Item Reviews for:
Hartke LH500 Bass Guitar Amplifier Head  -  HAR LH500 PAK LIST
Ahhh... A Fresh Breath of Simplicity
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Josh from Greensboro, NC, USA
Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? This amp is heavy. I would rather have a heavy amp than one of the new micro amps that are 4 lbs from fear of the micro amp getting blown off my cabinet when a patron to the venue I'm playing at opens the front door... Heavy, solid, seems reliable. Features What do you consider to be the best features of this product? What features would you add to this product if you could? Breathe in the freshness of simple controls! I've always been a fan of Hartke amplifiers, but I found them cumbersome to use because of the massive 10 band EQ of the previous models. Once you dial in your sound on one of those, you're golden; its just getting there with all of the adjustments... This amp is so simple, a caveman could use it. ;-) Input jack, volume, 3-band boost-only EQ (like what old school Ampeg amps used) with killer frequency centers, limiter (if you want to use it; I prefer to have it on), DI, and on/off switch. Setup with this amp takes all of two minutes to get a good tone dialed in. Sound How is its Tone? Just about any sound you could want. If you can't get a sound that you like, you could easily purchase a rackmount preamp to enhance your EQ options. I have a BBE BMAX pre that I plan on running through the effects loop of this head when I purchase it. Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? I am in the process of rebuilding my rig to turn pro in the area in which I live. I want to have a simple rig that easy to transport and sounds great. I have owned Hartke gear in the past, and it is unbeatable when you compare power, tone, and price. That said, I'm going to purchase this head & 2 Hartke 410XL's. I already a BBE BMAX preamp, rackmount tuner, and a nice road rack to carry everything in. Studio: take in the rack, no cabinets. Small-medium venues: take in the rack and one of the 410XL cabinets. Large venues: rack and both 410XL cabinets. Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? Finish How did the stain or paint job look? I like the gunmetal gray(ish) finish on this amp. Chrome knobs are a nice touch. Action How was the action out of the box? Well, this is an amplifier head... ...that fits in an SKB rack... Not a whole lot of "action" to speak of...
Love this amp!
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Jim from Oklahoma, USA
Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? Seems very well made and have owned several Hartke products in the past, always dependable. Features What do you consider to be the best features of this product? What features would you add to this product if you could? Love the simplicity of it only 4 knobs. That's really all you need to get a great sound. Sound How is its Tone? Sounds great and with only bass, mids and treble it is very easy to dail in the right sound. Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? N/A Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? Tone sounds awesome with all set at 12 o-clock. Like the brite switch too. Finish How did the stain or paint job look? Ok Action How was the action out of the box? N/A
Excellent equipment and powerful!
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Dennis from Caguas, PR
Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? Built to last. Features What do you consider to be the best features of this product? What features would you add to this product if you could? Eq just gave you infinite possibilities for different styles. Sound How is its Tone? Excellent tone. Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? Gives you the presence, the punch and the clarity necessary for live performance Finish How did the stain or paint job look? Action How was the action out of the box? Easy to setup.
Perfect clean amp
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Mikey
Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? This thing is rugged Features What do you consider to be the best features of this product? What features would you add to this product if you could? Could use a gain control for the tube preamp and maybe a couple extra EQ controls, but other than that it's great Sound How is its Tone? It sounds amazing, doesn't have any issues with clipping like a lot of others in the price range, and it's definitely loud enough for most venues Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? Very simple to figure out Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? Two words - perfectly clean. If you're looking for the Ampeg growl, this isn't your amp. Otherwise, it's perfect. Finish How did the stain or paint job look? Action How was the action out of the box?
Great Buy
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Brent Oatsvall from Huntingdon TN
Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? Very well made its a tank Features What do you consider to be the best features of this product? What features would you add to this product if you could? Simple and easy to use Sound How is its Tone? Clean at all ranges low to hogh Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? Its heavy its a bass amp Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? Finish How did the stain or paint job look? Good Action How was the action out of the box?
Wow!!
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J Miller from Centreville, VA USA
Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? This thing is definitely road-ready. Very solid. Toss it in a rack and it should last as long as you want it to. Features What do you consider to be the best features of this product? What features would you add to this product if you could? There aren't a lot of bells and whistles with this head. It's got a basic EQ but that's plenty! The tube preamp gives it that warm sound with any EQ setting. The bright and limiter switches are extrememly useful. Sound How is its Tone? Very warm tone. Between the EQ and bright switch you can dial in any sound you need. Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? Very easy to use. Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? Finish How did the stain or paint job look? Action How was the action out of the box?
Big Bang for the Buck!!!
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Darrell (Da B string) from Greensboro, NC
Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? built strong and solid like a small tank.I been playing bass for 35 years and I will be first to say its well built. Features What do you consider to be the best features of this product? What features would you add to this product if you could? The face plate handles works very well if want to carry the amp with one hand. I wish the amp came with a cover. Sound How is its Tone? Very fat and smooth with clarity. Since I play rock, jazz fusion, r&b, and gospel, thats the tone I need in my craft. Im playing through a epifani UL2-112 cab, which is light weigh & versatile with a Roscoe skb 3005, & warwick corvette 5 string. Both basses has pre-amps built in, so all I needed was a great powerful amp with basic controls with a limiter, and thats what I found in Hartke LH500, it is a beast and it works for me. Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? Its a amp ? Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? This amp gives me any sound I want with very little tweak of the controls. Finish How did the stain or paint job look? Very Nice, nothing fancy, black with gray face plate, but it looks real nice. Action How was the action out of the box? Ok, takes all most 30 seconds to power up.
You won't get better at any price, only different.
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Joe Sanchez from Tri-Cities, WA
Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? This amp is built at least as well as anything on the market and better than most of them. This is a definitely a gigging amp. Features What do you consider to be the best features of this product? What features would you add to this product if you could? The DI is clean, the limiter is transparent and the bright switch really helps you cut through the mix. The EQ while limited to three bands, is very musical. There is very little to go wrong with this amp. It is simple, solid and sounds fantastic! Sound How is its Tone? The tube preamp plus the interactive eq gives you a full, rich tone that is easily sculptable. Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? The pots have a solid feel to them. Same thing with the switches. This whole amp screams 'not fragile'. Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? Warm as opposed to sterile but not woolly like some amps. Ultimately, whether you are looking for 'bang for the buck' or are a 'tone purist' you will be happy with this amp. Unless you are looking for sterile or wooly. Finish How did the stain or paint job look? There was a scratch on the right side of the case but in a rack you don't even see it so no problems. Action How was the action out of the box? This is an amp.
Hartke
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eric from GA
Quality Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable? Made well. Knobs are quality. Got the bass attack foot switch to sweeten the deal :) Features What do you consider to be the best features of this product? What features would you add to this product if you could? I love the simple eq and the design of the amp. 500w is all i need atm. Sound How is its Tone? With my Hydrive 15 this baby pumps! Would love to add a set of 4'10 in the future but as it is I really enjoy the variety of lows and even highs. Playability and Feel How does it feel, Heavy, Fast, Chunky? How was the neck? Are the controls easy to get to while playing? not light crap,its made heavy and strong Tone Bright and snappy? Dark and smooth? Were the pickups hot, mellow, thick, thin? great tone and flexibility Finish How did the stain or paint job look? black paint, not fancy but not crappy either Action How was the action out of the box? action? its a amp
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