An Ode to the ol' Hartke 3500

[BurningSkies]

This weekend when I was out at the practice room, I was feeling a bit nostalgic and thought that I'd plug in my ol' 1993-ish Hartke 3500 MOSFET head for a change. I know it's no longer a glamorous piece of gear, and I was even surprised when I went to heft it onto my cabs, forgetting how much it weighed...BUT DAMN THE HARTKE 3500 STILL SOUNDS AWESOME.

Here's a shot of it on top of my current rig:


I gigged this amp from the early 90's until about 2004 (with a 4x10 and a few other configurations). Its one of those pieces of gear that I feel like I know every little bit of. Even though I've moved through a succession of other amps, bigger, more powerful, lighter, more tubes, less tubes, etc...Its still a JOY to play this amp.

Larry and the crew really got it right. When I fired it up, right away it sounded great. I tweaked it in a few directions and the were all nice usable tones. What surprised me is how LOUD this thing is for it's rated 350w.

It reminded me of why I've never gotten rid of it and it always remains a backup amp in my kit!

Its not new. Its not glamorous. Lots of folks look down on them, but if all my current stuff went away, I could be very happy back gigging Larry's 3500.

For all those people who don't have a ton of cash and want a giggable volume, solidly built, great sounding head, the ol' Hartke 3500 MOSFET heads can be found for under 250$ used.

[DaveDeVille]

killer amp .
i gigged mine for about ten years ...

[brndn123]

I remember walking into a Sam Ash somewhere in Southern California around '06. I tried a 5500??? The one built into the rack with handles. Anyways, tried it through a pair of the aluminum 4x10's and I remember being completely blown away by the tone and clarity. Those amps have some serious tone. I would say they give GK a run for their money when it comes to affordable SS amps that deliver monster tone.

[username1]

I have to agree with you about the volume of those heads. They seem as loud as any 500 watt amp i've tried lately.

[JTE]

Really?! I hated mine. The compressor mushed thing way too much even just past the click (mine was after they took the dbx name off the advertising BTW), the SS pre was too nasal and the tube pre had a pronounced mid scoop. Using them together exacerbated the inherent problems.

I got a pair of the original Guild/Hartke cabinets when they first came out, and loved them. And the specs on paper and the description in Bass Player magazine when they came out made it look perfect for me. I had two of them, each new about a year apart and both had the same issues for me.

But it did lead me to my Eden WT-400...

John

[JMac4strngr]

I had the 2500 version back in the 90's (in My first bass playing career, prior to taking an 8 year break). From what I recall it was rock solid, and sounded great. I was recently reminded of it when I ran into a friend I grew up with. He mentioned the fact that He still had My CD (My reply was what CD). It turned out to be a demo, that I made with a band I was playing with around 98. I got the CD, and gave it a listen. Tone was really good and I recall using the 2500 on the tracks.
Great amps..... I recall mine having the black face with,"Transient Attack" on the front. I have read that the newer versions are quite different.(?)

[MacBass57]

I just purchased a very well used one for $180- Love it.

[bolophonic]

I bought my 3500 combo in 1994 and gigged it for 10 years. I still have the head and it looks like heck warmed over, but it still puts it out way louder than you expect 350 watts to feel.

[bolophonic]

Originally Posted by JTE

Really?! I hated mine. The compressor mushed thing way too much even just past the click (mine was after they took the dbx name off the advertising BTW), the SS pre was too nasal and the tube pre had a pronounced mid scoop. Using them together exacerbated the inherent problems.

LOL. Yours must have been broken.

[BurningSkies]

Originally Posted by brndn123

I remember walking into a Sam Ash somewhere in Southern California around '06. I tried a 5500??? The one built into the rack with handles. Anyways, tried it through a pair of the aluminum 4x10's and I remember being completely blown away by the tone and clarity. Those amps have some serious tone. I would say they give GK a run for their money when it comes to affordable SS amps that deliver monster tone.

At the time, if I wasn't using my own head, the ones that I saw the most were the GK 400RB and the 800RB for a provided backline. Sometimes an SVT. I think that it's the punch and clarity, that 'transient attack' that stood out when re-trying the head. I bought mine new at House of Guitars in Rochester, and I remember A/B/Cing it with an SWR amp and a TE amp, and feeling like it did the lows better than both of those. I never owned any of the Hartke cabs, but I played through plenty of XL series on stage and I always thought they sounded great. I was never a fan of Transporter series.

Originally Posted by username1

I have to agree with you about the volume of those heads. They seem as loud as any 500 watt amp i've tried lately.

Yep. It may be that the MOSFET driven power is a bit closer to tubes in harmonic distortion? I don't know, but I remember never ever really opening it up as loud as it could go. It was plenty of volume for stage for me at that time. It was surprisingly loud with the double fEARful rig.

Originally Posted by JTE

Really?! I hated mine. The compressor mushed thing way too much even just past the click (mine was after they took the dbx name off the advertising BTW), the SS pre was too nasal and the tube pre had a pronounced mid scoop. Using them together exacerbated the inherent problems.

I got a pair of the original Guild/Hartke cabinets when they first came out, and loved them. And the specs on paper and the description in Bass Player magazine when they came out made it look perfect for me. I had two of them, each new about a year apart and both had the same issues for me.

But it did lead me to my Eden WT-400...

John

A little secret...I hate the compressor, which never seemed at all usable to me. My position for it: OFF. I always used both of the preamp controls together as a blend, and mine doesn't sound nasal to my ears, although I think the Hartke cabs could do that. I always rolled back the highs a bit and boosted the lows a bit, leaving the mids pretty flat. When I ran it flat the other night it seemed to have a punchy low mid presence to it.

[BurningSkies]

Originally Posted by JMac4strngr

I had the 2500 version back in the 90's (in My first bass playing career, prior to taking an 8 year break). From what I recall it was rock solid, and sounded great. I was recently reminded of it when I ran into a friend I grew up with. He mentioned the fact that He still had My CD (My reply was what CD). It turned out to be a demo, that I made with a band I was playing with around 98. I got the CD, and gave it a listen. Tone was really good and I recall using the 2500 on the tracks.
Great amps..... I recall mine having the black face with,"Transient Attack" on the front. I have read that the newer versions are quite different.(?)

I had one of those too...I ran one for about two years before upping to the 3500. I ended up selling mine to the bass player of the band Eastern Standard Time (DC area Jazz/Ska), who used it for years, along with my Fretless MIJ Fender Jazz, which I lent to them for a European tour, etc. and showed back up about 5 years later with the same strings! Also a great amp, just less horsepower.

Originally Posted by MacBass57

I just purchased a very well used one for $180- Love it.

How can you beat an amp that you can buy for under 200$ and can compete on most stages?!?!

Originally Posted by bolophonic

I bought my 3500 combo in 1994 and gigged it for 10 years. I still have the head and it looks like heck warmed over, but it still puts it out way louder than you expect 350 watts to feel.

Mine was always racked and has remained fairly unscathed. I've never lost a slider knob, or anything else. I do have a tube in the pre that I like, an Ei 12AX7 with silver plates.

[Thundar]

Attn Larry Hartke! The world is awaiting a 5 lb Class D version of the 3500...if you build it, they will come!

[Horny Toad]

A couple of weeks ago I was at rehearsal with my new band and the studio we were using had a beat up old 3500. In my over 25 years of playing I had never used a piece of Hartke gear before. It was powering an Ampeg 410 (non-HLF) and it sounded great. More than enough power, pretty flexible EQ - I dug it. The poor thing looked like it had been dragged behind a tank, but that just tells me they can take a licking and keep on ticking.

[HolmeBass]

I've never owned one, but have gigged through others, with a variety of cabinets. It will do in a pinch, but I wouldn't buy one unless I only had $250 and needed an amp. And the compressor is useless.

[BurningSkies]

Originally Posted by HolmeBass

I've never owned one, but have gigged through others, with a variety of cabinets. It will do in a pinch, but I wouldn't buy one unless I only had $250 and needed an amp. And the compressor is useless.

There are plenty of people who are on a serious budget...and a loud $200 dollar head with a 4x10 cab would be a killer gigging rig without much layout.

Also, I've always felt that Larry got this one right the first time around. I've played a handful of the later iterations and don't think it does the same thing. Anyone have any info on the difference in architecture and build and maybe a timeline on these amps? Larry are yooooooo out there?

[crguti]

I got an Hartke 3500 as a backup for my Ashdown ABM 500.
It sounds so good that I use both during rehearsal... not at the same time, but I use both.

[sanderic]

I used one for over ten years, running through two 4.5XL cabinets, THE LOUDEST, FINEST set up I ever had.

[Stinsok]

The Hartke 3500 is a good sounding amp. I have used 12AU7's in the preamp and loved them.

[monkeyking]

I have the same amp, bought it new. For at least a decade it was my main amp, driving everything from Hartke 4X10 and 15, an ampeg 410, some Sunns for a while, assorted Peaveys, several SWR cabs, and probably some more that floated through. I can't count the number of gigs it has played. From heat, humidity, rain, sleet, lots of spilled drinks, brutal temperature swings, metal, funk, jazz, rock, country - you name it, my 3500 slayed them all without a hiccup.

I've had a lot of amps during the Hartke's tenure but they all became unused back-ups. After ten years I parked it with my amp tech who found a broken solder on the direct out. Apart from cleaning out what was probably toxic filth, that was the only problem after all that time. And I don't fret over my gear - it gets used.

I will back up BurningSkies on the unreal volume and power this thing whips out. Mine pushed some pretty heavy loads in some pretty difficult situations without breaking a sweat. I think the loudest I ever had it was with the tube-pre at half, the SS pre at about 1/4, and the master at half. I was drowning out the rest of a metal band and it still sounded full and solid.

I could go on and on as I really do love this amp. My Demeter/Crown combination has gotten the work for a while now, most recently with a Bergantino 410. After some shuffling the Hartke is now sitting on an Avatar TB153 in my living room. Sounds amazing and I'm sure it will work it's way back into some gigs.

That is the one I will never sell.

[Eric Perry]

I had a 3500 and loved it. I replaced it with an SVT-3Pro, and was amazed at how *little* power the Ampeg had compared to the Hartke!