Hartman LM308

Ok It's a simple rat-clone; volume, filter, dist and 2 footswitches. It's not so hard to figure out...

Ok first I want to describe my setup: american tele + a bunch of effects + vox ac30(prior fender hot rod deluxe). Let's try to describe it!I've had it for a year now so I think I'm over the honey-moon period and my feelings aren't caused by the hype!If you want a great distortion pedal and you like how a rat sounds you need this. There are lot of clones out-there of the classic rat but any of them can capture the essence (and go beyond!) of the classic rat. It comes with the venerable LM308 chip and an LM308N socketed for those who want to experiment. There are 2 channels, the classic rat and another one more close to an OD. The classic rat is tight, with lot of gain and the possibility to enhance the highs or dime them thanks to the filter knob. The OD channel has less gain, it's more open, with more headroom. In my experience I've found ot the OD section great for rhythm part or to boost my fuzz pedal while the rat is great for solos. This because for chords part especially with the gain pretty high you can loose a little of articulation and definition using the classic rat channel making so esay to get lost in the mix if your playing in a band setting;the od channel,having less gain and more headroom, helps you to be easily audible in a mix even with the gain pretty high. When engaged, even at the higher settings on both channels, is completely silent! With my previous amp (Fender HRD) it sounded great but with the vox....wow..it's amazing!Rat+AC30 is a match made in heaven!

Ok I've been using it for a year and till now I haven't had any probs!Anyway it's housed in a sturdy case IMO indestructible!I don't have any probs to gig without a backup and you gotta know that I really depend on it!

Theo is one of those great person who is a pleasure to deal with! I've exchanged a lot of mails before placing my order and he always answered kindly to all my dumbest question! I'm sure that if I ever will experience a prob Theo will sort me out in a sec!

I play any kind of music from 60's prog to brit-pop, to blues to 80 rock. This pedal is great for everything you need just tweak it and you'll find a setting right for what you need! If it were losten I'd buy it again immediately cos there's no reason to look for a new pedal when you've found one that suits you so well! I can't praise enough Theo for his work and surely I'll buy more hartman pedals!

PS:Sorry for my terrible english but I'm italian!

This is a follow up to my prior review- as I have now gigged with it and have played around with it even more...Easy to use: YES, very.

I honestly can't believe I left a 9- this is the best sounding distortion I have ever played with.

Solid

Amazing- has taken time to answer all my questions- see other review.

This is the best distortion I have heard and played with- hands down. Theo is doing the right thing. This pedal has really taken my playing to another level, which is something that is refreshing after playing for 18 years +. The light is blinding- but I love it- I can actually create shadow puppets on the ceiling during shows, which is very important to me. I can't wait to get his new flanger- which sounds amazing online. Thanks Theo.

This is a Rat clone.....3 knobs.....easy stuff.

I have been searching for a good Rat clone that featured true bypass, silent switching, and a more streamlined enclosure. Ive tried quite a few. This one is by far, the best. It actually sounds tighter, and less brittle than the origional. Much quieter.

only had it a short time.

I delt with Theo Hartman on the phone, and he was very nice, and helpful.

I may of had one of the very 1st Rat pedals made. I live about 20 miles from Pro-Co. I really like this pedal. The green light is almost blinding, but the sound is incredible !

Dialing in a great sound is a piece of cake- 3 knobs: Gain, Filter and Volume. The filter basically works like a tone knob- it filters between the distortion and your guitars tone- it's easy to dial in the right amount of hair.

I can't say enough about this pedal- it is EXACTLY the distortion I have been looking for. The pedal is essentially based on the ProCo Rat; however, it's a much better pedal- and is exactly what I wanted: a distortion that really doesn't mute the true tone of my setup, but rather enhances it. It really cleans up on the guitar volume. The great thing too about this pedal is that it has an Op-amp selection too that allows for a more rounded sound on your distortion. The only thing that is a little crazy about this is that it is WAY louder than the normal distortion. I run it through a compressor though and it works out okay. I would like to see the levels of the two distortions be on the same db level- but c'est la vie...Theo did say there was something in the works.

Great build. I opened it up and everything looks really clean inside.

Theo is awesome. He has responded via phone call and e-mail about my queries and I couldn't be happier. He truly wants to answer your questions and doesn't come off as "I know more than you- so shut it". He even called me around 8pm one night- and apologized he hadn't gotten back to me earlier.

I took a bit of a risk on this pedal and it has paid off! Hartman pedals have only been around since 05- and I think once people catch on- they are going to really see the difference in quality. One deciding factor to going with the Hartman was based on an interview in Premier Guitar magazine. I really aligned myself with Theo's philosophy- he wants to create some great pedals and still be reasonably priced for the "working musician". Plus, he is not afraid to venture into the digital world. He said that the quality of digital will just get better and better and he's not necessarily wanting to drag the 60's into the future. I think that's a very open-minded approach to technology and this pedal backs it up.