nuno1959 Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Hi guys[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]got my [/font][/color][color=#FF0000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,][b]Hartke[/b][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,] LH500 today, bought it from Session.de for a great price - 269€ shipped to Portugal !![/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]hooked it up to my Warwick WCA411Pro, 8 Ohm cab & compared to my Peavey Combo300, YES i love it's kind of sound, YES it IS powerful/loud enough, YES i like the ''too simple'' approach of this amp to EQ & general lack of bells & whistles BUT.....somehow i feel it lacks that GRIP ( control ?.. ) on this cab & while it IS louder than the Peavey, it seems as if the Peavey ''hits harder'' - does this make any sense ?[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]it's like there isn't much of ...what would the exact word be ? punch ? headroom ? a combination of both ?[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]do you know what i mean ? i mean, playing along my Hi-Fi in my living room ( as loud as if playing w/a band mind you.. ) i have the LH500 volume set at 7 out of a possible 10 !?[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]since i have 30 days to send it back/full refund OR 66 days to exchange it for something else & since the [/font][/color][color=#FF0000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,][b]LH1000[/b][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,] is still within my budget, do you guys think i'd get that headroom/control effect from the [/font][/color][color=#FF0000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,][b]LH1000[/b][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,] in bridged mode w/ my cab ?[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]any help will be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance for your suggestions[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]cheers from the Algarve[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Nuno[/font][/color] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 IME the LH500 is a massively powerful amp, but it is very clean. Maybe you are more used to hearing a slightly "coloured" (i.e. distorted) sound from your Peavey? Sounds like you are comparing apples and pears - although I have no experience of the Warwick cabs, I guess that they are higher quality than the Peaveys, so again you will hear a cleaner sound that is more transparent... It is also very hard to describe sounds in words! I would give the 500 a chance. The volume control on the LH500 is a bit strange too. It seems to make very little difference to the volume you hear until you hit about 6... then even a small increase make the sound MUCH louder! Not sure why this should be, but it takes a bit of getting used to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuno1959 Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 (edited) hi Conan yes, you might be right : up to 5 it's like hardly anything happens at all volume wise !? i only found it odd since my only reference as far as bass heads was a Seymour Duncan 400 amp head i had a LONG time ago & man, with the volume set on 5 one could hardly stand next to it - it would literally make the windows ''bulge out'' if you know what i mean since Session has a 14 day return/no questions asked & a 66 day exchange policies for anything costing above 40€ ( free carriage back to them for the 14 day return !? how cool is THAT ?.. ) i'll definitely play around with the LH500 volume & EQ settings because i DO LIKE it's tone & maybe it's the way i've set the EQ - i've read it works in a pretty unconventional way i'll start off by taking it to our weekly jam session tonight & see how it sounds there - sometimes just playing alone at home things sound different whatever i do, i'll post back - many thanks for your input Nuno Edited May 23, 2013 by nuno1959 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenochrome Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Nuno, I use the 4ohm version of that cab (purchased used through Basschat ), with a Hartke 3500 head. It is LOUD! My cab is on wheels so don't know if that helps/hinders the 'punch'. Anyway, I'd suggest you play around with your setup for a while. My rig is loud enough for outdoor festival gigs, obviously with PA support. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuno1959 Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 Hi Adrenochrome my original reaction was that perhaps mine being the 8Ohm, 600W cab ( also bought 2nd hand over here & brought to my door.. ) it might just be too demanding on the LH500 which ''only'' pumps out 300 & some watts under an 8Ohm load - or am i simply becoming hard of hearing in my old age ?...LOL.... as i said, i have a couple weeks to fiddle with it & that's what i'll do, it does have such a great tone cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barkin Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 It surely can't be a lack of volume or headroom. Like Conan, I find my LH500 can go monstrously loud even into an 8 Ohm load, and I'd have thought a 4x10 with the volume at 7 in your living room would be...erm...painful ! It is though, as has been said, a very clean amp. I use mine with a Barefaced Compact, and I have to say that the combination took some getting used to at first...not least because it's very revealing and not at all sympathetic to poor playing. Made me realise how lazy & sloppy my technique was at times The EQ can seem a bit odd at first too. A "flat" EQ is something like: bass & treble wound way back, with the mid cranked way up. But they seem to be kind of interactive as well - drop the mids, say, and it seems to change what the other controls do somewhat. I don't know your cab, or what your sound/tonal goals are, but I'd take some time to experiment with the EQ. There's also the fact that it might just sound different to what you're used to, and once you've "forgotten" your old sound and become more familiar with the new it may completely change your view. Or it may just not be for you. re: the volume control...yes! Some amps give the impression of being loud by putting all the control in the first half of the travel, and not really changing much beyond that. The LH seems the other way around, which I really like. Up to about 6 on mine, the change in volume isn't that dramatic - which I find good as it gives better control at lower volume. My gear was used as the "house rig" at a 50th birthday bash last weekend - lots of musicians there, most of who had all played with each other (ooh-err!) in various combinations over the years. Lots of swapping band personel over the course of the night, and I got to hear some other bassists using my setup, which I haven't done since I got the Compact. Have to say, it sounded absolutely monster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 The "harder hitting" sound of the Peavey might be to do with EQ. The Hartke has the classic Fender style tone stack, which has a substantial mid-scoop with everything set at noon. This can be a good sound, but it's worth trying it with the midrange on 10 and the bass and treble dialled back well below halfway. This may bring back the midrange punch you seem to be be missing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcro Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 +1 to this. Check the information "About Equalisation". http://www.samsontech.com/site_media/support/manuals/LHseries_OM_EN_v2.pdf Balcro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 [quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1369303893' post='2087444'] it's worth trying it with the midrange on 10 and the bass and treble dialled back well below halfway. [/quote] I have mine set with mids on 10, bass and treble both set at between 2 and 3. The "brite" switch pretty much removes the need to boost treble, but more bass can be added if necessary. It is rather counter-intuitive, but as the manual says - it is hard to find an unusable sound! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clauster Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 +1 I've got the LH500 too. I put the mids right up and adjust treble and bass to suit. I leave the brite and limiter switches off all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuno1959 Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 Hi guys please forgive not addressing each one of you - you are so many chipping in, it's great !! yup, i definitely must play around with the LH500's EQ ! as i said earlier, i used to play with a Seymour Duncan 400 bass head coupled to a 2X15'', 4Ohm speaker cab i built, an exact replica of a friend's Ampeg 2X15'' cab.. when i plugged in my 78 Precision it sounded absolutely nuts : creamy, molten lava like with a fierce kick in the gut thrown in for good measure when needed, LOTS of headroom, all in a very primal/physical kind of way. you could lay 3000 instruments on top of it, it wasn't a very ''obvious/forward sound'' but if i stopped playing EVERYBODY would notice something WAS missing later when i sold it & quit playing - long boring story - i'll spare you.. - i kept my Peavey, ''just in case'' & when i came back to playing the bass i DID have to fiddle with it to ''kind of'' replicate the sound i had & loved - ALMOST being the operative word... the Peavey, as honest & hard working as a 30 year old combo can be, tends to always have a ''in your face'' kind of sound & it took a lot of adjusting it's reasonably flexible EQ section to make it sound pretty decent BUT.....it's still what it is !... & i have been playing the hell out of it for a few months now so...yes, i might have interiorized it's sound as a ''reference'' by now ! as for this little guy, the Hartke LH500...as soon as it got it out of the box & plugged it in ( it took like....15 secs flat !?...LOL...) it immediately sounded very much like the Seymour Duncan or at least as i remember it sounding but baffled me by apparently ''lacking'' the punch the Seymour definitely had hence my immediate reaction this could be due to a less than perfect cab/amp interaction !? even if in theory a 150 or 200W amp SHOULD suffice to make this or most any reasonably sensitive cab go loud.... i've read the EQ section in the LH's user manual & mind you i've only played through it for a day now - so i'm sure lots more must be achievable.. - i'll definitely toy with it some more & see what results i manage mind you, it's true i DO play quite LOUD at home : since all my neighbours are out at work for the day until 6 or 6.30 ..... ;-) ..... i just get something going through my hi-fi by R.A.T.M, INXS, Skunk Anansie, King Crimson, etc, etc....& yes, loud enough so it feels like the band is in the room playing with me/me with them - otherwise it doesn't ''move me'' enough to REALLY get into it, you know what i mean ? what can i say in my deffense ? i'm an animal & definitely NOT fit to live in an apartment or in polite society for that matter !....LOL.... anyway, i'm waffling....regardless of the results, i WILL post back to pass on my findings thank you so much to each & everyone who chipped in, it's MUCH appreciated & needless to say but if ever any of you is in my neck of the woods, drop me a line - at the very least we could go grab a beer, annoy the neighbours or something... cheers guys !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuno1959 Posted May 24, 2013 Author Share Posted May 24, 2013 (edited) hi again... yes guys you were right : the LH500 ROCKS, swings, skas, shuffles, ''blueses'' - it does everything & quite well i tweaked & tweaked the EQ & yesterday when playing with the guys, EVERYONE complimented the LH/Warwick combo's sound effusively since the jam's format on thursdays is along the lines of anyone can bring an instrument & join in & even though there were 7 people playing a variety of things, i didn't need to set it on more than 6 to pump out a nice, massive sound so MAYBE i should consider playing at lower volumes at home !?....LOL... when we finished around 4AM, the EQ settings i ended up with & which sounded absolutely FINE in that context were : Bass on 5, Mids on 3 & Treble on 4.5 the tweeter attenuator on the speaker was set at about 9 o'clock, my basse's EQ set flat & my Zoom B3 as usual had the compressor on & a slight pinch of chorus, set so it gives a ''drive like'' sound to the lower end & a bit of shimmer to the higher notes this way notes were punchy, warm yet detailed & chords sounded fat, almost menacing even but with a nice ring to them & each string could be heard clearly - no mud whatsoever so a big thank you to all, i sure appreciate your input helping put my mind at ease it's official : i LOOOOVE my Hartke LH500 ! ;-) cheers Edited May 24, 2013 by nuno1959 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuno1959 Posted May 28, 2013 Author Share Posted May 28, 2013 (edited) me ....AGAIN !! talk about NOT letting go ! ;-) just dropping a line to tell you i went ahead & did trade the LH500 for the LH1000 - for an extra 129€, you know ? what the hell, it IS hard to resist... since i'm planning on building a 15/6 fEARful in the near future & later on when budget allows a 15 fEARful sub to go with it, i thought i might as well have those 750W @ 8 ohms/1100W @ 4 ohms of the LH1000 in bridged mode + it weighs basically the same &.....yeah, it's true : i'll never grow up ;-) anyway, when the fEARful build starts i'll post some photos : i want it to be WICKED !!! again thank you so much to all who chipped in Edited May 28, 2013 by nuno1959 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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