Originally posted by maz_master The difference? The mush, buzz and fizz of the Recto series cannot be dialed out. But, you can make the Herbert sound like anything from Robben Ford's Dumble to scooped metalhead mayhem. Plus, its clean channel puts the Rectos to shame. If you can't hear this, then you deserve the Mesa.
My experience with Diezel Herbert... I owned the following amps all at the same time: Framus Cobra Mesa Road King (Voodoo Mod) Engl SE into VHT 2/50/2 Diezel Herbert Marshall JCM 2000 TSL 100 Fender Twin Reverb '65 Reissue Roland JC120 I currently own: Mesa Road King (Voodoo Mod) Engl SE into VHT 2/50/2 VHT UL Fender Twin Reverb '65 Reissue Roland JC120 Whenever I would jam or have friends over to play, I never used the Herbert. I was also in a Death Metal band at the time and used my Engl SE exclusively for that. The Herbert is a great amp, but it just lacked the high end 'sizzle' (on the gain channels) the the other amps I had at the time had. The clean channel on the Herbert was the best (compared to the high gainers), with the Framus following close behind it. Since I already own a Twin Reverb '65 Re-Issues, I didn't need the Herbert clean channel so much. But as far as the gain channel of the Herbert, I much preferred any of the other amps with the exception of the Marshall. The Herbert has PLENTY of gain on tap, but it just sounds so 'tame' (only word I can think of). It doesn't come to life and smack you in the face! The bottom end was tight and kicked hard (that was great), but the high end was not there for me. For me, the other amps sounded more 'organic' and had more 'bite' to them. The bass on my Road King (Recto) may be 'loose' to your ears, but for me it sounds more 'alive' and 'organic'. I don't 'abuse the bass on my Road King as others probably do. The Rectos already have plenty of Bass, so keep that knob relatively low. KRANK those mids and add a little high end... and "BOOM"... you have great bottem end thump and high end sizzle with smooth mids! But keep in mind mine is Voodoo Modded. By far my favororite amp is my Road King. I spent several hours comparing the Framus Cobra, Road King, Engl SE and the Herbert over a couple of days. Every time I plugged in to the Herbert after playing the others, I was left dissapointed with the gain channel. That is just my opinion though, I AM NOT SAYING THAT THE HERBERT SUCKS!!! IT IS A GREAT AMP, just not for me. By the way, it was V 2.0 and V2.5 was available for $150.00 and shipping charges both ways (US rep)... I figured I had already paid $4100.00 for the amp, I shouldn't have to pay $150.00 for the V2.5 upgrade (which from my understanding was only a few resistor/cap changes... not 100% positive though). Plus they told me they could 'fix' the high end 'issue' I was describing. I ended up selling it to a forum mate. I am not the only one that was under the same impression about the high end on this amp. I had several friends come over and compare the amps as well. We all felt the same... lack of 'sizzle'. I know of one other person on this board that has stated the same thing, but I am not going to bring them into this thread. If they choose to voice their opinion then that is their choice. Again, the Diezel Herbert is an INCREDIBLE amp with GREAT build quality... it just didn't 'do it' for me. Take care, Vid