Should I get a hartke bass cab or an ampeg...

you talkin alum cone hartke or paper?

never heard the alum cone hartke but the paper ones sound BAD, BAD, BAD...I MEAN BAD!!!!

ampeg isnt really my deal, but they sound pretty nice for that style sound.

 

I have owned both an Ampeg 410he and a Hartke 410XL in the past. The sound of these two cabs are so drastically different from each other the answer should be obvious to you. Try them both out and pick the one that sounds the way you want to sound. Both will work fine with all styles of music. The Hartke speakers MIGHT be a little more fragile. I blew one once because I played through the cab too soon after bringing it in from my truck on a cold winter day. But I should have known better It's very possible that could happen with all other speakers also.

 

normally i would say ampeg, but i heard that hartke makes their cabs specially to go with their heads, so it might sound better together. I have a hartke 7000 over a hartke 4x10, and i play punk, and i love it. I love that ampeg tone, but i'm not sure if just getting an ampeg cab will do that. I would say the hartke cab just becuase of this, but try it for yourself and see whats up.

 

Unless you're totally committed to either of those cabs, I think you should check out the Eden Nemesis 4x10 cab if there's a dealer near you. Haven't tried that one but I have tried their 1x12. It was very good sounding, could handle tons of bass, and could get really, REALLY loud. Oh and their 4x10 only weighs about 62 lbs.

 

i perfer ampeg

 

My very biased opinion:

Hartke is cheap crap and Ampeg rules. Get the Ampeg.

 

Ampegs are great. Not a big Hartke fan, but for the money, they aren't terrible. I have played one before, too.

 

i honestly think a hartke 4.5xl sounds great. i've played it with the ha4000 head, and i dug it.

ampeg cabs sound fine (lots of different series and models, though - go for the hlf's or the pro series). like people have said, you'll have to go hear both and follow your ears.

i saw a metal/punk band the other night. the bassist had an older carvin head with an ampeg 15 and 410. it was too dark for me to make out the model. anyway, it sounded pretty punk-ish. heh. he couldn't keep up with the guitarist's crate full stack though. that was over the line - and he had the cobra (GI joe's nemesis) emblem on the head and both cabs! ha!

 

I'm an ampeg guy also. Highly recommend the extended freq. SVT410hlf over the HE.

Good Hunting

 

Personally I love the Ampeg tone.I better,since I bought a b2r head a while back!!

While I hear mixed reviews on Hartke,I have`nt had the opportunity to play through any of their gear.

Do like they other members suggest and follow your ears.

Good Luck!

 

As everyone else has commented, the sounds of the two are VERY different! Ampeg is warmer. Hartke, IMHO, tend to sound kind of metalic... Go figure.

Also, be careful of the Hartke aluminum cones. If you blow one... no let me rephrase that... WHEN you blow one, it will cost a fortune to replace! I know two different guys who ran perfectly matched Hartke stacks (amp power to cab ratings and such). Both guys blew cones in the cabs. They are very touchy.

 

the kid i sold my 4x10 paper plus alum 5 cab to blew teh 5 in it

buyer beware...id go for ampeg if i was you jsut because of all teh reliabilty problems ive had with hartke (had a 3500 in teh shop countless times plus the blown 5), but then again, im not