Dave Vader Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 This weekend, in Exeter's notorious Wants Centre (usually filled with wildly overpriced budget guitars) I found a fully flightcased Hartke 3500 for only £140. Since my current amp is behaving like a twat, I had been idly googling for one of these, and found the cheapest on ebay to be about twice that, so I snapped it up. (Fans of weird coincidence will be pleased to know that I would not have even been in Exeter had I not been there to borrow an old Peavey head from my mate in order to have a working gig rig until the current problems are sorted - didn't need it in the end, spooky...) It is great, I am very happy. However, I am now intrigued as to the difference between a 3500, and the current production HA3500 (other than the words Transient Attack on the front). Any ideas Hartke experts out there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markstuk Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 It's likely to be more reliable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 (edited) It seems the older version had a MOSFET power amplifier...make of that what you will. Edited January 16, 2017 by ahpook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barkin Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 From an old thread that I stumbled upon while looking into these a while ago: ---x--- The MOSFET version was dumped around '98 due to reliability issues, in favor of a bipolar transistor design. The MOSFET versions would literally go up in flames, and you cannot get a MOSFET replacement PCB, only a bipolar retrofit. Another reason why it was dumped can be the fact that it used lateral MOSFETs (most probably 2SK135/2SJ... from Hitachi) which are not manufactured any more and replacements are expensive. Also DBX integrated circuits are not manufacured any more (at least to my knowledge). ---x--- I've no idea if any of that's fact... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Great amps though, and a cracking deal. Hartke do seem to suffer pricewise s/h a bit, and can't understand why. Generally reliable and well made, lots of tone shaping and loud as f*ck, can't see what's no to like.I've had both versions of the 3500, and they were just spot on. For years myself and I suspect lots of others thought they were made in USA, which I believe only very early ones were? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 i used my Hartke HA3500 for the first time in ages on Saturday for a gig in a really difficult hall. I'd forgotten how useful that graphic can be, and what a nice sound it makes. I'm afraid it is nicer than my LM Tube, it just is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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