I owned a couple of Harke heads in the past. The graphic was nice, but personally the lack of a mid range control on the shelving made it to me seem like it was lacking in mid range. The graphic eq is nice to have, but without the shelving it was IMO/IME with the heads very limiting. I think the mid range control on this head would make this head a tad better for obtaining a more balanced sound.
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Hartke or Ashdown?
- Thread starter John Deacon
- Start date
I owned a couple of Harke heads in the past. The graphic was nice, but personally the lack of a mid range control on the shelving made it to me seem like it was lacking in mid range. The graphic eq is nice to have, but without the shelving it was IMO/IME with the heads very limiting. I think the mid range control on this head would make this head a tad better for obtaining a more balanced sound.
I have an ashdown mag 300 and it is a fine amp, (Nice and warm sounding),however, playing with an overly aggressive drummer at large venues it tends to be slightly weak.
Running with P.A. support it does fine. The right speaker combination is critical. I tried several till I came up with a good one. A 15" jbl and a 2-10" cab made it sound GREAT.
As for the Hartke, I have heard several and they aren't quite as warm sounding but they sound a little clearer(at least at low levels). Either amp is a good choice in my opinion.
Running with P.A. support it does fine. The right speaker combination is critical. I tried several till I came up with a good one. A 15" jbl and a 2-10" cab made it sound GREAT.
As for the Hartke, I have heard several and they aren't quite as warm sounding but they sound a little clearer(at least at low levels). Either amp is a good choice in my opinion.
These new LH Hartke heads are not your typical Hartke heads, the new HyDrive cabs are pretty cool also.
The thing is, I dont have much use for a huge graphic EQ. I mainly leave it flat. But I sometimes boost the lows.
I've used a Hartke 3500 head and 410XL cab. The 410 BULLETPROOF, and to me worked great. I mic'd and DI'd, however. I got some of that metallic sizzle from the drivers (and had the beauty of that cab cutting through ANYTHING as a stage monitor), but I also DI'd and blended at the board. I wouldn't like a Hartke cab if there was no FOH I could blend a direct signal with. Just my opinion...
My only Ashdown experience was some Asdown head and 410 as a provided backline. In my experience, it was horrible At the time my rig consisted of the 410XL, an SVT-III Pro, and some rackmount effects. The Ashdown just seemed to be struggling the entire time. Very anorexic, and shallow.
Again, no idea WHICH Ashdown it was, but I was far from impressed.
My only Ashdown experience was some Asdown head and 410 as a provided backline. In my experience, it was horrible At the time my rig consisted of the 410XL, an SVT-III Pro, and some rackmount effects. The Ashdown just seemed to be struggling the entire time. Very anorexic, and shallow.
Again, no idea WHICH Ashdown it was, but I was far from impressed.
I am an experimenting guy who buys a lot of gear just for the fun of it and to see for myself what stuff sounds like, so!
...I just sold my Hartke LH500 after trying it for about 5 days both in rehearsal and in my home studio! It totally disappointed me over all, i never buy Hartke again! I think you will be more happy with the "Eden Nemesis RS400" which is in the same price range and sounds nice and punchy too! The LH500 Squeaks harsh and the bottom kind a fades and mushes in the "big picture" mix and music wise! And do not use the "bright" button its plain awful and the "limiter" is kind a dull too! Sorry haven't got much nice to say about Hartke any more, they kind a lost it! A couple of years ago they where quit OK, but now they sound hollow and plain dull. I bought this Hartke-stack about a week ago and im changing it all includng my XL cabinets in the near future as well, as soon as i get the money for a better eden og EBS rig!
Good luck gear hunting!
/j - DK
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Lakland Skyline 5502 Deluxe, Cherry Sunburst Quilt Maple Top/Swamp Ash Body w/ Maple Fingerboard
Fender Precision w/ Maple Fingerboard
Eden Nemesis NA650/Eden Nemesis RS400
Hartke XL 2*10" + Hartke XL 1*15"
EBS MicroBass II, EBS MultiComp, dbx 266XL
Current prices I can find online are:
Eden Nemesis RS400 = £390
Hartke LH500 = £225
Now that puts the Eden up into another price bracket in my mind, and well above the mainstream bulk manufacture heads. The LH500 seems a lot of basic good amp for the money but I would not expect Eden-esque quality from it. Sadly I can't afford Eden quality just yet.
Eden Nemesis RS400 = £390
Hartke LH500 = £225
Now that puts the Eden up into another price bracket in my mind, and well above the mainstream bulk manufacture heads. The LH500 seems a lot of basic good amp for the money but I would not expect Eden-esque quality from it. Sadly I can't afford Eden quality just yet.
yeah...edens out of my range right now. im kinda just focusing on the hartke lh500 and the ashdown 600 watt head.
I've been a Hartke fan for years. I really like my 3500 (older Transient Attack version). I don't even use the EQ on it. I don't know how different the new ones are, but this one has been very good to me. I've only had to replace the cooling fan. I've had this one for about 7 years, I think.
I had that same head. I liked it until it petered out. When it did I switched to an SVT-III Pro. The SVT had nowhere near the power or headroom, but I did prefer the SVT tone above the Hartke. Regardless, that Hartke head is not a bad head whatsoever.
I think you missed something (or didn't read something) before you posted this.
The OP is comparing the NEW LH series Hartke stuff to Ashdown, not the old 3500s (yech) etc.
The new LH500 is a more vintage (Fender Bassman-ish) warm tubey sounding amp that has been getting very good reviews.
I never cared for anything Hartke made until this new stuff came out.
+1 The new Hartkes are a new breed. In addition, anyone not getting the sound they want out of a Hartke doesn't mean the amp is shite! Plenty people love them just as plenty people hate them. I have 2 older Hartkes (3000, 5500) that have worked and sounded great for me in a Pop, R&B/Funk setting. Clean and Punchy is all I require. I like the new amps as well but I was hoping Hartke would have jumped on the micro-amp bandwagon.
The LH amps are not light, that's for sure. That being said, the Ashdown ABM is around 10 lbs heavier than the LH500 and about the same weight as the LH1000, despite the LH1000 being nearly twice as powerful. I'm not sure how heavy the MAG heads are, but I know they aren't lightweights.
