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Hartke LH500

KJung

KJung

Supporting Member
Apr 9, 2005
44,587
1,566
Wisconsin
#1
I just tried this head through a few cabs up at LDS (Eden 21XLT, LDS 310), and it is absolutely killer. I was using a LowEnd Jazz, and compared it to the Genz Shuttle 6.0.

The LH500 has a tube front end, and seems to be designed around the old Bassman circuit (class A with a preamp tube). It's very similar to the Alembic preamp... simple bass, mid, treble and a single volume control. The tone controls are that unusual 'Fender' type thing, where flat seems to be bass and treble turned down almost all the way, and the mids up a bit.

Anyway, not a lightweight at around 25 pounds, but two space rack format, and about $500!

Fat, tubey, warm front end. It's not designed to distort or grind a lot. Again, more like the Alembic pre through a nice SS power amp. Quality seems first rate... good feeling pots, heavy-duty metal chassis.

To my ear, it is more 'tubey' than the Shuttle, and had a much more even and forcefull, fat low end response, and warmer mids versus the 'brightness' of the Shuttle (of course, it is 20 pounds heavier also!).

For those who like a somewhat modern tube tone (like the Alembic pre) in a simple to use all in one unit, this head is completely killer.

Amazing what is coming out in that lower price range of heads at this point.

FYI... I had not heard of this head before. They also make a higher powered model from what I understand. For you 'clean but tube warm guys', this is worth a look IMO and IME:bassist:
 
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#4
LH500-web.jpg


Here's a picture. Very impressive unit from the Hartke gang.
 
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#7
WJGreer said:
Cool - a great sounding tube hybrid for $500. Sounds compelling.

Have you been able to try their new hybrid-cone cabinets?
Click to expand...

Cabs were not in yet, so no, didn't get to try those. It sounds absolutely killer through the Eden212XLT... fat, warm, and also capable of big, warm 'burp' when you dig in at the bridge.

I have not been very impressed with the Hartke line for many, many years, but assuming the reliability and service are good, this one seems to hit the mark for those who want a modern tube tone IMO.
 
#8
I recently had the chance to try out all three of their new heads

There is also a 1000 watt version of the LH

LH1000-5d678fabacc5557cb660e55f98541be2.jpg


$650.00 street price

Specs:
2 x 500 watts of power, 1000 watts bridged mono
Classic 12AX7 High Voltage Class-A tube preamp circuit
Bass and Treble Shelving, plus mid-peak EQ controls
Selectable brite switch for added high frequency response
Selectable limiter switch with LED indicator
Balance control blends level of A and B outputs
Front panel XLR balanced direct output
Rear panel 1/4-inch effects loop
1/4-inch plus Speakon output connectors
Two-rackspace metal chassis with steel faceplate and handles

but If i were to buy a new Hartke product it would be this one...This monster blows the LH series out of the water

Kilo_1000-fc79829537fe793030fb4c4033ab87cc.jpg


$999.00 street price

The Hartke Kilo raises the standard for bass amplification. Two separate power blocks deliver a true 1,000 watts at 4 ohms in bridged mono or 500 watts per side in either stereo or dual mono.

Classic Hartke Shape Control and Bass Attack Overdrive are onboard, as well as three 12AX7 tubes, a variable compressor, bass and treble shelving, limiter switch, tube EQ and 10-band graphic EQ for complete control over every aspect of your tone. The Kilo also features XLR balanced direct outputs, as well as both 1/4-inch and Speakon output connectors. The Kilo provides robust, full-range tone that will shake the foundation for discriminating players in any style of music. And these demanding players will choose the Hartke Kilo because it gives them unrivaled tone control and plenty of power. An enduring design that features a three-rackspace chassis, milled aluminum faceplate and oversized handles also offers the assuredness that any bassist can be perfectly comfortable taking this amp on the road. Thanks to its power, resiliency and tonal versatility, the Hartke Kilo emerges as a trendsetter on the bass amplification market.
Specs:
True 2 x 500 watts of power, 1,000 watts bridged mono
Three 12AX7 tubes
10-band graphic EQ
Bass and Treble shelving, plus mid-peak EQ controls
World-famous Hartke Shape Control and Bass Attack Overdrive
Variable compressor
Deep and brite switches
Limiter switch
Front panel tuner output jack
Direct output with level control and select switch to choose input, compressor, EQ or effects
XLR balanced direct output with ground lift switch
Footswitch jacks for optional footswitch to control Overdrive, EQ, effects and mute
1/4-inch and Speakon output connectors
Three-rackspace chassis with milled aluminum faceplate and oversize handles

As far as the Cabs go the look very nice and feel as though they are constructed well, however for my ears thy have way too much midrange honk that i couldn't quite eq out, but i imagine this would be great for some styles of Rock and Funk. I would be concerned also at the long term life of the cone, i would be afraid that where the aluminum is fused to the paper they would crack or come apart at the seam, but maybe thats just me, I also tend to favor ported cabs, and these are sealed

HX410_angle-c8df93955c0d249c0ba43afd06fecbd8.jpg


Dual-chamber, sealed Cabinet
4 x 10-inch 250 watt HyDrive neodymium hybrid cone drivers
1-inch titanium compression driver
Power Handling: 1000 watts @ 8 ohms
Frequency Response: 30 Hz to 17 kHz
Sensitivity: 99 dB @ 1 W/1 m
Voice Coil: 2.5 in.
Parallel Speakon and 1/4 in. inputs
High frequency attenuation switch (On, -6 dB, Off)
Removable casters
Dimensions: 24(H) x 24(W) x 15(D) in.
Weight: 68 lbs

but i CAN ASSURE YOU That if that Kilo head had a different name on it it would fly off the shelves, it is just amazing and then some....
 
#9
That looks like an impressive unit also.

I guess I was just so impressed by the LH500 for its simplicity, quality feel and tone, and low price.

There are lot's of large heads with a ton of bells and whistles, but I found the idea of basically an upgraded/modernized Bassman front end driving a nice SS power section in a low priced, two rack space unit to be something somewhat unique to the marketplace.... old school simplicity, and a sort of 'modern meets vintage' sort of tone. It just kind of hit me as something a little bit new in the marketplace.
 
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#11
greenbass5 said:
Kjung,
How would you compare this head to the Nemesis RS 700? I was very interested in the Nemesis as an alternative head to my V4BH to use with my NV 610. But I'd like more power at 4 ohms. The higher power LH1000 is about the same price. Thanks.
Click to expand...


The 700 is a very nice head... more knobs and control, and a more modern, tighter, but still warm tone. It does 2ohms also. At 4ohms, the volume is comparable. Quality is very good on both (based on look, feel, noise, etc.).

The 'feel' and operation of the 700 is more 'typical' for a modern head... pre gain, EQ that is flat at noon, post gain, semi-parametric mid, etc. The feel of the LH500 is much more old school, like the Alembic F1. Putting all the tone controls at noon would NOT be a good thing. The LH500 has quite a bit of the 12AX7 sound to it, again like the Alembic pre.... not grindy or distorted, but fat and warm and full... 'clean tube' tone, without the big bloom of, for example, some of the Mesa stuff.

The LH1000 is a 'stereo' design like the WT800. It does look like you can bridge into 4ohms, but not sure what that does to the specs. I have not heard this version of the head.
 
#13
KJung said:
That looks like an impressive unit also.

I guess I was just so impressed by the LH500 for its simplicity, quality feel and tone, and low price.

There are lot's of large heads with a ton of bells and whistles, but I found the idea of basically an upgraded/modernized Bassman front end driving a nice SS power section in a low priced, two rack space unit to be something somewhat unique to the marketplace.... old school simplicity, and a sort of 'modern meets vintage' sort of tone. It just kind of hit me as something a little bit new in the marketplace.
Click to expand...

I had a chance to try the LH1000 through a fridge cabinet for about 20 minutes today at a local dealer. Tons of power with headroom to spare. Low B was no problem with the big Ampeg 810 and I found that I rather liked the mid control. It was actually nice to just turn the mid knob and dial in quite alot of punch. Sometimes I get tired of having to set a bunch of mid switches and adjust multiple controls just to get some punch.

This amp is the utmost of simplicity. It does have a very Bassman like tone stack in it. What you see is what you get with this amp. It has the basic stuff required of an amp to get the job done, but that's it. For a street price of 649 you get lots of watts but little else (IMHO). Build quality seemed excellent and the amp was dead quiet.

I'm still trying to decide where Hartke is coming from with this design. The amp is very Bassman like but it defeats (again IMHO) the purpose of having a tube front end. At least with a 50 or 100 watt Bassman you can drive the front end into distortion and get some grit and tube drive out of the amp. I had the thing cranked up loud trying to get some tube drive out of it but this amp is super clean. If you used outboard effects, it might be a great choice but for my style it just doesn't work. I like to add in some tube breakup to get a little bit of kick and I just can't get it with this amp.

Don't get me wrong. I loved the power and tone of this amp and I think for the price it's one of the better deals out there right now for a high power amp. If your playing style is such that you love a clean warm sound with lots of headroom, this amp should be on your list to purchase.

I just wonder why Hartke choose not to include at least a master volume so you could drive the front end hot. Better yet how about a a gain control in conjunction with a channel volume and master volume. If they did that, I'd buy one right now!

I think I'll go back there and put an overdrive on the effects buss just for S&G and see how it sounds. Oh Oh, that got me thinking, what if you were to put a real "tube" overdrive on the effects buss? That might be interesting.

Just my .02
 
#14
My feeling on the design goal is that many loved the warm, fat sound of the Bassman, but actually saw all that distortion coming from the low power tube power amp as a negative. I think this was part of the idea of the Alembic pre.... get that fat, mid punchy, warm but relatively clean Bassman tone, and then drive that tone with a transparent, powerful, clean, punchy SS power amp.

Of course, many love the breakup of those low powered tube amps, so it's not a good versus bad thing.

IMO.
 
#15
So speaking of th EQ.- I looked up the manual on Hartkes website and it had this to say:

Equalizer controls
The LH Series tone stack equalizer offers three bands of “boost
only” equalization. Each EQ knob (labeled BASS, MID, and TREBLE,
respectively) affects a different area of the frequency spectrum. Since
the LH series equalizer is comprised of boost only filters, when you
turn all the EQ knobs down, the sound will go completely off (unlike
an typical PEAK EQ circuit). When all three EQ knobs are in their center
positions (“5”), the response is actually set to a preset equalization
curve, with a low and high-end boost and a mid-range cut, producing
an EQ contour (at Hartke, we like to say, SHAPE) that sounds great
for bass. In general, when an EQ control is moved right of center,
the particular frequency area is being boosted; when it is moved left
of center, the frequency area is being attenuated (or less boosted).
However, the LH series EQ controls are somewhat interactive, since
electronically, the BASS feeds the MID, which feeds the Treble. So,
experiment with the LH Series EQ and your particular bass to dial
up the best sound. The most important thing to know about the LH
equalizer is that it’s extremely musical and sounds great with all EQ
knobs set to “5”. Actually, it’s hard to make LH series EQ sound bad.

Turning all EQ controls up the same amount will have virtually the
same effect as simply turning up the VOLUME; conversely, turning
them all down the same amount will have virtually the same effect as
turning down the Volume. Both approaches are pointless (after all,
that’s why we gave you a Volume control!)
 
#19
I demoed a LH100 through a SWR Henry 8x8. Very punchy and full and stone simple. I didn't have a Speakon cable at the time so I couldn't bridge the amp and was only able to use one channel. I like my Shuttle for the majority of gigs, but if I ever need a ton of headroom for an outdoor gig with no PA support, a LH100o bridged into the Henry would be quite the rig!
 

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