Bass Guitar ?Hartke

I have never seen them in a store, and I don't like the design much.

Only thing I can tell you that according to the Hartke website they're made in Ashbury Park, NJ/USA.
It doesn't tell WHO builds them though...

http://www.samsontech.com/hartke/basses.html

http://www.hartkexl4.com/front.html

 

There are two basic styles, XL-4 made in the US with aluminum neck (these are built in NJ by Vaccarro) and Korean made with wood necks.

Personally I think the US made ones (something like $2000 list!!!) exist just to make Hartke basses seem legit since the only ones I see in the stores are the Korean ones.

 

ARGH

what difference does it make if it is or is not made in the USA ? as long as the bass whoops butt, who gives a rats poop where it's made ?

 

me. i always consider where a bass is made. this doesn't mean that i play only a bass made in usa, but when i have to pay money to have a new bass be sure that i check well where it's made.here in italy it's not possible to try a bass before buy, shops carry a limited part of what's really available. our shops are full of ibanez, warwick... so i have to order a bass and if i don't like it and i want to resale i have to pay high attention to the resale value too. and the resale value is higly influenced by where a bass is made.

 

So if a bass is made on American soil, it automaticly means it's better ?? what kind of nonsence is that ?

 

i didn't say that. read once again, please...

 

Very true a great bass does not need to be made in the U.S.A., I would avoid basses made in The Netherlands or Italy thou.

 

You should try a " Rikkers " or " Ellio Martina " bass.. Made in Holland, and they rock

 

I guess one of the main reasons of prefering to buy US made mass production basses is the different manufacturing process done in both countries, US and Korea, for example. There´s no need to say it has nothing to do with the ability, talent, or efficiency building basses of both countries workers.

 

um, 10 years later...thanks Brian, that answers my question, too. I was checking out a Hartke bass with a wood neck on Ebay. I also like to know where an instrument was made before I buy it, regardless of the reason.