• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

NAD - Hartke Kilo

billgwx

billgwx

Apr 10, 2009
556
89
63
Centereach NY
#1
Have been a huge Hartke fan from the start in the mid/late 1980s, in fact I still have early models of the 410XL cabinet and 2000 amp which I still use at rehearsals. Had upgraded my performing rig this past year to the newer HD410 and HD115 cabinets driven by the LH1000 amp, which sounded great right out of the box with a Jazz bass, but was way too transparent with a P-bass when paired with the Hartke cabs, yielding much the same tone I would get when playing direct into the board. I wanted more from a bass amp, like I'd been able to dial in with some newer Ampeg SVT models. Had been curious about the Kilo which has the same power options as the LH1000 with more bells/whistles, and bought one I saw available online at a reasonable price. WOW what a difference!! This amp in combination with a P-bass absolutely growled straight out of the box. Could easily dial in that the low-mid heavy, somewhat trebly sound Bruce Thomas had with Elvis Costello and the Attractions, important since I occasionally sub for an EC tribute band, and can see I'm going to have a blast dialing in other stuff for 50s/60s rockabilly (another side tribute), also harder rock and blues. Why would Hartke discontinue such a great amp?? Not enough demand? Too complicated? Issues I haven't yet run into on day one? Mind-boggling but this will be a fun amp to use, thinking it should be in a handsome road case too for when I take it out this summer. Would love to hear others' experiences with it as well here if I can't already find them in other threads...

kilo.png
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sparky Mark, Marko 1, scott sinner and 4 others
#4
billgwx said:
Have been a huge Hartke fan from the start in the mid/late 1980s, in fact I still have early models of the 410XL cabinet and 2000 amp which I still use at rehearsals. Had upgraded my performing rig this past year to the newer HD410 and HD115 cabinets driven by the LH1000 amp, which sounded great right out of the box with a Jazz bass, but was way too transparent with a P-bass when paired with the Hartke cabs, yielding much the same tone I would get when playing direct into the board. I wanted more from a bass amp, like I'd been able to dial in with some newer Ampeg SVT models. Had been curious about the Kilo which has the same power options as the LH1000 with more bells/whistles, and bought one I saw available online at a reasonable price. WOW what a difference!! This amp in combination with a P-bass absolutely growled straight out of the box. Could easily dial in that the low-mid heavy, somewhat trebly sound Bruce Thomas had with Elvis Costello and the Attractions, important since I occasionally sub for an EC tribute band, and can see I'm going to have a blast dialing in other stuff for 50s/60s rockabilly (another side tribute), also harder rock and blues. Why would Hartke discontinue such a great amp?? Not enough demand? Too complicated? Issues I haven't yet run into on day one? Mind-boggling but this will be a fun amp to use, thinking it should be in a handsome road case too for when I take it out this summer. Would love to hear others' experiences with it as well here if I can't already find them in other threads...

View attachment 4519273
Click to expand...
I seem to remember there being thermal management reliability issues early on with the Kilo. If yours has been used and survived the years since it was made it could be a good one. I had an LH1000 but could never get the sound I wanted from the passive tone stack and loved the look of the Kilo. I too still have my 1990s mosfet AH3500 which has a much more flexible EQ section like the Kilo.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: BrentSimons and jjk2007
#5
jshinal said:
I'd like to hear about your preferred EQ for something like "Pump It Up." :bassist:

Congrats on a really pro piece of gear !
Click to expand...

Thanks!! From Bruce himself, who used a BOSS EQ pedal into an Ampeg SVT:

"Basically I just take out all the bottom end-150 and 100 [Hz] right out. And that horrible sound around 400-if you boost that frequency it makes things go honky and squawky, so I take that one out. And I whack up 200, 220-that's the one that's got to come through.

And the Ampeg has got EQ, too, so you can boost 200,800, or 1600.

I've got 200 on the amp full-on, and 200 on the graphic full-on-to punch the notes out so you can hear every note clearly."

On the Kilo the EQ bands don't perfectly correspond to the above, so I take out everything from 125 and below, also 500, put 250 full-on, and boosted 1000 and 2000 a little. This may sound tinny and/or boxy by itself, but works in the mix playing a P with rounds (currently using Roto mediums instead of the usual GHS Boomers), since it'll cut through the vocals, guitar, and keyboards. And with that kind of sound, muting with the fretting hand is very important, otherwise you'll be clanking, squeaking and scraping all the way through.

As far as Kilo-specific features go: Using its Brite and Deep switches and boosting the gain to emphasize the low mids further refined the sound to a point where I was happy.

I've had mixed results with the above on other rigs, probably because their graphic EQ ranges are too wide, allowing you to take out or boost too much. Never could get it quite right on my older Hartke.

Otherwise, had fun adding grit to my usual bass sound with the overdrive. Think about it, Jamerson's Motown bass sound was overdriven, and a lot of hard rock has it too, you may not hear it specifically in the mix but you'd know if it were missing, the sound would be too clean. I'm gonna have fun adding it to rockabilly tunes to put them over the edge a little :D
 
#7
I was using the LH1000 and Hydrive 410 cab back when the Kilo came out. As stated above, I believe that amp had thermal issues right out of the gate. The LH amps were a lot of bang for the buck but I’m not sure where the Kilo was priced at. Just not sure they had a whole lot of interest generated…
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrentSimons
#8
Back to Bruce Thomas for a second. He played a P with overwound pickups, and I found that adding a barely perceptible touch of overdrive to the otherwise clean bass sound fattened things up to a point that sounded very very close playing my American Standard P with stock pickups.
 
#9
That is a VERY cool looking amp, I never knew this amp existed.

So what era was this amp produced in? The layout is super intuitive and I love the backlit buttons, easy to see what is engaged and what is not engaged.

Thanks for sharing!

Analogeezer
 
#10
Analogeezer said:
That is a VERY cool looking amp, I never knew this amp existed.

So what era was this amp produced in? The layout is super intuitive and I love the backlit buttons, easy to see what is engaged and what is not engaged.

Thanks for sharing!

Analogeezer
Click to expand...
The Kilo appeared in shops early 2012. Here's a link to a thread that discusses the thermal management problems from post #27 onwards.
Hartke Kilo Amplifier Head
 
  • Like
Reactions: brettjames

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back