Volume spike on my Hartke LH1000

[Planetsmasher]

Anyone who owns one, or plays one regularly..please wade in. I was stoked to get my LH1000, and when I hooked it all up, I was very pleased with the overall tone. However, for all the talk I had read regarding the ample headroom and so on, and the numerous post claiming "whoa dude.. I can't go past 4 without complaints from the rest of the band".. I was underwhelmed.

I find that the volume is fairly sedate actually from zero to maybe 6. I mean it's ok, but not anything to write home about. Then from 6 to 7... wow!!! It seemed to make as much of a volume gain as did 2 to 6!! Does anyone else find this to be the case? I mean.. yeah, eventually I got the volume that I was anticipating, but it was anything but a smoothly augmenting gain.. if that makes sense. Comments?

[JimmyM]

doesn't really make a difference, does it? most of us usually just set our volume and leave it or slightly tweak it at the most.

[bassybill]

Numbers on the dial are meaningless. Hence the humour in "This goes to 11."

As long as it's effortlessly loud enough in all your playing circumstances, why worry?

[BillyIVbass]

6 and 7? I don't have a need to get mine past 2. I run mine bridged into 1 4x10 Hydrive cab though.

[Planetsmasher]

Jimmy,
Yeah It doesn't matter I suppose.. so long as the amp is designed to function that way. That's all I am trying to determine. The post by Billybass is typical of the ones that make me scratch my head.. because at 2, that's like "practicing in my living room" volume. There.. but quiet.

Maybe it's just 'the way it is' with the LH1000. That's why I'm here.

[Larry Hartke]

Hey planetsmasher,

No worries this is normal with this type of "classic" preamp design, the volume pot taper allows for fine adjustment to about 6 or 7 and then yes it starts getting loud. Set it where it works for you! Enjoy, and thanks for playing Hartke! I'm right here if you need me.

[mpdd]

i really need to get myself out to sam ash this weekend and to try an lh series

[Planetsmasher]

Awesome..thank youuu Larry Hartke.

[Growly Lytes]

Wow !! Larrys around these parts......great to see !!

[spego]

I just bought one too and it does the same thing. I got it up to 9 before my hydrives started to peter out.....but that was absurdly loud and not something I would ever need anyway (and my ears are still ringing). My buddy said he never got his past 4 or so though. We are both running them in bridged mode at 4ohm. Different pots used maybe? It does make sense to build it less sensitive 0-5 anyway.

[jjk2007]

I just bought my LH1000 this afternoon. Have been checking it out over the last 30 min and all I can say is this thing is a killer. I ran it bridged in to the hydrive 410 I just got and woah!! I had it on about 3 and the house was rumbling. No volume spikes here. Just got louder the more I twisted the knob!

[spego]

Hmm that's weird for sure. Maybe when Larry checks back in he can help us out and understand why some of the volume settings are so different. I too get around 6 or so and then it REALLY starts to rumble. I do understand the hotter the bass output the more sensitive the gain will be....but I am running 18V emg's in my wick....no low output there. Strange.

[EpiRipper]

I've owned one for about 6 months and seriously, have never needed to push the volume past 4, even for an outdoor gig. Pub gigs it may nudge 3. I run mine bridged into 2 XL410's.
Last nights gig was in a reasonable sized pub, and with the volume on 3 was setting off the sound meter without the rest of the band ( BTW my ears are still ringing.) These amps are ridiculously loud, I can't see why you would want to turn up to 6 or 9 unless your main goal is to drown out the drummer!

[jjk2007]

Yeah man, I don't know. On a side note I got rid of a Markbass F1 to grab the LH. It sounded that much better to me! Hope you guys get things sorted out.

[spego]

My point (and Planetsmashers) is not that we "want to" turn it up to 6.....its that ours gets your 4 volume....at 6 or 7. That was the reason the original poster posed the question.

[Planetsmasher]

I'm ok with Larry's explaination, it's his creation after all..so he should know. What's "rockin loud" is all subjective anyways, so Epirippers version of real loud and mine might be miles apart. Really, I cannot turn it up all the way without imploding my own skull.. so I have 'extra'. I'm happy.

[Mike151]

I play through a Hartke Hydrive 210c at rehearsal and have been just blown away with the sound that little kick back cab gets. I too notices that volume was gradual up till around 6 or so. Then just slight increases made a big difference. I absolutely love it!
Thinking very seriously about selling my Big Rig SWR 750 with 8x10 cab to go with Hartke all the way.

[gary mitchell]

I sold my SWR 700 and using the money to buy a LH1000

[gary mitchell]

I forgot to say, played a LH1000 a friend has on my Schroeder 310212. Thats why I sold my SWR it was cool. I play Jazz and Blues and the LH gave me that Donald Duck Dunn sound on that cab. Also you can't beat a guy like Larry who doesn't run and hide after you buy one of his amps. If you have a problem he's there. It won't belong I will have mine. Then I'll start saving for the cabs.

[R Baer]

A linear taper volume pot will put out most of its volume very early in the pots rotation. A log (logarithmic) taper pot will put out most of its volume after the halfway point. Sounds like Larry is using a log taper pot for the master volume. So, nothing to worry about. Both pots give you the same amount of volume, just at different points in the pots rotation.