Mesa WD800 or Hartke LH1000???

[Roknbluzbassist]

IF! You could only have one! Would you go for....
The Hartke? = Less money, simpler EQ and more power??? or...
The Mesa? = versatile, lightweight, smaller footprint?

Which one and why?

 

[arszon]

Mesa WD800

 

[57pbass]

As attractive as The Hartke specs are..it’s a really heavy piece of gear…I use my WD800 all the time.

 

[Roknbluzbassist]

Mesa WD800

As attractive as The Hartke specs are..it’s a really heavy piece of gear…I use my WD800 all the time.

Me too! I'm just hoping my wd800 sounds good with the hartke hd410 cabinet I just ordered

 

[tb-player]

The Hartke absolutely does NOT have a simpler EQ because it doesn’t start at flat. With all knobs at zero, it has a massive scoop. So the controls aren’t giving you an accurate picture of what’s really happening with your tone. You may be fine with that. I hated it.

If I only had those two to choose from, I’d say Mesa all day. But if you’re open, check out the Genzler Magellan series.

 

[Roknbluzbassist]

The Hartke absolutely does NOT have a simpler EQ because it doesn’t start at flat. With all knobs at zero, it has a massive scoop. So the controls aren’t giving you an accurate picture of what’s really happening with your tone. You may be fine with that. I hated it.

If I only had those two to choose from, I’d say Mesa all day. But if you’re open, check out the Genzler Magellan series.

Good to know man! I have the Mesa now. It's an amazing head. I ordered the hartke hd410 today and I'm just hoping the Mesa sounds good through it.

 

[Geri O]

I don’t play “if you can only have one”….

I do have one…..the Mesa WD800.

Oh, wait. And a Mesa D-350.

And a tiny Trace Elliot Elf.

But no Hartke.

 

[57pbass]

Me too! I'm just hoping my wd800 sounds good with the hartke hd410 cabinet I just ordered

Please let us know ..I’m curious about that 4 x 10 Hartke cab..especially since it’s sealed.

 

[BGroovy]

I only have one and it's a WD800

 

[gtirard]

Is this a joke?

 

[ELG60]

This:

 

[baxter_x]

Please let us know ..I’m curious about that 4 x 10 Hartke cab..especially since it’s sealed.

Great peice of gear. I bought a HX410 a several months ago. I liked it so much I bought two HL410 two weeks ago. They sound slightly better than the HX and weight nothing!

I've always used ported cabs but those sealed are really really good!
Thing that really impresses me the most about those cabs is how they can handle power! They seem to take everything you send them. It's not easy to reach their limits.

I wish I could compare them to the Mesa subway 410. But very hard to find in EU, and not the same price neither.

For half of the price of the Mesa, I had two Hartke.

 

[pcake]

luckily i don't have to make that decision. if i did, i'd most likely go with the WD800.

i loved my LH500, but it was heavy. the LH1000 weighs in at 31.9 lbs. according to sweetwater - the mesa is 7 lbs. that's a big difference.

i find my mesa D-350 is more versatile than my LH500 was, but the tone i got from the LH500 was warm and sooo nice. that being said, the LH500 was super simple to use, more so than most heads. but i did end up with the smaller mesa, which sounds great and fits easily on any cab, which the LH500 certainly did not. it stuck out on my GK112, and it would stick out further on my current 2x5.

 

[NeonVomit]

Mesa all day every day. Much lighter and more compact, plus if you want it to sound like the Hartke you can, whereas the same can't be said for the Hartke.

Hartke is like 1/3 of the price though so there's that.

 

[BaltBass5]

WD800. It's not even a choice.

 

[Iristone]

A more comparable Hartke would be the TX or LX series. The LH series comes with an Alembic-like preamp, but the weight and less controls don't make it as versatile.

 

[Nebadon2000]

The Hartke isn't really a simpler EQ
With my WD800 and foot switch I bypass Para EQ and get great results using HPF, passive mid and Bass treble

I can use Para for second tone and switch on/off also use Para for overdrive settings also switch on/off and can come in handy for poor acoustics venue BUT
as I mentioned I don't use Para and don't need most of the time but it is nice to have when useful

Again getting great tones 'simply' buy using just Hpf, passive mid and Bass/treble also Damping Control

 

[Spectre Gunner]

Long after you've forgotten what you paid, you'll be glad you went with the WD-800. And you won't have to sell the Hartke to buy one. Also, I doubt you'd notice a difference in power between the two.

 

[Lo-E]

The Mesa? = versatile, lightweight, smaller footprint?

Exactly.

 

[Gervais Cote]

Mesa as your main amp and a cheap used Hartke as a backup head.

Once you enjoy the benefits of a Mesa Subway head, you can never look back.