Ich hoffe ihr vergebt mir, aber ich möchte das jetzt nicht noch mal in Deutsch verfassen - ich denke jeder hier kann Englisch.
Anyhow, as most of you know I sold my Engl 4x12 pro V30 the day before yesterday, because I felt like I wanted a cab that was actually made for my amp.
I emailed Peter Stapfer (co-owner of Diezel) about trying out some of the new cabs Diezel is now making. The old cabs were made in the US, and I didn't really like them at all, but when I heard a few months ago that they would make their very own cabs in Germany I was pretty much sold, just by judging of the quality of work they put into their amps.
Turns out I was right. I drove up to Dillingen (about 120 kilometers north-west of Munich) to meet up with Peter yesterday...mind you: A sunday! Easter sunday...I think that pretty much alone says everything about Diezel.
So, we picked Peter up at his home and drove to the factory. It's a very small place, two stories, with the CNC-machine downstairs, and the assembly upstairs - which is also where I tested all cabs possible: 4x12 fl and rl with GK100's and V30's, same with 2x12's, plus some prototype of a new 2x12.
What really stood out for me was that Peter took his time (+ two hours!) to explain the differences in great detail. I was shown how the cabs are made, what's special about them compared to other cabs, where the tonal differences are, etc. Unreal!!
You would - ie - think that the grill is just cosmetics...wrong! It has a major (!) impact on how the cab sounds. I was totally blown away. I tested a 4x12 V30 with a Herbert (# 1000, incidentally - the white one) with the settings I use at home, and while I played Peter removed the black grill and put a "salt 'n pepper" one on the cab, and the tone changed dramatically! I couldn't believe it.
Anyhow, in the end I was torn between the V30 2x12 and the respective 4x12, since the new prototype 2x12 wasn't for sale. I would have bought that in a heartbeat.
I A/B'd pretty much all cabs and it came down to the V30's, because the GK's need more volume than I can realistically give them at home to really sing.
I was surprised how the 2x12's held up against the 4x12's! It was a close call, but I finally decided on the 4x12. Peter was outstanding in every respect. I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciated his time. He went to great length and we talked about the amps, Tool, James, Fly Leaf, and lots of other stuff.
Anyhow, on to the first batch of pics:
Up next: My new gearpics.