Hartke HA3500 enclosure

[Brinkmeister]

Hi all,

I bought a Hartke HA3500 with rack/flightcase looking enclosure a couple of years ago:

Great sound, sturdy package, absolutely great purchase. But since the built in fan was noisy to begin with and started to generate more noise, I decided to take the amp out of the enclosure and open it up, to see if I could clean or replace the fan.

I always thought the enclosure functioned as a 2U-rack, but upon closer inspection it turned out to be a somewhat simpler box, with 4 screws attaching the amp to the bottom. The top half of the construction, where the Hartke-logo is, is just a piece of board glued to a couple of blocks behind it. Looks great, sturdy enough, but not useful as the rack I mistaken it for. And since I was thinking about a rack tuner on top of my amp, this means I have to go looking for a rack.

Long story short: If I am to put this amp in a rack, I need some rack ears for it. Is there a universal solution for it or do I need to hunt for the discontinued Hartke parts?

And for the noisy fan: cleaned the dust out of the current fan, which helps a lot. Have a super silent replacement fan on the way, though.

 

[musicman556]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I think maybe the HA3500 is still in production. They are still for sale new at Zzounds. I had one 15 years ago and am tempted to buy another just for nostalgia's sake. I would call Hartke customer service and ask about the rack ears you need.

Samson Technologies

Good luck!

 

[Brinkmeister]

Thanks man! I sent them a mail, let's see what the possibilities are.

 

[basscooker]

Have you measured from center to center of the four mounting holes on the faceplate? Doesnt look like you need ears to me. Hartke will know, though, so good luck with the project.

 

[agedhorse]

Be sure the replacement fan has the same airflow specs at the same static pressure (in addition to the obvious voltage and current specs) or you may find that you end up with a more serious and expensive problems.

 

[Brinkmeister]

Thanks for the heads up. I do not expect this to be a problem, the replacement fan seems adequate and I am only using the amp at home at the moment.

 

[Brinkmeister]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I think maybe the HA3500 is still in production. They are still for sale new at Zzounds. I had one 15 years ago and am tempted to buy another just for nostalgia's sake. I would call Hartke customer service and ask about the rack ears you need.

Samson Technologies

Good luck!

So I contacted Hartke/Samson yesterday, they sent me the contact info for the distributor in The Netherlands, they immediately answered my e-mail with a quotation and I received the rack ears this afternoon. That's lightning fast!

 

[musicman556]

So I contacted Hartke/Samson yesterday, they sent me the contact info for the distributor in The Netherlands, they immediately answered my e-mail with a quotation and I received the rack ears this afternoon. That's lightning fast!

Glad it worked out! That makes me happy to hear they are so supportive of their customers, even second or third-hand.

This makes me want to buy another HA3500 just THAT much more!

 

[BurningSkies]

Yeah, much prefer the old 2 space rack ear format 3500s. I have one of the original Hartke 3500 MOSFET amps and it's a freakin' monster. I don't use it live (or even for practice often) but it still sounds great and works without fail.

 

[Brinkmeister]

Since I only play it at home, the rack I just ordered is a bit ridiculous, but combined with a rack tuner and power distribution it's gonna look great in my attic

 

[BurningSkies]

The original 4 space SKB Roto I bought for mine in 1992 is still going strong, though it now hosts my current live rig. At the time i used a Korg DTR-2 rack tuner (also still have it) but I prefer my Peterson StroboStompHD these days. I also have a 3-space SKB that is great for slimming down a bit.