Orphius75 Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 Hi everyone, just wondered if anyone here has dealt with the UK Hartke Distributors Hal Leonard? im trying to get a replacement 15” driver for a 215XL. Initially it took a while and a few phone calls and emails to get through to the service dept, then another couple of weeks to check parts and price in the US, then I was able to place an order and was told it would be 4-6 weeks. Its now been 8 weeks and no-one is answering my emails. ive tried contacting Samson US but getting nowhere- it’s not very inspiring considering this is my first bass rig, it’s old and I’d be in a position to upgrade to a newer one should the bands gigging schedule increase. At the moment I’m not inclined to look at Hartke purely on the service side of things should there ever be a problem. Please can someone put me right and say wonderful things about the UK distribution and how they’ll get it sorted in the end!!!!!!..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanOwens Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 I gave up trying to source a part for my A35 after hitting brick walls at every stage. I'm sorry I can't offer a solution but I too didn't (and won't) be buying Hartke again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 Disappointing to hear. I used to work with them but for the last couple of years they don't reply to me either. Guess they don't want the business. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 Contact Larry Hartke direct on Facebook. He used to publish his mobile number and would take calls from anyone and everyone. If you can find it online anywhere he even said the other day he’d still take the calls! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr4stringz Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 (edited) LH did indeed post on Facebook a few days back about those old ads and said “I still have a cell...” and posted his number, so he’s definitely still welcoming calls. Nutter! Edited May 15, 2019 by mr4stringz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orphius75 Posted May 16, 2019 Author Share Posted May 16, 2019 That’s brilliant!! i did use Hartke’s FB messenger to send a message and about a day later I got a courtesy email yesterday from Hal Leonard Europe apologising for it taking longer than initially quoted and they’d get onto the sales team to find out what is happening. (No apology for not emailing me back!!) i took to opportunity to explain that I don’t mind if they tell me it’s going to take a bit longer......as long as they tell me!!! ill give it another week or so and if I get no more contact I’ll get onto Larry. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orphius75 Posted May 27, 2019 Author Share Posted May 27, 2019 Have now had single email from Hal Leonard Europe saying they will contact their sales dept to find out why this order is taking longer than quoted. this was two weeks ago....how big must their offices be!!!!!!!????? Next stop Larry directly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaosanator Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Hey, just wondering if you had any luck with this? Considering buying Hartke, so would be good to know what I might be letting myself in for 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 I had an absolute nightmare with a hartke kilo which I documented on here a few years back when Samson/ korg were doing distribution and repairs. I contacted Larry Hartke direct but he didn't want to know. It turns out Hartke knew that the Kilo had a design fault and didn't want to do the right thing. The repairs done by the Samson damaged the amp further but they were almost impossible to deal with. Ultimately they took £800 off me and left me with a useless piece of junk. I would absolutely 100% advise against buying anything from Hartke. Larry Hartke claims to be mr approachable but in reality it's just for show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidbass Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 I don't think Larry Hartke has anything to do with Hartke anymore actually. I think he has a title like 'Honorary President' but I think he sold the company a few years ago to Samson who are now in charge of all operations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doomed Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 I had pretty much same experience as mrtcat, I bought a Kilo when they launched it, within 8hrs of light use it was f****d and the then distributor, not the current one I would add for clarity, and Hartke themselves were worse than useless, full of sh^t would be putting it politely. In the end after over 2 months of crap the retailer did the right thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lownote Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 Why bother with Hartke (very average IMHO) when Ashdown service is the polar opposite - brilliant! Just saying like. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashdown Engineering Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 (edited) On 08/01/2020 at 16:16, lownote12 said: Why bother with Hartke (very average IMHO) when Ashdown service is the polar opposite - brilliant! Just saying like. Ah thanks, sad to read in all honesty though, we hope you get sorted. If not maybe we can help you source something that would do the job, unless it’s one of those weird half metal speakers as we have no idea about those...Aloominum? Always here to help. Edited January 9, 2020 by Ashdown Engineering 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy23cricket Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 12 hours ago, Ashdown Engineering said: Ah thanks, sad to read in all honesty though, we hope you get sorted. If not maybe we can help you source something that would do the job, unless it’s one of those weird half metal speakers as we have no idea about those...Aloominum? Always here to help. Feel this thread is a bit of a shame. Seems a previously respected brand slowly being eroded with bad service and declining quality. As soon as something like this pops up on a respected forum, that's really it for reputation, like forever! Personally I have 4 Hartke cabs with the weird half metal speakers. I really rate them (had no issues whatsoever) and they sound pretty epic with your amps @Ashdown 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barkin Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 ^^this. I've used a LH500 for several years now. It's been utterly reliable, and sounds fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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