What do you think of hartke amps

[root fifth]

As it says above what do you think of hartke amps and combos?Looking at one of them but there not spoken very well of around here.

[christw]

Really? Even those of us who don't use Hartke seem to speak well of them. Their combos aren't for me but I was eyeing up a Hydrive setup for a while. I didn't buy it simply because I'm totally satisfied with my rig besides how big it is. Seriously though, their customer service is legendary. Call Larry yourself! You can find his personal number on this forum for that reason.

[JimmyM]

hartke is a pretty darn good value for heads. and i really dig the hydrives. the other cabs aren't my thing but the hydrives do sound very good. i'm a big ampeg guy but i have a lot of respect for what larry does.

[MysterMunky]

I have a Transient Attack Kickback combo that I have had for 10+ years. Still sounds fantastic!! Built like a tank!

[Arranger]

Don't let the opinions of anyone else make up your mind for you. Gotta satisfy yourself first. Somehow, Hartke gets this rep as being the entry level professionals' gear. Then, somehow you hear one in action and think, "Damn. That sounds great." Then you see Wooten and realize that anything is possible. Please yourself and it will come out in your playing. The onlookers will respond favorably.

[root fifth]

The other side of my ? is besides the ragging i hear about them the cost doesnt make alot of sense either to me.I have played the ampeg mb115,and the gk 115 combos both sound good but then i played the hartke a100 same wattege as the ampeg and half of the gk and it buried them both imo.So i am playing this at sam ash and i am just blown away with the tone then i look at the price and why so cheap?I think it had like 7 band eq and alot of options to control your sound.Ampeg and gk were both the same price about 400 bucks and did not have half the controls!So i dont see how this makes sense more for less almost never works!And it doesnt help having a few people say they would play a behrenger before they would a hartke!Sorry so long just dont understand.

[dalkowski]

I have a Hartke A100 combo that suits me really nice in my jazz trio, and it's held its own playing rock, too. I was AASing this fall and tried a MarkBass combo and a GK MB210. Liked the GK very much but not enough to want to trade up (yet).

People will say 100 watts isn't enough but I've never gotten close to pushing it. But then I'm not up against guitars. I like the kickback enclosure -- lets me use it as a monitor when I go direct to the board.

I've decided I'll keep my Hartke until I need — NEED — something bigger/better.

[root fifth]

I just play string band music no drums or electric guitars so not worried about the wattage but did notice is was louder than the gk that had 100 more watts?

[Arranger]

Originally Posted by root fifth

,,,a few people say they would play a behrenger before they would a hartke!

Not sure who might take that tack. Does not sound like an informed opinion.

[christw]

Speakers (number of, sensitivity, etc) and tone all make a large difference in perceived volume. GK's can tend to be more scooped so they give up faster because they're dumping all of their wattage into trying to get big low end. The solid state Ampegs sound like mud to me and their prices are far too high for what they are, IMHO of course.

I can't say there's some catch to the Hartke. If you like it and it's the right price, buy it! There doesn't have to be something wrong with it.

And it doesnt help having a few people say they would play a behrenger before they would a hartke!Sorry so long just dont understand.

Find me these people so I can slap them. I'm pretty sure Hartke is on my short list of amps I'd buy if I didn't have the ones I do now. I'd be looking at a Hydrive full stack, personally.

[dbase]

I have a Hartke LH500 =$449
Two 2x10xl's =$400

$849 for a loud and punchy rig.

[Edward G.]

Hartke is solid, workmanlike stuff. Not spectacular, but very serviceable.

[JxBass]

I owned a Hartke 15" combo for awhile. It was very nice, no issues whatsoever.

[parsons]

youll find there are plenty of well satisfied Hartke owners here.

The HA series and Hydrive is very awesome and ahead of its competition in many ways. their cabs can be subjective sometimes but the amps are undeniably effective.

[root fifth]

I have seen the hydrives but have not played them since they are out of my price range.I try not to play with things i cant afford so i dont spoil my self and feel let down with what i can afford.I also looked at the hartke HA2500 amp head 250 watts at 4 ohms but they did not have a hartke cab for me to hookup.It did sound amazing thru a bag end 18!But i was still jaw dropped about the 18 to notice much else!LOL

[kevteop]

I've been gigging an LH500 head for a couple of years now and it's been great. 100% reliable (now I am tempting fate!) and it simply sounds good. A friend borrowed it for a gig last month and he was impressed with it too.

It doesn't try too hard to apply a character to your sound like some amps do, it also doesn't have PhD-requiring EQ controls on the preamp that offer a hundred different ways to ruin your sound. It just sounds good and the tone stack is very practical. You spend less time chasing a sound or trying to dial out problems and more time playing your bass. And of course you get a lot of clean power.

For the money I don't think anything can touch these LH series heads.

[BurningSkies]

I have an original Hartke 3500 MOSFET/Transient Attack head and it's lasted forever under heavy use and still sounds great. I used it on the road and on tons of stages across the east coast and some of the mid west and it never ever complained and no one ever complained about the tone either.

[inri222]

In addition to my SWR 750X, I have a Hartke HA3000. I alternate heads depending on the size of the venue. I've had the Hartke longer than the SWR. I have had it for about 7 or 8 years and it has never let me down. The head is a workhorse and easy to dial in a good sound. When I run it through my SWR Goliath Sr. it has a great tone and sounds very loud for a 300W head.

[bolophonic]

Hartke makes awesome heads. I had an 1155 combo that has lasted for years.

[spidey112669]

My cabs are Ampegs (8X10) and the 4X10HLF, but blackface hartkes are my fave amps...I've had and sold Ampegs, Benz's, and GK's...I love my old 3500!!