Hartke VXL Bass Attack Pedal with Hartke LH500 Amp and 410 Hydrive Cab

[twbassman]

Hey everyone! I am considering buying a Hartke Bass Attack pedal to compliment my sound. I have a Hartke LH500 amp and it's pretty good tone. I want something to push my signal a little and shape the sound. The purist in me only has the Amp, Cab and Bass. I am a die-hard Hartke fan!

My band switched rehearsal locations and I feel like I lost something. Like the feel was gone, the volume needs to be higher to support the room.

Am I just getting into trouble? Will I be essentially mimicking what I already have? Am I just putting redundancy on my line?

If I get the pedal do I keep my current EQ knobs on the amp adjusted or zero them out?

Thanks for your replies and help.

Peace.

[John Bigboote]

Your amp is the barest of bare-bones amps: a power amp with a minimal preamp. The pedal will provide all the "color" that your amp isn't really designed to provide. I have the pedal, and it's very nice for what it is, with a good range of tones, some shaping, and a decent DI. And it's cheap! Go for it!

-jb

[twbassman]

Thanks John, that's what I wanted to know. Should I use the amp EQ as well or run it flat?

Thanks again.

[bassomane]

I would suggest you to buy an EQ pedal like the Boss GEB-7 or an Aguilar Tone Hammer with parametric mids. The Hartke LH500 is an amazing amp, but sometimes you need some mids to boost.

The Hartke Bass Attack pedal gives you only contols for bass, treble and an extreme mid cut. There is no midboost option.

[twbassman]

Thanks, I will look into it. I appreciate the tip.

[twbassman]

Thanks for the tips guys. I bought the pedal. Delivered by Monday.

Thanks again.

[twbassman]

Well, I bought it and I use it. It is seriously awesome on my sound! I bought an AC Adapter and I am glad I did. The battery door is weak. I also always keep it on.

Thanks again guys.

[JimmyM]

ya, i like the bass attack, too. not sure if you need any other eq with it, though. it's true that you can't a ton of mids out of the lh500 and bass attack, but you can have mids enough to keep you in the mix. i guess it all depends on your tastes.

[twbassman]

I have had the pedal for two months and it was great until last night the Harmonics Knob died. It burned out.

To make matters worse. I called Samson/Hartke, waited on hold for 10 minutes, then I was accidentally hung up on. I called back and got a voicemail saying they would call me back the next day.

What the heck?!

[JimmyM]

Call Larry directly. His cell phone number is posted all over the place.

[skyj]

Question: i have a Hartke 4.5 cabinet and the LH1000 head. i'm looking to go much lighter, and was thinking of getting the Bass Attack pedal and a small cabinet to use as a monitor (and practice at home) and just go direct to front of house. Would the VXL work alone or would i need a power amp for the small cabinet?

[JimmyM]

You would need a power amp. Killer pedal, though...I have one.

[twbassman]

Don't get me wrong, the pedal was great while it worked. It was on an AC adapter, and it fried. What I didn't like was the customer service around support. Everyone has a bad day, but even the receptionist seemed "bothered".

Maybe I am just biased.

[twbassman]

I am now on hold again with Hartke support, only 5 minutes this time. Spoke with Fritz, finally. He's a good guy, said to ship it back. Keeping my fingers crossed....

[PhantomMark]

Originally Posted by bassomane

I would suggest you to buy an EQ pedal like the Boss GEB-7 or an Aguilar Tone Hammer with parametric mids. The Hartke LH500 is an amazing amp, but sometimes you need some mids to boost.

The Hartke Bass Attack pedal gives you only contols for bass, treble and an extreme mid cut. There is no midboost option.

What if I have an active preamp bass? Do i still need a Boss GEB-7 equalizer?