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Carvin Rig vs. Hartke Rig

F

FighttheSilence

Apr 5, 2009
249
1
Jasper, MN (southwest corner)
#1
So, which rig should I go with. I play in a metal/rock band. Im not a tone or tube freak and I get my distortion our of a pedal. Heres the rigs.

Carvin: B1500 ($650) and Carvin 8x10 BR810 ($550) total= $1200. The head puts out 1250 watts @ 4ohms and the cab is 1200 watts @ 4 ohms. I have a carvin 2x10 and I like it.

Hartke: LH1000 ($500) and a Used Hartke H810XL 8X10 ($470) total= $970. The puts out 1000 watts and the cab is 800 watts. I live in Minnesota, and it gets cold here in winter and I've heard the speakers in the cab don't handle cold well since there made of aluminim.

The Carvin has more tonal options and the Hartke 8x10 has no sound problems but the outside carpet covering has a few tears. Though the Carvin is more I'm leaning twards it.:bassist:
 
#2
I'd get one of the amps and skip either cab. Both overweight and underperforming (decent but not spectacular).

The amps are comparable, but I favor the LH1000 for its flexibility in driving different unbalanced cabinets.

I'd suggest researching the semi-custom/niche cabinet market and picking something out there. LDS makes great stuff, and Avatar does a great job too.

For example, a 2x15 with Kappalite 3015 speakers in it would outperform either one of those cabinets in every conceivable metric (though hey maybe you prefer the "Tone" of one) for probably not much more than either.
 
#4
I have that exact Carvin rig and it is really nice. It keeps sounding better and better as the speakers loosen up and offer more low end. The shipping is pretty painful to look at, though. It was $89 by freight. After they covered my cab (which was about two weeks) it was shipped out. It left California on a Thursday and was in Cedar Rapids, IA by Monday morning. I picked it up the following day (though they called to make a delivery appointment, which I requested to do pickup).

It's a great cab and the B1500 is phenomenal. Carvin has been impressing me ever since I tried their gear. Now I have a BX500 that I love just as much.

I only have one experience with Hartke and it was not great. I bought a used head (very cheap price tag, mind you) that didn't last very long. It started going silent during practice so I'd have to shut it off for a while. It wasn't being pushed very hard or being used for very long at a time. I try not to let that taint my views on Hartke because they seem like they're offering some nice products these days. The Hartke I bought looked like it had endured its share of abuse over the years. I wouldn't mind trying out the LH500, LH1000, or the Kilo sometime. I don't have a need for them since I've got the B1500 and BX500 but it'd be hard to ignore some quality gear.
 
#7
For my money, the Carvin is a much better head. The Hartke is quite decent, don't get me wrong, but the B1500 is IMO a modern classic.

Not crazy about either cab, though. If I were you, i'd forget about either 8-10 and get the B1500 in a package deal with one BRX10.4NEO 4-10 (not the BR410 cab, which IMO is not as good) and add a second when i could afford it, if I still felt I needed it:

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Or bite the bullet now and get a full stack, if the funds are available (despite what the pic shows, this package includes TWO BRX 4-10s):

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But of course it's your $$, not mine. (It's always easy to spend someone else's money.;))
 
#10
I'd get the BRX10.4 neo cab before I'd buy the Carvin 8x10. The BRX series cabs are top notch performers - I've got the BRX10.4 and BRX10.2 being run by a Carvin BX500 head. I used to use the BX1200, but went for the weight reduction in the BX500. The reviews on the Carvin B1500 are, for the most part excellent - you can't go wrong with the B1500.:smug:
 
#11
The thing about Hartke aluminum drivers and cold weather is true. But all that means is that you've got to let the cab warm up to room temperature before you start pumping through it. Which is what you should be doing with all your gear in cold weather anyway.

The only time aluminum drivers may cause you problems in Minnesota is if you're playing an outdoor gig in November... otherwise use some common sense and you'll be fine. I've never played an 8x10 from Harkte but I've had a 410-XL since the mid 90s and it still has its original drivers and I have never had a bit of trouble. And that's in comparable climates (first Chicago, and now South Dakota.)
 
#12
rpsands said:
I'd get one of the amps and skip either cab. Both overweight and underperforming (decent but not spectacular).

The amps are comparable, but I favor the LH1000 for its flexibility in driving different unbalanced cabinets.

I'd suggest researching the semi-custom/niche cabinet market and picking something out there. LDS makes great stuff, and Avatar does a great job too.

For example, a 2x15 with Kappalite 3015 speakers in it would outperform either one of those cabinets in every conceivable metric (though hey maybe you prefer the "Tone" of one) for probably not much more than either.
Click to expand...

+1
 
#14
I'd go with Hartke.

Only based on the customer service. I had a problem once, called Mr. Hartke directly told him the problem and he sent a new part to my door, no reciept, no hassels.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and he even called me back 2 weeks later to make sure that I got it, and that I was able to fix the problem.
 
#15
I recently tried the LH1000, and I really like it, but I would still say go Carvin. The b1500 get's amazing reviews. Also I really like my Carvin 810. It's a great sounding cab for me and I wouldn't sell it if I didn't have to. I'm not a Hartke hater, but I've never heard a Hartke cab that really spoke to me.

A great option might be to get a Carvin B1500 and one of their NEO 4x10 cabs (BR or BRX series) or an Avatar B410 Neo You'd have a nice loud rig, with the ability to add a second cab later after you've determined what aspect of your sound you'd like to adjust.
 
#16
I've had experience with both Carvin and Hartke. Go Carvin; their stuff sounds glorious. I've seen the aluminum cones in the Hartke cabs crack more than once and the cold had nothing to do with it. They just weren't well made.

My friend plays an all Carvin rig and his hard rock tone sounds great: Link Removed
 
#17
Hey, thanks alot you guys. I always though that an 8x10 would look cool, but 2 neo 4x10's might make more sense. Some gigs might only need the cab and I could conserve space, or if I had the room I could bring both and have the option to put a cab on each side of the drummer so my other guitarist could hear better. I think Carvin is the way to go on this one, thanks alot. (Im only 16, but my back might thank me down the road if I get the 2 4x10's).
 

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