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Talk to me about Hartke 3500/5500


PaulyWally

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Posted

Plenty of power (HA5500) Sounds good too. I know most don't like Hartke, but this amp can get some good tones. Put a piece of foam between the cabinet and the head, they are prone to getting loose solder joints. I had to go in and redo them once. never had another problem.

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Had a 3500. Liked it. Sold it because it was cutting in/out on me. I'm using a GK400RBIV right now as my head for most gigs, but I typically plug into one of those Ampeg ba12 50 watt kickers now and I get by. Sometimes it's all about keeping it small - I'm getting too lazy, I just plug into anything and make it work these days.

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Don't care for the Graphic EQ or the compressor on either one. Lots of power, but not the best tone out there.

 

You could do worse, but you could also do better.

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Not as reliable as they used to be. Still very loud and pretty cheap.

Stock tubes are typically crappy and really benefit from a replacement.

Compression sucks. Versatile EQ. It always sounds a bit restrained though.

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I have the 3500. Taken it to repairs man several times. If you're into soldering and stuff give it a try. Wouldn't take it to gigs anymore.

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Bought a used 3500 with a rack case for $250... Used it for two uears at the beacj, right next to the ocean, so I can't complain about it one bit.. Iliked the EQ, Comp, and Solid state/tube pre' s in it... I moved wayyyyy out of state and sold it as is whe it ws f*cked, still got a good bit of $$ for it on Ebay... Using my Yorkie combo taht I bought as back up as main, no issues...'

 

I'd buy another 3500 or a 5500 in a heartbeat.

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I have an older 3500 that I've had since the early '90s. Hasn't crapped out on me yet. Sometimes I get tired of its sound, but overall it's alright. Loud and clean. As noted above, the compressor does suck and I never use it.

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