Why do people hate Hartke??

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1411997513' post='2564654']
The answer, perhaps, is here..? If one frequents other sites, one expects to come across rubbish sometimes. Stay on the true path, eschew others and remain faithful to BC. Simple, really.
[/quote] we're not as bad as certain american based forums but we're not far off sometimes! It's amazing what can come and go in fashion.

Hartke can't be that bad can they, that Wooton fellow uses them and he does ok.
They have the market problem that they aren't sexy and they are easy to get. Some more esoteric brand is always going to have a bit more kudos than the brand that every little shop has, and the aluminium cones.... we're fairly traditional at heart aren't we?*


* not you big red x

[Dad3353]

[size=4][quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1412008179' post='2564795']
I don't know any hartke haters.
I had a HA3500 for a while - it was great. Only reason i replaced it was because it was so heavy and cumbersome to carry around.
[/quote]

We had a HA3500 for a while - it was great. Only reason we replaced it was because we got a Hiwatt DR205, which is heavy and cumbersome to carry around..! We still have the Hartke as a spare, of course. It's our 'lightweight' option. [/size]

Edited September 29, 2014 by Dad3353

[Twigman]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1412009913' post='2564832']


[size=4]We had a HA3500 for a while - it was great. Only reason we replaced it was because we got a Hiwatt DR205, which is heavy and cumbersome to carry around..! We still have the Hartke as a spare, of course. It's our 'lightweight' option. [/size]
[/quote]

Mine was in a wooden box.....compared to my Genz Benz Shuttle 9.2 it was big, heavy and awkward to carry!

[mrtcat]

I like the sound from Hartke stuff. The Kilo I used to have sounded ace. It's just a pity the thing spent more time on the repair bench than on top of my cab. It was a piece of junk in terms of reliability and although I initially had decent service from Hartke this quickly descended into a total farce and ended up with their engineer damaging the front so badly I decided to cut my losses and sell it off at a silly low price. Such a shame as it sounded great.

[Graham]

My old Model 1000 head / Pro4200 cab set-up was great, I traded it in for an EBS rig, which was the sound I was aiming for; the Hartke did a half-decent approximation of that though until I could afford the EBS.

If I was in urgent need of cash I'd sell up my lightweight gear and get another Hartke head and cab.

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Haven't read all of this thread yet. I used to like the ads in bass player magazine tho'. If it's true, then they have fantastic customer service.

[JTUK]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1411995664' post='2564632']
Not for me, but I don't actively 'hate' 'em.
[/quote]

Never worked for me..but I am not current on them...I've always had gear that I liked better so never had to puruse them as
an option so I guess my 'time' checking them out dates back to the very early 90's.

[icastle]

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1412009781' post='2564828']
I LOVE graphic equalisers...so much so I bought a separate one, and it's got lots of lovely lights on it and it looks reet perty
[/quote]

It might be reet perty, but set it up wrong and it'll squeal like a pig boy...

[Kiwi]

Plenty of support on here for Hartke.

[NancyJohnson]

I've used Hartke HyDrives for five years or so. Chance meeting with LH in New York and I was offered an artist deal. They sound great.

The only reason I'd change is if I could get the same handling out of a smaller enclosure and less weight.

[Happy Jack]

In NY earlier this year, went into Sam Ash to buy a pedal. The shop assistant was a bit past his sell-by, but then so am I, and he seemed like a knowledgable dude.

10 minutes in to chatting with him, someone else comes over and says "Hi Larry" and the penny dropped.

I've never bought Hartke, but there's loads of stuff I've never bought. I was genuinely impressed with his obvious desire to stay in touch with real-world bass players though.

Nice guy, too.

[Hobbayne]

I dont mind Hartke, I used to have a Kickback combo a few years back. But people can be a bit snobby. Behringer get a rough deal as well.

[scalpy]

I still have an old very early 90s 410xl that I leave at work for the kids to abuse. It has taken the pain now for 13 years and even teenagers give up with the volume before it does! Sometimes I'll use the lm tube with it and it sounds pretty full and fruity to me. (Drum kits cannot take teenagers though, and we've tried premier, pearl, Yamaha and tama....)

[Dad3353]

[quote name='scalpy' timestamp='1412022107' post='2565038']...(Drum kits cannot take teenagers though, and we've tried premier, pearl, Yamaha and tama....)
[/quote]

What are they breaking..? Pedals..? Skins..? Cymbals..? Sticks..? Surely not the drums themselves..? [size=4] [/size]

[paul_5]

I've got a Hydrive 410 as my main cab. Does everything I need it to.

I've never met anybody who actively [i]hated[/i] Hartke kit.

[scalpy]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1412023710' post='2565052']


What are they breaking..? Pedals..? Skins..? Cymbals..? Sticks..? Surely not the drums themselves..? [size=4] [/size]
[/quote]
Cymbals go, but mostly it's hardware, lugs, pedals, stools, stands. They're not a bad bunch at our school, but they can't always be supervised when they decide to tune the kit with a screw driver somehow or that you can't carry a kick drum with two toms on it through a doorway sideways if you're 6 foot 2 and 16 stone! Over enthusiasm really. The Hartke though has survived being dropped down stairs, nights in freezing vans, numerous toilet venues in Camden and having one band deciding to find out what my Marshall tsl would sound like through it set to decimate. No problems, and quite good actually.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='scalpy' timestamp='1412026258' post='2565086']
Cymbals go, but mostly it's hardware...
[/quote]

Ah, I see. The only solution I can recommend is to deprive them of vitamins, and so reduce their physical strength. I'm aware that mental faculties are also lessened, but at that age, there's not much further down the scale to slide, so it hardly matters. Leave enough 'peps' for them to try to play with brushes and I think you'll find that the instruments will suffer less. They'll still bust cymbals, though. [size=4] [/size]

[Ed_S]

I had two HA heads that were great sounding, just too heavy given that I could get an equally pleasing, if different, sound from something that fits in the top of my cable bag. If Hartke made an HA5500 with a lightweight power section (like Ashdown made the ABM1000) then I'd probably end up with one.

Only negative experience was with an LH1000, but that was most likely just a duff valve. It worked for long enough to ascertain that I preferred the HA series, so I swapped it for one.

[police squad]

I used a HA3500 and a 4x10 transporter (USA made cab) for 10 years. Superb sound. Eventually I blew a speaker (first one I've ever blown) and replaced it with a Behringer aluminium cone. It sounded great again. Eventually sswitched to mark bass cabs (lighter) and an ampeg pf500. Still have the HA3500 as a spare and set up in the rehearsal room. Sold the cab on BC to Jack.

[FlatEric]

I had a borrow of a 500w head, last week and liked it a lot.

Simple controls, lots of punch.

Downside - Boy is that thing heavy!!

[gjones]

Whenever I play a festival and the backline is Hartke, I know I'll get a decent sound, without too much fiddling.
In fact, I'm thinking of buying a Hartke Hydrive 112 for smaller gigs. They don't come up secondhand very often, which is the mark of a good cab (people hold on to them).
Will Lee uses Hartke, which is a pretty good endorsement if you ask me.

[Adrenochrome]

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1412021428' post='2565025']
...But people can be a bit snobby. Behringer get a rough deal as well...
[/quote]

I think a lot of it [b][i]isn't [/i][/b]snobbery. I've played quite a few gigs and used/borrowed/seen a LOT of budget to mid range stuff. I have seen quite a few Behringer speakers fail, as well as some of the wiring in their amps/stompboxes; doesn't mean it's all rubbish but they do/have used some 'inexpensive' components. Also used a Behringer desk in one of my bands which sounded ace.
I think Ashdown amps sound good (I had one for a few years) - the blue coned speakers can be a bit muddy which does suit some people. My amp ate loads of fuses BTW which also seems common.

[leemarseillebass]

I love my Hy-Drives. I'm aware they can sound brash but I'm now a fan of having too much potential and stepping back if need be, not 'so so' and tweaking like mad to be heard. We've 2k monitors and my sound is consistently with it, very potent, very strong.

[Doddy]

I don't have a problem with Hartke stuff-I used a HA3500 or HA4000 with 4x10 and 2x10 cabs for a long time. I only stopped using
them initially because they were heavier than I wanted. I only recently sold most of it because it had been sitting unused for about 5 years.

[Weststarx]

My Hartke LH500 I brought recently is the nicest sounding amp I've owned.

I'm deffinately going to buy Hartke again!