i use it with a musicman stingray. great sound and very versatile with the 10 band EQ. Theres not a great deal of difference in sound between the valve preamp and the solid state though the depth of the cab usually means im trying to cut low end rather than boost it, an extremely bassy amp, but it cuts through too. you can hear the compressor working and it tends to work as a corrective limiter rather than creative compressor, not brilliant

a built in tuner would have been nice, as would more control of the compressor.

i love the amp and its a breeze to setup and use. its top heavy though, try and carry it up/down stairs using the side handles and it tends to try roll upside down, a massive design fault in my opinion. the amp is ridiculously heavy too, a real beast to load in and out of vans onto stages etc. you always needs two people to carry, and the castors are flimsy over anything other than smooth carpet.

it gets carried around in a van with the rest of the bands gear, a couple of the eq sliders are bent but more due to carelessness when carrying. its blown fuses in the mains lead a couple of times at rehearsals for no apparent reason, it did this the first time i ever turned it on. never done it at a gig yet and i carry a spare mains lead just in case. the hartke logo on the front of the cab has been glued on slanted, not a big deal but its the finishing touches that matter

better sounding than the ashdown amp i tried, but not as good as the ampeg which i couldnt afford.

not needed yet.

looks and sounds great. a very sexy looking amp that inspires you to want to plug in and play it.

semi pro

rock and jazz

Easy to find your sound on this amp head.

i love the fact that you can turn the eq on or off, blend the tube or solid state preamp.

plug in your bass and jam away

it would get a 10 if it were not for the fact that a screw came loose inside and shorted out the tube side of the preamp, so i have to run solid state all the time.

you get more than what you pay for thats for sure.

i have to send my amp 3 hours away for repair, its cheaper to drive it out there myself then to have it shipped over there, been procrastinating myself tho.

the casters make it easy to move around which is what i needed, its was louder then all the other amps that were there when we would jam, my brother could hear it clearly a block away at the fire station we work at.

Hobbyist

Reggae, ska, rock, classic rock

The amount of control you have over the sound on this amp is amazing.. I use a Zoom mutli-effects pedal and a Morley dual bass wah.. and i can get some really amazing sounds of this thing.. plus you can get some pretty loud volumes, enough to do a fairly big venue with no problems at all.. I've already played several shows with this amp.. the smallest bar i played in I had just the Tube pre-amp turned to 4 and the master to 4.. filled the whole place with bass..

you have a high/low contour knob low at 100hz and high at 10khz. 10 band equalizer.. a tube and solid state preamp to choose your sound.. The amp inside of the combo can be removed to be used with a different set of speakers if you prefer..

I've actually read the manual it explains everything in great detail.. no learning curves.. but you have to know what you're doing to take care of this thing.. if you push the speakers too hard.. POW!! cause the speakers don't have a very good excursion.

it's VERY sturdy.. the amp came in perfect condition with the power cord and everything.. I would NEVER bring a back up for this bad boy.. don't need it.. I've dragged this thing in the bed of my truck with the rest of my band's equipment (pa speakers, monitors, guitar amps, keyboard.. etc) a good 200 miles to a show and back.. did good at the show did good at the next show..

for $750?!? This is a Steal.. although this IS a combo.. don't be fool'd because if you want a different cabinet later on down the road.. BAM! you can just take out the 350 watt amp head and place it with your new cabinet.. They could sell this combo for so much more.. but somebody's gotta give us budget conscious musicians a break right?

I have not dealt with the company yet.. but seeing as how good they made their product... pfft.. pffft.. I don't even think they would need customer service.. The chances of this thing messing up are 0% and even if it did it would more then likely be the consumer's fault for not reading the provided manual or from just years and years of wear and tear.. and by years and years I mean i expect this thing to last AT LEAST 10 years hopefully more..

This bass amp has AMAZING *ahem* "sex appeal".. I really like the way it looks actually.. the silver ring around the subs.. the subtle blue circle between sub and said silver ring.. the silver tweeter in the middle.. the protective black metal meshy looking cover.. sexy amp right above it..

Active Metal Musician, Recording,

Symphonic Extreme Metal

I play a Nu Wave 4 design stand-up bass through this amp and really get's down and allows you to get the deep low end sound. Rather than going to a BIG cabinet that would weight a bunch, this little amp does it all. Highly recommend it.

Everything that you could as for and then plus more. I wouldn't have a clue what else to add to 'try' and make this amp sound better.

Super great sound, very easy to work with.

This is built like the ROCK! Very well constructed and easy to move around.

I bought this amp through Sam Ash in Phoenix Arizona and believed that I got a great deal for my money. IF I had to do it all over again, I'd go through Sam Ash and sure that I'd get my monies worth.

Have had no reason to contact the company regarding this amp.

I just couldn't see this amp in any other color than black. No SEX APPEAL to me, just a great amp to have, opperate and own.

Active Musician in Arizona since 1967.

Classicl Old Country Music

Bass, Keys, Guitar

Rock, Classis Rock, Top 40, Country, Pop and Variety.

This amp has a huge range of variety in tones. The eq is very effective and can also be turned off if you like to let your active pickups shine. The compression knob lets your bass go from extremely grungy to clean as can be. The choice between solid state and tubes, and the ability to mix them gives you the exact tone you want. The high pass and low pass also work exceptionally well. To top it all off, if you dont like an amp with bells and whistles, you can turn off the eq and compression. Its just an amp that can fit the whole spectrum, and does a great job of it

The only feature this doesnt have is distortion. I dont use it anyways, but i know it is becoming more common. The compression feature can make the bass sound really raw though, but its not true distortion.

You do have to know what your doing to get the best sound, and you are going to want to spend some time alone in your room finding the tone you want. If you are just guessing with each knob chances are you arent going to get the sound you need. Then again, if you havent learned that far in music, you shouldnt be buying and 800 dollar amp

This amp is very sturdy and if it is hit or dropped it is designed to only hit the frame, which is very durable, which in turn does make the amp pretty heavy. My amp is from 2005 and one of the handles has cracked but it still works.....for now.

It is not an ampeg with an eight speaker cab, but it is of higher quality, looks very sleek and proffesional, and lights on the eq! And when it comes to bass, the Hartke brand name always looks pretty.

Bassist in Alternative rock band

It's no SVT but it has a very moldable sound..power to spare as well.

Very moldable sound good EQ.

Very easy to use.

So far so good but I have only had it for a short time.

Good value for the money....

Hobbyist

Classic rock

The sound is fat and full but still punchy. I really couldn't ask for more as far as sound quality. I owned a comparable Ampeg B2 combo and, lower wattage aside, I could never quite get the full, rich sounds like I get with the Hartke combo. It sooo easily gives me all I need.

It has the classic 3500 head. nuff said. Well, actually I really like that it has solid state AND tube. Makes for some real dynamic tones. I was a little leery about purchasing this over the net. No local stores were carrying them but I took a chance and bought it sight unheard. My main concern was the VX line featuring paper cones and not the aluminum cones that made Hartke famous. I am unable to detect any depreciation in sound quality whatsoever. Only time will tell regarding longevity and durability but I don't forsee that as being a problem. I would have preferred a single 15" as opposed to the 4x10 but Hartke doesn't make that combo (yet?).

Built like a brick. Everything is sound. Very dependable/no back-up needed. Purchased for performing live and it's awesome. No need for volume 5 let alone an 11. I rarely turn it up above 3 1/2. The worst aspect of the product is its weight. 120 lbs. It's a pig to move from the house to the van but worth every foot of it.

Considering that the SWR Super Red Head combo (2x10 350w)is just over twice the price (as I've priced them), I'd have to say that the Hartke combo ("4"x10 350w) is as good a value as anything out there. Seriously, this thing has balls. It's really all I'll ever need playing medium to large clubs. No second 15" cabinet required. I don't think I've ever had it above 4 on stage and often I don't even go through the PA.

Haven't needed it thus far.

I'm a Hartke guy. I've tried and owned others but really I can't find any reason to spend more, when in a practical sense this gives me all a want and need. If it were stolen or destroyed I would replace it with another in a heart beat. In fact, I owned the Hartke 1155 combo. It got stolen. They no longer make the 1155 combo so I tried other rigs. When the VX 3500 came out, it was as close as I could find to my old one. I like it as much or more than the 1155. Seen the photos? Pretty nice looking design too!!

rock

It's a Great sounding Amp.But I'm more of an Ampeg guy for sound.

I love the fact that you can combine solid with Tube. Awesome Feature.

Even a caveman could use it.Simple to control and find that perfect sound.Very Punchy to because of the horn.

I bought mine used.A couple of the pots wheren't working at all.But it's fine now.

Hard to beat.I've been told that if you take the Amp head out An Ampeg SVT-3PRO will fit right in like a glove.then you can have An Ampeg Hartke Hybrid.Plus it's a 4x10 cab with a horn. Versitile as heck man! Just a hard package to beat.

Takes them forever.

Like I said before Hard to beat.With an Ampeg SVT-3PRO head alone is about $800.00 U.S. which is only 300 watts.This is actually a 350 watt head & a 4x10 Cab for about $700.00 U.S. So back to the beginning .Hard to Beat.

25 years playing Guitar,4 Years of Bass,15 Years playing Dulcimer,2 Years of playing Mandolin & just started playing the Drums.

Rock, Country, Metal ,Some Jazz,Celtic Folk

I own this amp, and have for about a year. I've played many gigs of varying sizes with it, from quite pub gigs, to weddings, to stage with a crowd. I have found the sound to be quite satisfactory, bordering excellent so far. The smaller gigs, it is great, with a very very good high end. The high tones are easily heard, even with my newbie low-end bass guitar. The mid-range is fairly powerful, but nothing tummy-rumbling in a large room. The lows, ditto. Outdoors, of course the sound falls away substantially, yet if playing in small environment, this is a great amp. I will hopefully update eventually to something with a bit more low and mid-range kick, so the crowd can really 'feel' the bass.

I think the options on this amp are fantastic. The compression allows the loud sounds to be slightly quieter, and the quiet sounds to be slightly louder, bringing everything to a more even volume all-round. It is a great feature, and I use it heavily. The split between tube and normal sound is very good, and the right combination can vary your sound somewhat. The equalizer is of course, crucial, and quite workable.

I think this is excellent quality design. It is very sturdy and hard to damage. I don't think anything is likely to break, and hasn't yet for me. The biggest downer about it is its weight. It's a two-person job to lift it, it's hella heavy!

I got this for a good price. I got it for AU$1200. I found it to dominate other things in that price range for value.

I've not needed this, so I must assume the support is good.

I think this is quite sexy in that it's a 4x10 speaker setup, which looks quite appealing. However, a stack is generally more appealing to people.

Active Musician.

Rock, Jazz, and Alternative

overall an excellent finish, not sure about how long it will be untill the carpet covering starts fuzzing... but no probs as yet.

paid