Hartke HA2000 Head

The features on this amp are very good. The 10 band really allows you to adjust it anyway you please. The Tube/Solid state Preamp knobs add another kick of versatility to your sound. Very verstatile, no doubt that if you played with it long enough, you could dial in the perfect tone. Power seems ample. 120 watts through one cab is great for practice. 200 watts through a full stack is great for medium sized venues. The compressor a lot with recording and just fooling around at him. Set the compressor at 5 and the volume wherever you need it. Sounds good, plenty powerful.

I play a Spector Legend 4 string with Active Electronics and EMG-HZ pickups. Through this amp (and 2 hartke cabs) I was extremely pleased. I mostly play Ska/Reggae/Punk bass, although on occaision i like to play some Metalcore. This amp is clear as day. Anything you play, you'll hear it loud and clear. Which brings me to my warning, this amp is very clear and sensitive, anything you play, will come out. This throws any imperfections in your playing out 200watts into the audience. This has actually taught me how to play better. Love the tone, Grade A hartke for the money.

So far so good, haven't owned it too long, but since i've had it, no problems to speek of. just good continuous tone.

i dont really understand this category. The man i bought it from was very helpful, never needed a repair so i guess great support.

Overall, good tone, versitile tone, monster tone. I strongly recommend this to a bass player of any caliber. Just starting out or a seasoned verteran, this amp does not dissappoint. If you've never owned a hartke, this is where to start.

200 Watts...EQ...Tube AND Solid State (separate gains)...Compression(can be turned off)...effects in/out.

Used in a large church (no house support).

I don't know what the post below is talking about...this is a great head. As long as your cab can handle it, this thing can crank out a very good sound...and it can be tweaked to your liking with the EQ. The poster below probably needed a new tube...if the tube is shot it WILL make a lot of noise (just like any other amp). $10 for a new tube and you're back in business. Not much to say...not a lot of bells and whistles, just a good bass amp. My only strike against it is no DI, but I cheat and use the effects out if I need to go into a PA...no big deal.

Very reliable. I don't have a backup and this amp hasn't failed me yet! I keep it in an anvil rack.

Never had to call.

Overall, it's a good buy for the semi-serious player. It won't break the bank but you'll still be getting a quality head. I give it a 9 overall for value.

It sounds great at a very low volume setting-- see Reliablility.

I need to follow up on this. The head sounds great, but only when played at a really low volume level. I had thought for a long time that my speakers were shredded. The sound when i pushed the volume was terrible. I could not turn the thing up past about a 4 without this horrible noise erupting through the speakers. If I really cranked up the compression, I could get the volume up to about a six, but at that level of compression, the low end was really rolled off.

I recenly replaced the head with one that had a similar power rating (210 watts at 4 ohms). I am able to turn that sucker WAY up without any distortion. I maximized the volume though the other head (a Peavey Mark III series made in 1980) and had no problems.

So, it was never the speakers, at all. The Hartke head really breaks to pieces at an embarrassingly low volume level.

I still think it is an okay head, but it is only useful in really quite settings. It is not very heavy and has a nice sound. If the vlume is pushed past the 5 mark, or so, it falls to pieces.

I bought this amp in 1994/95 to do small club gigs. I used it with various bands (rock, blues, and country) until 2002 when I got another amp with D/O for the PA. I has enough eq and other features to handle these gigs with several different guitars. Built in compressions was nice as was the contour knobs for easy eq changes.
I do feel that the amp should have had a D/O for the price it fetched but it was the only Hartke I could afford. It was powerful enough at 125 watts through 8 ohm four ten cab to handle all my gigs except outdoor gigs where it suffered (more on that later).

my P-Bass with active EMG's sounded great through it as did my Mexican Jazz bass (stock). My sound was much punchier, brighter, and more solid in the low end than with previous amps (junk from the 70's)

I hope that I got the lemmon but here's where I have to go sour on this amp. The first time I took it outdoors to do a party it crapped out. It came back to life the next day indoors but it didnt last 1 song at the gig. was it humidity? I dont know but other amps work fine in the same situations. It also cut out when the passive input was used so I had to play passive basses into the padded input. The last time I used it it was cutting in and out and I shut it down before it blew my speakers. It is now loaned out to a student.

never dealt with them although I should have addressed the outdoor issue with them.

Overall I would say it is a good sounding amp with some bugs internally and it soarly lacks D/O. In retrospect, I think I overpaid for this amp and would have gotten something else to replace it if it was stolen. If it had been more reliable and had a D/O I might still be playing Hartke. I recently played about 2 years on an SWR combo and have just purchased the GK Backline 3500 which I really like.

I bought this head in 1999, I believe. It was not used, but it may be a little oder than that, I really don't know the year of production. It is a 200 watt head that compbines solid state ampliphication with tube ampliphication. It ihas a compressor on it, which is somewhat unique to bass heads. Overall, a lot of versitility.

I play everything through this head. I have a four string fretless by Cavin, a USA custom tuned BEAD, and I also play my electric guitars through it (a Jackson and an old Electra).

With just a little change in the EQ settings, I can play both basses and guitars through the head. Surprisingly, I have never played a bass head that sounded better. I have also never played through a guitar amp that sounds better. Everything sounds beautiful through this thing.

I simply scoop out the mids while playing the bass and reverse it for the guitars. The bass has a beautiful low end and singing highs. I boost the mids and highs for the guitars and pull back the bass end. There is no overwhelming bass quality to the tone and each note in a chord is perfectly audible. It truly is a great guitar head, too.

I have had this thing for a few years, now. It has been with me everytime I have played out with anyone. I have walked it from my car to my apartment in pouring rain. I have never needed to have any sort of work done and have really never considered replacing it.

The finish on it stratches somewhat easily, but who cares? I am still marking this as a ten. It is completely reliable.

I have never tried to contact Hartke.

Not only would I replace it if it were stolen, I am considering buying a second one and keeping it in my closet for the day that this one finally does go. I could not ask for a better head.

I purchased this amp in 1998, and so far have had great luck with it. 200 watts in a portable size cabinet is great for rackmount. I have played all types of music with this amp,from blues to rock, and I find that it is very versatile if you spend the time getting your EQ set. I use this with a custom built 4.5 bass cabinet on inside and outside gigs and it thumps plenty on stage. I do wish it had a direct out feature. Otherwise, it offers alot of tone shaping. Also, I feel it is reasonably priced for what you get.

I am currently using 3 basses with this amp: 4003 Rickenbacker, Fender Geddy Lee Jazz, and Lakland Skyline 44-02 and all the basses sound great through the Hartke. I've jammed while there were 3 other guitarists on stage all using half stack Marshalls, and they were telling ME to turn down! It has plenty of headroom, especially at indoor gigs.

I have had this for 5 years and have NEVER had 1 ounce of trouble. I have used it extensively on gigs without a backup and it has never let me down. I recommend cleaning the fan of dust and dirt every so often so it can keep running cool. Also, mine is rackmounted so that probably helps keep it safe. Hartke throws in the rack ears, which is nice.

Never had to deal with them. Which is a good thing.

I've been playing bass for 20 years and I am very satisfied with the Hartke. I really like the portability and the sounds I can get out of it. It suits my musical styles perfectly. I don't run ANY effects at all, and It still gives me the sounds I need. If this were to get stolen I would probably get the 3500 head next because of a few of the features it has: lighted graphic EQ sliders(good to see on a dark stage), and a direct out feature. This amp has served me well and I will continue to use it as long as it works. Highly recommended!

This head is very versitile. It have a hybrid pre-amp, one tube pre amp and one solid state, with mixering controls. IT sounds awesome, deep and punchy, or bright, anything this amp can do it. It have an effects loop, actice and passive inputs, 9 bands graphic EQ, 2 shape filters, and a compressor. I wish there was a light for the compressor and a DI out, but it is still a nice head, and a headphone out put would be nice. I have not giged with it yet but i will next thursday (25 of april 2002)

I play in a punk band and i like a deep punchy sound, and this amp it great for that. On my own i like to play ska, swing, regge, and funk, so there are many sound u can get from this.

I think it is very dependable. Even if the tube blows i can use the solid state side. i would gig without my old combo easily

This amp has had not problems so i ahve not had to deal with customer service

i have been playinng about a year and a half, if it was stolen i would find the beat and take it back. The only other thing i dont likw it the chassy.(excuse my spelling) I was also looking at the SWR working mans 2004, genz benz m series, and the ampeg b2r. the main reason i choose this was the pre amp and the price. i run this head through a ampeg 4x8s, somtimes a traynor 2x15 and sometimes a crate 1x15, but usually the ampeg