Yet another satisfied Hartke customer...

[Saxn]

...thanks to the members here at TB!

I am a newcomer to the bass and have not really ventured out to score any gear until this first purchase. I normally practice on a Behringer mixer with phones, and was recently loaned a Fender Bassman 250 to hear what I might sound like 'out loud'.

I figured it was time to bite the bullet and get myself some 'play out' gear, and my budget - for various reasons - is pretty tight. After reading long and hard about amps and cabs I decided that the folks that bought Hartke have a LOT of good things to say about not just the performance, but the customer service as well. I was (maybe unjustifiably) skittish about buying a used amplifier, so I raised my budget a little and bought a new LH1000 brand new from Sweetwater... who has some fantastic customer service themselves, but that's for another day.

After getting the amp, I immediately took it over to the Bassman, unplugged the combo amp, and plugged in the Hartke in its place... and MAN what a difference it made! I was trying my best to compare apples to apples, so I flat EQ'd both amps and played them back-to-back that way. Of course I was not really able to crank it, but even with the volume backed off the tone was just AWESOME! Warmer than the Fender amp, and with better fidelity in the mids and highs... I think I am in luuuuuv.

So thanks to all the TBers that have previously reviewed Hartke's amps, I say a big THANKS from a noob on a budget! Now it's time to go find a cab... that should be easy I am thinking I will take my amp to the store and plug into every 410 I see until one of them clicks with me... then I'll check the price tag

Wish me luck!

[MattyH]

Congrats! Proud owner of an LH1000 myself. Great head. I had the tube go on me, but it was an easy $15 fix. Don't let that scare you. These things rock. It sounds amazing through my Ampeg 410HLF. I can get real groovy Motwon tones, or gritty tube distortion. LOVE it. People pair these with the Hartke HyDrive 410 and rave about them...but not as much as they rave about it paird with the HyDrive 810...

[dmonroe]

Go ahead and pair it with a Hartke Hydrive 410. You'll be glad you did.

[Saxn]

Wow, 2 votes for the Hydrive in 10 minutes?!? Sounds like I might be stretching my budget a little FURTHER... maybe. I still want to try and 'blindly' select a cab... but it's hard to miss those aluminum cones in the Hydrive! Are there a lot of used Hydrive cabs out there?

[glenb73]

Originally Posted by Saxn

Wow, 2 votes for the Hydrive in 10 minutes?!? Sounds like I might be stretching my budget a little FURTHER... maybe. I still want to try and 'blindly' select a cab... but it's hard to miss those aluminum cones in the Hydrive! Are there a lot of used Hydrive cabs out there?

Only $599 brand new, no tax , no shipping for most online sites....Can't really beat that price. 1000 watts at 8 0hms

[Saxn]

I might could stretch into that range if I hid the price tag from WIFE

[Larry Hartke]

Saxn,

Thank you so much for all of this, you've made my day! I'm happy you like you LH-1000. Enjoy, and I'm right here if you have any questions.

201-680-8153 Cell

[Hobobob]

Don't limit yourself to just 410's. Try everything. You never know what will be the perfect fit.

[Zeb Norris]

Thanks for posting; I've been eyeing Hartke too.

These can't tale ALL of that power, but the price ain't bad

Hartke VX410 Bass Cabinet at zZounds

[Saxn]

Larry: All I can say is "Wow - thanks!" Giving out a cell number is an unheard-of level of commitment in this day and age. I am more sure than ever about my choice of company for a head amp.

Hobobob: I think you have a point there. If I am going to 'shop with my ears' there's no reason to limit my tryouts to the 410s.

Zeb: It was sincerely my pleasure to brag about a great purchase at a great price. I am a big proponent of good customer service AND the product grabbed me from the get-go this time. And as far as the cabs you linked not taking the power... well, I am pretty sure that my first cab won't be able to either. i wanted to leave room for future growth, so a little discipline on the power output will be in order for a while. I will most definitely give Hartke cabs a VERY close eyeball at this point, considering.

[Moosehead1966]

Listen, the hydrive 4-10 is some serious business at an incredible price. No joke. It marries the "metal" and paper in the speaker design that sounds incredible. I will never regret my purchase of this cab.

In my application, I use a rack set-up with a Crown XTI-1000 coupled with a Pod XT-Pro, BBE Sonic Maximizer and VT pedal. The old school sound is EASY to achieve, I simply turn the horn off on the Hydrive. People rave about the sound and, I'll admit, rave as much about the look of the cab. (Cool is that the grill on the hydrive sorta' matchs the Crown XTI grill. Awesome! Either way, you could offer me some expensive cab like a 'berg and I would say no..Just really pleased with the Hartke. Only thing is that you should buy a cover for the cab. I had to have one made but totally worth it as this cab ain't going nowhere.

Best of luck,

Marc

P.S. Power handling on the hydrive 4-10.....1000 watts....nuff said..

[bassplayerbob]

Heres my happiness!!



650 watts @8 ohms bridged mono(thats how i run it)
1000 watts @4 ohms.

[bassplayerbob]

Originally Posted by Saxn

And as far as the cabs you linked not taking the power... well, I am pretty sure that my first cab won't be able to either. i wanted to leave room for future growth, so a little discipline on the power output will be in order for a while. I will most definitely give Hartke cabs a VERY close eyeball at this point, considering.

Remember you can always set the head up in stereo and run one 8 ohm cab on one side, only 225 watts that way.

[Saxn]

Is that the case? I was reading through the manual and I thought I saw something about using the amp in bridge mode only if you are using one cab... now I have to go re-read.

[bassplayerbob]

Originally Posted by Saxn

Is that the case? I was reading through the manual and I thought I saw something about using the amp in bridge mode only if you are using one cab... now I have to go re-read.

Best option to get the most out of a single 8 ohm cab yes, but if you have a low watt cab just run it the stereo way. When i am in a club where volume is an issue thats what i do. I also run a Genz Benz 1x10 on the other half and set that near my drummer.

[glenb73]

You can purchase Hartke products at Sam Ash stores, but not at Guitar Center for some reason. I guess they must have some sort of agreement. Also, Musiciansfriend.com doesn't carry Hartke....But if you have Sam Ash nearby (luckily I do), you can just go and try it and purchase it and if you don't like it you can bring it back. Only problem is Sam Ash charges tax, and the online retailers don't. But if you have a problem and need to ship it back, it will cost you big bucks!

[jjk2007]

Count me as another Hydrive 410/Lh1000 fan. I've had mine for a few months now and couldn't be more pleased. Great tone no matter what style I'm playing. Do a search on YouTube for the LH1000 and you'll see my video in there. If I get off my phone and to a computer I'll post a link later.

[Saxn]

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys. I will be starting the big search tomorrow, and (unfortunately?) I won't have any big chain music stores to check out - no Sam Ash, no GC. So it's up in the air whether or not I will bring anything home. I will be keeping an eagle eye out for used hydrives though... that seems to be a unanimous among the people that have them! If I can come across a deal I just might be able to pull it off without risking my marriage.

[monkeyking]

Always nice to see some positive happiness around here, Saxn. Hope you get a lot of miles out of your Hartke. My HA 3500 has been going strong for over ten years. I think the 2X10 I have is getting closer to 20.

[AMJBASS]

It still amazes me that the LH500/LH1000 are so inexpensive. I have owned a ton of amps, and the LH series are among the best sounding I have had. Very impressive units. The only downside is the weight, but for the tone I don't care!