Hartke LH500

This is a no frills, best bang for your buck powerful bass head. It's built like a tank inside and out. 500 watts of pure tube driven bass goodness.

I needed a head that was simple to use, portable, durable, had a DI out and oh yeah it needed to sound great too!

I bought it from Sam Ash Music in NYC. $350 sounds about right for the price I paid.

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Simple to use and loud. Most bass amps have too many stinkin knobs! Not the LH500. Bass, Mid, Treble and Volume. A classic amp circuit with the modern demand of power needed to gig. The DI out is also located right on the front of the amp. No fishing behind your amp at a gig with a dark stage.

There isn't a whole lot I don't like about the amp. I guess if I had to pick one thing: A high Mid and a low Mid knob would give the EQ much more versatility. But hey, you won't find a better bass head out there for the money.

This is a beast. It's handled 2 years of abuse for me so far. I did have to replace the stock 12AX7, but the new high gold Groove Tubes are great tubes, it gave me an excuse to upgrade an already great sounding amp.

Bottom line, if you want a bass amp that will simply amplify your bass loud and clean, this is it!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Everything has been said. Extremely simple, efficient, safe. Not beautiful. Personally I really like the 3-band EQ. I did not need more, I'm the big rock that beam. Stuff with lots of buttons I leave that to virtuosos. As I am far, I prefer simple systems with a massive sound and punches well in the mix. Head great cash my pedalboard. Connectivity is also minimized but it is just what I need. If it reduces the price of the gadget and the sound and quality are waiting for you, I'm for. We must judge the features for the price that I paid for this amp: a misery. the 500W transistor is its weight and is sure it will be increasingly hard for the technology to fight face to class D. But I like the sound mosfet.

UTILIZATION

Simpler you die. Or you play on Orange (which I also like, but it's more expensive). I have not seen the manual but no need to have studied engineering. There is the sound we want in 5 minutes. If we do not find it necessary to change the amp. Matter of taste. Note that the amp seems to be very, very solid. It is therefore targeted to the musician who wants robust, powerful, and easy to use. This is the Land Rover amps.

SOUNDS

A dry, the sound is fairly neutral and warm. The 3 band EQ is effective but does not work miracles. With a good bass and a good speaker, you can not have a bad surprise. It's not super bright, but it's pretty powerful. Bass present, pretty midrange and treble slamming without being too aggressive neutral ... what! I add an overdrive Mazzette and there is the killer pedal. I also have a fuzz Arts in bloodshed. This is an amp mat really cheap but with OD quality it becomes a very very good amp that can compete with many more sides amps. I play with Japanese Ibanez ATK modified and various Japanese PBass 70's / 80's. My main amp is a 200 Chillbass any lamps that cost me almost 10 times more expensive. The two complement each other very well: a great amp very organic and very delicate class: the Bentley. A skeleton strong and reliable amp: I said earlier, the old Land Rover.
I play on a baffle Chillbass 2x15 Celestion Greenback with ferrite. This is an important detail because it's a great cab with an impressive return. I played with several different amps on the cab which compares some brands. It sounds better than some great amps I've owned Ashdown ABM (beautiful design amp a little soft), Genz Benz Shuttle (amazing potato but lacks bass and heat), Eden WT800 (a mystery to me, I n 've never managed to properly adjust while I loved a WT500) and TC Electronic BH250 (Lack of potato).

OVERALL OPINION

I bought it in a hurry after a crash there a month. It's ugly as ass but honestly sounds really good. I had about a dozen amps but this is the cheapest I've paid. I draw a parallel with my instruments I have 7 low and no cost me over 400 euros. Yet I had Musicman, of Warwick, Fender and Rickenbacker American 1973's hardware is chosen by ear and by feel. The LH500 is likely to remain my amp rescue or my main amp for annexes musical projects. With an OD or fuzz quality effect is in any case a very good amp rock and Metal beam to which I can judge with a 2x15. The value is unbeatable. Well ... and I dare say that those who can not afford an all-tube amp can already relatively close there with this head and Mazzette Lowerdrive and a very good cab.

500W preamp ECC83 (12AX7)
Amp transistors 1 x 500X

I now have the LH1000, even the powerful
1000W into 4 ohms (can be lowered to 2 ohms) bridged
Or 2 x 500 W into 2 x 4 ohm

UTILIZATION

I use the Mesa Powerhouse 210 + 115.

It is childishly simple to use.

SOUNDS

I'll be quick to cut short a lot of advice I've read in the forum.

1 / This head is making very neat inside and I do know, nickel!
2 / preamp is none other than the Fender Bassman 100 60s, that the bright channel and this is exactly the same I have plans on me.
3 / You should know the use I made a little but I quickly realized, namely:
The bass knob starts his job in 3/4, then it becomes very heavy.
The highs are clear, transparent enough

And especially the power reaches half knob, before there is nothing of a sudden the amp completely changes, they put a linear potentiometer that's why. Now that you go ahead and touch the rest, you'll understand what it's like in the belly.

Outdoor large scenes it rocks. I use it mainly with my Stingray 5 (I play more than the 5-string). I had the XL series, HyDrive, then Mesa. Nothing to say, it is different in the three disciplines.

OVERALL OPINION

5 years. Powerful growl, simple. I redo the choice since I have LH1000 (it allows me to manage the stack easier and easier to use 500W). The value for money is incomparable in my opinion, now I do not know everything.
Only default all these types of models, the weight! But it's solid.

Head transistor hybrid developing 500 watts into 4ohms and 350 watts into 8ohms lamp equipped with a preamp (12AX7).
Front entrance there are two active / passive, volume, a 3-band EQ bass midrange treble, a limiter switch, a bright switch and XLR DI output.
Two speaker outputs on the back size jack, an effects loop and a switch to select the voltage depending on the country where you are.
This is a head rack (2U 19 inch)

UTILIZATION

With a volume and a 3 band EQ hard to get lost, so unless you have never touched an amp is not really need the manual (in English).
The limiter is rather to protect HP, personally I use a compressor pedal format so I do not clicks. The bright brings more acute and more brilliance, personally with my cab it generates too much breath so I do not use it, but slap example we enjoyed his.
Acute low medium settings its effective flat it sounds good already, just after we get a lot of different sounds, it still lacks an up and down adjustment mediums for added versatility.

SOUNDS

This head is said to be neutral and this is the case, but unlike other models of the same brand is not cold. I plug my Fender and my active effects on the front and I get very decent sound. I have not tested the effects loop so I could not comment on its quality, but instead the DI is good, I could test it for recording.
I play mostly Metal / Hard-Core (at least in groups) and with a preamp and several effects I did not need a very typey head. I had the power and I am served with a drummer who bangs and a guitarist who plays on an Orange amp tube I have no problem making myself heard.

OVERALL OPINION

I played with for several months and I do a lot of rehearsals with, for now I have nothing to fault and I'm satisfied.
Used under 8ohms (so 350 watts) with a 4x10, I do not push the volume beyond 14H group, leaving a reserve of power without having to push to its limits.
Stored in a rack made of PVC, it is convenient to transport and is protected
Otherwise it fully meets my expectations, so the same budget I rachèterais carefree, even if eventually I plan to invest in a head with more personality.