Hartke Kickback 15

Well i got this bass amp at the begining of this year, i hav to say apart from 'ashdown' and 'hughes and kettner' bass amps this is easly one of the best ive had. I play metal and was in a couple of punk bands and its great for both styles (not 100% sure how good it would be for others). it only has 3 eq settings but im yet to find an amp of this price and power(new that is) that has more.

Atm i play a ibanez srx390 and a squier percision bass (one tuned to drop C ibanez and squier in standard E). The amp has no proplems with either. Its has a very good clean tone and is very loud for an amp of this size and price. it only has 3 eq settings but im yet to find an amp of this price and power(new that is) that has more. In my curent band i play with 2 guitarist with marshal avt 150 half stacks and hav no proplems keeping myself in the mix. It has no feed back at all the noise gate is very gd.

Ive had it about 5 months and its as gd as new. Ive banged it and dropped it like any person does by actcedent an its still fine

not problems to note it works as gd as new!

Since ive only been playing about 2-3 years i don't think i no loads about playing and kit but i no gd stuff wen i use it and this is a very very gd amp for the money! I love the sound and tone, its heavy but with a 15'' speaker and the magnet it has its understanderable. overall its a very gd amp and i would recemmened other people to buy one because for the money its very hard to bet if not almost imposable to.

Hartke Kickback 15. 120 watts, 15" speaker (stock aluminum speaker replaced with an Eminence Delta 15), generic 3-band EQ (Lo, Mid, Hi), Shape control, headphone out, and direct out. Pretty standard fare when it comes to bass combos. Nothing special here. A four- or five-band EQ would have been nice.

I mainly play this amp with my Essex BG-205 5-string bass with two single-coil pickups. I usually keep the amp volume about 1 o'clock, and fine tune the volume knobs on my bass to tune in the sound I need.

With this amp I get a very bright, punchy tone with intense mids. My style is a blend of funk and rock, and for this purpose the Hartke Kickback 15 really excels. The mids are especially powerful, and the lows are warm in tone. Hits Low B with ease.

I play with two guitarists, both running about 120 watts through 12" speakers. Between those two and the hard-hitting drummer, I used to have major problems cutting through the mix (not to mention when our rhythm guitarist used a 4x12 half stack). I too made the mistake of boosting the lows and cutting the mids. Very amateur mistake. Turning the amp up only resorted in distortion and muddy-sounding riffs. Now that I've turned down the lows and boosted the mids I cut clear through the mix and bring out the best of my bass' tone.

I've had this for probably about two years. I jam with it usually three times a week, and I've gigged with it. I would definitely play a show with this amp without a backup. The only part of the amp that shows signs of wear is the handle on the top, but sketchy as it may look it still works.

Never dealt with any Hartke customer support. I doubt I will have to.

I've been playing 3 years now. I own two basses, an Essex BG-205 and an Ibanez GSR200. I also own a Crate BX15 practice amp. If my Hartke amp was stolen or lost, I wouldn't buy the same amp again. Its a great combo, however it is quite simple. I would probably go for something with a little more power and a few more features, preferably a better EQ. However, for the price I paid this amp is exceptional. The sound leaves nothing to be desired, and I've had plenty of power for every playing situation I've been in so far.

Hey, I'm the guy who left the anonymous review on 12/16/2004. I would like to change my really bad review on the sound quality of this little amp for a rock setting. I've been playing bass 5 years, and 2 and 1/2 years in the same band and using this amp for the last year or more, fighting to hear myself over two guitarists. Well... seems I fell into the trap of most bass players who start playing with other people, cutting midrange waaay too much and thus, completely falling out of the mix. I like some good biting treble and bass, but found that cutting some of the low bass and bringing up the lower mids has put my bass back in the mix big time. My novice mistake, not the amps fault!

Good sounds for a small simple amp. I play with 2 guitarists with halfstacks and can still cut through pretty good. Decent warmth for solid state, just need to eq it right!

Very reliable! I've beaten the sh#t out of it volume-wise, and held it's own.

It's great for it's size and weight, but due to G.A.S. I'm looking for an Ashdown ABM 500 for more tone and headroom(gotta keep those overzealous guitarists in check! heh heh...). A great amp for the size and money though.

Same features as listed in the previous reviews. This amp has plenty of headroom and typically I have the volume at 10 o'clock and I cut through the drums well. I wish this amp had an effects loop so I could bypass the preamp. An additional shape filter (high/low) would be nice as well.

I use this amp with a Warwick five string and a Musicman Stingray. I dropped a six in this category because I?m not very fond of the harsh tone the preamp puts out. I use my favorite preamp and have the EQ on this amp set flat. With that setup, I can get some really nice, crisp tones from the amp. I think this amp can shine where you want crisp well defined tones. There is no warmth to this guy, so you may want to look elsewhere if you are looking for a nice warm rock tone.

As far as power, this amp has plenty of power (I am also using active basses) and I don?t think I?ve ever had to turn the volume above 12 o?clock to cut through the mix. I?ve never had any noise or hum issues with this amp and I?ve used it in varying environments with various effects.

In the three years I have owned this amp, I have not had a single problem with it. It has powered up every time I flicked the switch. It?s endured traveling and sitting in the hot and cold without so much as a whimper.

I have yet to have to deal with them.

Keeping in mind what this amp was intended for and the price point it sits in; I give this amp an eight overall because I can get some really useful tones from it (while using my preamp!) and it is very portable with plenty of power. I have also ?kicked it back? and used it as my own personal bass monitor ? another plus. I?ve been playing bass for about ten years and I bought this amp because it was on sale for about half price. I am blessed to be able to play bass on several worship teams and I use this amp for smaller venues and an Ashdown ABM500 for larger venues. The Ashdown sounds insanely better but this amp?s lower power rating and portability give it a place in my arsenal.

If it were stolen, I?d probably replace it, but I would seriously consider a warmer sounding amp instead (like an Ashdown MAG 210 combo or the Ampeg 210 in the same price range). For the price, this amp is hard to beat.

15' combo amp rated at 120 watts @ 8 ohms. Features: shape control,3 band eq, headphone out,xlr. Heatsink instead of fan, but it works.

I play through this amp with an Aria P/J bass with an ash body and emg active pickups. Very transparent amp w/descent warmth. With two guitarists playing through 2 halfstacks in my band, this little amp is buried in the mix, and is way too weak. This amp would work great with a guitarist with a 50 watt combo amp playing slap or jazz, but not enough character for any hard rock. I prefer amps that get a crunchier tone, and so this combo is going to ebay.

Very dependable. Trying to cut through two halfstack usually puts the volume at 80 percent or more.[of course the bass knob gets turned down] I can't believe it is still fine. The knobs are a little fragile, though. Gig without a backup? uh, yes if it was loud enough and meaner-sounding!

Proprietary cones? Keep your pepsi-can cones! I think good 10' traditional cones are bright AND warm. Way warmer.

Been playing 10 years on/off. Moreso recently I've been playing through a peavey Mark 4 Bass amp, and it has the crunchy, yet smooth tone I prefer for rock. The hartke is good for quieter, more detailed stuff. Good stuff, just not my stuff.

It has all the basics you need to have a solid sound. This amp is pretty solid for small and maybe meadium size gigs.

I am using a American Fender Jazz Bass and it sounds great. Theres no buzzing that I have heard. I play mostly contemperary rock and some jazz. This amp has a nice pop to it and pretty good tone for rock.

I have taken it to many gigs and thrown it into the my trunk many times. This amp has done very well and has had no problems that I have come across yet.

I have been playing for a year. If it were lost or stolen I would consider getting another used one or I'd just probably save up and buy a Fender Bassman. I love the light weight of the amp. Very portible. The only thing I dislike is I wish instead of one single handle on the top they would have mounted to handles on the side but other than that its still very easy to transport. I had an SWR LA15 and well the Hartke is just much louder and doesnt buzz. I would recomend this amp as something to begin with and use for small gigs.

All the basics are there. Volume, EQ, Shape, Direct out. You really don't need much more with this amp. Nice and simple!

This thing sounds great. Aluminum cone provides a nice/unique contemporary bass sound. Nice clean tones with some great low end. Traditional bassists may not favor this sound.

NOTE: Designed for SMALL gigs/parties and great for practices. I see a lot of people trying to crank amps like these way beyond their capacity. It's no wonder they blow speakers and get clipping sounds. You need something bigger/more powerful if you want to play to the big crowds.

Been very tough. The aluminum cone did recieve some water on it one time. It dried away and the amp still sounds great. I doubt paper cones would have held up very well.

never needed any

I've been playing for 4 years. I use this a lot for gigs where I don't need my 500 watt Hartke and 2 cabs. This thing is so easy to carry around compared to my main rig. Every bass player should own something like this. If you plan to buy a kickback for more than practice....get the 15" model! It gives superior low end compared to the 12" for small gigs/parties.

I just played the most recent version in Feb '03

Sounds nice - and tinny... DO NOT Turn this amp up... Unless you love that Hartke CLIPPING sound! That sound that makes you expect to see the cone fall out the back...

I can't imagine this amp lasting long.

if i had KNOW the parent company for this amp, i would NEVER have even sat down to try it in the store... The Cracking and POP-PING sounds it makes if you get on it are horiffic!!

Played a nuber of basses through this thing... Peavey Cirus being one of them... the amp could NOT handle it.

Pretty standard features, DI out is nice to have but the sound I got from inferior to other DI alternatives I have used.
The EQ works pretty good for what it's ment for.
The right amount of feasible features.

Primarly I play Music man stringray 5-string.
I have played some other basses trough it as well.
Initially the sounds are nice; you can get slap&pop, stingray growl, you can cut the hi's as well if needed.
There isn't enough low end for 5th string, but it's a small combo so it's not expected either.

However when playing real rock music with real band it lacks the punch needed and doesn't cut trough on it's own.
When cranked too high the sound gets destructed.
I used to compensate with an outboard compressor with medicore results; I was able to cut trough but not without rumbling over the guitar player.
Also I used to get my fingertips blistered when subconsiously trying to pump out the punch with my fingers.
I also tried recording it: couldn't get a setup where the sound would be better with amp (DI or miked) than without it.

After playing for a year or so the speaker gave up.
I replaced it with a EV 15" speaker and actually got somewhat better sound from it.
On the downside the amp became too heavy to carry.

I have played bass for couple of years.
If it was stolen I probably woudn't even notice.
Should have bought Ampeg or EBS to start with.
Still it's not all bad amp, you can just do better with about same money.

i beleive my amp is either a 1999 or a 2000 model. It is a single channel with a shape and Low,mid,high controls. It doesn't sound like alot but beleive me you can get about any type of clean sound out of this amp you could possibly look for. I really like the XLR out feature also, its very helpful when recording or running through a PA.

This is such a clean sounding amp, hits all the frequencies with no problem and like the last review states it has great definition on each string. I really think this can suit any type of musical style there is and the controls are quit simple so it shouldn't take you long to find the sound you want.

no problems at all, and this thing has been lugged around to alot of places and shows.

thank god i can have a no opinion!!!

You will definately find another amp this good in the price range. The only amp that comes close is the Ampeg Ba115 but that is such a bulky amp and I personally don't think you can get as many good sounds out of it as you can the Hartke. In conclusion this amp is such a versitile amp nothing i seem to play anymore really compares to my Hartke I find myself finding flaws that i just can't seem to derive out of the Hartke.

well i give it a 8 because, the realiability of the amp dissapointed me. it broke after only 7 months of having it. as for everything else, it was a good amp for the price. the sound was pretty nice. great definition on each string. i use this amp for practice and shows. unless i play with a band that has a david eden stack. i like it a whole lot better than my hartke. but anywho, overall it is a pretty fair amp.

i play praise and worshipe music with one of my bands. it worked pretty decently. as i said great definition of each string. also, it had good thump. it can get loud. unless you turn it up past the half way mark. then it distorts and that doesnt sound to good. i also play some rock with it. it sounds good with this also. although i would prefer and swr or ampeg. they sound better in rock music in my opinion.

well i was very dissapointed in reliability. after only 7 months of owning it, it broke without me doing anything to break it. i dont even know what broke it. i was very careful with it. barely ever bumped it. when i did bump it, it was so little a bump that it wouldnt even affect the sound. i didnt even ever bump it near the head of the amp. so i dont know what caused the problem. i think the input jack messed up for some stupid reason. i dont even know why. for only having it 7 months, i was very dissapointed in it breaking so quickly.

well i took the amp back to the store i bought it from. they said they would fix it. i told them i needed by wednesday of that week. well they hadnt fixed it by tuesday. so i wont have it by wed. it is being repared under warranty. although i have to pay labor. i think that is stupid. its practically new. i dont think i should even have to pay labor.

i give it a six cause of it breaking so early. that just turned me off from the whole hartke line. if you are looking for a bass amp that sounds good when it works, then try this. if you want a reliable one, try the ampeg BA-115. my friend has one and its older than my hartke. not only has it not broken. it sounds better in my opinion. so if you want a great sounding bass amp for a good price and reliable, get the ampeg. its also cheaper.

Okay I have been playing bass for 35 years. I have owned lots of amps over the years. My most recent was an Ampeg SVT 400 wat head with a 4X10 cab with a horn and 15X10 cab with horn. It had more buttons and dials that anyamp needs!!! I never quite figured out how to use it. It became frustrating so after readiing the reviews on here and being totally frustrated while on a fri-sat gig Saturday afternoon I went out and bought the Kickback 15 to replace my big Ampeg rig. Was strange walking into the gig Sat night with my new amp in 1 hand and my Ric in the other!!! I love the size!!! It has just the right amount of contrl for me!!! Vol, treble, bass and mid!!! Who needs more!!! The tone shaping button is a neat feature I think. We do mainly Rock from the 50's to today along with some old standards and some country. Basically a gb band that mainly plays clubs. This amp is so simple to use due to the fact that it doesnt have a lot of options. I love that!!!! During the first song that night the rest of the band looked at me and smiled!! They could not only hear me but the stage was vibrating as well!!! I have yet to push the amp past 5. I've owned it for 4 months and we have probably done 10 gigs with it!!!

I play a 1978 Rickenbacker 4001, my old Gibson EB-O(1968), and a new Fender -Mexican Jazz bass. The Eb-O is just to muddy with the single humbucker in the neck position. The Fender just comes alive with this amp as does the Ric!!! On the Ric I use Pyramid flats since the neck wasnt designed for round wounds. And yes they are expensive but in my opinion they are also the best!!! I read that to achieve the best sound with this amp it is best about 1 1/2 feet from the wall. I have a little trouble with the fact that what I hear coming from the speaker is not exactly the same sound as in the room. I like to walk off to the side of the stage to get a better idea of volume etc. From the side or back the amp is real boomy and louder than standing directly in front of it. I assume this is due to the rear port. I have tried it tipped back but it seemed to loose all of the bottom. The sound wasnt fat at all. In general I am delighted with the overall sound and have no complaints at all about the power!!! Power to spare!!!! But I wasnt sure so I bought a kickback 12 and run the 2 together on bigger jobs!!! I like the 12 even more than the kickback 15!!!!! The 12 has a slightly tighter sound and plenty of punch!!!! I come out of the direct out on the 15 into a direct box then into the input on the kickback 12. The kickback 12 has never been run higher than about 2 maybe 3 with this set up. For all of us older bass players in my opinion these are the amps for us!!! I was tired of lugging around all the big heavy stuff!!! The 15 weighs about as much as the head of my Ampeg!!!! I am looking at getting a kickback 10 just to complete the series! I bought the Kickback 12 from Zzounds and was delighted with their service and price. Bought the amp at 3 in the afternoon paid extra for second day delivery and I had the amp at 9 the next morning!!! Cant say enough good things about Zzounds!!!

Well I have the kickback 15 and the kickback 12 so if one were down I could get by with the other but so far no problems of any kind!! I do agree that the top vent is a little dangerous looking!! Would be easy to spill a drink on the electronics or even for rain or dirt to get in there. I do have other old amps I could use but I have complete confidence in these. By the way I studied Hartkes for a long time before I bought. I was thinking originally of a 2.5 XL cab and a 200 watt head but after reading all the reviews here it became obvious that for me the kickbacks were the way to go. So to all of you that have submitted reviews I thank you!!! It seems like a lot of complaints on the high end Hartke stuff but the moderately priced stuff everyone seems to be very happy with it!!! Where we practice I get to use another guys Hartke 4.5 XL and 115 XL cab not sure what kind of head he has and honestly I like the sound of my little kickbacks better!!! So so far they are very dependable.

I havent had to deal with them and from what I've read I hope I never have to!!!

If the kickback 15 was lost or stolen I would probably buy a kickback 10 or 12 only because I do like the 12 so much. I keep thinking smaller is better!!! I would replace it immediately with one of these models for sure!!! For the money and size, weight all things considered I cant imagine why anyone would buy any other amp!!! So far I love everything about both kickbacks I own and the 2 run together are just great!!!! So in my opinion if your over 40 and tired of lugging around a 4X10 cab or a 2X15 cab or any of the heavy stuff we have all lugged but you still love to play and rock the house I really do highly recommend these Hartke Kickbacks. At least the 12 and the 15 since I dont own a kickback 10 yet!!!

It's a 15" bass combo. 120 Wt. I won't go into descriptions, find it on their website, but... Had this amp for about a year. Upgraded from 12" kickback to get more low end. When I first bought the kickback, our band didn't even have a mixer or a PA, but I liked the fact that this is a "bass monitor". Now when we play gigs and rehearse, that's exactly how I use it. The XLR-out is a great feature. If you have a nice PA and good main speakers with subs, you may never need a stack (although those Hartke stacks really rock!) Only one channel and no FX loop, but I don't need that on a bass amp. It's a great sounding practice amp, too, it will overscream any drummer (and you know how drummers are). It's heavy, but there's no light 15" subs!

To me it sounds good. Currently I play a Yamaha single coil bass into it. But I played active basses into it in the store and you can get some nice high-end slap sounds through it. Also a fretlesss Standard Jazz Bass sounded nice. It's nice if you can't afford a Hartke rig with 1x15 and 4.5XL cabinets (my dream). There's a Shape control on it, which I think is a mid control or something. I don't usually use it. I guess I didn't figure it out yet. Never had any unwanted distortion through it, almost no noise, either. I play rock and it seems to be doing ok. I'm not planning to ever replace, unless it breaks.

I do depend on this amp. It's the only one I got. If it breaks it's playing directly through the board for me. I played two concerts with it and did a lot of rehearsals with two different bands and it never failed me.

Never had a need to deal with anybody. This amp just sits there and when I turn it on it works. Best support is when you don't need support!

I've been playing bass for about 3 years. I first used a big used guitar amp (couldn't afford anything else), then got some 12" combo and after a few months traded it for Kickback12. As soon as 15" came out (after about a year) I traded it for that (loosing about $200, but I'm not sorry. If it's lost I might consider a Hartke stack- head and two cabinets. But than again, I would need a practice amp to carry around. Yeah, I might just get it all over again. :-) The only thing I hate about it is it's weight. Then again, maybe I hate not having a studio and having to carry it around. I like just about everything else about it. Did I mention that noone can blow up the aluminum speaker? (see the review or Hartke 4x10 cabinet, when they tried to blow it up) I love that I never regretted having this thing. That's the best in any purchase. It's loyal. (to the extent an inanimate object can be loyal) I didn't give it a 9 in every category "because nothing is perfect". I gave it a 10 in an imperfect world. Not because it's perfect, but because I have no complaints about it. It's a very good buy for my needs. Sure, if you want, e-mail me with questions and suggestions.

1x15, aluminum cone, 120 watts

This is a rad amp! It's the perfect combo for playing small to medium venues and it's great for practice. It's 2 way so you can have it vertical or tip it back like a wedge monitor. It sounds great with all basses. It rocks with my jazz bass with active EMG's. Plus my old rick sounds great. It works for any type of music from funk to metal.

Can I depend on it? A tornado couldn't even stop it. On stage I'm real rough to amp (they make great platforms to jump from) I have played this amp with not one problem.

I compared this to SWR working mans 15, Trace Elliot, and Crate(this is a good time to say crate BLOWS!!) The hartke rocked. It's plently loud, it sounds great and it's inexpensive!