Why to buy from Larry Hartke

J Chaisson · #1 05-24-2010, 06:49 PM

hartke in my mind was already the best sounding bass rig i could own. over 12 years in several metal bands and nothing by hartke ever let me down. well i blew out 2 10'' in one of my out of warranty 410 cabs. nobody would touch em for repairs after saying they were hartke. found larry hartke's number by chance, called him up and the dude says in his yankee accent ''oh yeah those are way outta warranty man go ahead and give me your address and i'll mail you some more.'' and his personal cell phone number is on his website? 201 680 8153 btw. not only has hartke continued to produce rediculously perfect equipment if there is a problem the owner and founder takes it personally. larry is my hero.

MrHeadfirst · #2 05-24-2010, 06:54 PM

that is impressive.
i am always thrilled to hear about stories like this, i have owned some hartke gear over the years, and i can say, i never had a problem. kudos to you both

JimmyM · #3 05-24-2010, 06:58 PM

was never a big hartke fan till the hydrives, but larry carved a real niche that nobody else can duplicate.

agreatheight · #4 05-24-2010, 07:02 PM

My Hartke 410XL is 20 years old with the original drivers. Solid gear, and Larry is a stand up dude.

christw · #5 05-24-2010, 07:07 PM

While never a huge fan of Hartke cabs, that is really, really good customer service. Everything I heard about Larry on here seems to be good!

tplyons · #6 05-24-2010, 07:12 PM

Larry ran an ad in Bass Player a few years back with his cell phone number. He asked me what I play, if I'd tried Hartke, and when I said I had tried Hartke, but loved GK heads and Neo cabs, he told me I was playing great gear. I asked if he had considered a switch to Neodymium and he said that they had looked into it, but I think there was a concern with durability. Anyway, I got a great vibe from the guy, and being that he's actually very local, he invited me out to a gig that he runs every year. I couldn't make it as I was out of state, but he's a stand up guy. Even asked for my address, sent me a signed photo and a pack of Hartke strings just for calling.

If I liked the sound of their gear, I'd be all over it, but even Larry agreed I was playing some great gear.

Broadbent · #7 05-24-2010, 07:17 PM

Ya I remember seeing the hartke ads on the back of BP magazine with his phone number right on it. I woulda called him if I was in the market for new gear. Vic Wooten recently made the swtitch too hartke partly because of those ads.

JAUQO III-X · #8 05-24-2010, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J Chaisson

well i blew out 2 10'' in one of my out of warranty 410 cabs. nobody would touch em for repairs after saying they were hartke. found larry hartke's number by chance, called him up and the dude says in his yankee accent ''oh yeah those are way outta warranty man go ahead and give me your address and i'll mail you some more.

I am not surprised at all. Sounds just like Larry.

sloasdaylight · #9 05-24-2010, 07:37 PM

I wish he'd get the Kilo out already.

waidonchasaisew · #10 05-24-2010, 07:55 PM

I own a Hartke 410 cab. It is my first rig, but it is damn reliable. I read the article about how you can personally call Larry Hartke, but I never tried it yet because my cab has not had any problems in my 4 months of owning it (bought used off of CL).

Would definitely recommend, but then again, I've only had it for 4 months.

**bassman_al** · #11 05-24-2010, 08:05 PM

I also played a Hartke 410 XL for 20 years, never replaced anything on it. Worked great the day I sold it, and not too heavy either. I also owned a 210 for 20 years and an amp (3500) for 5, both by Hartke. Never had a problem with either.

pasta4lnch · #12 05-24-2010, 08:18 PM

wow - great story! nice to hear about solid companies these days. . .

**B-string** · #13 05-24-2010, 08:33 PM

I noticed Will Lee switched to HyDrives from Ampeg!

zhaddock · #14 05-24-2010, 08:41 PM

I have thought several times about switching heads but my 3500 is bullet proof.

Mr.Bassie720 · #15 05-24-2010, 08:52 PM

My son had Hartke kickback that he used for practice. He blew out the speaker. We had seen those ads on the back cover of BP. We called the number and a recording came on. We left our info thinking we would get no response, the man himself calls back and after having a great chat with him,Fedexs a new driver. The invoice just had zeroes on it. We still have and use that kickback. Absolutely amazing in this day and age.

casualmadness · #16 05-24-2010, 09:00 PM

I'll get in on this bandwagon. My main rig from about '94-2001 was a Hartke 3500 and a Hartke 4x10. I gigged the piss out of it; metal bands, rock bands, jam bands...college. I really put it through the paces and not once did anything ever even so much as hiccup. I personally don't love the sound of Hartke amps and cabs; too tinny for me personally (though I haven't tried the Hydrive stuff). But it was what I could afford and it was absolutely bulletproof. And the fact that Larry is such a great guy...well, a great guy who builds great gear is more than a rarity.

PaulNYC · #17 05-26-2010, 09:12 PM

After reading these stories, I was only a little surprised to see Larry Hartke in the Sam Ash here in NYC. I tested a bass on the LH1000 for giggles. It sounded pretty good.

Paul

CDweller · #18 05-27-2010, 02:01 AM

Well, I'm having good success with his strings. They cost $8.00 for the 4-string set when you buy a three pack. Eight dollars!

baron665 · #19 05-27-2010, 02:31 AM

I'm thinking that when I am able to set up a rig, I am choosing Hartke all the way.

MingusBass · #20 05-27-2010, 07:43 AM

I think the LH1000/HyDrive 4x10 combo is the best value in bass. Killer pro level rig at any price.