Hartke LH500 vs Carvin BX500 -or- Help Me Pick Out An Amp

[NHLfan2010]

Hey guys, I am in the market for a new amp (my Hartke 3500 crapped out on me). I think I have it narrowed down pretty good, I am looking at the Hartke LH500 and the Carvin BX500. I was wondering who out there has used each, or better yet both. What are the differences between the two/etc. I play a lot of worship music and in general I like my tone warm and fat but still smooth and clean. My philosophy is that I will add dirt/fuzz/woolyness later if I want any. What would you all say? And anything else you would recommend in the price range and maybe a little above? Any feedback is helpful. Thanks!

[Woodsbass]

TBH, I have a Carvin BX1200, and they have me sold as a customer for life. I like it more than any amp I have played through. It's just personal opinion of course, but I'd go for the Carvin!

[JB36]

I owned and LH and it will definitely give you a warm, fat, and clean tone. It sounds great and is solid a value. Don't know much about the the Carvin. It's obiviouls smaller and and has more tonal options. Hartke has great service as well.

[HUnt49]

I picked up a used bx500 and it's been a workhorse - I gig every Friday and Sat 4-5 hours, and it has gotten the job done well. It's a modern country band, so fat/wide/clean is required. It does well on its own but really digs my VT bass pedal. Sounds very good with a Basslines quarter-pounder - warms up that pickup well. It's a bit more modern with my Warwick $$.

It doesn't have the tube warmth of a Streamliner, but it's been a great amp, sits well in the mix, and handles everything I need for power. I do have FOH support.

It's also handled an outdoor 112-degree 4 hour gig. Gets the job done, with all of the tone and most of the heft of my Carvin b1500 in a portable package.

[Gearhead17]

Carvin BX series is clean and powerful sounding bass heads. The Hartke is going to have more tube warmth and feel overall. Both heads are pretty good though. The Hartke head does not have a lot of tone controls while the Carvin has several. For many, the Hartke is just fine. If you want more variety, I highly suggest the Carvin head. I currently play the BX1200 and love it. Any clean tone I want and I can dial in tones on goofy sounding stages with no issues.

[Thylacine Dream]

Don't mean to threadjack, but can the BX get nice and dirty/wooly too?

[77 StingRayBass]

I just grabbed a used, PRISTINE, BX500 about 2 week's ago. This head is really nice! Solid tone, maybe not as warm as my Eden Metro, but @ 5.8 lbs, and all the E.Q. options, it's more than a good buy, and if nobody's mentioned this, IT'S LOUD!!! BX500 with a Avatar B210 cab.

[Gearhead17]

Originally Posted by Thylacine Dream

Don't mean to threadjack, but can the BX get nice and dirty/wooly too?

You can crank the input gain all the way up and get a slight amount of edge, but it's always clean sounding. For dirty tones, you need to grab a pedal.

[Thylacine Dream]

Danke, sir. Looks like the PF500 tops my list now

[gregormendel]

I own an LH500, and the amp is fantastic provided you aren't looking to radically alter the fundamental tone of your bass. This is a byproduct of the Baxandall tone stack. It may be a turnoff for some, but clean amplification of the signal is exactly what I am looking for.

It is incredibly loud and warm, with plenty of clean headroom, and takes pedals well. It has also handled a recent outdoor gig with great success.

To me, it seems like the Hartke will more than meet your needs, but I also have had no experience with the Carvin, so bear that in mind.

Good luck with the decision!

[gjbassist]

One big difference in these heads is the amount of controls. The Carvin has a large EQ section with both sliders and knobs. The Hartke has only bass, mid, and treble knobs. So the question is do you want a greater amount of controls or simpler controls. There are positives and negatives to both. I owned a BX500 and it was a nice amp. However, it did take a bit of tweaking to find a sound I liked. My current amp (Ampeg PF-350) only has bass, mid, treble and gain controls and I was able to dial in a nice tone quickly.
So IMO it depends on if you want more complex EQ that may require more time to adjust, but also provide more options or simple EQ that is less flexible but easier to use.

[father of fires]

Originally Posted by gregormendel

I own an LH500, and the amp is fantastic provided you aren't looking to radically alter the fundamental tone of your bass. This is a byproduct of the Baxandall tone stack. It may be a turnoff for some, but clean amplification of the signal is exactly what I am looking for.

It is incredibly loud and warm, with plenty of clean headroom, and takes pedals well. It has also handled a recent outdoor gig with great success.

To me, it seems like the Hartke will more than meet your needs, but I also have had no experience with the Carvin, so bear that in mind.

Good luck with the decision!

Actually it's a FMV tonestack. Bax's are the stuff in your home stereo's and James is what you find in an Ampeg.

I prefer the FMV myself.

I love the LH series!

[gregormendel]

I stand corrected.

Thanks for the clarification, sir

The LH series is indeed excellent

Originally Posted by father of fires

Actually it's a FMV tonestack. Bax's are the stuff in your home stereo's and James is what you find in an Ampeg.

I prefer the FMV myself.

I love the LH series!

[fenderslaper]

I just bought a Carvin BX 500 and so far I'm loving it. The graphic eq is foot switchable so you can have a tone change (or in my case volume boost) instantly. I'm using it with a SWR Goliath 3 and either a single 15 or 18.

[solarplexus]

Had a BX500 and have a LH1000. 'nough said.