It's a tough choice with all the options out there. If it helps you decide, I've had my Hartke LH500 for almost two years without a hitch. That includes 16 hours of practice and roughly 8 hours of gigging per month. A good strong amp with plenty of deep sound.
I play a Fender P through the Hartke LH500 into a 4 ohm, 212 cab with ports. Easy to transport and puts out lots of fat sound. A good solid amp with a tubed pre amp. No not a vintage Ampeg but for the price it does the job I want without breaking my back or wallet.
I have the same bass in sunburst with maple neck. This is an amazing bass people. Extremely versatile and produces virtually any sound. The one and only drawback is the lack of switching from active to passive per production but this is easily fixed with the help of a knowledgeable tech...
I do both. I use a thumb pic as I'll switch sometimes from pluck to pic within a song when I want to go from grit to thump. I've also found the thumb pic is more stable and doesn't require as hard a grip. I'm about as fast with each so I'll switch based upon sound desired. I had to adjust...
I've played bass since the mid 70's. Certainly not a newbie but likewise, certainly not the best either by any stretch. Nonetheless, the advice is well founded. Knowing what to do and when is the mark of a skilled bassist.
Awesome Cab. I just hooked it up to my Hartke LH500 and played my Fender Deluxe Active P through and all I can say is Leo Fender would be very pleased.
Awesome Cab. I just hooked it up to my Hartke LH500 and played my Fender Deluxe Active P through and all I can say is Leo Fender would be very pleased.