# Opinions on Hartke LH500?



## carcass (Dec 31, 2011)

Hi there guys, recently I bumped into this amp, what are your opinions on it?



fingerstyle is on 03:00 and on 03:30 is used Bright swith .. definitely something just on my taste


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## MaxOfMetal (Dec 31, 2011)

I've never played a Hartke that I thought was genuinely bad sounding. They tend to produce quality stuff with solid tone at really affordable prices. 

I haven't tried the LH500, but I have tried it's big brother the LH1000 through a Hartke Hydrive 410 and an Eden Nemesis 410 (not at the same time). I thought it sounded a lot like an Ampeg SVT-7Pro which was in the same room. The Hydrive cab made it sound really aggressive and tight, while the Nemesis warmed things up a bit and made things a little darker sounding. The controls are super basic, but the EQ is effective for the most part. A master volume would have been nice to make pushing the preamp harder less ear aching. It certainly doesn't sound like an old SVT or Bassman 300, more HiFi and "modern" sounding. It's a solid amp, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't have a whole lot of character of it's own. Maybe I'm just too used to big angry Ampegs with a very distinct tone. 

The Hydrive cab actually impressed me more than the amp. I put an SVT-4Pro through it and it just had the huge, grinding, bright tone right from the get go. The build on it was amazing as well. You could have told me five or six years ago that Hartke would put out a nearly $1000 cab, I probably would have laughed and asked about "gold plating", but I dug this cab enough to consider snagging it for my V4B. 

But back to the amp. In this price range, you're not going to find a whole lot of really stand out amps. My favorite budget amp so far (besides used GK stuff ) would probably be the Peavey Headliner, it has enough EQ and switches to really be flexible and is pretty light for what you get.


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## TemjinStrife (Jan 1, 2012)

The LH series are solid, great-sounding amps. Not Ampegs, but that can be a good thing.


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## carcass (Jan 2, 2012)

I have been thinking about very simple chain:
bass -> Tech 21 VT Character -> Hartke LH 500 -> box (not quite sure, maybe Ashdown from video or Hartke HyDrive cab)

Seems to me that this would definitely satisfy my needs and maybe become my lifetime gear


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## davisjom (Jan 2, 2012)

ive played this amp many times at sweetwater. for me, this amp needs little to no adjusting on the EQ. its a clear, crisp sounding amp. IMO, if you have the money, get it.


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