Ceriatone Cerberus(VH4 clone) demos: your impressions are needed

[Zado]

Diezel VH4 semiclone (it's supposed to be a plexi-like clean channel + diezel VH4 3rd channel) is on the way and Nik,the builder,asked on Ceriatone facebook group for some impressions on these samples on two different settings

https://www.dropbox.com/s/h3hfa8672hr9mmb/2013-12-10 16.46.16.mp4

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v1bsfnnxc6z7yio/2013-12-10 17.23.53.mp4

Gain is gonna be increased a bit.What do you think is lacking in the overall sound?


thanks in advance!

 

[rebornself27]

I think the 2nd channel could use more of a modern herbert feel more of a pissed of sound seems like its biased more for thrash but still sounds exellent but then again after hearing the Ceriatone Chupa 100 weekly im sure this amp will be amazing and bring many smiles to new owners.i can tell you this I know a bunch of people that would love a rackmount chupa lol

 

[cardinal]

Definitely sounds like a tight, high gain amp, but from those recordings I can't really say it sounds like the VH4 (I've owned two). I thought it sounds nice, but I'd need a bit of a better recording to really say whether or not it measures up to the legendary Diezel.

 

[JoshuaVonFlash]

So much blue

 

[Zado]

I think the 2nd channel could use more of a modern herbert feel more of a pissed of sound seems like its biased more for thrash but still sounds exellent but then again after hearing the Ceriatone Chupa 100 weekly im sure this amp will be amazing and bring many smiles to new owners.i can tell you this I know a bunch of people that would love a rackmount chupa lol

sort of rackmount chupa is probably in Nik's mind now,and it would be a great idea nontheless, the chupa is a very great sounding amp no doubt

Definitely sounds like a tight, high gain amp, but from those recordings I can't really say it sounds like the VH4 (I've owned two). I thought it sounds nice, but I'd need a bit of a better recording to really say whether or not it measures up to the legendary Diezel.

in your opinion what's the ingredient that makes a diezel so legendary? Honestly I'm not really a diezel guy,the only one I tried was an Einstein: extraordinary amp,but I played in lower gain modes so I really have no idea.I'll ask Nik for a better demo so you can tell me more mate

So much blue

i thought the same





Anyone else? com'on guys,there's place even for "I dont like" comments

 

[petereanima]

Yeah, hard to tell from those samples, but there is something in the gain-"structure" that is similar to the VH4 (moreso in the second vid) - but besides that it could actually be any amp.

There seems to be some magic involved in the Diezels - I am a Herbert owner for many years, and have quite some experience with the VH4. A friend of mine builds amps, and besides having the schematic, he took a VH4 completely apart to check on all parts and built a clone. He got close in sound, but there still was something "special" when you then switched to the real VH4 in comaprison. The Diezels have a 3-dimensional sound that is almost unreal and - imho - uncloneable.

But as said - it DOES sound good, and that's in the ned all that matters, isn't it?


(Fun fact for my firend's clone: he was out of headshells and took one from a Peavey Windsor head. I borrowed that amp for a local gig, imagine the melted faces of the other bands guitarists when - after they had their laugh about how one could possibly show up with such an amp - they heard that thing. )



EDIT: I forgot to add: I do know Ceriatone, especcially their Overtone model, and I think you are in good hands with the guy, he usually seems to know what he does!

 

[cardinal]

What makes the VH4 legendary? Hard to explain in words. I'll try to dig up some clips of the VH4 that I think show case it well.

When a cord sustains, it smolders and morphs in the air. Very 3-D. The top end sounds mastered: cut with no sizzle. The low end is bold but very controlled. The mid range is even and thick. Everything about the gain just sits right.

And it sounds like Godzilla storming across the stage.

It is a compressed sound. Side by side with something like a Recto (raw, uncompressed), the VH4's compression becomes very obvious and might be tiring.

VH4 also feels like nothing else. It pushes back against you. Really strange and took some getting use to.

 

[NinjaRaf]

Man, I think that sounds great!!

 

[Zado]

ok gonna tell everything to Nik,thanks for the comments guys! I asked for better demos,this is just "initial testing" he says,so many more will probably occur in the near future,and it's the main reason why your comments are so important,this is the phase where the beast is shaped as close as possible to the real thing!

I'm no expert by any means,but the VH4 wirings is rather scary,so I bet if it's not an impossible-to-clone amp,it's very close to that,but I really trust Nik experience,the Yeti he made to me time ago is no doubt one of the very best amps I've ever played,so I hope he will deliver a great sounding amp this time too


also because the whole thing is probably gonna be way cheaper than a VH4

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

If the knob layout isn't convoluted as .... like a Diezel, I'm not buying it.

 

[Zado]

If the knob layout isn't convoluted as .... like a Diezel, I'm not buying it.

well there are knobs,but the layout is more simple,sorry

 

[loktide]

hehe, looks like Nick has been lurking at the VH4 thread over at the sloclone forum ;-)

The amp sounds quite badass, but more like a VH4 modded plexi than a diezel. Since Diezel uses custom wound Langer transformers, you'll never get the same thing using marshall type ones. Just like with recto's: by looking at the schematic, it is virtually 99% SLO100 with some added gimmicks. Yet the power supply circuit and transformers alone make all the difference in the world.

 

[Zado]

Nik has the trafos wired under his own specs so it'd be no prolem to clone one, if the original is avaiable


I hope it won't be troublesome like DeYoung trafos