheresallthezombies]

The Morgan ac20,jcm 800, and rockerverb were my favorite. The metal zone actually sounded good in the mix.

[@ladyjulia4038]

Killer video! On a side note henning i would greatly appreciate a long review of the boss mega distortion.

[@RockSchooled]

How does this pedal compare to the Friedman BE-OD Deluxe?

[@thewomanwithnohead]

I bought a VH4-2 around last Xmas on Thomann, after having a crush on it for a full year. And I've never been disappointed THAT MUCH by a guitar pedal ... I've spend like 10 hours on it, tried a hundred different settings and guitars, everything just sounded terrible with WAY TOO MUCH TREBLE, also swallowing all bass frequencies. Even with the knob rolled off, it was just unbearable, playing on high strings would just makes my ears ring for hours, even at low volume.

[@EytschPi42]

what amp are you going into?

[@thewomanwithnohead]

@@EytschPi42 Mainly on a Vox AC-30, Blackstar HT5, and an Eleven Rack for studio takes :(

[@MarkArtyniuk]

What guitar and pickups?

[@thewomanwithnohead]

@@MarkArtyniuk Few different ones ... Fender Telecaster, Strat, Gibson LP, Cort MBC-1 ... Sounded bad on all of them, sadly.

[@MarkArtyniuk]

interesting, I play mine a Gibson LP with high ouput pickups and a Tele with really low output picks and both sound fantastic into clean Morgan amps or direct into the board with IR, almost hard to get a bad sound out of it to be honest. Maybe you just got a dud, this pedal has a very deep thick sound in my rig. Hope you find something you like.

[@jamesodonnell9217]

I keep looking at the Ibanez RG5000 series videos. They're stunning, they're 6 & 7 string, floating & hardtail, Bare Knuckles & Fishman equipped, they're all new, & they're preorder. I ask myself, wtf? They didn't think to send HP42 a pair? Do they NOT know that we trust his camera skills? Do they NOT know we enjoy his custom songs? Ibanez, send HP42 the 2019 guitars stat.

[@EytschPi42]

Videos will be shot next week. We would have filmed them early December, but the guitars were stuck in customs. Ibanez is coming over next week so that I can release some detailed reviews during NAMM.

[@southpawsNfriends]

So to run it through the effects loop, does the amp itself need to be set a certain way? Is it only the master volume that works on the amplifier? Killer video btw!

[@TheCyberianWonder]

VH-4 is gret, but I just watched your review of the BOSS Metal Zone and that little box of terror is still my first choice.

[@fraenkiboii]

Adam Jones is probably watching this

[@samichaussee8551]

With all preampspedals you find now I wonder why there's not tons of power amp sold without preamp and eq built in?

[@JimijaymesProductions]

There is starting to be, Mooer have their pedal SS one and a Tube one, Orange just released one. EHX had their pedal board ss one, there is the Duncan Powerstage.

[@inevitableveganfuture3915]

I guess a lot of people are just plugging them into their FX-loop return on standard amp heads (that's how I use mine, to bypass the pre and eq), or running them straight into a mixing desk, etc.

[@ebwieg6800]

Check out the Seymour Duncan PowerStage 170

[@Sir_Dickbag]

@@ebwieg6800 It's not really much of a preamp. The "clean" tone from it sucks. I think he means full featured preamp/power amps with actual good sounding cleans.

[@aviolentpurple9925]

There were a lot of them made in the 80s when people used rack mount preamps. Check out VHT power amps... they sound absolutely huge. Also Marshall and everybody else made them and can be found on eBay

[@stoneysdead689]

It's an amazing pedal- but somewhat of an investment- it aint cheap. Even used- you better like playing metal- not sure I do, that much anyway. I play a lot of Tool, but the truth is- you can't find a drummer nor a vocalist who can pull that stuff off so- doesn't do you much good. It's fun to sit around and jam with their tracks but I'm not sure spending 200+ bucks to do that makes a ton of sense. Besides, I use the Lion 68 by UAFX- and it sounds great, don't get me wrong- but it's not an amp and you never know how it will react to a pedal like this. I think it would work with it but- not sure really. It has that Plexi thing really baked into it. Tbh I would be tempted to run it directly into my powered cab and let it do its own thing, I think. I'd probably get a more authentic simulation that way. I mean you can play Tool with a metal zone though- and it sounds really good so- I'll probably just stick with that, considering I already have what I need to do it. Or- the newish TC Elec. Triple Wreck- if you haven't heard this thing- wow. It's without a doubt the best triple rec. sim I've ever heard- and it's relatively inexpensive. Not sure Tool would sound that great on it but- lots of other metal would.

[@RequiemDead]

Call me crazy but I think the Revv G3 has better EQ response.

[@fooser77]

You filmed the "can of bees" yesterday? It's going to be really hard to top the CoB montage you did there ..

[@jimmywells33]

That's an interesting shirt jacket. Thanks for the video btw.

[@m.Likejohn]

Hi pale! Hails from Greece! I want your sound advice. I am between this and the revv g4. Which of them has the fuller bigger and richer distortion?? I ran a blackastar i core 20 and an ltd vintage with emg's.

[@RealMNeutral31]

I wish that you can get your hands on the Amptweaker Tight Metal Pro Pedal. Oh goodness! Also, the MI Megalith Delta Distortion and the Empress Heavy Effects pedals. Those are phenomenal distortion pedals.

[@amnesie6615]

What happened to the headstock of that guitar?! WTF.... Something missing :D

[@4GMRocks]

Every time the camera goes to the wide shot of the room....I expect to see Dave Friedman sitting there heckling. Sadly, he's not. Keep on Rocking!

[@Eventual420]

Funny, I was expecting Leslie to be carving pumpkins.

[@phenixreturns]

i would like this one but no tube inside and no cab sim so i don't know

[@michaelmitchell5909]

I think the new g4 is gonna be king of metal pedals!....

[@laurentdude52]

What a great pedal !! Brutal, I love it !! Did you tried this in the front of a Mesa Mark V Twenty Five or a Rectifier Twenty Five ? I would love to have this pedal in the front of one of these two great amps and to have the possibility to switch from a Mesa saturation to a Diezel one on the fly !

[@nyalarhotep]

Dude. Why would you put this in front of Mesa? I mean, it sounds tempting on paper, monster gain amp and monster gain pedal, you might think it will bring some monster monster gain, but in reality the result sucks. You`ll get only buzz, hiss and piss. Those amps have more than enough gain, just overdrive them a bit, no need for diezel there. These preamp pedals i think work best with pure power amps like Mesa 50/50 for example.

[@laurentduca4788]

@@nyalarhotep Yes, you're right, these amps are monster gain amps and I have the chance to own both. I really love Rectifier and Mark V twenty five, and Mesa tones are my favorites. But I also love VH4 channel 3 tone. The idea is no to use the pedal in conjunction with a saturated channel (channel 2 in both amps) but to use it on their clean channel in order to have the possibility to use either Mesa saturation or the VH4 one. The better of Mesa and of Diezel if I can say that :)

[@mr.b.8144]

It need to be played by Manowar to be called the "KIng of Metal" Pedal ;)

[@AndreiGrozea]

I am now considering that new metalzone thing

[@cheetorb]

Nice comparison, thanks! Would someone mind helping me out with a questions, I just bought a used VH4 -2 channel pedal and when I hit a note and hold it until it ends, right near the end the distortion "fizzles" out right before the note ends. I noticed this on both channels and it's not like the gain was maxed on either channel. This was when the pedal was in front of the amp. When I tried it in the Return of the FX loop I didn't notice it but also I could hardly turn it up to distort cause it was so damn loud!! I have a Mojo Mojo and an original Ibanez OD-855 so I maxed the distortion on them, used the same volume level and the distorted notes rang through till they ended, nice and smooth with no "fizzling" out. Is there something wrong with my VH4 pedal or is that just a characteristic of a really high gain pedal? Sorry for the long post. Thanks!

[@monizag]

Did you connect it to clean guitar amp input or power amp during the demo? which is your recommendation?

[@marcuslewitzki4610]

I'm setting up a rig and would love to get a Diezel VH4. However, like most people I can't afford one, so I'm thinking of buying the Diezel VH4-2 pedal instead. But Having watched lots of videos about amps+distortion pedals I'm unsure about what amp to get to complement the VH4-2 pedal. I was first thinking about buying a Victory Kraken but most people say you shouldn't pair a heavy distortion pedal with a dirty amp, and that it's better to get a clean amp when running heavy distortion pedals. Is this true and if so - what amps (tube amps in different price ranges) should I be looking at?

[@EytschPi42]

no amp can get get you a Vh4 sound with this pedal…. it‘s going in that direction, butnitnqont be a VH4. Have you thought about a VH2? A Marshall SV20H is a good pedal platform if you set it up right, but it won’t be a Diezel.

[@marcuslewitzki4610]

@@EytschPi42 Yes, obviously, if a €330 pedal would perfectly recrete the sound of a €2.900 amp, no one would buy the amp 😀 so I understand I won't get a perfect VH4 sound with the pedal but I'd have something similar to work with. However, that's not my concern. I want to get a tube amp (actually my first tube amp after having played guitar for well over 25 years) that is clean enough to work well with a VH4-2 as the base of my distortion. Apart from the Victory VX Kraken I've been looking at the Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister Deluxe 20 as well. It's more within my budget but I'm not sure if it would be a suitable amp to work with the VH4-2‽

[@scottstevens3345]

I would recommend the Marshall Origin 50. Plenty of headroom and a great pedal platform amp. Doesn't get super dirty until you really crank the master volume.

[@greggoryblock1071]

Henning please review the diezel herbert pedal next!

[@jaychen2000metal]

Greggory Block Probly their best amp

[@olympictrapworld6582]

i use the vh4 pedal through the fx loop of a marshall studio vintage and it is hell loud!! Is there something wrong with my pedal? Is this normal?

[@ahaua1]

Excellent video!

[@winstonmackay5477]

Metal Zone daaam Daniel should I revisit I sold one not to long ago 30 bucks again Daaam

[@fabianthio4011]

Maybe I missed out but does both channels in this vh4-2 is actually the same or there is tonally differences?

[@streetndirtfighters5102]

Should I connect it to my vox ac15 combo?

[@michaelbarber1123]

Still sounds pretty weak and wimpy compared to the Biyang Metal End.

[@terribleligadelmal4541]

what about the Diezel Herbert pedal? does it sound like the pre of a real Herbert?

[@babarishka]

Maybe I missed it, but what brand and model is that headless guitar? It's a beauty!!!!

[@EytschPi42]

Mayones

[@babarishka]

@@EytschPi42 Thank you!!

[@mars6433]

Not for $300 !! You get ONE channel with a sep. volume and gain. I hate that it shares EQ and Pres/Res controls.

[@joerobinson6199]

Quentin James I got the original channel used for $200. Tiered not a huge difference tbh between these 2. It’s a great pedal either way. And I don’t play djent. I just like gain.

[@wyattnorth3984]

Can you plug the vh4 pedal into the vh4 amp plz and is this as good as the boss metal zone?

[@vladvartosu]

Can anyone help me solve a mystery, please? I have the exact same model, but it's impossible to turn the volume more than 9 o'clock (less than 25%) without piercing my ears, it is so loud! I'm wondering how do players get this pedal going with the volume at 1 o'clock? I would love this level of dynamic range, but it's simply impossible, I have to turn it just slightly to have a good clean/dirty volume ratio. Nonetheless, killer sound. Thank you!

[@stevelouth7011]

Personally G3 for me !!!!!!😎

[@oliverclark8460]

Still had problems with monetizing?

[@thewomanwithnohead]

I mean, look at 19:40 min ... It just sounds like as if this VH4 was trapped in a drowned submarine !

[@paulhoffmann4521]

How does this pedal compare to the VH micro amp? Same circuits? Basically the same sound and same thing, just with a solid-state amp? I can get the VH-micro for less than 200€ right now, so it would be the best deal, if it sounds the same as the pedal

[@EytschPi42]

This pedal is a real tool, the micro is just a toy

[@Zwidawurzn]

Where to get this shirt please?

[@EytschPi42]

link below

[@ddsrecording]

Where in the hell do you get all those shirts from?! lol

[@RICARDO68051]

Metal zone is metal zone. Kkkk. Great Review. Great pedal

[@ontheroad579]

VH4 vs Kraken anyone?

[@fredriksvard2603]

OnTheRoad havent tried the vh4 but the kraken is not suitable for metal imo

[@jamesyellow3786]

Dieses Pedal wünsche ich mir seit langem ..aber 360€ sind mir zu viel ....noch nen angenehmen Abend =D

[@InTheSh8]

Dann probier doch mal die AMT LA2 Pedale. Ich hab das K2 und bin ganz zufrieden damit. Reagiert auf nen Tubescreamer davor genau wie ein Röhrenpreamp. Sehr dynamisch. Ist sicher was für dich dabei, gibt ja genug Varianten.

[@Bcwilderness]

laney and vh4 huge

[@derrotamundial4554]

I think it is better by the return of an amp…...

[@cdh79]

at 3:08 you say "channel 2 master and gain" and point to channel 1 gain.. good that most people are smart enough to get this :P

[@frtroncoso]

Name of the song , minute 1:19??

[@EytschPi42]

just something I wrote for the video

[@TheDogPa]

Some products sound good through youtube...some don't. I hope that is the issue here, because this sounds terrible. If you are gonna play that 'style' get a metal zone or metal muff and save a fortune...tone is not required in that stuff.

[@ontheroad579]

In Andertons' metal pedal shootout video the Muff seemed very different sounding than the Diezel.

[@godsinbox]

its all about the presence, baby! (and the diezel doesnt win)

[@Mattibou-GACK]

使用ギターは何ですか？

[@DF-vt4xs]

Revv G3

[@phenixreturns]

no tube

[@linogasser623]

vous parlez bien français !

[@dettwideo]

Voila' ! ;)

[@4711shaun2]

soooooooooo much talking...