Hartke XL-4

[EdgarHons]

The looks caught my attention, and from reading reviews of other basses of theirs, I became interested in this. Anyone have any info about this bass or a review of it? Just curious...thanks

[RS]

The GC near my house has a couple. Without going into a long, derisive diatribe, let me just say I would rather string my ass with bass strings and try to play that way than play a hartke bass. If that was the only bass I could play, I'd just quit playing instead.

[pantografo64]

Just as a feeling Hartke basses don't seem to be fantastic.

By the way I'd like to know RS's new ass (sorry bass) tuning.

[brianrost]

The XL4 is made in the US and is pretty expensive (about $2500 list). I think it's really just a come-on to sell the XK basses which are Korean or Chinese, sell for a lot less and lack the high tech features like the metal neck and EMG pickups.The XK basses are clearly targeted towards amateurs.

I haven't seen or played one yet but I do have to say at that price Hartke has some really stiff competition, and as much as Vaccaro (who makes the necks, maybe the whole thing) would like to ressurrect aluminum necks I don't see the interest there.

The whole point of Hartke basses is simple: Samson wants to expand into offering instruments too (they currently own Zoom, Hartke and Behringer as well as the Sam Ash stores). They are getting into guitars with their Brownsville brand Danelectro knockoffs and Hartke gives them a known brand to use to get into basses.

[RS]

I generally tune my (b)ass in ascending farts, I mean fourths. Oh man, I'm going to get kicked out of here.

RS
current battling the delerium caused from a wicked sinus infection or maybe it's the medication talking

[pantografo64]

I bet (and won) my toilet paper on your answer.
Thanks RS!

[1runningfox]

I happin to own one of these bass'es, and i have no complaints about it, great sustain and sounds great!!

[1runningfox]

And as far as the price ? I got mine for 350.00 Yes i know i got an unusually great deal but even so, theyre priced around 800 to 1000

[steelbed45]

I owned an XL-4 for awhile. The aluminum neck and EMG pups/pre sounded good to my ears, very clean with great sustain. My one contention was the feel of the neck. It was wider at the nut than a jazz with the maple cap on the back being fairly flat; my hands just couldn't get adjusted to it. YMMV.

[bassman10096]

I think it's really just a come-on to sell the XK basses which are Korean or Chinese, sell for a lot less and lack the high tech features like the metal neck and EMG pickups.

Wow. Old thread. But I happen to have an XK4 and need to correct some misinfo: The XK was the imported, down priced model, without EMGs (Hartkes instead) but with the same Vaccaro alum neck as the XL.

I picked this bass up 4 or 5 years ago for $150 on the 'bay and never quite found a sound I liked. Fast forward a little and I had left the XK at the rehearsal space for a long term band engagement. During that time, I figured out the sound and got to like the little scamp. My bandmates loved the sound and would pester me to gig with the XL instead of my Modulus (go figure). Frankly, I would have played it out if it weren't so ugly! The 80s modern body, the cheap aluminum anodized guard... Ugh.

Well the band broke up recently and the first thing I did when I got the bass home was to shorten and reshape the lower horn and reshape the upper horn. I'm waiting for a fresh black nitro finish to dry and get polished out while Pickguardian is making a brown tort guard that fits the new, modernized body shape. So the ugly duckling is gonna do a swan thing and still sound great. Net investment: Less than $300. My Modulus and other thoroughbred basses are pissed off already!