Hartke Bass Amps?

[headclub]

so today i was at the local guitar shop looking for bass amps/stacks. the guy suggested what i think was called Hartke Amps. he showed me a 250 watt (2.5XL) due to the fact my bands guitarist plays out of a 150-200 watt marshall (half?)stack. i was wandering if anyones played these and if they are worth the 600-800 bucks. if not what would you suggest. i was also looking at the Gallien Krueger Brat Half Stack for 400 bucks. should i buy that or save up for the Hartke?

[punkbassist]

go ampeg or go home

[bass ampss]

go ampeg or go home

Fuck that. You could have the shittiest rig in the world, but as long as you have the SansAmp Bass Driver DI, you're set.

[patrickhowell]

Fuck that. You could have the shittiest rig in the world, but as long as you have the SansAmp Bass Driver DI, you're set.

False.

I hate when people think that one little piece of gear is the key to perfect tone. Every single piece of your setup is crucial to your tone. All the way from your strings to your pickups to your cables to your head and cab, each individual inch of your setup is able to detract from your tone. While that Bass Driver is a good piece of gear, it will always sound better with a better rig.

[patrickhowell]

so today i was at the local guitar shop looking for bass amps/stacks. the guy suggested what i think was called Hartke Amps. he showed me a 250 watt (2.5XL) due to the fact my bands guitarist plays out of a 150-200 watt marshall (half?)stack. i was wandering if anyones played these and if they are worth the 600-800 bucks. if not what would you suggest. i was also looking at the Gallien Krueger Brat Half Stack for 400 bucks. should i buy that or save up for the Hartke?

You can probably get a better setup for about the same amount of money. Look around for local deals on used amps. You probably want to try and get a head that can put out around 350 watts to keep up with your guitarist/drummer. I'd also recommend a 4x10 cabinet, unless you have another preference. (or if you can find a good deal on a 6x10 or 8x10). 10" speakers give you really good midrange for more clarity among guitar(s), without losing the bass frequencies.

If you can't find any deals on used cabinets, you should really check out Avatar (http://avatarspeakers.com). They're a great company and they make really professional gear for really cheap (just check their reviews on Harmony Central). Here's a link to their 410 cab: B410 Neo (http://avatarspeakers.com/B410%20NEO.htm).

[vandalsandquinn]

i like crate amps

[patrickhowell]

i like crate amps

Are you serious?

[punkbassist]

i like crate amps

eww

[FondestMemory]

i've never been happy with anything but ampeg.

[vandalsandquinn]

Are you serious?

eww

yes, they're cheap, i'm cheap, i have a crate practice amp that i got for 40 bucks and it functions fine

[patrickhowell]

yes, they're cheap, i'm cheap, i have a crate practice amp that i got for 40 bucks and it functions fine

They're bad amps, though.

[FondestMemory]

i could understand a hartke as a practice amp. i'd never play it where anybody could hear it though.

[headclub]

i could understand a hartke as a practice amp. i'd never play it where anybody could hear it though.

really, why so? see i would buy an ampeg but i dont have money for a cab and a head also

[Brandn3w]

hartke bass amps suck. I have a 120 watt kick back and its really not that great. For the money if you dont want to get an ampeg get the Gallien Krueger

[patrickhowell]

really, why so? see i would buy an ampeg but i dont have money for a cab and a head also

Hartke amps aren't very good. I mean, if you get it, it will work. By that, I mean that it will be loud enough for you to be heard in a band, but that's basically all that it's going to do for you. The tone of a Hartke amp isn't really something desirable. It's not especially good, or bad... it's kind of just there.

Try finding used gear. You'll get much more for your money that way.

[headclub]

Hartke amps aren't very good. I mean, if you get it, it will work. By that, I mean that it will be loud enough for you to be heard in a band, but that's basically all that it's going to do for you. The tone of a Hartke amp isn't really something desirable. It's not especially good, or bad... it's kind of just there.

Try finding used gear. You'll get much more for your money that way.


yea, ive been trying to find some, but this town is shit for music

[patrickhowell]

yea, ive been trying to find some, but this town is shit for music

Well, I just searched CragsList.com (http://www.craigslist.com) for you... here's a few used heads/cabs in southern Florida:

Mesa Boogie 410 - $500 (http://westpalmbeach.craigslist.org/msg/201082124.html)
Kustom 215 - $250, Behringer Ultrabass BX300 Head and Cab - $200 (http://westpalmbeach.craigslist.org/msg/195397550.html)
SWR Big Bertha 215 - $375 (http://miami.craigslist.org/msg/202671928.html)
Ampeg 410HE Classic - $399 (http://miami.craigslist.org/msg/202578184.html)
Eden 410 - $550 (http://miami.craigslist.org/msg/201569472.html)
Hartke VX410 - $175 (http://fortlauderdale.craigslist.org/msg/197592438.html)
Hartke HA2000 Head / Yorkville 210/115 Cab - $700 (http://tampa.craigslist.org/msg/201367512.html)
Eden 410 - $500 (http://tampa.craigslist.org/msg/201318822.html)

I also checked Harmony-Central.com (http://www.harmony-central.com), but I didn't find anything anywhere near you.

[headclub]

Well, I just searched CragsList.com (http://www.craigslist.com) for you... here's a few used heads/cabs in southern Florida:

Mesa Boogie 410 - $500 (http://westpalmbeach.craigslist.org/msg/201082124.html)
Kustom 215 - $250, Behringer Ultrabass BX300 Head and Cab - $200 (http://westpalmbeach.craigslist.org/msg/195397550.html)
SWR Big Bertha 215 - $375 (http://miami.craigslist.org/msg/202671928.html)
Ampeg 410HE Classic - $399 (http://miami.craigslist.org/msg/202578184.html)
Eden 410 - $550 (http://miami.craigslist.org/msg/201569472.html)
Hartke VX410 - $175 (http://fortlauderdale.craigslist.org/msg/197592438.html)
Hartke HA2000 Head / Yorkville 210/115 Cab - $700 (http://tampa.craigslist.org/msg/201367512.html)
Eden 410 - $500 (http://tampa.craigslist.org/msg/201318822.html)

I also checked Harmony-Central.com (http://www.harmony-central.com), but I didn't find anything anywhere near you.


thanks man. its super apreciated.

[BassPlayer4Life]

Ok I was at a local music store last Saturday and they had a Hartke head on a 2-10 Transporter. The owner who I have known for years pluged the head into a Kustom 4-10 at first and it sounded great. Had a great bottom end with a lot of punch. Then he added the 2-10 into the mix and it soundes even better. The 2-10 Hartke added just enough brightness to balance the sound perfectly especialy for slap. I am now getting that setup. Now I would not play all Hartke cabs as it would be to bright for my taste but add a good 4-10 like that Kustom and you have a great balance. My bass never sounded better then it did through that setup that day. In case you were wondering what my bass is, its a Dean Edge Q4 Bartolini. Great pickups not so good electronics. I am getting a Bartolini preamp put in soon.

[Carlo Marx]

hartke makes great amps, but i've been an ampeg boy since i started playing.

if you want a solid bass amp, it's ampeg or SWR all the way. Fender makes decent amps too, but i'd definitely recommend ampeg overall.

[patrickhowell]

hartke makes great amps, but i've been an ampeg boy since i started playing.

if you want a solid bass amp, it's ampeg or SWR all the way. Fender makes decent amps too, but i'd definitely recommend ampeg overall.

I wouldn't get anything besides Ampeg or Mesa.

Other companies like SWR, Aguilar, etc make nice amps, but it's not the sound i like.

[BassPlayer4Life]

I wouldn't get anything besides Ampeg or Mesa.

Other companies like SWR, Aguilar, etc make nice amps, but it's not the sound i like.

I myself am not a fan of Ampeg anymore as to me they are not as good as they were in the early to mid 90's. Seems to me a lot of manufactures of amps and basses are not as good as they used to be. But as far as an amp goes and what I wish I could afford thats easy Mesa Boogie Bass 400+ head and Powerhouse 1000 cab. The best tube amps hands down. It's ashmed what has heepend to some companies of instruments. I mean in my opinion Fender got worse after Leo sold the company I would rather own a G&L. Then Tobias got sold to Gibson and the quality went down and the prices went up. I will now stick with MTD. Warwick I don't think its been sold to anyone but in my opinion the basses you get on the shelf are not as good as the ones they made 10 years ago. One of the bests basses Warwich ever put out in terms of how it played and sounded was the Fortress Flashback. I played one of those thorugh a Trace Elliot before the company was sold and it sounded great. And the neck was awesome, the bass looked really old fashioned but hands down the best passive bass that ever hit the market.

[patrickhowell]

I myself am not a fan of Ampeg anymore as to me they are not as good as they were in the early to mid 90's. Seems to me a lot of manufactures of amps and basses are not as good as they used to be. But as far as an amp goes and what I wish I could afford thats easy Mesa Boogie Bass 400+ head and Powerhouse 1000 cab.

Well, I think that buying new gear is a waste of money anyways. If I played bass, I would want to play a 70's P-Bass through a Mesa-Boogie Big Block 750 through an Ampeg 810 cab.

[TheBestBet]

ive got a hartke rig, i like it but once i played on an ampeg i decided i made the wrong choice. I jumped the gun. I do go Ampeg

[IHopeYourAlone]

i like crate amps

no fucking way, for 40 bucks your getting just what you paid for, a piece of shit.

its like paying less to get a mexican instead of an american.

[Carlo Marx]

no fucking way, for 40 bucks your getting just what you paid for, a piece of shit.

its like paying less to get a mexican instead of an american.

I have a Mexican P-Bass that plays better than any American P-Bass I've ever used.

[patrickhowell]

no fucking way, for 40 bucks your getting just what you paid for, a piece of shit.

its like paying less to get a mexican instead of an american.

Mexican Fender's are fine. They aren't as nice as American ones (obviously) but they're significantly cheaper, and they're still decent guitars.


I have a Mexican P-Bass that plays better than any American P-Bass I've ever used.

I really don't believe that.

[tombo85]

mexican j bass with emg pickups and a badass II bridge is what i play.. as of right now i only have a crate 100watt combo amp which sux ass.

[patrickhowell]

Hey, I know a guy who's selling an Ampeg B5R (with a 4-space rack case) for $400 if any of you bassists are interested.

[Carlo Marx]

I really don't believe that.

I'm telling you, I went and got it set up, and then had a new bridge put in. I bought it off the rack at Guitar Center, after trying numerous different P basses (both Mexican and American) and this Mexican one just played better.

[patrickhowell]

I'm telling you, I went and got it set up, and then had a new bridge put in. I bought it off the rack at Guitar Center, after trying numerous different P basses (both Mexican and American) and this Mexican one just played better.

Sounds like you got really lucky then.

[Carlo Marx]

Sounds like you got really luckey then.

The bridge definitely helps it out a lot, but yeah, I stumbled across an incredibly well made mexican bass.