Mesa WD800 or Hartke LH1000???

[FunkHead]

Welp, I would have said the Hartke LH-1000 except mine had some problems with the input Jacks. They developed cracks on the stupid little PCB causing loss of connection. It was a real b*tch to take apart and re-solder them, but doable. The weight isn't bad for me as I am not holding the amp all night(Just a one had carry and set on the cab).

I have seen about 1/2 Dozen LH-1000's that one of the 2 amps inside(Channels?) stopped working.

Aside from that, The LH-1000 is very Plug & Play. It's impossible to make them sound bad.

The Mesa Stuff is great too but you have to fiddle with the knobs too much IME. Plus they're more than twice as expensive as the LH-1000.

In the end, I'll never buy an amp that has let me down before(Or too many failure stories). Therefore it's Mesa FTW.

 

[lomo]

Mesa: lighter, better warranty & service, stable at 2 Ohms, better/more flexible/versatile eq, onboard HPF (once you have one.......), aux in, USB power on back panel to charge phone/ power pedals.......my absolute favourite integrated bass head.

 

[SteveFromBerlin]

Funny how everybody is afraid of a good old tone stack.

I LOVE the Hartke LH series and would bet that even the 500 is as loud or louder than the Mesa. This thing is a "real old school heavy iron watts" machine.

Having said that, I'd still chose the Mesa if I habe to schlepp it myself.

 

[Bighands Bill]

When I bought my 800+ and 2-12 cab, I figured I could use the Hartke 3500 as a backup. I did a few times and now it's stacked up with the other amps I only use for certain occasions.

 

[agedhorse]

If simpler is important, I would suggest looking at the D-800 over the WD-800.

 

[agedhorse]

Funny how everybody is afraid of a good old tone stack.

I LOVE the Hartke LH series and would bet that even the 500 is as loud or louder than the Mesa. This thing is a "real old school heavy iron watts" machine.

Having said that, I'd still chose the Mesa if I habe to schlepp it myself.

The power transformer and power supply on the lighter amp is actually much stouter than the "heavy iron", and not by just a little bit.

 

[Jeff Hughes]

I had an LH1000 for a minute. It was too heavy for bar gigs. Might be a good house amp or backline, but I generally found it pretty uninspiring.

 

[Chris Chong]

another vote goes to mesa.

 

[FightMilk]

The D800 and a 15" subway cab is an awesome simple rig.

 

[CascadeBass]

I chuckled at this post.. I mean, what did we expect every answer to be?

Anyway, Mesa no contest.

 

[Pings Bass]

I liked my hartke all right until it died, except when I had to carry it.

Now that I've used class D (all the power at a fraction of the weight and size) for a while, there's no way I'd consider a lead sled for anything other than a rehearsal studio.

(I guess we'll keep having these threads until every old lead sled crosses the rainbow bridge.)

 

[dbsfgyd1]

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?

I have the WD-800. I can't imagine why on earth I would need a thousand watts. Frankly, I'm not so sure I could discern the difference OF 200 watts at that sound level.

I am however 100% sure of needing the tone shaping capabilities of the WD-800. It also gets bonus points for its built in HPF, power source for your technology, and amp dampening controls will safely operate down to 2 ohms. It's also easy to match up with cab(s) for safety but efficient use.

And one other bonus, you have the guy who either designed it or was instrumental in it's design here on Talk Bass if you get into the weeds with it.

My personal take on the amp ( in my 5th year of ownership) is it's probably the most flexible amp I've ever owned, suitable for most genres, plenty of clean stable power and made from quality components.

 

[FunkHead]

One cool thing about the LH-1000 is that it could power 8 X 8 ohm cabinets. I would still own one if they were just a bit more reliable.(Sorry Larry)

 

[Thumpin6string]

That's like asking if you should get a Squier or a Fodera.

 

[Joebone]

A minority report, here - LOVE the Subway amps, and was very happy with a D800+...and even more so with a WD800...until I fell hard for Greenboy fearless cabinets, which are seriously inefficient 8-ohm loads. As the Brits would say, it takes a lot of watts to get them "on song." I've played through the LH1000 on a backline (into an Ampeg 8x10) and thought it sounded great - way better than I usually get on with Ampeg stuff. And I'm noting that it does 750 watts into 8 ohms bridged. And I only gig 1-3 times a month and already have my cabinet on a cart for load-in, and it's not like I'm doing the urban warrior lifestyle with atrocious transit and load-in issues. Net net - I'm going to try one, and hope that the LPF/HPF function on my Genzler OD device will provide an additional degree of control beyond the tone stack, and that the reliability gremlins will be benevolent and kind. And otherwise I'll maintain my periodic chant for Mesa production of a WD1200! Will report back at some point...

 

[agedhorse]

There's no real motivating need for a speaker designer to ignore the importance of sensitivity, there are just too many good options these days.

 

[Thundar]

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.

Definitely buy the Mesa head...I owned an LH1000 for quite a while, and I liked it but it was a heavy fella even tough it had plenty of power to spare. The LH series doesn't have the best track record and you can find them used for cheap here in the US. Having said that, I REALLY do love those sealed Hartke HX/HL 410 cabs! You are correct, they will bring the thunder! I was really impressed with them...I loved the old 4.5XL cabs too. They were ported and heavy but they sounded fantastic!

 

[Joebone]

There's no real motivating need for a speaker designer to ignore the importance of sensitivity, there are just too many good options these days.

The engineering is beyond my paygrade, but guessing that on the fearless (I have the f112 and f115, with the single 115 plenty sufficient for anything I do) inefficiency is the penalty for the small cabinet. That said, it kicks like the proverbial government mule, and puts me on a footing with drummers that I've never before experienced. It's downright addictive!

 

[baxter_x]

Definitely buy the Mesa head...I owned an LH1000 for quite a while, and I liked it but it was a heavy fella even tough it had plenty of power to spare. The LH series doesn't have the best track record and you can find them used for cheap here in the US. Having said that, I REALLY do love those sealed Hartke HX/HL 410 cabs! You are correct, they will bring the thunder! I was really impressed with them...I loved the old 4.5XL cabs too. They were ported and heavy but they sounded fantastic!

I share your opinion about Harke amps. They are average at best. However their cabs are surprisingly good!

 

[Pep]

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?

If it's between the WD800 and an LH1000, it would be the WD800 or learn a new instrument.