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VHT Deliverance and single channel amps

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  • VHT Deliverance and single channel amps

    So, I'm looking at the VHT Deliverance, and it looks like a great amp, but I don't know how I would fare with only one channel. This may be an ignorant question, but how do people with single channel amps go from clean to high gain dirt without channel switching? Could someone playing covers (or heavy songs with clean sections) play a single channel without relying on a distortion pedal to add hair? And before I get the "use your volume knob" lecture, I know how to use my volume knob, but to go from 70's metal to acoustic simulation with just my volume knob I think I'd lose too much volume. So, to VHT Deliverance owners or any other single channel amp users, how do you guys do it? Convince me!

  • #2
    You have to play a VHT Deliverance before you can understand the dynamics of the amp and its versatility with using the volume knob and picking strength.

    Check out this video that goes from clean to uber-gain only using the volume knob and picking strength.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBp3teijBro

    I used to own the Deliverance and it was a killer amp.

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    • #3
      Cool...thanks; I'll check the vid now.
      How heavy/gainy can it get? Some Harmony Central reviews (I know, not always accurate) say it isn't heavy enough for metal....any thoughts?

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      • #4
        Its very difficult to do. The clean you are hearing in the clip is at an extremely low level. Also, the gain on that amp isn't near enough for metal... thats why he is able to dial it down to get a clean. If you need clean and heavy you really should be looking at a 2 channel amp.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by jgcable View Post
          If you need clean and heavy you really should be looking at a 2 channel amp.
          Or just use the amp clean and run a distortion pedal into it and kick it on for your distorted sound.
          I feel my soul go cold... only the dead are smiling.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by toejam View Post
            Or just use the amp clean and run a distortion pedal into it and kick it on for your distorted sound.

            Yep... you could do that too.

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            • #7
              I'm not familiar with this exact amp, but I did spend years playing a single channel Marshall live. (FYI, a lot of guys looking at this amp, also look at the Soldano Avenger for a similar sound, which I also have not heard! ) You will not get a pristine clean from just rolling back the volume control, and I'm sure the Deliverance will be set for a much higher level of distortion than my Marshall would attain.

              However, you don't loose volume when rolling back the volume control on a loud amp with lots of crunch/distortion. It should clean up pretty well...it's just to a gritty clean rather than a pristine clean. The key to this is the pickups in my experience. You can't blast the front end of the amp with high output pickups and get a great rolled off sound. You need something more "vintage" to really roll-off the volume and still get a good sound. What I did is rewire my H-H Charvel to have two volume controls (replaced the tone control), kept the stock Duncan '59 in the neck and left it's volume rolled way down, and then put something higher gain in the bridge and left it's volume way up. Then I could just use the guitar switch to "change channels". (I also stomped on an overdrive pedal since the Marshall needed that to get the heavier sounds I wanted.) There was no volume difference in the two settings - just different levels of distortion.

              That may or may not be helpful...

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              • #8
                Cool...thanks guys...and the comment on pickups was interesting; I hadn't really thought about that.
                How about the Pitbull or Six-X for metal? Both sound pretty solid on YouTube clips...any real-life experience? We don't have any VHT dealers in the DC area, so it's not possible for me to play one without a long drive!
                Last edited by axehunter; 10-24-2008, 07:27 AM.

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                • #9
                  Pitbull sounds nice, wasn't enough gain for metal that "I" like tho...

                  I tend to look to the Ultra Lead....

                  Hmmm, I see a new VHT Sig X ? Interesting.... Wondering what that is about...

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                  • #10
                    Yeah...the Sig X looks pretty sick...!

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                    • #11
                      I used to play with a guy who had a VHT UL and it was an excellent amp, though there are other amps in that price range I'd personally pick for high gain playing. It's getting pretty far away from single channel simplicity there too!

                      This summer I got to play two amps that I thought were excellent for high gain tones. One was an Engl Savage through a Bassoon (sp?) 4x12 that was just incredible. I thought it actually did the very high gain better than the Powerball, but that may have had something to do with the cab. The Powerball was running into a 2x12 (big name that's slipping my mind). However the amp that really impressed me at the same place was a James Peters Chimera for high gain. (The Gryphon might get there too. It's a bit less, but still pretty high gain and fairly modern sounding.) Both are multi-channel amps with a lot of features, so if you're leaning that way at least go read up on those too and track down clips: Peters has them on his website. I would say both of those have a bit of Marshall character left to them, which is probably why they appealed to me. Something like the UL or Powerball really doesn't have that midrange grind that I like so much.

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                      • #12
                        Hmmm, that Peters stuff is pretty cool sounding... Gryphon amd Chimera are both pretty nice.

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                        • #13
                          Use the volume knob...
                          "Bill, Smoke a Bowl and Crank Van Halen I, Life is better when I do that"
                          Donnie Swanstrom 01/25/06..miss ya!

                          "Well, your friend would have Bell's Palsy, which is a facial paralysis, not "Balls Pelsy" like we're joking about here." Toejam's attempt at sensitivity.

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                          • #14
                            If you like the Deliverance vibe tonewise and want the versatility of a channel switcher with a KILLER fx loop, buy a Sig X. I picked one up this summer and haven't regretted it for a moment. It can put gobs of gain and still have that dynamic response when you play softer or roll back the volume knob - on every channel. The absolutely strange thing about this amp is how quiet the Lead and Rhythm channels are. You don't need a gate unless you are using boosts - it's uncanny. Typical for VHT, it renders harsh judgement on sloppy playing, but that only makes you better - and that TIGHT responsive feel makes you want to practice. The Sig has more saturation than the others in the VHT stable, more like a Mark series mesa - with better harmonic distortion.

                            Note: If you want an absolutely sparkling clean, get a Rivera or something. This clean is different: it has both headroom and character. It's a little bit country, it's a little bit rock'n'roll. Not everyone's cup of tea, but getting rave reviews from David Torn and others.

                            Speaking of Mr Torn, if you were into the Deliverance, here is the master just improvising. Shows a lot of the potential tones you can get out of the Deliverance/Sig X gain structure by working the dynamics with moderate gain. Also it's just a great piece of music. Enjoy.
                            http://vhtamp.com/torn_deliverance_a...e_torn%201.mp3
                            I read a lot of ads over the years, touting the virtues of some do-it-all amp. This amp delivers so many great tones and so few bad sounds, it shits circles around pretty much everything under $3k and it retails for $2k. It's Steve Fryette's bastard child and gift to the world - the man is an absolute genius with electronics. If he had Randal Smith's bravado, marketing sense and lawyers, VHT would be a serious industry heavyweight at this point. It's almost hard to write this half assed review. :ROTF: The amp is so special, I reckon I'm not alone amongst Sig X owners in wanting to keep a low profile about it. I'll let you bros know when the honeymoon is over. 'Nuff sed.

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                            • #15
                              Mmmm.... Tasty bit there aron.

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