Hartke Help!!!

[ChuckO]

I have a Hartke LH500 Amp, probably about 5 or 6 years old. Just recently the passive input jack started being very finicky and would not produce sound unless the cable was placed perfectly.

Active input works fine. Most people would say "just use the active" but this will drive me crazy.

So I am out of warranty, Hartke said $50 an hour to fix it. I imagine with shipping both ways I would be getting close to $150-200. Nothing against Hartke, that is just more than I can afford to spend to fix an amp when I am not currently gigging.

Anyone think this is something I could fix myself, with basic soldering skills? Should I send it back? Or find a local fix it man?

 

[cb56]

Sounds like a loose solder joint. Go to local fix it guy if you don't want to try it.

 

[ChuckO]

Thanks?

Any tips? Am I just looking for a bad solder connection to redo then?

 

[Deezer Butler]

I would imagine that is a easy fix... Female 1/4" jack is fairly inexpensive.

 

[Blue Dragon]

It just so happens I JUST got my Hartke Hydrive 115c fixed from a problem that sounds very similar to yours. Unfortunately this combo has no alternate jack, so I didn't even have the option of switching to Active or Passive. I didn't do the fix myself, my guitarist friend fixes copiers (and in a past life, amps) for a living so he fixed mine for me. I figured I'd tell you what he told me about the process. Though it's not the same amp, the issue sounds awfully familiar, and mine is a Hartke older model too. (My jack felt loose and it often would lose connection and wiggling the cable would get it working again for a little while. My jack was black nylon type soldered directly to the amp circuit board with a metal nut/washer to fix it in place on the front. The threads had gotten stripped, but it turned out to be worse than just that per my tech/guitar guy.

First, he says it was damaged internally. He called Hartke though and they sent him a replacement for free, not even shipping. Apparently they had a problem with that jack and the replacement fixes that problem. You may be in luck there.

Now, this tech of mine DOES know what he's doing. Yet he says that the solder holding it in place practically refused to melt at all, even with his quite professional de-soldering iron. As best I recall, he had both his desoldering tool AND a soldering iron trying to heat it up enough to melt the solder. In the end he got out out with some chopping of the posts and actually redrilled through the existing solder, having to fix a trace that had broken loose as well. But he did get it replaced and it's solid as a rock now.

I have been known to hold a soldering gun or two in my day, but based on what he told me, I'd have screwed it up I suspect. This may be a case where the $50/hr might be worth it. Either that or find a good tech and buy him a 12-pack (that's what I did!)

Now my Hartke amp is better than when I bought it. But the cost probably won't be in the replacement jack so much as actually doing the replacement itself!