hartke bass attack

[youarenotaslave]

do any of you have the hartke bass attack pedal, if so, what do you think of it?

[Bartolini]

I don't know about a bass attack from Hartke, but I'm getting a heart attack of Hartke 3500 head for having spent my my money on it. I hope somebody can propose a good pedal to increase the the depth of bass or the 'kick that is felt right on the heart', or the low thud sound from my Sting Ray through this Head. For me to barely feel this, I have to sit right in front (1 foot away)of the Trace Elliot 4x10 cab. Things suck with Hartke

[...]

Hartke... uhh.. hmm.

 

http://www.calihancatering.com/images/Lemongrass%20Sea%20Bass.jpg

[DONUT]

Never tried the Hartke pedal. I would bet that the sansamp bass driver is a better product. Tried and true. I would compare them before you buy.

 

I bought a Hartke 3500 right after they came out. It was a huge trend. The were much more expensive then,too,if I remember correctly. Being younger and dumber,it became THE AMP I HAD TO HAVE and soon became THE SHITTY AMP I WAS STUCK WITH. My previous old junky peaveys sounded better.

 

This pedal is supposed to have the "famous Hartke preamp". Hmmmmmm. Should have stuck with making speaker cabs.

[saxofunk]

Mmmmmm, yeah, the Bass Attack question.

 

Try this thread for more enlightenment.

 

You won't find much Hartke love 'round here.

[DONUT]

Yeah. It just got to the point where I hated the sight of its bent EQ sliders and burnt out leds.Actually,I should have used a Sansamp with it. I'll never buy another Hartke.....umm..Samson product.

[wraub]

Outside of music stores, I have mainly run into Hartke stuff in a couple of club backlines. I once even recorded at a "big-name" studio complex in NYC where a Hartke was the in-house rig.

That was the wimpiest tone, ever.

Not a big fan of Hartke cabs, as I have blown/torn several aluminium cones over the years.

Not the biggest fan, now that you ask.

 

Peace,

 

wraub

[getz out]

Wraub,

 

Back in the early- and mid-90's, it was either a Hartke or a Peavey backline. At some point everyone in NYC either stuck with the Peavey or bought an SWR SM-400/500. I think they got a group discount.

 

I still see a lot of Hartke rigs in rehearsal studios. That surprises me because they are not known for their durability, but I guess they are cheap enough to replace.

 

There are too many other options available these days if you ask me...

 

Then again, there are plenty of players that sound great through these rigs... I guess it does help prove it's the player and not the rig.

[wraub]

Maury, I have seen the Hartke or Peavey backlines many times, true dat.

And I have seen them many times in practice rooms, you are right again.

Seeing them at Sony Studios was kind of a surprise though...

 

Peace,

 

wraub

[getz out]

Originally posted by wraub:

Seeing them at Sony Studios was kind of a surprise though...

This is surprising... then again, the best "SVT" sound I ever recorded was through a 30-watt, open-back, solid-state Dean Markley guitar combo with a single 10" speaker into an SM57. The stars were aligned, I should have measured the exact settings and mic position. I never could duplicate that one.

 

But from your post, you weren't as impressed with what was done with the tools available, eh?

[Lawnmower8]

Why's everyone so down on Hartke?

I'm sure every company has some crappy products.

Depends on what you're looking for.

 

I've played through a Hartke 3500 for 11 years now and I still love it. Plenty of flexibility and power.

 

I also have been lugging around a 2x15XL cab for about 10 years, and other than the weight it's fantastic. All the low end you want, never bottoms out. The aluminum cones and tweaking the EQ on the head gives me all the attack I need. I play a Fender Jazz and a Ric 4003 through it and get plenty of midrange growl which I love.

 

I recently added an Avatar 2x10 for practice (easier to move) and small gigs, and I highly recommend any Avatar cab, but I'd recommend the Hartke to anyone. Good stuff.

 

I've played through Ampegs and Gallieon-Krugers and I still prefer the Hartke.

[getz out]

Lawnmower8,

 

Tone is subjective. I don't dig the Hartke gear, but that's not why I usually steer people clear...

 

I personally avoid Hartke because I know way to many people who had to have the heads serviced; cold solder joints in general. Every company has QC slips, but I personally knew 4 players that had the problem.

 

I have also seen a lot of Hartke speakers either replaced or in need of repair. They don't handle power well compared to your standard Eminence OEM that many manufacturers use. Combine this with the fact that Hartke tends to put them in cabinets that are voiced for midrange rather than low-end response, many players tend to boost the low-EQ. Boosting low EQ with speakers that don't handle power well is a bad idea in general for the health of a speaker, which is why I personally have witnessed many dead Hartke cabinets.

 

However, if you're getting good use out of it, rock on!

[Mr. Phil]

while we're off topic on the topic of Hartke i'll give my opinions on the whole Samson Corporation.

 

Hartke:

Basses - OK

Amps - Not for me

Strings - Mediocre

Never heard of the pedals

 

Zoom:

Never buy zoom products. They are poorly made and do not hold up.

 

Samson Audio:

I have a 7 piece Drum Mic set which sounds very good. I also got a headphone amp from them which isnt too bad, but could've been designed better.

 

Customer Service:

Sucks in general, but the people are nice.

Went to get a Zoom product fixed, said they couldnt find a problem yet it was still there. Good thing I'm only about 20 min. away from them.

[The Fonz]

i had a hartke 410 transporter that i bought in '91. i was still using and abusing it as part of my signal chain until it was stolen in 2000. granted it spent most of its time as a contributing factor in that chain and not the essential core of it but i never really had durability issues.

 

i don't really like hartke products because overall i think they sound like crap.

[Drum n Bass]

I can't believe all the hatred on this forum for Hartke. You guys not giving people the chance to make an informed decision for theirselves everybody's burning on past mishaps with certain products. If you listen to yourselves talk some of you didn't witness the problems that happen because it was someone else equipment.

 

When people post threads lets give them facts

[getz out]

Originally posted by Drum n Bass:

You guys not giving people the chance to make an informed decision for theirselves everybody's burning on past mishaps with certain products. If you listen to yourselves talk some of you didn't witness the problems that happen because it was someone else equipment.

Back up. I owned a 1415 combo. I eventually traded it for a microphone.

 

Just because it's not "my equipment" doesn't mean I wasn't aware of the issues. I "witnessed" three 3500 heads and one 2000 head go back to Sam Ash in Edison, NJ because of cold-solder joints on the board. That's 4 heads in a span of a year. two of the three 3500 heads were of the same owner (he purchased a 3500 new, it crapped out, got a replacement, and it crapped out). I knew all three players involved. Four different amps, all the same problem.

 

All manufacturers have QC issues. There are no exceptions.

 

I have also used the equipment in backlines and in rehearsal studios.

 

The speakers don't handle power. It's that simple. Compare the power handling of the Hartke's to your average, traditional speaker (say an Eminence 10" that is widely used). I've seen countless used Hartke cabinets with replacement speakers as a result.

 

FWIW, I don't hate Hartke any more than other manufacturers. I tend to think their 4.5XL is on par with the other cabinets in that class.

[DONUT]

Originally posted by getz76:

Originally posted by Drum n Bass:

You guys not giving people the chance to make an informed decision for theirselves everybody's burning on past mishaps with certain products. If you listen to yourselves talk some of you didn't witness the problems that happen because it was someone else equipment.

Back up. I owned a 1415 combo. I eventually traded it for a microphone.

 

Just because it's not "my equipment" doesn't mean I wasn't aware of the issues. I "witnessed" three 3500 heads and one 2000 head go back to Sam Ash in Edison, NJ because of cold-solder joints on the board. That's 4 heads in a span of a year. two of the three 3500 heads were of the same owner (he purchased a 3500 new, it crapped out, got a replacement, and it crapped out). I knew all three players involved. Four different amps, all the same problem.

 

All manufacturers have QC issues. There are no exceptions.

 

I have also used the equipment in backlines and in rehearsal studios.

 

The speakers don't handle power. It's that simple. Compare the power handling of the Hartke's to your average, traditional speaker (say an Eminence 10" that is widely used). I've seen countless used Hartke cabinets with replacement speakers as a result.

 

FWIW, I don't hate Hartke any more than other manufacturers. I tend to think their 4.5XL is on par with the other cabinets in that class.

Sorry. I assumed one would appreciate opinions and experiences with a certain companys products before buying.I know I do. And I would hope that he would try and compare before he decided,anyway.

If your hartke rig works for you,more power to ya.I know that they work for some.It didn't work for me. Will Lee makes his sound good.

 

Never tried the Hartke pedal. I would bet that the sansamp bass driver is a better product. Tried and true. I would compare them before you buy.

[_Sweet Willie_]

If possible, A/B it with other similar products. The Hartke Bass Attack pedal seems to cost about $100. The MXR M80 d.i.+ is only $20 more. Why not start w/ those two?

 

Then the SansAmp Bass Driver DI is closer to $180 new, but can be had for around $120 on the used market.

 

I had a Hartke 2000 head and a Hartke 410BXL cab. They worked fine for me, and I never had any problems with either one. I no longer have those pieces of gear, and tend to be happier with the tone I get from other amps and speakers.

 

Peace.

--s-dub

[61Pbass]

I actually got to hear one last weekend at a show we did where production was provided. If you like the sound of a 3500 head, you'll probably like the Bass Attack. If you don't, steer clear of it.

 

As far as bashing Hartke's sound, everyone has their own idea of what the bass is supposed to sound like, so it's totally subjective. You like it or you don't. Personally, I don't. That doesn't mean it sucks.

 

To their QC issues...

 

To be fair, it seems to me that the earlier Hartke gear held up fairly well. I know plenty of players who bought the stuff when it came out and had zero problems with it. I had some issues with a 2X10 cab, but looking back it was my fault. I didn't let the aluminum cones warm up before a show (it was really cold out) and I shattered one into 1000 pieces in about 3 notes. Oops! It's only in the last 4-5 years that it seems to have become a major issue. I do know that a certain nationwide chain (which my ex worked/works for) totally dropped Hartke gear, in no small part because of their abysmal return rate for manufacturing defects. In one particular sales quarter nearly 10% of the Hartke amps they sold came back to the stores with problems. That is unarguably terrible quality control. I would hope that they've addressed that by now...

[getz out]

Actually, when I was witness to the QC issues it was about 10 years ago when the gear really started to take off and fly out of the stores.

[61Pbass]

Yeah, it probably started around then. I was referring more to the absolute hit and miss rep they've got now. I still don't recall the early stuff having near the issues they had/have more recently, though. I agree, it does seem that when they started cranking it out in mass quantities QC first became an issue, and continued on a nearly exponential downward spiral.

[DWBass]

And to be honest, I've seen cats totally not handle their gear with kid gloves and that could be cause of many of the problems! I've seen cats bang and drop stuff all the time. Makes me cringe. I just had a gig this past Monday and during load in time it was pouring cats and dogs for an hour straight. I refused to move my gear until the rain stopped. I was NOT going to get any of my gear wet! Gig started at 8:30pm, I loaded my gear in at 8:15 and was ready to play.

[getz out]

DWBass,

 

This is true, but some gear takes abuse better than others...