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GK 700RB vs. Hartke 3500

G

go22c

Jun 11, 2012
3
0
#1
Hello, Everyone.

I need your professional opinion which one shold i go for. both prices are the same in used market ($600).

GK set; Ampeg SVT 15E + Gallien & Krueger 700RB head.

Hartke set;
Hartke Model HA3500 Amp 350 watts
Korg Toneworks DTR-1 Digital Tuner
SBK Rack box
Hartke 4x10 XL Series Speaker Cab
Yorkville 210B Series Speaker Cab

Please shed some lights here. I am really confused.

thanks,
 
#3
Wow . . .
I'm a Hartke guy & from what I've read (for $600) that Hartke 3500 w/the XL410 is the deal . . .
I have a HyDrive 210c, plus an LH1000 (saving for a HyDrive 410); the extra stuff is probably great, flexible, additional gear . . .
I'm unfamiliar with the Yorkville 210, but it should serve well in "smaller" settings . . . :p
 
#5
As far as the heads themselves go IMO the GK is a better head. 480 watts plus a 50 watt biamp feature versus the Hartke 350 watts. If you were to buy them new the GK would cost you $200 more and would have a higher resale value on the used market. However, You are probably getting a better package deal on the Hartke rig with the two cabinets, rack and tuner.
 
#7
I will go with Hartek.

Thanks Guys for your wisdom and suggestion.
I just updated guitar to Lakland 55-02, but have not showed to my wife yet. you all understand if someone is watching your wallet. ::) when she find it out, then I will just say "it's belonged to my friend." ::)
 
#8
go22c said:
Hello, Everyone.

I need your professional opinion which one shold i go for. both prices are the same in used market ($600).

GK set; Ampeg SVT 15E + Gallien & Krueger 700RB head.

Hartke set;
Hartke Model HA3500 Amp 350 watts
Korg Toneworks DTR-1 Digital Tuner
SBK Rack box
Hartke 4x10 XL Series Speaker Cab
Yorkville 210B Series Speaker Cab

Please shed some lights here. I am really confused.

thanks,
Click to expand...

Is any some reason why you must consider each of these choices, strictly as a package deal - take it or leave it? Personally, I would insist on either purchasing the pieces I want separately and leave the rest - or walk away, and buy them elsewhere.

That said, the Gallien Krueger 700RB-II (is it an 700RB-II or the original 700RB?) is a superior amp to the Hartke 3500 - I've never liked the tone of these older Hartke amps.

As for the remainder of these pieces, all I can say is "meh". There's nothing there that's all that special. :atoz:

If I were you, I'd take some more time to evaluate my needs more precisely, educate myself better on all my options...and try to make a more informed decision on cabs & other gear that optimally-suited to my circumstances - rather than just grab a package deal that somebody else put together, simply because it's there... :eyebrow:

MM
 
#9
go22c said:
Hello, Everyone.

I need your professional opinion which one shold i go for. both prices are the same in used market ($600).

GK set; Ampeg SVT 15E + Gallien & Krueger 700RB head.

Hartke set;
Hartke Model HA3500 Amp 350 watts
Korg Toneworks DTR-1 Digital Tuner
SBK Rack box
Hartke 4x10 XL Series Speaker Cab
Yorkville 210B Series Speaker Cab

Please shed some lights here. I am really confused.

thanks,
Click to expand...

If those are your only two choices - get the Hartke set.

However if the 700RB came with more speakers rather than just the one 115 cab or if you can afford to add a second 15E (maybe later) I'd get the 700RB because I love GK amps.
 
#11
gjbassist said:
As far as the heads themselves go IMO the GK is a better head. 480 watts plus a 50 watt biamp feature versus the Hartke 350 watts. If you were to buy them new the GK would cost you $200 more and would have a higher resale value on the used market. However, You are probably getting a better package deal on the Hartke rig with the two cabinets, rack and tuner.
Click to expand...

I always find myself searching for a significant difference between, say, 350 & 500 watts.. Wattage simply isnt as useful as a spec as it is useful as one of those industry buzzwords..

500w is obviously more, but it doesn't translate into an extra 50% power
 
#12
just check out your pricing in the used market on each piece, and I think you will find the Harke head pkg is a better value in terms of resale on each item (to recover the $600) if you find you arent that crazy about it .. with that said, I would much rather see the Hartke 3500 being an early Mosfet head rather than the HA series ... hopefully you get to see each hands on, and decide after you have played/inspected ...
 
#13
eddododo said:
I always find myself searching for a significant difference between, say, 350 & 500 watts.. Wattage simply isnt as useful as a spec as it is useful as one of those industry buzzwords..

500w is obviously more, but it doesn't translate into an extra 50% power
Click to expand...

No one said there was 50% more power (unless I miss that?).
And you're right - there really isn’t much difference between 350w and 500w. However, it’s enough to hear the volume gain as long as the speakers aren’t limiting it.
 
#14
eddododo said:
I use a hartke ha3500, great amp! With the xl cab youre in business big time.


I also use a gk 800rb, fantastic amp but I can't speak on the 700 though..
Click to expand...

The Hartke 3500's are another amp that seems "strong for it's ratings". Some people think they sound too harsh or "not warm", and their default sound kind of is a little bit, or at least something you'd describe as aggresive and not smooth but I've never had a problem getting good sound out of them. Bought and gigged one for a while myself.

The 700rbII is an incredibly strong amp. I'm a fan of, and very familair with the 800rb, the 700 has a lot of that flavor but sounds a little deeper and sometimes even stronger if you can imagine that.

The original 700rb ( non-II ) had a power rating closer to the 800rb but had some design/reliability issue, hence the redesigned II. They're not all like that though. I know a metal guy who completely thrashed on an early, 1st generation 700rb without a problem. I would think that one that's still gigging today was either upgraded/repaired somewhere along the way or just wasn't a problem amp.

Anyway, in the OP's "package deal" situation, the Hartke deal gets him more stuff, more versatility (210, 410, or both). Although, if he's doing '80's rock, you really can't beat a GK amp and Hartke aluminum cone cabs. I love the hell out of SVT rigs, but they really can't sound like the GK/Hartke combo can for that particular setting.
 

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