Need input. Ampeg or Hartke?

mward69 · #1 03-28-2011, 05:02 PM

Hey brothers in bass..been awhile since I have posted in here. Took a break from gigging and getting back into it.
Now. I used to own an Ampeg HLF 410, with a QSC power amp and a pre. I really liked that setup for what I did and am getting back to, Cover band bar stuff....

Now, I am getting a new rig {sold ampeg} I am on the fence with the following

*Ampeg HLF 410
*QSC RMX 850 {Bridged/4ohms 830 watts}
*Sansamp pre

OR

*Hartke Hydrive 410
*Hydrive LS 1000 head

What say the hive?

Fair Warning · #2 03-28-2011, 05:10 PM

Ampeg all the way. Regardless of what personal opinions there are, Ampeg equipment will always be worth the same as what you paid for it (assuming you buy good used stuff), and the HLF, through all my sampling turned out to be the best 410 for sound and build quality.

spaz21387 · #3 03-28-2011, 05:14 PM

i vote hartke. I love my hartke lh500 head. And the lh 1000 is just the lh500 with more power and a balance knob between the cabs your running it through. the lh 500 sounds great paired with my swr 6x10.

BrianS198 · #4 03-28-2011, 05:16 PM

I'd say Hartke. I had the Ampeg HLF 410 and I thought it was way too heavy and it sounded like mud. I mean, I suppose it depends on how old it is, but if you buy it new, it's made in China. I made the mistake of buying the cab from guitar center for $750, and I only got $100-150 for it when I sold it back to them in the same condition I purchased it in because it was Chinese made. Have you considered any other brands such as GK or MarkBass? Their amps are absolutely killer and they both sell neodymium cabs which are incredibly light, yet have the balls of their predecessors.

waleross · #5 03-28-2011, 05:17 PM

+1 for Ampeg. When I re-sold some stuff, I didn't all of my money back but re-sale for Ampeg is better since it is in demand all of the time. I also made the mistake of
re-selling back to SamAsh but now I go on CL.........................

JimmyM · #6 03-28-2011, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianS198

I'd say Hartke. I had the Ampeg HLF 410 and I thought it was way too heavy and it sounded like mud. I mean, I suppose it depends on how old it is, but if you buy it new, it's made in China. I made the mistake of buying the cab from guitar center at 750, and I only got maybe 100-150 for it when I sold it back to them in the same condition I purchased it because it was Chinese made.

had it been made in the usa, you would have gotten $150 for it, too. that's just the way gc works trades. they only told you that so they could lowball you. quality wise, the chinese cabs are a lot better than the usa cabs. NEVER trade gear to GC or sam ash.

i like both ampeg and hartke, and if ampeg didn't exist, i could see myself getting a hartke rig. but ampeg is my sound and has been for over 30 years. however, a sansamp and power amp isn't an ampeg rig imho

mward69 · #7 03-28-2011, 05:26 PM

Ya know...I didn't even look to see if the Ampeg is USA or China made....lol It will be a new one so it may be china brand.
I'm ordering online so I can make payments on the rig, want to keep payments fairly low, the 2 rigs listed are within my payment budget.

BrianS198 · #8 03-28-2011, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

had it been made in the usa, you would have gotten $150 for it, too. that's just the way gc works trades. they only told you that so they could lowball you. quality wise, the chinese cabs are a lot better than the usa cabs. NEVER trade gear to GC or sam ash.

i like both ampeg and hartke, and if ampeg didn't exist, i could see myself getting a hartke rig. but ampeg is my sound and has been for over 30 years. however, a sansamp and power amp isn't an ampeg rig imho

Really? I know GC really sucks about their deals. I would never trade anything there, but they had an Ibanez SR Prestige that I wanted to buy / trade for and I couldn't manage to sell my cab privately, so it just worked out that way. In hindsight, I could have gotten more money out of it I'm sure, but I'm happy with my choice. But the Chinese cabs really are better? I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!

JimmyM · #9 03-28-2011, 06:00 PM

i wouldn't say it if i didn't believe it. the us cabs from about 98-05 were made with osb, a type of chip/strandboard, plus eminence changed cone suppliers in 2000 and the cabs have much less high end coming from the speakers as a result. since going to china, ampeg cabs are made out of real wood and have much better speakers.