Diezel confirms its new VHX head knows when it has been profiled

Update (08/07/2020): Peter Diezel has given a statement to Gearnews.com, further clarifying the brand’s intention with this feature. He said: “We have no plans to use this [feature] for anything. When we first thought about what it can do, we realised that it could be used to frustrate attempts at profiling. But that would be silly. We’re not intimidated by profiling as a technology. In fact, having profiles circulating of our amps is a form of advertising, and we’re confident that when someone compares a profile with the real thing, they’ll notice a difference.”

Diezel has issued a clarifying statement after speculation surrounding a built-in ‘profiler log’ found in its VHX amplifier head.

First announced back in March of this year, the head features a fully analogue signal path, enhanced by a number of digitally-controlled features. There’s programmability, preset-saving, optional DSP-based effects such as compression, pitch-shifting and more, as well as a flexible I/O section complete with cabinet simulation.

One digital feature that’s caused a bit of a stir, however, is a reported ‘profiler log.’ The concern expressed by some users of The Gear Page is its implementation as a ‘Kemper block. This forum thread, now locked, saw quite a lot of speculation surrounding this, with some users concerned that this is the start of manufacturers treating profilers as ‘amplifier piracy,’ as opposed to useful tools for stage and studio.

However, Diezel’s Leo Polito joined the forum thread to clarify a few things: Diezel is not intending to use this to block profiling in any way, but instead to use it as a diagnostic tool. It might be able to, at a retailer’s discretion, prevent people buying, profiling and then immediately returning an amplifier. Polito commented that there is “nothing to be concerned about, just another self-diagnostic bit for post-sales.” He also clarified that profiling a VHX does not void its warranty, and that Diezel is not against Kemper profilers in any way: “People abusing return policy is wrong, not modellers/profilers.”

A statement from Diezel, added to the top of the thread, reads “This technology only allows the VHX to know if the amp has been profiled and store the information, without interaction or stopping the user from doing so.”

Later in the thread, Polito also assuaged fears that this would snowball into phone-style data collection, saying: “We are not Apple, Google or Amazon and we won’t show advertisements based on your favourite food on the VHX screen, trust me!”

Essentially, Diezel has made its position on Kemper profilers clear: it has no issue with them, and this tool is intended for after-sales diagnostics, and not to be an anti-profiling feature.

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