My VH4 - not sure it is healthy - thoughts???

Here's a clip. The first half is my ObG (@EOengineer !!) in drop-B and the second half is my Tokai in drop-C. Each of them have different pickups.

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com www.dropbox.com

Amp is on channel 3, the volume is loud, but not booming, definitely not piss-the-neighbours-off level, but not bedroom level either.

You can hear how there's no clarity, it is very fuzzy, and sounds like a fuzz pedal. The amp settings are:
1735842007037.jpeg


Now I did dial the mids back on channel 3 as an experiment, and cranked the treble and presence. Bass at noon. Gain at noon. The amp is 'opened up' as much as I can get away with at home, and it just sounds fuzzy, tiny, and overall a bit shit. I've not checked the bias yet, and I haven't checked the power tubes but honestly they should be good. They were brand new and tested by my tech a year or so ago, and I've really not played the amp that much.
 
As a comparison to my Recto, here is Orange Modern unboosted:

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com www.dropbox.com

Amp settings:
1735842583877.jpeg


I'm convinced there's something awry with my VH4. Just don't know what.

EDIT: I defo scooped the mids too much in this. Was just rushing coz it's nearly 7pm here and I try and cut off loud guitar at 6pm to give the neighbourhood a rest!
 
Orvillain said:
Here's a clip. The first half is my ObG (@EOengineer !!) in drop-B and the second half is my Tokai in drop-C. Each of them have different pickups.

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com www.dropbox.com

Amp is on channel 3, the volume is loud, but not booming, definitely not piss-the-neighbours-off level, but not bedroom level either.

You can hear how there's no clarity, it is very fuzzy, and sounds like a fuzz pedal. The amp settings are:
View attachment 35529

Now I did dial the mids back on channel 3 as an experiment, and cranked the treble and presence. Bass at noon. Gain at noon. The amp is 'opened up' as much as I can get away with at home, and it just sounds fuzzy, tiny, and overall a bit shit. I've not checked the bias yet, and I haven't checked the power tubes but honestly they should be good. They were brand new and tested by my tech a year or so ago, and I've really not played the amp that much.
Click to expand...
That’s broken. Mine sounds nothing like that.
 
I thought the VH4 sounded fine on my phone speakers but yeah on my monitors something seems amiss. I feel like there’s some extra intermodulation thing happening in there that might point towards something being up with either the bias or a tube drifting way out.

I’d get it to a tech. Let them handle your filter caps and then check your power tubes and phase inverter.
 
The Diezel VH4 video definitely sounds tighter, but that could be because they're in E-standard/drop-D. but even in drop-C, mine sounds muffled, fuzzy, undefined, and the palm mutes lack cut and definition.

I think this is a new thing yknow. Coz even my previous video doesn't really sound that way.
 
BTW - this is one of very few times that I've wanted the gear to be broken, rather than my tastes not conforming to it! Because as a Tool and Adam Jones fanboi since I was 16 years old, not liking this amp definitely feels weird. But I'll say one thing, I agree with @GreatGreen when he says most everyone who uses these tends to layer them with other amps. It is true. Maybe this is why? I don't know.

@Eagle do you know what year yours is?? Mine is 2001, and I'm led to believe they modified the circuit a bunch of times throughout the 2010's and onwards, to make the tone more modern sounding.
 
DZL have a unique sound
They have a lot of low mids and low resonance
They also have a metric shit ton of compression while keeping the preamp voicing pretty dry which is a weird combo
 
Orvillain said:
Here's a clip. The first half is my ObG (@EOengineer !!) in drop-B and the second half is my Tokai in drop-C. Each of them have different pickups.

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com www.dropbox.com

Amp is on channel 3, the volume is loud, but not booming, definitely not piss-the-neighbours-off level, but not bedroom level either.

You can hear how there's no clarity, it is very fuzzy, and sounds like a fuzz pedal. The amp settings are:
View attachment 35529

Now I did dial the mids back on channel 3 as an experiment, and cranked the treble and presence. Bass at noon. Gain at noon. The amp is 'opened up' as much as I can get away with at home, and it just sounds fuzzy, tiny, and overall a bit shit. I've not checked the bias yet, and I haven't checked the power tubes but honestly they should be good. They were brand new and tested by my tech a year or so ago, and I've really not played the amp that much.
Click to expand...

Comparing this to the video you posted earlier in the thread, you can tell it's the same amp but much fizzier and definitely not as defined as the first video. Definitely need to get it down to your mate to get it looked at.
 
James Freeman said:
First thing I would do if I thought something is wrong with how my real amp sounds (no other issues) is compare it to the same model in the AxeFx just to have a general sense if something is really off.
Click to expand...
This is damned clever. The Axe is so accurate it should at least give a decent idea if the amp is supposed to sound a certain way. Assuming the same version/revision of course.
 
I run into the issue with many amps I have at times.

Definitely feels like too much lows going into the preamp which I can fix with some pedals but I have also fixed it with tube swaps and bias adjustment.

I tend to set the bias at 70% and adjust by ear from there.
 
Deadpan said:
I run into the issue with many amps I have at times.

Definitely feels like too much lows going into the preamp which I can fix with some pedals but I have also fixed it with tube swaps and bias adjustment.

I tend to set the bias at 70% and adjust by ear from there.
Click to expand...
70% of what? What it should be or the range?
 
Guessing he means heat dissipation??

The service manual says 35ma. There's only one bias trim pot for all 4 tubes.
 
For completion sake, here's my Axe FX III with poweramp modelling turned off, and plugged into the FX loop return of my VH4:

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com www.dropbox.com

First half is with the bass at 6, mids at 3, and treble at 6. Gain is at 6.5, master around noon in the amp block. Second half I increase the mids and treble.

This sounds way better to me, honestly.
 
This thread is really selling me on all the things I'm missing in tube amp land...

But srsly -- hope your tech is able to get this sorted for you, OBGYNain...er Orvillain. Starting the new year with a great new guitar and a huge amp with a new lease on life would be fantastic.
 
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