Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Diezel Lucy 400W Tube Head
- Thread starter Fuzzhead
- Start date
...Tom, you know me...
...also, what do you mean by "point to point" Fuzzhead? I only remember ONE type of head being advertised & knowing Diezel, what else would he build beyond the utmost in quality workmanship?...
~S~
PS: The rest of ya's...salivate...
...also, what do you mean by "point to point" Fuzzhead? I only remember ONE type of head being advertised & knowing Diezel, what else would he build beyond the utmost in quality workmanship?...
~S~
PS: The rest of ya's...salivate...
You might wanna read back DM...there is only one head. Going off his previous heads it's PCB construction, vs point to point which is the old way, some say better way, although much more expensive. His construction is top notch PCB or not, and I'm very happy with my Herbert. This topic about point to point came up 'cause of the last guys question, which implied point to point is necessarilly better, but I beg to differ. PCB quality depends on the designer/manufacturer, but should yield consistent quality through all the heads.
Anyway...race you to a Lucy!
Anyway...race you to a Lucy!
PCB was definitely NOT better when it first came out. The old phenolic boards did not tolerate heat very well, and fare-thee-well sucked in tube applications. Now that boards are fibreglass instead of the old phenolic, the game has changed, and the newer boards tolerate heat much better, although I think point to point still has a bit of an edge. One of the big issues in power stages is that the point to point wired sockets can flex and move as they expand and contract, as well as tolerate the stresses of large tube pullouts/insertions. The rigidness of a PCB on these sockets just begs for either thermal or mechanical failure of the socket solder joints.
The Mesa Bass 400+ I feel is a good example of doing it right - the preamp is all PCB, but the output tube sockets are wired point to point. The output stage is so simple that this most likely makes almost no difference in build cost. It is mostly heavy buss wire making all pins of the two banks of 6 sockets common, and a few resistors . . . .
- Tim
The Mesa Bass 400+ I feel is a good example of doing it right - the preamp is all PCB, but the output tube sockets are wired point to point. The output stage is so simple that this most likely makes almost no difference in build cost. It is mostly heavy buss wire making all pins of the two banks of 6 sockets common, and a few resistors . . . .
- Tim
Point to point should normally be better, (depending on the quality of tech/worker), but slower which bumps up the price. But Diezels are dead reliable with a very low failure rate IME so I think he has the PCB thing done right. I can't remember offhand if the power tube stage in the Herbert's is point to point, I do remember it was very solidly wired all round.
Hey just concerning Mesas, their Rectifier series...I have heard MANY cases of preamp failures, even catching on fire. I myself had an intermittent fault with one. And they are a bitch to work on, you have to disassemble all the pots because the PCB is upside down. Not to mention the Herbert smokes it in every regard.
That's pretty much Lucy's drawcard for me...if it's loud as f**k, yet sounds great at low volumes, has an awesome switchable overdrive with it's own eq, can take whatever power tube you want, and has a clean sound on the level of the SVT/V Series quality, plus is super reliable and doesn't pop fuses, then for me I think we have a winner. If that's all there I'll probably pay whatever it takes.
BTW I absolutely love my V6 and NV610! Cheers
Hey just concerning Mesas, their Rectifier series...I have heard MANY cases of preamp failures, even catching on fire. I myself had an intermittent fault with one. And they are a bitch to work on, you have to disassemble all the pots because the PCB is upside down. Not to mention the Herbert smokes it in every regard.
That's pretty much Lucy's drawcard for me...if it's loud as f**k, yet sounds great at low volumes, has an awesome switchable overdrive with it's own eq, can take whatever power tube you want, and has a clean sound on the level of the SVT/V Series quality, plus is super reliable and doesn't pop fuses, then for me I think we have a winner. If that's all there I'll probably pay whatever it takes.
BTW I absolutely love my V6 and NV610! Cheers
I met Peter Diezel in 2002, right after Herbert was announced. He would show me and my buddy around in his manufactury and we did a jam session on some of his amps.
He is a very down-to-earth and kind guy and he spent a whole day with us. At this time his amps were more popular in the US than in Europe and no dealer here had them on stock. So we travelled from Vienna to Munich to visit Diezel Amplifications.
Concerning the mentioned Bulls+*t about PTP vs. PCB:
He built his first prototype of the VH-4 with PTP wiring just for reasons of easy development and quick circuit modifications.
Right after the maturing of the design it would be transfered to the highest quality PCB you can imagine. Exceeds ANY PTP circuit in quality, robustness and consistency. He showed me the bowels of the new Herbert claiming the 4,7mm fibreglass-boards he uses beeing at least two times thicker than the boards in Engl Amps eg. Dave Reeves probably would have KILLED for such a stable material for his turret boards in the 60ies. NONE of the pots, plugs or Tubesockets in Diezel Amps are mounted ON the boards to stress the construction mechanically or heat the object. Tubes, plugs and pots and caps are all mounted on the chassis, and if you wish PTP wired with the Boards.
Probably a whole PTP design was good enough in the old days for deadsimple Hiwatt-Circuits and it for sure exceeded first generation PCBs, but for 4 independent channels, 4 effect loops, etc. etc. - the PTP would just be a messy cable salad.
Asked for the PTP-wiring technology, Peter told me about the inconsistency in sound he had to fight with in his first VH-4 prototypes due to the immense complexity of the whole circuit-design. He would never prefer a PTP to a properly designed and manufactured PCB construction nowadays.
By the way. He began in the 80s with modding Plexis and JCM800s.
Maybe I have the opportunity to test lucy (named after "Lucifer" - - but Im not shure if I want to. I just bought a new Bassamp and I am not lightheaded enough testing this hell-goddes of a +3000 EUR Amp... ...yet.
He is a very down-to-earth and kind guy and he spent a whole day with us. At this time his amps were more popular in the US than in Europe and no dealer here had them on stock. So we travelled from Vienna to Munich to visit Diezel Amplifications.
Concerning the mentioned Bulls+*t about PTP vs. PCB:
He built his first prototype of the VH-4 with PTP wiring just for reasons of easy development and quick circuit modifications.
Right after the maturing of the design it would be transfered to the highest quality PCB you can imagine. Exceeds ANY PTP circuit in quality, robustness and consistency. He showed me the bowels of the new Herbert claiming the 4,7mm fibreglass-boards he uses beeing at least two times thicker than the boards in Engl Amps eg. Dave Reeves probably would have KILLED for such a stable material for his turret boards in the 60ies. NONE of the pots, plugs or Tubesockets in Diezel Amps are mounted ON the boards to stress the construction mechanically or heat the object. Tubes, plugs and pots and caps are all mounted on the chassis, and if you wish PTP wired with the Boards.
Probably a whole PTP design was good enough in the old days for deadsimple Hiwatt-Circuits and it for sure exceeded first generation PCBs, but for 4 independent channels, 4 effect loops, etc. etc. - the PTP would just be a messy cable salad.
Asked for the PTP-wiring technology, Peter told me about the inconsistency in sound he had to fight with in his first VH-4 prototypes due to the immense complexity of the whole circuit-design. He would never prefer a PTP to a properly designed and manufactured PCB construction nowadays.
By the way. He began in the 80s with modding Plexis and JCM800s.
Maybe I have the opportunity to test lucy (named after "Lucifer" -
- but Im not shure if I want to. I just bought a new Bassamp and I am not lightheaded enough testing this hell-goddes of a +3000 EUR Amp... ...yet.Invalid Link Removed makes a 'Sledgehammer" for guitar that does 150 watts at 5% THD and 275 watts (4x KT88) when cranked
, I hope I never end up in a volume war with a guitarist using one of them.
knuckle_head
Commercial User
- Jul 30, 2002
- 2,621
- 58
- Disclosures
- Owner; Knuckle Guitar Works & Circle K Strings
