Hartke HA3500 Head

This is a review for a brand new Hartke HA3500 amp in the new wooden rack case. This amp has a great sound right out of the box and within 5 minutes I had the tone that I've been looking for dialed in. I mainly play original hard rock/heavy metal, but we also have elements of alternative, jazz and classic rock mixed in - overall a very unique sounding original band. This amp delivers for me the perfect tone for all of the tones one would need for these different styles of music. It has two inputs - active & passive, A tube & solid state preamp section that allows you to use a blend of the two (the heart of this amp), effects loop with blend control, DI with ground lift and pre/post, 10 band graphic EQ, high and low pass contour filters, compressor and plenty of power @ 350 watts! For the price it has all that I would want! I have used this amp to record in the studio with excellent results as well as in live indoor settings. The cooling fan is extremely quite for a unit of this size and power (I previously used a Beghringer Ultrabass 4500 that was noisier than the music I was making with it).

I have a Spector Europe Rebop 4DLX FM with EMG-HZ pu's and tone pump active preamp w/voltage doubler as my main bass. These two arer ment to be together. I play my Hartke HA3500 through a Hartke 410TP cab and I used it along with a GK Backline 210 but the amp was too powerful for this cab so I only use the Hartke 410TP now. I plan on adding either another 410TP or a 115 Hartke cab soon. I have always loved the Hartke sound and Hartke has improved on the design and sound of the HA3500. It is virtually noiseless and my bass screams when I plug it into this amp. I can barely go over 1 on my amp's volume. My tube preamp is on 8 and the soilid state is on 5. My compression setting is at 2 1/2 and I use the graphic EQ with the mid's attenuated with the highs gradually rising above 0 to about +9 at the hights point. My lows are setting to +3 at their highest point. The low pass contour is set at -3 and the high pass is set at 5. I also use a Digitech BP8 effects processor and it is better sounding through this amp anything that I've ever ran it through. I have made one modification to this amp that bears mentioning. When I first received this amp from Hartke I changed out the stock 12AX7 tube and replaced it with a JJ/Tesla "high-gain" 8803 tube and let me tell you this - THIS AMP IS EVIL!!! I recommend that anyone who wants to take this amp to the next level make this simple 5-minute mod. The tube can be purchased for $15 through tubedepot.com and it makes all of the difference in the world. Prior to the modification I was playing at 3 or 4 on my volume and now as I mentioned earlier I don't go above 1 - and I play in a band with two guitar players one of which plays through the Peavey 5150 head with a Marshall 1650 cab and he can't believe the tone that comes out of this amp. I couldn't be happier with what this amp offers to the bands overall sound. It puts the bass out front in the mix that's for sure!

I owned a HA3500 back in 1997 and never had any problems with it. I eventually sold it when I moved to Florida and wish I would have held on to it. Then I bought this beast and am glad I did. I have no doubt that this head will last but I have only owned it for 1 month. It is built very rugged and appears to be well assembled inside and out. I am giving the amp a 9 in this category because I have only owned it for one month so it wouldn't be right for me to say that it is reliable without me really exposing it to a full year of regular playing. However I would like to add that I have used Hartke products for a longtime and have never had any problems with any of their products that seemed to be caused by manufacturing issues.

I have never had to deal with Samson Technologies Corp. I have heard both good and bad stories, but my own experience is that I have never had to deal with them.

I have been playing for over 25 years and this is easily the best head that I have ever owned. I have used combo's for several years and have just recently got back into using full rig's again. There really is no comparison for me. The versatility that an amp rig lends is just worth the price you pay to me. If it were lost or stolen I would definitely buy another one. This amp has so much power that I can't imagine how it would sound with another 410 or even a 115 cab hooked up to it - it scares me to think of the damage I would cause! I tried it out through a 115 at my local music store and I heard all that I needed to hear just with about 5 notes. It projects your sound with such a clean and clear tone - but isn't that what Hartke means by "Transient Attack"? I would like to add that anyone who is looking for an amp to set them apart from the rest of the crowd then this amp definitely will accomplish the task remarkably! Hartke should start an ad campaign for the HA3500 that goes something like this: Hartke - putting bass players back on the map. Thanks Larry for making me so damn happy!

Recently purchased this head from Thomann who were brilliant as ever. I play all styles of bass incorporating Jazz/Funk/Rock etc. The head has two inputs - one for active and one for passive instruments, two gain controls - one for the tube and one for the solid state, which can be mixed in whatever ratio you want, a compressor (which, as you turn the knob, becomes a limiter - highly effective!), a very impressive 10 band EQ, and bass and treble contour. There is also a brilliant DI and an effects loop which allows you to blend the wet and dry signals. Personally I prefer to run my effects between the bass and the amp but the blend control is great for one distortion pedal I use which has a great distortion sound but looses all bass frequencies when it's switched on, by mixing the distortion with the dry bass sound I can get insane distortion on top of a clean and punchy bass tone.
350W of power is more than enough for me. This amp is LOUD LOUD LOUD. I only turn the master up to 3 with the two gain controls at 8 (tube) and 7 (solid state) and a small curve on the eq and holy **** this thing kicks!!!

I mainly play a Warwick Thumb but also play a MM Sterling as well as a Warwick 5 String Streamer. This amp has got it all. The EQ offers a massive amount of control over your sound, some people say that they don't like EQs and I have no idea why (maybe because they don't understand the concept?!). There really is nothing this amp can't do (except uprights - they really don't sound well with this amp, go figure!).
I have coupled this amp with a Gallien Krueger 410BLXII cap (reviewed elsewhere). I have played through plenty of amps and plenty of different set-ups including some very high end systems and can honestly say that my set-up is clearer and punchier (it is really really really punchy) than most others.
This amp is almost silent but and the fan is quiet enough to use in the studio - I have read elsewhere that it is not so Hartke must have improved their design.
The one thing I am slightly dissatisfied with is that this amp will not produce overdrive from it's tube but it's really no problem as I already use a tube distortion pedal.

I never go to gigs without a backup and my backup is quickly gathering dust! This thing is built like a monster and can sound like one two if you so choose.
I do not expect this amp to break down but I definitely will keep it stored in a flight case just in case.

I have never had to deal with customer support so can offer no comment on this section.

I have been playing the bass for almost 15 years now and have worked my way through quite a bit of equipment. Being a bit tight for cash at the moment and staring into the face of an impending tour with my band I needed a versatile workhorse and that is exactly what I got.
I adore the eq, it really offers a vast amount of sound moulding options. The compressor is also excellent. I have it on 4 for faster/heavier numbers and for slapping and ease it off to around 2 for more gentle songs where I need more expression from my instrument. Turning it up any further really does squash the sound but is always worth messing around with as you never know when a song might need it.
There isn't really much else I would like this amp to have. For the price it blows EVERYTHING else out of the water and more besides.
This amp is awesome.

This is a combo review of both the Hartke Model 3500 Transient Attack (old model) and the HA3500 (new). I have both and have been testing them for a while. Features are well known and quite adequate - dual tube & SS preamps, rudimentary compressor, passive & active (attenuated) inputs, 10-band graphic, "contour" (basic bass & treble) controls.

I have used my older Hartke with: an vintage Ibanez Musician, a '75 Precision, Epi Thunderbird, Danelectro Hodad, and my current old P-bass with Jazz mods. Never heard any noise from the amp, not that I could tell over the fan which is a bit loud. Excellent variety of sounds. It's not the top of the line David Eden, but I love the tone.

As to comparision between old & new, here goes:

So far the difference is almost negligible, except for one most startling one - the old head actually IS louder. I expected to find that the standard claim the "old ones are better" would be BS, but there is in fact an overall gain difference. If I could barely get by on my gigs with the old model then I might hesitate before trying the HA, but that's nonsense - I've always had twice the gain at my disposal than I needed. The disparity is lessened when the master volume is dime'd, so this may have to do with the potentiometer type than actual output. Still, I perceive about a 5% cut in overall output in the new model, which I will admit is disappointing ??? we all want more juice. One hour later, update ??? the old is IS ???punchier??? by a small hair. Changing out the Sovtek 12AX7 to a JJ Tesla helped the tube preamp tone considerably! Having just been inside both units I can observe that the "punch" differential may be due to the output transformers which are totally unlike - the new unit has an odd round trans, old has a more traditional square trans that is more massive.

Otherwise they're the same amp. Same thick solid state pre, same scooped-mid tube pre, same response in all other controls including the rudimentary compressor (more on that later).

Can't tell you anything about the new model, just got it. I've been inside the HA3500 and it seems solidly constructed. As for the original - it's a ROCK. I would never consider carrying a backup.

Never needed it, no opinion.

I'd like to address some of the other comments I've read, specifically the dislikes -

"No tuner out" - Um, I had to hit y'all on the head with the official "duh" 2x4 but did NOBODY else figure out that the effects loop return functions as a tuner out? Works perfectly, leave the mix control on the back at 50%. Oh, you USE the FX loop as it's intended? Well, trot up to Radio Shack and score a $3.99 1-male-to-2-female splitter and jam it in the FX loop return jack, now you've got one Return Out for your toy and one for the tuner.

???Useless compressor" - The "gears" that came up with this classic design decided, quite wisely, to keep it simple and add a one-knob compressor that adjusts both the compression and threshold ratio simultaneously. Yes, it could be better described as a peak limiter, big deal. Point is if you're big on full-feature compression in your bass rig, buy a compressor. Otherwise for players like me it's a useful circuit add-on to leave on 1 or 2 max, to prevent an enthusiastic note-spike from costing you your speakers. Side note: I play lightly with my fingertips, I like the dynamic control. No one else does from my reckoning, every time I let a bro sit in he's thumps 3 times louder than me. So: as I get ready to hand over my rig I make sure and twirl that handy compressor up to 5!

"No headphone jack" - A honkin' 350w head, and you're concerned about HEADPHONES? Some folks don't WANT to be pleased... You can use one of the speaker outs for headphones, or did you imagine dedicated headphone outputs to be magically tweaked in such a manner that no other source could match? I tested my new head last night with headphones using the spkr out, no problem.

???Fan is LOUD" - True dat. The fan would be annoying on a very quiet volume gig, and prohibitive for most studio applications. I can't hear it on a stage, so no real problem there. Maybe the loud fan is part of the reason these units keep chugging along so reliably.

One reviewer knocked points off because the tube pre doesn't function as an overdrive! And if it DID distort, of course everyone else would kvetch about that.

Purchased new in summer 2007.

The graphic EQ is great, I found a horrible boxy sound around 64hz and just cut it all out and now have a great bottom end sound with plenty of treble on the attack.

There is also High and low attenuation, mostly above and below the frequency range of most cabs so you can cut out all the sub frequencies you can't hear in a 4x10 and thus increase the percieved output!

Choice of pre amps does not make a great difference with my equipment, but it's nice to have the choice.

Compression works well and is simple to control.

I'm usig this amp with a 410TP (also by Hartke) and a Peavy bass with great big soapbar pickups, through a Zoom 607 pedal.

With the Zoom noise reduction on my pedal the amp is pretty much silent when I am not playing.

The guitarists in my band both use 4x12 cabs with 100W heads, I never need to turn my amp above 4 to be more than loud enough.

I use the amp for playing metalcore (see myspace.com/reasonabledoubt).

There is no input meter, so if you turn both input gains too high you will get distortion and you just have to use your ears to get the desired effect.

I love it, when we go to rehearsals I swap the Ashdown or Trace head at the studio for mine every time.

In the UK the IEC power lead supplied with this head has a 3amp fuse in it which blows the first or second time you turn it on, just replace it with a 5 amp, or greater if you want to risk it, before powering up.

The 5 amp fuse will blow if you power up with the volume up.

Other than that these seem to be made robust, mine came in a wooden rack case with a great big Hartke logo on, these are great because the wood overlaps the front of the amp and prevents the knobs being damaged. The corners are chromed and with the LEDs on the Eq lit up this amp looks brutal on stage, plus you can find it even when using a smoke machine!!

The guys at Samson UK are wicked! I have some technical knowlege, so my questions were refferred from the helpdesk to the actual tech guys who fix defective amps who even called me back. (this is how I found out about the 3 amp fuses!)

I have been playing for 7 years give or take.

My previous amp was a Carlsbro Cobra combo, so I don't have a great deal to compare it to, however I have played the Ashdown Mag stuff which just sounds muffled compared to this.

If it were lost or stolen I would definately get another one, I don't think that the EQ section can be bettered.

This amplifier was purchased brand new from Thomann of Germany exactly 12 months ago. I have waited til now so that I may submit a thorough review of the amp's capabilities and reliability. It cost almost ??300, which is roughly $600 or Eu450 and I feel has been superb for the money!

Features (from the manual)

Power: 350 Watts at 4 Ohms
240 Watts at 8 Ohms
Selectable Tube & Solid-State Preamps or mix the two!
Bass & Treble Contour Controls
10-Band Graphic EQ can be on & off
Adjustable Compression can be on or off
Balanced XLR Out
Signal-To-Noise: Approx. 78 dBm
Effects Send & Return
Bipolar Design
Passive/Active Input Jack

Just about everything you could ever want from a budget amplifier.
It's got 2 Jack Out sockets, rather than Speakon.

I have used the amp through a pair of Gallien-Kruger Backline speaker cabinets (BLX II 1x15 and BLX II 4x10) and I am absolutely delighted with everything! My band plays 50 gigs a year and we cover everything from Tina Turner & Blondie, through James Brown and Green Day to Led Zep and this rig handles the lot! Sounds warm with the tube pre-amp turned up and dry and fierce with the transistor control turned up.

Perfect. I took the amp out of the wooden 'classic' type casing it was in and housed it in a 2u flightcase, as I gig a lot and there's plenty of knobs to damage! I did note some amps (not the 3500, but smaller ones) may have humidity problems - mine hasn't. It lives in its case either in my garage or the band van and works perfectly well whenever called upon. It's done 50 gigs and about 20 or so rehearsals and still sounds as good as day one. I never (touch wood) need any kind of back up, though now I've said that....? :o))

Not dealt with Hartke as nothing has gone wrong at all. Thomann also offer a 36 month extended warranty on all their sales for free. I feel confident.

Been playing bass since my teens and am now almost 44. I use a 4 and 5 string Fender Jazz basses tjrough the rig and everything is as it should. I have thought about uping to an Ampeg but have dismissed it for the time being - there's just too much maintenance required and I don't think I'm strong enough ! This amp is light in comparison. If lost or stolen..... maybe I'd get another - I'd miss it, but there's a world of choice, isn't there? While I have it and it works, I'll keep using it. It's light, versatile, dependable - all I need form a bass amplifier. I think I'd prefer Speakon outputs, but that's just personal taste. It's a great amp for the cash.

All the features you would need for most styles and the graphic eq and contour are all easily tweaked for that special sound you might be after despite what bass gtr you might be using.

Dont find much difference when using various preamp combos with valve and solid state although the valve does seem a little warmer dependent on how good your speaker system is.

Bought it to replace a Behringer BX4500 which although was quite good for the money the Hartke is a better unit and more versatile and my Carvin PB200 didnt have enough grunt to drive my other spkr boxes

Using a Yamaha BB604 bass which sounds great with the Hartke head and VX410 box with a one 15" cabinet used in conjunction.

Can get boom, pop, mid and anything in between from this amp with some fiddling with the EQ. Compression adjustable to keep levels sane and from doing damage to speakers.

Play mainly Rock, some funk (this amp is great for the clean punch) and jazz with another band. Great amp and judging by others comments good value for the money.

No noise at all other than some small amount from bass pickups when in close proximity of amp but this is due single coils from bass guitar. Only noise other than that you have to listen hard for the cooling fan.

Reliable as a diesel truck, no problems, have dropped it a few times and damaged the case but still working fine.

Replaced tube with an old boogie tube from a guitar amp and sounds a little smoother using valve preamp.

I dont think the thing is ever going to break for me to find out what the service is like! Seems very hard to find anyone who has had problems with this amp, unlike my previous Behringer.

Warranty for 12months.

Playing various styles for 14 years or so now, and play guitar in another band.

This really is a fab amp with everything you need to get a good sound regardless of what you play.

I would probably get this one again if it was broken, lost or nicked, but might try an Ashdown MAG500 next time round.

Similar priced amps like Gallien Krueger, SWR and Warwick in the same power ratings are no better than this product so give it a try before you buy! Its a little more versatile.

EQ really allows you to dial in your sound.
Compressor is efficient, easy to dial in so that it doesn't stick out when it kicks in.

I play everything from the Beatles to Linkin Park. I use the 3500 with a Hartke 4 X 10 XL cabinet and get a great sound. Everything comes thru very clearly.

Been using it for 7 years, beaten on consistently and it keeps ticking without any issues. For the money, you can't beat it.

Never been needed.

Made in 2006
Power: 350 Watts at 4 Ohms
240 Watts at 8 Ohms
Selectable Tube & Solid-State Preamps
Rotary Bass & Treble Contour Controls
10-Band Graphic EQ
Adjustable Compression
Balanced XLR Out
Total Harmonic Distortion: Less Than 1% At Rated Power
Signal-To-Noise: Approx. 78 dBm
Effects Send & Return
Bipolar Design
Passive/Active Input Jack

Can be removed from wood enclosure and used as rackmount head.
Features are nothing special but definitely sufficient.
I use it for playing gigs at pubs and weddings etc, mostly just pub rock and party favourites. Can find a suitable tone for just about any song.
Compression leaves little to be desired, works quite nicely as long as you don't turn it up too high.

I'm using a Fender Jazz Bass (obviously black it sounds better lol) through the hartke head with a celestion 4x10. I add an Eminar 2x15 at larger gigs. I can use this combination to find a good tone for just about any situation I have tried so far. Can be a tad noisy but I blame that on the single coil pickups not a fault of the amp.
One of the most versatile amps you could hope for, 10 band graphic EQ (with lights on each slider: ultra cool) combined with selectable tube and solid state preamps, allow you to get any tone you hear in you head from bright and clear to warm and mellow.
Just make sure when using the tube preamp you give the tube time to warm up, don't expect the best tone as soon as you turn it on as tubes become better sounding as they get warm.
Can become distorted with both preamps turned up to full, but there is no reason you would want to do this. I dont think?
Only an 8 for sound. Amazing tone for the price, however if you are willing to pay big bucks for something really top of the line you could probably beat this head. Then again expensive isnt always better, use your ears not your ego.

Haven't had the amp very long so havent really tested it to the full rigours of gigging as yet, however it seems very solidly built and I would be happy to gig without a backup, of course if a backup is available take it!
Never Broken Down

Haven't Dealt with Hartke

Been playing for 5 years. Love the tone of this baby! Chose it because it had volume to spare, great price and nice tone. Also considered a Gallien Krueger 400RB and SWR but neither seemed to have the flexibility of this amp.
Only thing is i wish it had a standby or mute switch!
By the way, Jack Bruce (from Cream) uses this amp and Jaco was known to use Hartke also! Just goes to show, the most expensive isnt always the best, its what sounds best to you.