Tuomas Posted January 14, 2003 Share Posted January 14, 2003 Yeah. Everyone is saying that Hartke amps and cabs aint so good, and the sound is poor. I haven't tried Hartke, but is Hartke (amps & cabs) really that lousy? Don't eat yellow snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addix Metzatricity Posted January 14, 2003 Share Posted January 14, 2003 I have a Hartke HA3000 head and Hartke 4x10 Transporter cab. When I bought 'em, I was really into playing metal, but now I'm more interested in playing something not so..... noisy. They really don't work for me anymore. In my opinion, they're great for metal, but not much else. The aluminum cones blow easily, and you even Hartke has since switched back to paper. I will definitely be buying a new (non-Hartke) rig. But, as always, you'll never know until you try it for yourself. "Bass isn't just for breakfast anymore..." http://www.mp3.com/Addix_Metzatricity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted January 14, 2003 Share Posted January 14, 2003 I used to have a Hartke 2000 head and Hartke 4x10 cab. They worked great for me while I had them -- I used them for rehearsals and small/medium club gigs. I never had any problems blowing speakers, and I was able to get good tone from them. I don't think the Hartke sound is quite everyone's cup of tea, but I also think that they're somewhat more versatile tonally than many folks give them credit for. However, I am happier now with the sounds from both my Ampeg B50R 1x12 combo and my SWR Super Redhead 2x10 combo. Try a "search" on Hartke and you'll find a lot of other comments, positive and negative. Peace. spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fonz Posted January 14, 2003 Share Posted January 14, 2003 i had a hartke 410 transporter that was the bes knees when i was in high school. i was the only bass player with a big-ass rig so i was king sh** with my hartke and peavey mark IV. ahhhh, how far we've come. i played that hartke for many years mainly out of necessity because i was dissatisfied with it very quickly but couldn't afford a new cab. eventually it did fit nicely into my rig, but my rig at that point was mammoth: an SVTIII, a homemade box with 2 EV 15s, a 197something ampeg 1X18, and my trusty old transporter 4X10. that was really the only setting in which i was happy with the hartke, but i see no need for THAT much mids and hiss. i just happened to have it lying around and it made a nice addition to an otherwise very capable rig. as for the amps, two words: ugh. spent HOURS in front of those things in rehearsal studios trying to squeeze some life out of 'em. you can get something that might pass for tone in a solo or practice setting out of it, but once you add other instruments to the mix it either gets lost or sounds like dookie. i don't think the guys who designed them ever thought of what they would sound like in a band setting. Eeeeeehhhhhhhhh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted January 14, 2003 Share Posted January 14, 2003 Originally posted by Bastid E: i was king sh** with my hartke and peavey mark IV. ahhhh, how far we've come. Hey, E, I used to run a Mark IV thru my Hartke also! Ahhh, yes, how far indeed we have come! Meet you again at Jimmy's next year for more Aguilar sampling?! I still think that you can get decent tone from a Hartke amp, but I think there are other products from which you can get better tone. Peace. spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fonz Posted January 14, 2003 Share Posted January 14, 2003 Originally posted by Sweet Willie: Originally posted by Bastid E: i was king sh** with my hartke and peavey mark IV. ahhhh, how far we've come. Hey, E, I used to run a Mark IV thru my Hartke also! Ahhh, yes, how far indeed we have come! did you now? you do know my rig was stolen. hmmmmmmm..... Eeeeeehhhhhhhhh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addix Metzatricity Posted January 14, 2003 Share Posted January 14, 2003 Ya' know... My first rig was a Peavy Mark IV and a Hartke 4x10, which I bought together used. This is truly odd. "Bass isn't just for breakfast anymore..." http://www.mp3.com/Addix_Metzatricity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted January 14, 2003 Share Posted January 14, 2003 Originally posted by Bastid E: Originally posted by Sweet Willie: Originally posted by Bastid E: i was king sh** with my hartke and peavey mark IV. ahhhh, how far we've come. Hey, E, I used to run a Mark IV thru my Hartke also! Ahhh, yes, how far indeed we have come! did you now? you do know my rig was stolen. hmmmmmmm..... I did not know that. Got my Mark IV on 48th St. from a salesperson who insisted it would sound like playing thru waffles -- but I ignored him...Should I have been worried that I made my purchase out of the back of a truck?! Before the Hartke cab I had a sweet Peavey 2x8, 1x15 cab (wicked heavy). Don't know why I sold that one! In retrospect, it was a pretty kick-ass cab with Black Widow speakers. Of course, this was the late '80s and I was young and didn't know better. spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted January 14, 2003 Share Posted January 14, 2003 Originally posted by Addix Metzatricity: Ya' know... My first rig was a Peavy Mark IV and a Hartke 4x10, which I bought together used. This is truly odd.Definitely bizarre. And considering that I used to have an '80s Ibanez Roadstar II bass like wraub... There's something fishy going on! Looks like we may be onto a full-scale hijack! spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesb Posted January 14, 2003 Share Posted January 14, 2003 I'm obviously in the minority here, but I have a Hartke 3500 and I love it! I've had it for about a year now. I use it with one or two SWR Workingman 2x10 cabs depending on the gig. I've never had a problem with it. Other bassists that have heard me play can't believe the tone I get with this rig, so maybe I have the only good Hartke amp ever made.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpmiii Posted January 14, 2003 Share Posted January 14, 2003 Hey I had one of those peavey cabinets in the mid 80s, it caught stolen hmmm.... "I never would have seen it, if I didn't already believe it" Unknown http://www.SongCritic.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Bassist Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 I had a Hartke 1x15 transporter (ran in series with a 1x15 EV) It blew up constantly, and the EV did not. I replaced it with a Bag End and have been happy about that decision, except for the carpet. I am never buying another pice of exquipment with carpet on it. Chris http://homepage.mac.com/cvreeland/BassSig.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxofunk Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 Well, I guess I'm glad Santa didn't fulfill the wish list this year. I have read several good reviews about the 3500 head, and haven't had the opportunity to play through one. Based on reviews alone I added it to my wish list along with the 4x10 cab - paper cones (xb410???) Anyway - I have read and heard about problems with aluminum speaker cones, so I am not really interested in those, but I will definitely play through a 3500 before getting excited about it again. - Matt W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edendude Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 My first bass rig was a Hartke. Had to get rid of it immediately, it sucked so badly. I now have a hybrid Eden/SWR/GK rig. MUCH better! My Last Band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 Despite all the bad things that have been said about Hartke gear, Bass Player gave an even more glwoing than usual review the Hartke's new 4x10" cab, the expensive one with the huge mid/high horn speaker. I'd like to try this cab, it's the only Hartke cab that's ever looked interesting to me. I think someone out there needs to design some bass cabs that get on better with FX units because most HF units sounds brittle when you put fuzz etc through them, or just can't handle that much energy in the HF. Alex Barefaced Ltd - ultra lightweight, high ouput, toneful bass cabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Smith Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 I've played through several Hartke stacks and I just don't like the tone. I always thought it was cool that you could blend the tube and solid state preamps, but since they both sound like solid state, it was pointless! Couldn't ever trust an aluminum driver either. Discipline is never an end in itself, only a means to an end. --King Crimson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc taz Posted January 15, 2003 Share Posted January 15, 2003 Originally posted by alexclaber: I think someone out there needs to design some bass cabs that get on better with FX units because most HF units sounds brittle when you put fuzz etc through them, or just can't handle that much energy in the HF. AlexSpot on. Then again, I sometimes use my MicroBass amp for my mids and highs when hooked into my Peavey TNT 115's crossover. Kind of raw sounding in clean modes, but sounds great with a bit of an overdriven sound mixed in (like King's X). sevenstring.org profile my flickr page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted January 16, 2003 Share Posted January 16, 2003 to add to the fodder... I loathe Hartke. I despise their equipment with a burning passion. If I were offered an endorsement deal from them, I would laugh in their faces and then do something horrible to their dog. Bad tone. No flexibility. Speakers blown more often than some people bathe, although I've heard that they've fixed this little problem. Never the less... Bad, bad, bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rader Ranch Posted January 16, 2003 Share Posted January 16, 2003 ...so, if you had (read: have) a Hartke with a (surprise surprise) blown 15" ( a single 15 cab), what would be your favorite driver to replace it with? the cabinet seems solid enough...i'd like to get something that will provide the most low end, as i have a few cabinets with multpile 12"s or smaller in them (this is in a home studio recording setting). TIA... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hurley000 Posted January 16, 2003 Share Posted January 16, 2003 We all know that Hartke is no SWR. Not even close. With that in mind, I personally like the sound of Hartke. It really depends on what type of music you play. It has a clean, punchy sound, which is decent for metal/punk/rock. I do agree, though, that the speakers don't handle effects all that well. To those with blown Transporter speakers, those suck because hartke had to cut cost with that line of products. Try the xl series, or the new professional series. I play with a 3500 head and a 410xl cab, and I haven't had any real problems yet. And as for the tube preamp, it sounds a lot better when you change to a better tube. That's all. I'll shut up now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Malone Posted January 16, 2003 Share Posted January 16, 2003 There was a time when I owned Hartke cabs. I had a 15 and a 4-10 both XL series. I did blow the 15. The problem with the 15 is that it was only rated at 180 watts, the 4-10 was rated at 240. At the time I was using a GK 800RB and the 15 couldn't handle even the 300 watts of the GK. Never blew any of the 10's. Wally I have basses to play, places to be and good music to make! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartolini Posted January 16, 2003 Share Posted January 16, 2003 This topic gives me heart ache. I bought Hartke 3500 and use a Trace Elliot 4 x 10 cab. I havent used the amp enough to judge it's quality or age. It appears a lot of guys do not like this amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slaerty Posted January 16, 2003 Share Posted January 16, 2003 These amps are cheap. Even in the land of Oz I can get a 400w Hartke with 2 10's and a 15 for less than the price of a Walkabout. You get what you pay for. Providence over serendipity any day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edendude Posted January 16, 2003 Share Posted January 16, 2003 Yep... I'm definitley 'not' a brand-loyal type of guy, since my rig is a true mut made up of Eden/SWR/GK, but Hartke is the one brand of bass amp I would definitely avoid. Ugly tone characteristics and questionable quality. My Last Band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike H. Posted January 16, 2003 Share Posted January 16, 2003 The Hartke heads have good tone and are very well built. The aluminum cone speakers are what caused problems for us at the store. Seems people had a really easy time blowing them. http://www.identity5.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted January 16, 2003 Share Posted January 16, 2003 Originally posted by Bartolini: This topic gives me heart ache. I bought Hartke 3500 and use a Trace Elliot 4 x 10 cab. I havent used the amp enough to judge it's quality or age. It appears a lot of guys do not like this amp. I think the amp will probably work out fine for you. Like I said earlier, I did okay with my Hartke 2000 when I had it. Enjoy it! spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted January 16, 2003 Share Posted January 16, 2003 hey, Rader Ranch! try a peavey 15". their big dogs are the low-rider, BWX, and black widow (BW). also, a lot of people have had great success with JBL. i don't know what model of 15", but i think they have a couple. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewstermaniac Posted January 16, 2003 Share Posted January 16, 2003 I'm currently using a Hartke. Don't be fooled, they really do sound great. Don't use the Hartke head though, use something beefier, like an ampeg, or an 'ole tube head like Sunn. they really do have that phat tone. Q /|\ {\==W===:# ! \ \ \ ~ ~ Check out my work in progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Harms Posted January 17, 2003 Share Posted January 17, 2003 I have been using a Hartke 5000 head through a Transporter 410 for about 3 years now, and I am just now thinking about replacing it. I originaly bought it to replace my wimpy combo and it was the best bang for the buck I could find for a powerful rig in my price range. Don't get me wrong, it has a lot of power and can produce decent tones for rock or metal type music, but it just doesn't have the tone or the versatility that I am looking for in a rig. The amp originaly impressed me with all of its controls and eq and all, but I find it a lot harder to dial in a good tone on the Harke then it is on an SWR or some other high end amps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groucho Posted January 17, 2003 Share Posted January 17, 2003 Yeow! Dissin' the Hartke! I have 2 setups,,, First my original first year SVT head and matching 8-10 cab (circa 69'? Has the 6146 outputs that Ampeg recalled and switched to the 6550) Second, my pair O' Hartke's - one 1410 (140W with 2 10's) and one 1415 (140w 1-15) I use them in tandem with the 2-10 on top of the 1-15 and am very happy with the results I am looking at the SWR Mo' Bass but I can't justify it without a better gig to use it on! if it ain't broke don't fix it... unless you need the overtime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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