Hartke 210XL (200w) with Hartke 2500 (250w) head

[Howzit]

Is it a bad idea to run a 250 watt head through a 200 watt cab?

Amazon have both priced reasonably and I'm about to pull the trigger.

[jaywa]

Should be fine as long as you don't max out the volume on the amp.

[basscraiger]

Hey there!

I have this same exact combo. In my opinion, it is super for practicing solo or with another musician or two ( I do when songwriting with bandmates) but would be hard pressed to compete in a full band rehearsal. Of course this depends on your setting. Quality-wise I've gigged that head hard and it's never failed but I use it as a back up now to a Hartke HA5500 now. The 210 cab can handle low B but again, within reason. It is definitely not going to stand alone in anything louder than a coffeehouse type gig. Pairing it with the 15" XL cab is a good call and will of course make a big difference in volume. If you can scoop up one of the XL 410s, it cranks with that head, heck, you can be like me and find TWO 410s and go to town, LOL.They are usually pretty cheap and easy to find used too. Caveat, they weigh 88 lbs! Of course, your results may vary and this is all in my own opinion and I'm certain plenty of other options are available at the price point but I happily recommend this rig as stated above. Good luck!

Craig

[sevenyearsdown]

The 2500 isn't going to put out 250 watts with only one 8 ohm cab hooked up. It's only rated for 175 watts at that load.

[Howzit]

Originally Posted by basscraiger

Hey there!

I have this same exact combo. In my opinion, it is super for practicing solo or with another musician or two ( I do when songwriting with bandmates) but would be hard pressed to compete in a full band rehearsal. ...I happily recommend this rig as stated above. Good luck!

Craig

Thanks Craig. The intended use is for practice and light gigging with a couple of mates. I just don't want to spend the dough on something too light like the 120w Hartke Kickback 12 when I can get this rig for $45.00 more.

Originally Posted by sevenyearsdown

The 2500 isn't going to put out 250 watts with only one 8 ohm cab hooked up. It's only rated for 175 watts at that load.

Thanks mate, this is exactly what I want to hear.

Cheers,
Neal

[monkeyking]

I've slammed a lot more power than that through my old Hartke 210 and it's never even blinked.

All caveats do apply as stated above - don't push to distortion, reasonable expectations of how loud that little cab can be, etc.

I've run that cab with a 3500 head alone, and in combination with other cabs (4 ohm load) and much more powerful amps. I got that cab used about 15 years ago from a pal who had it a while before that. It's a tough little mother!

Nice cab and a nice amp. Enjoy!

[dbase]

I run two 2x10xl's, and for smaller gigs use one 2x10.. with a Hartke LH500.. I'm pushing 250 watts with one cab and I push it some times to where the speakers might fart little on an A note on the E string.. So far I have had no problems.