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Hartke LH500

#461
Well, I've "modded" my LH500 a bit ... just added cream colored chickenhead knobs in anticipation of recovering my cabs in tweed. Any yay or nay opinions?? (sorry for the poor quality cameraphone pics)

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I'm completely convinced it sounds more vintage this way ... :hiding:

Cheers,
Liam

p.s. also threw it into an SKB rack, which I like a lot. Tried the Carvin headcase, but it was too shallow.
 
#462
liam_g said:
Well, I've "modded" my LH500 a bit ... just added cream colored chickenhead knobs in anticipation of recovering my cabs in tweed. Any yay or nay opinions?? (sorry for the poor quality cameraphone pics)

Link Removed
Link Removed

I'm completely convinced it sounds more vintage this way ... :hiding:

Cheers,
Liam

p.s. also threw it into an SKB rack, which I like a lot. Tried the Carvin headcase, but it was too shallow.
Click to expand...
now that, is cool.
 
#463
Can anyone here do a compare\contrast to the GK Fusion 550? I'm really interested in that head, though I've never played it (kinda hard to drop in and try them out here in the UK). I like what I'm reading here - sounds like it won't get dirty like the GK, but a pedal up front could fix that...

Oh, and how is the tone compared to the Hartke Kilo? Obviously lots more bells and whistles in a bigger package, but not always a good thing. Does the LH1000 have 3 tubes also?

Thoughts?
 
#464
I don't have a lot of info for you, but I will say that the LH1000, like the LH500, only has 1 preamp tube. Also, my understanding is that the Kilo isn't released yet ...

The LH500/1000 definitely doesn't get dirty on its own. It just has a warm, clean tube compression/give when you dig in ... but like you say, a pedal can change that.

Maybe some others can chime in with actual experience comparing the LH500 to the Fusion 550 ...

Cheers,
Liam
 
#465
Sorry to hog this thread recently!

Just had my first gig with the LH500. This was with a 5 piece band, amplified acoustic guitar and mandolin, drums, and a guest who doubles on harp and tenor sax. We road tripped to Augusta GA from Nashville to play a cool club called the Stillwater Taproom. Very fun place, and a great crowd of about 200 people. I was playing my fretless P bass into the LH500 into one 3015-loaded EV TL606 cab. Drums and bass weren't in the PA, everything else was. I had the volume at 9:00, with bass-mid-treble at 3-10-1, and the limiter engaged. I got a great fat vintage tone that fit perfectly with the funk/folk/blues we were playing. Articulation was plenty crisp and quick on 16th notes, and the longer notes bloomed nicely as well.

Very pleased, and happy that it performs as well on the gig as it does during rehearsals.

Cheers,
Liam
 
#466
I had one as part of the Hydrive 5210 neo combo amp. If you check out some of my pics in some posts you'll still c the cab but I sold the head. It is however a gr8 head. When I checked it out the head had a gr8 sounds I just use a preamp poweramp setup. I sold it for $275 someone got a gr8 deal. I just needed the cab :) I use the 5210 cab and a Hartke 115 neo cab so I have a 210 115 setup.
 
#468
Just picked up an LH500. Took about 5 minutes to get the sound I wanted out of it. I'll agree it's a Bassman with 500 watts. Sounds killer through a Mesa PH212. Fits in the shallow Gator rack case. Too cool.

Dan
 
#469
Just picked up the LH500 head from SamAsh about an hour ago! I'm gonna try it out with the band tomorrow night and it will be gigged on Saturday night. Played with the head for a while in the store on a Hartke 115 and really loved the tones that were so easy to pull from it.

I was debating between this and a Line6 HD750. I really like Line6 products but I feel that this was a better fit for me. The only thing that I liked more with the Line6 was the preset channels that are footswitch accessible, a CD/MP3 input jack, headphone jack and Speakon connections. What turned me off where the fact that the tones sounded pretty sterile. I'd pick up one of the small combo amps for a small house practice amp though.

Can't wait to open her up tomorrow night!!
 
#470
This is probably obvious to the rest of you, but I can't make sense of this spec for the LH1000:

"Dual Parallel Mode: 2 x 225 watts @ 8 ohms, 2 x 320 watts @ 4 ohms, 2 x 545 watts @ 2 ohms"

So, does the "2 x 225 watts @ 8 ohms ..." in the spec indicate the wattage/impedance on a single channel of the LH1000, or on the LH1000 head as a whole?

Earlier in this thread a fellow TBer noted that he asked the good folks at Hartke what he should do in order to plug a single lower-powered cab into an LH1000. They told him to turn the balance knob all the way to one of the two channels, effectively transforming the LH1000 into an LH500 by silencing the other channel.

Here's what I can't determine: If I do this, what is the resulting wattage delivered to a single cab on a single channel? For the sake of argument, we'll call it an 8 ohm cab. Is that cab going to get:

1) 225 watts of power (from the "2 x 225 watts @ 8 ohms" in the spec)? - or -
2) 450 watts of power (inferring from the 2 x 225 watts that using only 1, rather than 2, delivers the entire 450 watts to the single cab on the single side)? - or -
3) 350 watts (the wattage of an 8 ohm load on the LH500, of which the LH1000 has, in effect, 2 of them crammed into its single case)?
4) something entirely different?
 
#471
Late Boomer said:
So, does the "2 x 225 watts @ 8 ohms ..." in the spec indicate the wattage/impedance on a single channel of the LH1000, or on the LH1000 head as a whole?
Click to expand...

That would be your single-channel power rating.

Late Boomer said:
Here's what I can't determine: If I do this, what is the resulting wattage delivered to a single cab on a single channel?
Click to expand...

It will still be 225 watts for that channel. And if you plug a separate 8-ohm cab into the other channel, then that channel will also yield 225 watts, for a total of 450 watts. The only way to deliver more than 225 watts to an 8-ohm load is to bridge the two internal power amps in order to yield 750 watts.

MM
 
#472
Used my LH500 and a Kappalite 3015-loaded EV TL606 in the studio recently. THe engineer raved about it. He took the direct out and also mic'd the cab. He loved the tube warmth without distortion, and said it was about the best sounding rig he's had anyone bring in. He plans to recommend the head to some bass playing friends.

Still loving this rig!

Cheers,
Liam
 
#473
liam_g said:
Used my LH500 and a Kappalite 3015-loaded EV TL606 in the studio recently. THe engineer raved about it. He took the direct out and also mic'd the cab. He loved the tube warmth without distortion, and said it was about the best sounding rig he's had anyone bring in. He plans to recommend the head to some bass playing friends.

Still loving this rig!

Cheers,
Liam
Click to expand...

Sounds perfect for you, Liam. Just goes to show that it isn't necessary to spend thousands of dollars on diamond-encrusted, platinum-plated, super-elite, space-age gear - if you really know what works for your sound, and you know where to find it.

MM
 
#475
bluesrx said:
I'm thinking about getting the LH1000. My question is... can you run just a single cab off one side or do you have a cab plugged into both sides? My QSC's can run a single cab off just one side and not have a speaker (load) on the other.
Click to expand...

Yes, you can run a single cab off one side. Think of it as having two LH500 heads in a two space unit, but you can also bridge them to get the full wattage.
 
#477
bluesrx said:
Went with the LH500. Got a good deal off ebay from authorized dealer. 339.00 shipped. Plus 27 and change instant cash back from Microsoft/Bing Cashback. So right around 312.00... Swwweeet !!
Click to expand...

Congrats! They are wonderful heads, and an absolute bargain. I picked up mine for $249 used. Let us know how you like it!!!

Cheers,
Liam
 
#478
Well... I absolutely love this head. Simple design. My only qualm is that the taper on the volume pot is kinda funky.. not a great deal of volume until about 6 or 7. Then it's a big jump. Anybody else have this problem?

Oh yeh... I swapped the tube out for an NOS RCA 7025... sahweeet
 
#479
Wow, I get tons of volume early on with mine. And I've never had it past noon. Usually around 10:00 to 11:00 on gigs. Rehearsals 8:30 or 9:00. But I play mostly funky blues, so it isn't the loudest band on earth, by any stretch.

Glad you're liking it though!

Cheers,
Liam
 

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