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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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88% of reviewers
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$562.50
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8.4
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Description:
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The Hartke 3500 in my opinion is the best amp on the market ! It has a 10 band EQ to fine tune your sound just the way you like it. It really has a great sound to it and is not that heavy or expensive. I play out live on stage 2-3 nights a week EVERY WEEK and it has never let me down. It has a built in compressor. This is the only amp I ever owned that was absolutely quiet when I wasn't playing (no hissing at all ). If you say Ampeg doesn't hiss you Lie because I owned 7 of them and they ALL HISSED !!!!! This amp has tube and solid state preamp and sounds great. I will never own another amp.
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Author
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lowbstringer
Registered User
Registered: October 2004
Location: Jackson N.J.
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Mon October 11, 2004
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $450.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Light weight ,very versatile ,and sounds great
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Cons:
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Not A Thing !!!!
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The 3500 is a work of art. It\'s 10 band EQ along with it\'s tube and solid state preamp make it possible to find ANY sound you desire. It\'s built in compressor is pure genius. I use this head with a HARTKE VX 410 cabinet and would not change it for the world. Whether you slap or play straight up rock and roll this amp is perfect for the situation.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Thu December 23, 2004
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $700.00
| Rating: 9
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One of the best ever made heads for hobby-study purposes.
I use it with a 2X10 hartke cabin and a fretless Carvin and it wonderfull...
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fivesecondzero
Registered User
Registered: January 2005
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Posts: 26
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Review Date: Thu January 6, 2005
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $550.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Great sound , love the tube, rack-mount, inexpensive
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Cons:
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Small power. Hartke support sucks.
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I have used this amplifier for a little over 2 1/2 years now and I absolutely love it. The tube lets me have a nice warm sound while the solid state gives me the punch and the clarity I like. I run mine through a Hartke 4.5XL cab and it sounds amazing. Its 350 watts which is more than plenty. I would rather have a biamp capability but thats what the HA7000 is for. After 6 months I dropped it and had a horrible time getting it repaired. There\'s no authorized Hartke repair centers anywhere near me. All in all this is a great amp and WELL worth the money.
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www.fivesecondzero.com - my bands site
Current Gear -
Hartke HA3500
Hartke 4.5XL
Fender MIM "Cowpoke" P-Bass
Tobias Basic 6-string
i fail to see your reasoning in the situation.
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nottswarwick
Registered User
Registered: January 2005
Location: Nottingham, UK
Posts: 109
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Review Date: Sat February 19, 2005
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Power, value for money, looks, does what I need it to
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Cons:
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Nothing for this price
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I have rackmounted min, and use it with an Ashdown ABM mini48 and mini15 cabs. Very portable and powerful, flexible little rig. Good range of solid sounds, seems well built and reliable.
Would recommend. I would only change it for a more powerful head, or a pre-power combination, but these would all cost way more. I am happy.
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G&L, Musicman and Markbass
Markbass Club #24
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Review Date: Sat April 2, 2005
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Good for the price
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Cons:
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The Hartke 3500 head is a good intermediate head. It doesn\'t give me everything I want, but for the price, it\'s definately a worthwhile investment.
The built-in compressor isn\'t a buying point. I recommend keeping it turned off.
The amp hasn\'t done me wrong. I\'ve had it for over a year now and it\'s still going strong. It\'ll be the last part of my current rig to be replaced.
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Sat June 4, 2005
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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I have had my 3500A (new 3500 with a few cosmetic changes) for just a few days and I don\'t know where to start! I am running it through a Hartke 410TP and Hartke 115TP stack. I also bought, at the same time a Hartke VLX Bass Attack stomp box. The 3500 (A) produces such an incredible array of sounds that I probably did not even need the stompbox. I am in awe! I had a Peavey Mark VI going through a Peavey 410 and Peavey 115 and the Hartke blows the Peavey away in diversity of sound and value. I play blues, classic rock and originals, 2 to 3 weekends per month and the only thing that I plan to add to this configuration is to run through our P.A. when we play outdoor venues.
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VRT_RONBO
Cool Daddy!!
Registered: May 2005
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Posts: 247
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Review Date: Sat November 12, 2005
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Sound/Tone vesatility
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Cons:
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Compressor is too strong
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I have had this amp for a couple of months. I run it through a Carvin 1x15 and an Avatar 2x10. This thing sounds great. The combination tube/ss with contour and the 10 band EQ renders just about any sound I could desire. It is well built (mine is used and is still ike new) and performs flawlessly. My only complaint is that the compressor is VERY limiting. They would have been better off making the max compression at about the 4 mark and give you a bit more to work with. I pretty much leave it off. If it were lost or stolen I would buy another one without hesitation. (Unless I could find who stole it, then I would hesitate only to jam the headstock of my Fender up his.....well you get it.)
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by bucephylus
The perplexing irony about the American character is that the diversity that we value as our most unique asset causes us the most adversity.
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Geddy Lee Jazz Club #65
Official MTD (non-US) Club #131
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Anonymous
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Review Date: Mon February 6, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Awesome for the price!
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Cons:
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The compressor
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I bought a 3500a and i have to say... WOW... For the price this is a great head... I run it through a hartke XL 8x10 and it never fails... The tube is so rich and warm it almost makes me cry to know that the sound is coming from MY fingertips and not some 40 year music guru... The eq allows you to use this head for any type of music... Like funk? SET IT... Like metal? SET IT... Its beautiful... The only things i dont like about it is the compressor (useless) and there is no tuner out jack which kinda sucks... But those are no reasons to denounce this head!
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gilsey
Registered User
Registered: October 2006
Location: perth, Western Australia
Posts: 37
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Review Date: Sun October 22, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great head for an 'on the budget' amp
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Cons:
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Nothing realy
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Awesome head for someone who doesn’t want to "drain the piggy bank" but still wants a reliable, powerful head with a tonne of tone!
I run the HA3500 through a VX410 and a VX115 and i love what im hearing! I originally bought this head as a "get me by" until i could afford some higher end gear and after having it for around 7-8 months I’m no longer in such a hurry to upgrade! If it got stolen, lost or broken i would definitely be getting another one and quick!
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Lakland Skyline 44-02 - Eden WT550 - Eden D115XLT
Eden D210XST - Ampeg SVT410HLF
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davey1
Registered User
Registered: March 2008
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Review Date: Sun March 30, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $350.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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excellent tone, plenty of hedroom, love the pre amps
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Cons:
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none so far
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I've owned this for over a year and am extremely pleased with the tone it provides, I've had no issues with it whatsoever. I would recommend this head to anyone who needs a moderately priced, well built 300+ watt head. 
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bassman_al
Supporting Member
Registered: April 2008
Location: Fairfax, VA USA
Posts: 1316
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Review Date: Thu April 17, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $400.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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reliability, array of tones with eq
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Cons:
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minor if any, especially for the price
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I had this head for several years until I got a new bass and decided to get an SVT III Pro. The Hartke overall had a really bright sound and I liked it, I just figured be nice to try another highly regarded amp. For the price you can't beat it. And even though it has a rep for being finicky and unreliable, I never had a single problem with it. Kept it rack mounted almost the whole time, helped alot to extend the life of the eq sliders. I played it in several bands, local small to medium venues, classic rock/modern rock - weekend warrior. I'm no pro that is for sure. If you are in a band that plays out around town and you need something that is easy to use and has power enough to be heard without PA support, this one works great.
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Triple Double Jazz Band
After Hours Band
'94 MIA '62 RI/AV Jazz
'98 MIA P-bass
Fender MIM 2010/2007 hybrid fretless Jazz
Markbass LMII
Epifani PS112
Trace Eliott 1518C
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mikeln
Registered User
Registered: December 2003
Location: San Diego, CA (Poway)
Posts: 46
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Review Date: Wed June 11, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $450.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Versatile tone with enough power for its size
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Cons:
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Minor maintenance issues
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I've been using this head model for almost 20 years now. Originally (and still) in a Hartke 1155 combo amp (greatest combo ever!). I've had 4 of these heads over the years, with varying results:
1) Original head in 1155 combo amp - smoked out on a gig after 10+ years. Gave it to a friend as a fix-it project. He was able to easily fix it, and it is still in use, and still sounds as good as ever!
2) Replacement for above. This one developed weak output levels after a couple of years. Turned out to have the dreaded loose solder joints on the power amp. Resoldered it, and it still functions as good as new. My main amp. NOTE: There seemed to be an internal power amp design change from my first one and this one.
3) A second amp for non-combo gigs, (i.e. mounted in a rack for my 4x10 cabs). This one never sounded as good as the others. The sound was always compressed and not very dynamic. Sold this. (My mistake for buying via mail w/o hearing it first!). NOTE: I've tested many of these heads, and this one was the only one I've ever found with this problem.
4) Replacement for the above amp. Sounds as good as my original. Still in use.
I use this amp on all my gigs, but the most demanding (soundwise) is actually a Big Band gig where I have to use both my Upright and my Electric doing all styles of music. It has always worked well, and is loud enough, and I can get the right tone to set the bass in the right sonic area of the mix.
The compressor is quite strong, and I generally do not use it at all anymore. I find I can get the best tone control by using the tube/solid state preamp volumes controls.
Also, I like this amp on blues/rock gigs because you can dial in a general volume clean tone, but also get it set to overdrive when you play harder.
I love this amp!
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The Instruments
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Jefenator
curiously looking back at what once was beautiful
Registered: August 2008
Location: Oregon
Posts: 2475
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Review Date: Mon October 20, 2008
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: $800.00
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Decent tone.
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Cons:
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Cheesy EQ & compressor.
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This was my first amp, the head came in a 2x10 combo. I used it from '93-'97
The tone was okay - fairly "modern". I tended to favor the tube preamp section - the SS never did much for me. My Yamaha active bass seemed to agree with the head pretty well. Could never get the upright I was using at the time to not sound like crap. (That's probably not entirely the amp's fault.  )
Unfortunately, it started frying the preamp tube real fast for some weird reason. A couple of different tech's couldn't get it to stop doing it. I got an Alembic tube pre and used the head as a power section. That worked okay until some funky generator power caused the amp to go "poof" and blow smoke. I got a Stewart power amp and never looked back.
Power seemed decent, especially into 4 ohms. Obviously nothing spectacular by today's standards and this thing was a somewhat heavy, deep 2U unit.
I confess I was very attracted to the tiny LEDs on the graphic EQ. Unfortunately, the EQ wasn't very musically useful to me. In fact, it just plain sucked IMO. So I had to leave it switched out and those awesome-looking LEDs remained unlit.  (Lesson learned...) Didn't care much for the compressor, either.
If you dig the tone on this unit and don't mind the bulk and weight, the more power to ya! I'd pay maybe $50 for a working used unit for a backup or a loaner. In its "new" price range, there's dozens of other heads I'd rather try before getting another one of these.
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FS: 1974 P Body loaded w/ Fralin
"My kids never had the advantage I had. I was born poor." - Kirk Douglas
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Bassman18
Registered User
Registered: September 2009
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 193
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Review Date: Mon October 25, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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10 band Graphic EQ, Excellent Compressor, Good tone shaping capabilities, lots of power, rock solid build.
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Cons:
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Noisy D.I signal ( after a lot usage)
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I've owned a Hartke HA3500 for about 4 years now, and it has only let me down twice, coincidentally at the same venue- Blew a fuse, D.I started to become noisy. I blame a bad power source at the Venue. Other then that, its been 99% reliable!
Active/ Passive inputs, two different preamp blends- solid state and Tube, uses a real tube for the tube preamp, not tube emulation. Excellent tone shaping capabilities.
Compressor- sounds musical, but it would be nice if it had more variable controls ( Threshold, Attack, Release etc) but most bass amplifiers don't have that option anyhow.
The 10 band Graphic EQ is excellent, i don't understand why Hartke is one of the few brands to incorporate this into their amps designs. Its a vital part of fine tuning my sound and is so versatile. Very musical, very responsive. Can be bypassed if desired.
Contour controls ( High pass and low pass filters) allow for some fine tuning post Graphic EQ.
D.I output allows pre/post EQ selection and Ground lift. I've never used the Effects Send and Return but its a handy option for those who run effects.
I use mine with an SWR workingpro 410 cabinet and play a number of different basses- Mainly Fender Style. I mainly play Blues Rock, Ska and Funk. I've used this set up at venues such as the Basement in Circular Quay and the Beach Hotel in Byron Bay with excellent results!
For a working musician on a budget, this is the best amp i've come across in terms of Tone and Power VS. price and quality. Check it out!
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Thunder DownUnder#37, Blues Bass Players #93.
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Aussie Player
Registered User
Registered: April 2011
Posts: 431
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Review Date: Wed April 20, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $375.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Everything. It is a perfect head for Rock Music.
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Cons:
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None
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This is what I said about the HA5500 which I also own but the same goes for the HA3500 model. I love it.
This is the untimate rock head. I own a couple of them and though there was a minor detectable difference in tone from each, they are both wonderful heads.
I have used them though the following Hartke boxes:
1. 2x10 Hartke Systems box for home use and in combo with a 2x15 VX box.
2. solo with the above VX 2x15 box
3. XL 8x10 box
I have also gigged extensively using the following guitars which will demonstrate the versatility in sound.
1. Warwick Thumb - SIT Medium SS Round Wound Strings
2. Gibson EB2-D - with the above strings plus D'Addario Nickel Flats in .045-.105.
3. ESP Active bass with EMG's - SIT Med SS RW strings
4. Fender P with SD Qtr Pounter and D'Addario SS Half Round strings.
All combo's pleased my ear which was never happy for the first 35 years playing. I now have the sound in my head.
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