dmccombe7 Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 (edited) Finally decided to look at another amp and went for the Hartke Kilo from Thomann at £685 approx. £100 cheaper than most places. Was also looking at the Ampeg SVT4 but the Hartke just seemed to be able to produce more of what i wanted. Once I'm happy with it i'll be looking to sell my GB 600 streamliner and GK MB200. Delivery expected Mon / Tues with Thomann's usual fast delivery service. Not often I get excited about gear or amps in particular but this one i'm very much looking forward to giving it a good blast at next rehearsal. Cheers Dave Edited September 1, 2013 by dmccombe7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 Full review when you get it please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted September 1, 2013 Author Share Posted September 1, 2013 Will do my best. Hopefully a home review and then after rehearsals and next gig. New band I'm with so might be a little while before gigging starts. Will be using it with combination of my Berg cabs so quite a variety plus studio use Ampeg 8x10's which gives a good choice of cabs. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 You got it yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderpaws Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Ha, I just bought myself a streamliner 600 today, super excited. Why were you off loading yours? That Hartke looks the business too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 Love the Hartke KILO! It's an SVT4 killer for sure! And for the money, you could nearly buy two for the price of the Ampeg! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted September 4, 2013 Author Share Posted September 4, 2013 Parcelforce did their usual delivered when I wasn't in. Not a prob. Called them and arranged to pick up from depot following day. Guy said he would call the driver and get him to leave it in depot for pick up. Drove a round trip 80 miles to depot and found out they had sent it back out again today and wouldn't be back into depot for another 3 hrs. Now being delivered tomorrow. Streamliner is a great amp, liteweight and it has that warm valve sound. At the moment I'm using my Berg HT322 cab with the GB and my AE112 cabs with my GK MB200 amp for some higher end punch and clarity. On its own with the ht322 cab the Genz has a fantastic rock sound with my Jazz but I'm now playing in a more bluesy rock band who have a more distinct bass sound requirement and I find my Jazz doesn't cut it and the GB amp doesn't give me the mid boost I'm looking for. I've had the GB 2 yrs and just thought time for a change with the Kilo being able to run all my cabs if required with a cross-over to blend the different cab volumes. I like the combination of tube and FET pre-amps which is something I've been doing for many yrs with variations of a theme using all kinds of pre-amps and power amps over the years. I think the Kilo will give me both from one amp. I've tried the Hartke amps previously and was quite impressed but the KILO has a bit more versatility with more than enough headroom. The band I'm now in has a very Free / Bad Co feel and drummer is naturally a very loud player. I cant really fault the GB amp - when I was playing Classic covers ie Rainbow, Deep Purple material it was exactly what I needed and had a fantastic sound with plenty of headroom even running one 8ohm cab but with 2 cabs it was pretty awesome. You wont be disappointed with the GB 600. Hopefully will get a trial tomorrow and post something either late tomorrow night or Friday - provided Parcel Force deliver this time. Cheers Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderpaws Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Yeh, let's hope your parcelforce dude and my parcelforce dude arrive in good time. I take it the Kilo in the name means your new amp has ONE THOUSAND watts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted September 5, 2013 Author Share Posted September 5, 2013 Afraid so but I want to link it up to 3off Berg cabs which have 8, 8 & 4 ohm. My 112 cabs (Neo's) have a nicer top end while my HT322 has a more solid traditional sound. Looking to combine. The Genz with my HT322 cab is one of the best classic rock sounds I've ever had and that's over 30yrs playing span. Just needed a bit of a change. The lightweight also makes a huge difference too. I was able to carry bass, amp and one cab into a rehearsal. That luxury will be long gone now. Hope the amp gets delivered on time and let me know what you think of it. It has a few other nice features like headphone socket, you don't even need cabs plugged in for this and you can link in external line in from Ipod or something like that to play along with thru the headphones to save any noise in the house. All the best Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted September 5, 2013 Author Share Posted September 5, 2013 Well not a great start to Hartke. The amp finally arrived. Unpacked it, hooked it up to 2 off my Berg cabs and plugged in my Warwick as per the instruction manual tells you adjust the GAIN to 5 with all tone controls set at 5 and bring up your main Volume which I did all the way up to 5 on a scale of 10 and low and behold I could speak clearly to my wife over the volume it was producing. I'm unable to get the GAIN clip light to flash with either passive or active basses. Tried various combinations of speakers and stereo / mono bridged settings but nothing improves it. Tried various basses and with one of my Overwaters I turn the volume and bass boost up to max and with Amp GAIN at 10 the clip light only just flickers a little. If I turn the master vol up past 6 I get nothing but loud hiss. I've gone thru the instruction manual again and cant see that I'm doing anything wrong. Voltage selector at 240V. Not much else to it that I can see. ANY ADVICE OTHER THAN SEND IT BACK FOR A REFUND. Its kinda put me right off Hartke gear. Bought it from Thomann and waiting on them getting back to me too. Hope your Genz amp is better than this Thunderpaws. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 That definitely doesn't sound right... you'd have a job speaking over my kilo when it's set to 2... I wonder if the tube got damaged in transit or something? Don't give up just yet, sounds like you've just been unlucky mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderpaws Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Jeezo...sorry fir your massive disapointment. Is it possible you have a faulty cable or something else simple? Have you tried any if your other cabs, or maybe just one cab. Maybe the valve has become UN-seated. Would it be possible to open up and see? Watch the warranty though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderpaws Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Is there anything decent coming through the di out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted September 5, 2013 Author Share Posted September 5, 2013 Thanks for the words of encouragement but doesn't make the Hartke introduction feel any more encouraging. If its failed at this stage it doesn't leave much hope for gigging with. Nice well built cabinet too and everything feels pretty well made but not much use if electronics fail somewhere along the line. Will wait and see what outcome from Thomann and I've since emailed Hartke themselves. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbyrne Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 I was wondering about the valve too. I have an LH500 with a 5751 in it & it's almost impossible to overdrive, so I wouldn't be too bothered about clipping. Sounds as though the signal to the power section is very low. G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted September 5, 2013 Author Share Posted September 5, 2013 Tried different cables but no change. Nothing to plug the DI output into as no other gear in the house at moment. Tried with 2 cabs in stereo mode first and when that didn't work then tried mono bridged into one cab. Still same. Think the facat the GAIN clip light doesn't come on with an active bass at 10 and amp GAIN at 10 is more than likely a pre-amp fault quite possibly a tube but its under warranty and I'm not for touching it unless instructed by mfr or Thomann in writing of course. Hope your GB is better quality than this. My Genz hasn't given me any real issues in 2 yrs. Damn that GAS. And to top it all off the amp was left with a neighbour yesterday and not at the depot as agreed. No card thru the door. If I hadn't checked the tracking this morning I would never have known. That's Parcelforce for you. - NUMPTY's. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderpaws Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 Have done a little looking on the web and sounds like some poor folks have had issues with transformers in the kilo, those having to be replaced. I hope your fix is simpler. I'd try sending Larry hartke a message on talkbass, apparently he is quite good at getting back to individuals on that forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted September 5, 2013 Author Share Posted September 5, 2013 I think the fact that it won't actually reach the CLIP is more a sign of a downed signal somewhere on the pre-amp chain. Not too fussed about an amp clipping but it needs to have some level of signal to amplify and achieve that particular CLIP light which this one just doesn't seem to have If I turn the GAIN to 10 and bring the master volume up past 5 I get more amp hiss than note volume which again is more a sign of a failed pre-amp signal somewhere I think. ADVICE APPRECIATED FROM ANYWHERE GUYS AND THANKS FOR KEEPING MY SPIRITS UP A BIT - LOL Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barkin Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 That's a bugger I've played a Kilo - great amp IMO, and one I'd like to own. If it's any consolation, I've first hand experience of Thomanns returns process and I really couldn't fault it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted September 5, 2013 Author Share Posted September 5, 2013 Cheers Thunderpaws I've already sent an email to Hartke Customer Service. Don't want to appear a fanatic and send it on Talkbass too which I've never actually used. I guess I have every right to be annoyed tho - LOL Thanks for the web search - I did that prior to buying and didn't find any issues with them plus a few of our very own Global Moderators are using the KILO and swear by them. Guess I'm just an unlucky sod. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted September 5, 2013 Author Share Posted September 5, 2013 [quote name='barkin' timestamp='1378380121' post='2199331'] That's a bugger I've played a Kilo - great amp IMO, and one I'd like to own. If it's any consolation, I've first hand experience of Thomanns returns process and I really couldn't fault it. [/quote] thanks mate - I've dealt quite a bit with Thomann and they are pretty impressive so don't have any worries there apart from fact do I take a refund or give another one a try. Would have to say its a little bit worrying at this stage whether or not its going to be reliable enough over a few yrs. ?? Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 It'll be a monster when it's all sorted mate Played mine at an audition the other day, played first song got compliments on sound but thought it needed a bit more "oomph" so I kicked in the GEQ (set to a low mid hump) and hit a note. The response? Both guitarists taking a step back then grinning, followed by the drummer grinning and saying "keep that". Got the spot too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 [quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1378380246' post='2199333'] Would have to say its a little bit worrying at this stage whether or not its going to be reliable enough over a few yrs. ?? [/quote] Any amp can get a fault, part of the reason I went with Hartke was because of their renowned customer service . I find it rather important to be honest, same as when I went with TC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderpaws Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 The power if positivity...as my dog trainer likes to say! This is why we buy from reputable shops and companies. I had a horendous eBay experience during a bass guitar buy a few years ago. Learned my lesson, went to a shop. Always do now. Hope you just get a straight swap for a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderpaws Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 It's here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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