Hey gang, there are a lot of new things going on at Hartke and here they are...
“Hartke’s 48th Street Bass Lounge”
We have just opened the largest bass showroom in the history of New York City. It’s located in the historic former “Manny’s Music” building smack dab in the middle of New York’s famous “Music Row”. Steeped in history and loaded with literally hundreds of bass guitars and amplifiers it’s a true bass players heaven. You really have to see it to believe it and for me it’s a dream come true.
We have many great events planned for this great new location, plenty of meet and greets and clinics with your favorite bass players and bands, live radio broadcasts and more. On display you will see the original Hartke bass cabinet built for Jaco Pastorius in 1984 and a stunning collection of the actual basses on loan from our Hartke artists used on their landmark recordings and tours.
I’ll be there very often (I may sleep there) to meet with you and personally show you all the latest Hartke gear and our vast stock of the worlds greatest bass guitars. So please come on over to “Hartke’s 48th Street Bass Lounge” when you are in New York and say hello. I promise you will be amazed by what you see.
Facebook, MySpace and my trusty cell phone
All lines of communication from you to me remain open and my commitment to you grows stronger each and every day. It’s been my great pleasure to talk and message with all of you over the past several years. With the over 18,000 cell calls thousands of MySpace messages and now Facebook you have welcomed me into your world of bass and bands. I’ve made so many good friends around the world and you have really educated me in a way that is profound. Our conversations directly affect our Hartke products, advertising, customer service and every other aspect of Hartke. Thank you one and all for your support, ideas and contributions to making Hartke the most interactive company in the musical instrument world.
For those of you who don’t already know I’m now on Facebook and it’s really turned out to be a tremendous way to communicate with all of you and keep you up to date on all things Hartke. I’m there on almost a daily basis and it is probably the quickest way for you to ask me questions, update me on your activities and get answers back from me. I encourage all of you to join me and all my bass world friends on Facebook. You can join me on Facebook by clicking on my Facebook badge on this MySpace page or by going to Facebook and searching Larry Hartke. Please feel free to raid my Facebook friends list and make my friends your friends it will put you directly in touch with many of the worlds greatest bass players and you can see and join in the interaction between us all. It’s a lot of fun and you will meet bass players from all over the world. Try it you’ll like it!
No man is an island..
I want to thank the incredible staff at Samson Technologies that makes all my interaction with all of you possible. These are the guys behind the curtain who tirelessly back up and make sense of all my crazy plans to infiltrate every aspect of the world of bass. None of this would be possible without their constant encouragement and help.
Scott Goodman (CEO, Samson) The man at the top and my very dear friend for decades now. This is the guy who has let me run unbridled into the bass world. A very busy man with many responsibilities beyond Hartke who always takes the time to try and understand yet another hair brained scheme of mine. I don’t even have to be there to see him clutching his forehead after one of my phone calls or e-mails! Thanks for everything Scott…I’ll call you later I’ve got some more great ideas!
Mark Wilder (Marketing Director, Samson) Mark is the calming influence in my life and he is different than me…always level headed and calm…even when I’m bouncing off the walls (damn him)...which is most of the time. Mark is responsible for everything Hartke…promotion, advertising, press, clinic schedules, packaging, Larry Hartke (no small task) and way to many other things to mention here. Thanks for the friendship and for always making me look so good and especially for being so patient and nice in face of constant fire.
Mark “Sergeant” Menghi (Art Director, Samson) This is a guy who I like to think of as a younger version of myself except that he is an incredible graphic artist. All those great Hartke ads are Mark’s work and man I love the work he does. But that’s not all by a long shot, I call him “Sergeant Menghi” because he is always there on the ground taking charge with the artists and bands with a true passion for music and a great ability to relate and make artists comfortable. If I get hit by a bus he could be my successor…he could probably be that now…but my name is Hartke…so screw you “Sergeant Menghi”! Thanks for all and I mean all you do!