Diezel VH4 or Boogie MKIV for recording?

[Autocrat]

I plan to track some heavy rhythm parts this weekend and wonder which amp I should rent, a Diezel VH4 or Mesa MKIV?

The style is in the vein of Chevelle, Breaking Benjamin, Tool.
Carvin and Shecter humbucker guitars through an Avatar 2x12 cab with v30 and GH120.

Thanks

[vernier]

Or how bout Smokey.

http://www.smokeyamps.com/Smokey_Pag...mokeyvideo.MPG

[Ironklad Audio]

tough call...if you're looking for the more tool-ish tone, go diezel - i know adam jones uses them in conjunction with a marshall bass head and a triple rectifier

if you like the chevelle sort of sound, go for the mark IV - i know that they use these live, if not also in the studio

[Autocrat]

Originally Posted by Ironklad Audio

tough call...if you're looking for the more tool-ish tone, go diezel - i know adam jones uses them in conjunction with a marshall bass head and a triple rectifier

if you like the chevelle sort of sound, go for the mark IV - i know that they use these live, if not also in the studio

Exactly, I had the rectifier sound in the past but really like the Tool and Chevelle sound which is a combination of several things, I'm sure. Chevelle does use the MKIV in the studio, but I think that amp is harder to tweak than the Diezel, whichi I've never tried. A middle sound between a Rectifier and Marshall would be nice.

[Ironklad Audio]

i've also heard that the mark IV is somewhat tough to dial in a good tone on...i heard that lamb of god spent 3 days tweaking to get their guitar tones on their last album

BUT...it seems like whenever "that" tone is finally found, is totally slays

[Audio Hombre]

The MKIV will get you great results no problem at all but use an external 4/2x12 if you're ending up with a combo.

the gain staging is pretty tricky as it's in 3 parts before the master output and the "cascading" eq section is also a bit of a bitch. if you're on the lead channel for chunk, i'd advise keeping the "drive" down to about 7 tops or the amp will spin out. also don't turn the bass up above 3-4 or it gets flubby as hell. most of the eq energy is in the mids and treble but the graphic is what really dials this amp in for metal guitars. it does take time but can yield great results.

[Audio Hombre]

oh and if you do get the mkiv, go to page 15 here and start with the sample settings. mesa's sample sections really get you moving forward much faster.

[spoonie g]

Those are some pretty different sounds as far as heavy distortion goes. You might as well walk into a guitar center blindfolded and throw a dart. Either narrow your search paramaters or go for your own sound with what youve got. Usually the last choice is the best.

[Lee]

I've never used a diezel but from what I've heard it sounds like it probably has a tighter sound than the mesa's looser tone. Like it's been said both amps are used by those bands.

I think they're both cool and will both work.

[skygod]

VH4 and Mark IV -- I own both, in addition to the new Egnater Tourmaster 4100, and misc ENGLs (4-Channel EL34) as well as several preamps (e530/e570/e580) among others (ADA MP2, Dual peavey Rockmasters, Rocktron Prophesy II, JMP-1). Retired all my marshall plexis for good.

For live work I use the Diezel with a GT8 in the loop for on/off delys/chr and detuner and compressor. Preamps and od off. Eddie Van Halen, eat your heart out motherfvvker. Pure magic. This is a full range head, and requires full range 4x12 (G12-75 or Eminence Tonespotter Reds -- great JBL/ALTEC D120F emulation. BTW, K120F are the same speaker at less the cost)

The Mark IV is a great touring head as well as studio monster and a technological work of art. It is a POP/HARD ROCK/COUNTRY ROCK amplifier! Forget metal of any sorts classic heavy or modern mush. Best speakers with this baby are dual 2x12 G1280s or G12-70/80s. It is very difficult to find the sweet spots initially because there are so many, because Randall Smith is the only amp tech that has ever put a dist and od control on the face where end users can set these themselves, whereas most techs hardwire the dist/od ratio onto the breadboard. This becomes very tricky to the point that it totally turns people away from it becasue it makes 'em crazy at first and they give up.

Petrucci posted his settings somewhere on the internet. Find these as a starting point of reference. Pretty close to mine. The combo sucks in terms of the EV speaker that comes in it as well as the faaked ergonomics of the hassle of changing tubes. The long head or short head rock with dual 2x12s my fav live and studio combination. I typically stack them on top each other on top of my 20 or 24 or 28 space rack units and mic them with 57s, 421's, RE20s, and U87s. The MKIV has NO OTHER PEER in the modern amp world. I gigged with dual heads for several years when I played Hard Country Rock down south and now relegate these to studio work exclusively. My all time fav amps. Great Job Mr Randall -- You be da man!

The ENGL preamps are great in the studio running into rack units like Eventide 3000, 4500, 7500, 76000, 8000, TCE 2290, 2210, GSP 2101, Lexicon Reverbs, etc for the wet side etc. thru a power amp and dry center thru 2x12s or 4x12s mic'd pushing air. Amazing! The e-580 is your wet dream come true and more ... Dial in anything you can dream of. Same speaker combos as above. Nuff said.

The Egnater Tourmater 4100 is a pure work of art. Bruce did a marvelous thing with this that took the old TOL 100 and IE4 voicings to brand new heights with his new EQ structure and the contour on each channel as well as the modern/vintage voicings that are OTT. This is a full range as above head, but also sounds great with an Egnater cab with combination of G12-H30s on top and G12-30V on bottom or G12-75s or whatever gets your labia wet on the bottom. Totally amazing head. Bravo Bruce. I emailed him immediately and let him know I was back in the family and totally blown away by it.

For the heavier scooped metal stuff live and studio, esp Heavy Metal/NeoClassical stuff that I like to play as a 70-80s metal head, the ENGL 4 Channel EL34 totally rocks. Fuggedaboudit! Use full range speakers here too.

Finally, the Marshall JMP-1 wet dry wet thru an efx rack into dual 2x12s or 4x12s will give you the classic plexi magic run thru dual Marshall EL34 50/50 or EL 100/100 my prefrence always being the El34 50/50. It totally rocks your world if you set it up right and program it right.

Never liked the Triaxis or any of the Boogie RECTUMIFICATION stuff. Its just plain sterile unless you set these up with MESA power amps and the Abacus, and all MESA parts etc ... ad nauseum. Not being a Metallica fan, sometimes I listen to earlier Metallica stuff and then later stuff to remiond myself what I NEVER want to sound like, and the earlier stuff sounded so much better thru the MKIIC+ etc that they used back then. I guess you lose your ears and minds after playing thru that crap for so long huh? Seem like a great bunch of guys ... just fvvked up ears. Oh well .... onward...