fretmeister Posted October 20, 2014 Posted October 20, 2014 Just saw this in Larry's FB feed. No details yet, but I'm excited! Quote
discreet Posted October 20, 2014 Posted October 20, 2014 (edited) [quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1413802411' post='2581979'] Just saw this in Larry's FB feed. No details yet, but I'm excited! [/quote] Er...yeah, me too! I happen to have an exclusive pic of Frank Bello with the prototype rig! Edited October 20, 2014 by discreet Quote
fretmeister Posted October 20, 2014 Author Posted October 20, 2014 Frank's really put on weight! Quote
indiegrungesound Posted October 20, 2014 Posted October 20, 2014 Ooohhh!!! I might already have a Hartke head(The Mighty LH500!), as well as an equally mighty T C Electronic BH500 AND a still working Ampeg PF 350; but I'd be VERY keen to try this out! Hartke amps have always sounded great and been very reliable for me! I think, if Mr Hartke ensures the quality control stays consistent and high, they might just grab a sizeable chunk of the Micro/Lightweight amp market. It's crowded market, but based on the opinions that have been passed around on here and from my own experience, Hartke could easily take a lead! Markbass seem to be the industry standard benchmark make, but I've never been that sure about the sound for my tastes. Ampeg have a great sound, but they seem to be blighted by technical & quality control problems. T C Electronic's amps all sound great and are popular, but they can't make their mind up about which EQ & "Tone Print" capabilities they should have on them! Ashdown see saw between the sublime & the ridiculous(Superfly: Great; Little Giant: Big let down; 1st Gen MiBass: Nice; MiBass 2.0: Another let down; MAG Rootmaster: Not that loud & not better than standard MAG heads.)! Orange Terror Bass heads are popular, but detractors don't like the EQ. Genz Benz heads are cult favourites but aren't made anymore. The Ibanez Promethean has disappeared too. As for Aguilar's Tonehammer amps, I'd love to try them, but nowhere in Greater Manchester seems to stock them! Quote
Lozz196 Posted October 20, 2014 Posted October 20, 2014 Good move from Hartke, there`s such a market for lightweight gear now, surprised they took so long really. Quote
fretmeister Posted October 22, 2014 Author Posted October 22, 2014 Larry wasn't a fan of the common Class D power amps. So maybe they are making their own instead. The preamp in the LH500 is pretty small so with a small enough power section that still gives a proper wallop, that would be ace. Might even fit in a 1u rack, like the MB F1. That would have me reaching for my wallet straight away! Quote
Dood Posted October 22, 2014 Posted October 22, 2014 I think the LH preamp attached to a superb compact power amplifier would be amazing! I suggested the idea to Larry soon after the LH series came out. I forget who said it on BC but we joked that my signature amp would be called the LH5000S - very powerful and of course Stereo!! Anyway, my other suggestion would be to use the much loved Hartke Attack pedal as a basis for a lightweight amplifier because it already has a great sound along with Hartke's most useful features and DI capabilities. Who knows what Larry has up his sleeves but I agree with the above, Hartke had maintained a consistency in product quality - I suspect the delay in delivering a lightweight solution is in not wasting time with the same modules everyone else is using. Some of which are said to lack the weight and girth of note delivery even though they are very loud! Quote
indiegrungesound Posted October 23, 2014 Posted October 23, 2014 [quote name='dood' timestamp='1413994762' post='2584599'] I think the LH preamp attached to a superb compact power amplifier would be amazing! I suggested the idea to Larry soon after the LH series came out. I forget who said it on BC but we joked that my signature amp would be called the LH5000S - very powerful and of course Stereo!! Anyway, my other suggestion would be to use the much loved Hartke Attack pedal as a basis for a lightweight amplifier because it already has a great sound along with Hartke's most useful features and DI capabilities. Who knows what Larry has up his sleeves but I agree with the above, Hartke had maintained a consistency in product quality - I suspect the delay in delivering a lightweight solution is in not wasting time with the same modules everyone else is using. Some of which are said to lack the weight and girth of note delivery even though they are very loud! [/quote] Personally, I'm guessing that it will have a blendable valve and solid state pre amp and power output settings(240 watts @ 8 ohms; 350 watts @ 4 ohms.) like the HA3500 matched with the pre amp section of the LH amps. Add in any combination of Bright button; Limiter; Compressor or "Bass Attack" Drive. What does anyone else think? Quote
fretmeister Posted October 24, 2014 Author Posted October 24, 2014 The only thing that is certain is that he still won't spell "Brite" properly!! Quote
Kevin Dean Posted October 24, 2014 Posted October 24, 2014 What about the Ashdown 1000w Head that's light weight , But not mini I suppose. Quote
chrismuzz Posted October 24, 2014 Posted October 24, 2014 A lightweight hartke amp would pretty much decimate the conpetition, with insanely competitive pricing to boot! Other amp manufacturers, be afraid!! Quote
AttitudeCastle Posted October 25, 2014 Posted October 25, 2014 [quote name='dood' timestamp='1413994762' post='2584599'] I think the LH preamp attached to a superb compact power amplifier would be amazing! I suggested the idea to Larry soon after the LH series came out. I forget who said it on BC but we joked that my signature amp would be called the LH5000S - very powerful and of course Stereo!! Anyway, my other suggestion would be to use the much loved Hartke Attack pedal as a basis for a lightweight amplifier because it already has a great sound along with Hartke's most useful features and DI capabilities. Who knows what Larry has up his sleeves but I agree with the above, Hartke had maintained a consistency in product quality - I suspect the delay in delivering a lightweight solution is in not wasting time with the same modules everyone else is using. Some of which are said to lack the weight and girth of note delivery even though they are very loud! [/quote] 'Twas me! Haha! Excited to see what comes of these. Used HA's a lot and if they are provided back line I'm always happy, and there is just something about the straight up and solid, chunky tone of the LH amps. Never used a Kilo but I imagine it's a kind of blend of the two. Will certainly be keeping an eye on this! Quote
Chienmortbb Posted October 25, 2014 Posted October 25, 2014 Many of the modles on the market such as Anaview, ICEpower and Pascal are more than up to bass but are expensive, even as OEM, so to make a cheap loud amps from those is difficult. To go really loud you need a really good power supply and that is usually big. You also need a bigger heatsink as a 500 W amp at 80% efficiency still creates 100+ watts of heat if driven at full power. To make your own including a power supply is difficult as a good switch mode power supply SMPS is much more difficult than making a Class D amp. If you use a tradition transformer power supply you will same some weight compared to a traditional Class A/B amp but not a massive amount. To design a class D amp with switching power supply is a massive task and requires totally different skills/thought process from traditional amps. If Hartke are doing their own, I admire them, but I would not be the early adopter. Quote
Dood Posted October 25, 2014 Posted October 25, 2014 [quote name='AttitudeCastle' timestamp='1414240185' post='2587391'] 'Twas me! Haha! [/quote] Ahhh yes yes!! Indeed it was!!!!! Quote
Ed_S Posted October 25, 2014 Posted October 25, 2014 [quote name='Kevin Dean' timestamp='1414156996' post='2586535'] What about the Ashdown 1000w Head that's light weight , But not mini I suppose. [/quote] [quote name='Ed_S' timestamp='1412058427' post='2565163'] If Hartke made an HA5500 with a lightweight power section (like Ashdown made the ABM1000) then I'd probably end up with one. [/quote] [quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1413977120' post='2584246'] Might even fit in a 1u rack, like the MB F1. That would have me reaching for my wallet straight away! [/quote] ...that's pretty much what I'm hoping for! A lightweight, shallow 1U HA5500 would be awesome. Quote
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