Hartke 3500 and... ¿¿??

[san_339]

Hi.

I'm Juan, from Spain, but this is the best bass forum. Nobody like you, guys, to solve my questions. And sorry about my english.


Well, I want to buy new gear, an amp head and the cabinet. I play in a group like Muse, a trio with a lot ot weigth in the bass, and many effects. But I also want an amp that I can play other styles!
But yes, I am going to play some like Muse, and I can spend about 700 € = 1000 american dollars.


Then... I've been recomended the Hartke 3500. Lost of people in the forums say that is the best bass in this range of prices and bla bla bla... but I have also read that thats not the best option to the sound I want to play. So I'm confused.


¿And what about the cabinet? There are some offerts with the Hartke 410VX, but I've read thats not a good cabinet...

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Really, I dont know what to buy... and I cant try, I can only watch in youtube...

Any help?

Tahk you very much.

 

[georgestrings]

I would play a Peavey Tour 450 or 700 LONG before I'd use the Hartke 3500 - or, buy a used G-K 700rb-II...


Regarding the cab choice - IMO, Hartke cabs are even worse than their heads... Used Peavey to save money, the new Tour series if buying new and trying to save money...



- georgestrings

 

[BAW]

i love my hartke gear, i used to use an ha2500 through a vx410, it was a good set up the eq gives many options and you can get real nice lows. i upgrade to the LH500. the lh head have way more balls and give you some grit if you need it. im still using the vx40 which is at best, a bottom of the line cab, it handles whatever i throw at it and performs when i need so i cant complain.

i dont know what the instrument stores are like in spain but the best thing to do is to get out there and just tart trying out different set ups.

also, mentioning hartke on this forum will draw alot of hartke hate but if you take a second to look you will see there is just as much hartke love.

 

[GearHeadBassMan]

I had that exact same setup, a 3500 and a 410 vx, as my second stack. Sold my first stack (ampeg b series) and never looked back.
It served me well for years, and it was tough as hell.

However, with my newfound TB experience, and you being in Spain, I would probably recommend something like the Fame BT300 (I think it's called) to get some tubey goodness and then look for a used 215 in local area classifieds to pair it with. For the sound you're looking for, tubes would work best!

 

[Sparky Mark]

If you can manage a heavy full sized 410 cab, then the Hartke 4.5XL would be a great single cab to use with either the 3500 or LH500 heads. You could also find the 4.5 pretty cheap secondhand or discounted new.

 

[Bassplayer_479]

LH500

/close

 

[san_339]

Thank you very mucho for the info.

¿Is there many diferences between the paper cones and the aluminium ones? ¿Wich one is the best for the Muse sound?

¿Do you strongly recomend me the 4.5xl, not the 410vx?

 

[Sparky Mark]

I'm not sure what 'the Muse sound' is, but I'm sure it's a combination of the player's technique, bass guitar, effects and amplification. The XL ali speakers are capable of reproducing whatever you put through them, but you'll need more than just the right cab to get any particular sound. The XL's do go very loud and have good bass and strong mids, the 4.5 also has a HF driver to add top end. The VX range were not considered Hartke's best, but some pros (Jack Bruce for one) used them in combination with the XL's for their more traditional ( less defined?) presentation.

 

[san_339]

¿And betwen the 4.5 Xl and the 410 XL?

 

[jaywa]

The 4.5 XL is a newer model that has a ported bottom and a small tweeter in addition to the 4, 10-inch speakers.

The 410 XL has only the 4, 10-inch speakers, no tweeter, and is not ported at the bottom.

I have first hand experience with both. My personal cabinet is a 410 from the early 1990s. My church just bought a new 4.5. For volume, "punch" and overall impact the old 410 beats the tar out of the new 4.5. If you can find an early- to mid-90s 410 XL cabinet, by all means buy it but most people who still have one won't let it go for anything.

 

[Sparky Mark]

I have to agree with jaywa. I loved my old 410XL (early 90's 240w US built), but traded it for a new HyDrive 410 which I think just pips the XL tonewise and can handle the o/p from my LH1000. Plus the XL's were too heavy for comfortable lifting ( I was a young man back in the early 90's) now I have to look after my knees and back!.

 

[san_339]

I've been reading about the Hartke 410 XL, and many people say that it is too tinny, that it doesn't have good lows and that the sound is too much defined...

Also, I've been reading that the newer models os the Hartke 410 XL are very bad... that thay werent like the old ones...

I don't know what to buy, I can't try them in my city and I'm hurry...

What about if I buy it and it sounds too much tinny, high and funky??? I want to be able to play all styles, more or less!!!

Any recomendation? Any other cab for the same price???

Thank you very much.

 

[levis76]

I started off with a Hartke 3500 head into a Transporter 410 and 115. Great beginners rig. Not too pricey or heavy and it had good tonal flexibility with the blendable tube and solid state preamps and the EQ was great. Never used the compression on it, thought it was a bit heavy handed and squashed the dynamics. I liked it much more than the SWR Bass 750 head I replaced it with. Now that was a heavy piece of garbage.

 

[Kael]

I have no experience with the vx stuff. The xl stuff are the aluminum coned speakers. The regular 410XL is a smaller box. This results in a very strong mid push in the cabinet. It will cut through a dense mix pretty easily but it also limits the tone you have.

The 4.5XL is much better cabinet. Not only does it have the "tweeter" (actually the tweeter is a little driver and not a regular tweeter at all) but the 4.5 also has a bigger box and is ported differently. Result is that the 4.5XL has more low end and a better response up high. If you are going with Hartke cabs, from my experience, the 4.5XL is the only one worth paying for.

The 3500 is a versatile CLEAN head. If you want grit in your tone look elsewhere. It has a graphic EQ which will let you dial in quite a few different tones. The 3500 is on the hissy side. This is easily fixed by taking the highest slider on the graphic EQ and lowering it till you can't hear the hiss anymore. I used to take the highest fader and slide it almost all the way down. There was still oodles of top end even with the graphic EQ set that way.

The LH500 is getting a lot of priase on this forum here recently. Purportedly it sounds very much like a clean tube amp. The EQ control on it is limited, but it is meant to give you a basic tone that works for most anything as opposed to being a chameleon that will change up with a lot of knob twisting. I haven't touched one of these yet.

I'd personally have no problems with a 3500 head again. I wouldn't get the VX cab though. If you are going Hartke, I'd really suggest sticking to the 4.5XL. If you can locate an old used 3500 MOSFET head, jump on it. You can tell the difference as the MOSFET ones say "MOSFET" on them. The power sections in those heads gives a punchier tone that has more apparent volume. Downside is that they are older and might need a tech to give them a once over.

PS: I seem to recall that the pro 4200 cab being very well recieved also, although it was bigger and builkier than most 410's. The 4200 cab was discontinued, but you might be able to pick a used one fairly cheap. Big bulky cabs usually have low resale values, so you might get a good price on one if you are lucky.

 

[Andy V.]

The XL ali speakers are capable of reproducing whatever you put through them, but you'll need more than just the right cab to get any particular sound. The XL's do go very loud and have good bass and strong mids, the 4.5 also has a HF driver to add top end.

I think the 2.5xl is the best bass cab I've ever played.
Up there with aggies and epifanies, maybe half step above, IMO.

I'll agree with others and suggest the 4.5xl, which I think will suit you better for the heavily effected synthy tones.

 

[san_339]

Then do you really recomend me the 4.5 XL, not the 410 XL? Some others on the threat have told the oposite!

But I think I'm gonna get the 4.5 XL.

If you think that it is a good choice for local and small gigs...