Hartke A70 Issue

[LaklandBass]

So heres the deal. I use a Hartke LH1000 head on my main rig with a Mesa/Boogie 2x15 cab. (the one with the EV speakers in the massive "road case"). I LOVE it. So like a year ago I bought a Hartke A70 to use for practicing at home and using at some live shows with my acoustic band.
Is it just me or is this thing unusable past volume 3? Seriously... the speaker breaks up over anything.
The common basses im using are...
Ibanez SR5005E with Preamp set to Bass+.5, Mid 0, Treble + 1
Passive SX Fretless P with flats
Passive SX Jazz with Rounds
Yamaha RBX170 Passive with Flats and Dimarzio pups

If I have the amp set anywhere past dead flat if farts out all the time. I mean like slapping a G on the E string and itll sound terrible.

I can leave the EQ flat and add my Eden WTDI to give it a great tone and its fine.... as long as the volume is at 1.5 on the amp. Keep in mind that the Eden is set for volume and gain at no more than 12 o'clock.

So my only options are to have it break up constantly or to have an absolutely sterile tone that sucks.
I cant imagine that this is normal. Why would they even bother using that speaker if it can only handle 30% of the amplifier that its mated with.
This is the sort of thing that I expect from a Walmart boom box. Not from a very old bass amp company that has completely revived themselves.

FWIW I really LOVE my Hartke head as well as my backup which is the Hartke 3500. I was using a full Eden rig and sold it because the Hartke just kills when Im playing live.

[JimmyM]

Don't mistake volume knob position for how much wattage you're using. I've seen a fair amount of amps that unload their full clean power right around that mark, especially if they have a single volume knob and not separate gain and master volume. Having said that, I don't know if that's normal or not since I haven't played one. But that's something to consider. To a dude used to an LH1000, 70w may sound piddly to you but it's possible it could be giving you all it's got. Hartke does their specs pretty honestly.

[LaklandBass]

Yea i feel ya

[LaklandBass]

To be more detailed though. I can practice at volume 3 with my gf watching tv in the next room and no c

[LaklandBass]

Complaints........ Both doors open. Im not expecting the world of this amp but it would be nice to have decent tone at a solo practice volume.

[rosskratter]

Waiting for Larry Hartke to pop in on this...

[B-string]

Just an educated guess....too much low end boost. You are not going to get the low end sound of a 2X15 cab from a single 12" combo. Dial back the lows, if you want the sound of your gigging rig, a combo is not the place to look?

[craig.p]

Maybe the speaker's come loose off the baffle board? Check the nuts or screws or whatever they use. Tighten in a star pattern like wheel lug nuts. Don't sock 'em down, just snug 'em up.

Wait, before you do that, maybe pull the speaker and see if the wires coming from the amp are sagging and touching the back of the cone.

Can the head be removed from the cab and run into the cab anyway? Maybe with a longer speaker cord? (Make sure you DO use a speaker cord. Apologies in advance if you already know this.) Just wondering if the problem is vibration induced.

Might want to connect the FX in and out jacks with an instrument cord, if such jacks exist. Sometimes the NC contacts on FX in jacks can get crudded up & need cleaning.

[JimmyM]

BTW, calling Larry or at least calling Hartke's CS dept is always an option.

[Danelectrofy]

I had a similar problem with my SWR LA-8...That amp is 30 watts. HOWEVER...I added two extension speaker jacks and one disconnects the 8 inch speaker and the other adds a second cabinet. The result is that I can drop the amp to a 4 ohm load and use all the power that the amp has. Try adding another 12 inch speaker and see if that cleans you up some. And B-String has a point with the too much low end boost thing. Replacing the speaker with one that can handle the power might also be a solution...FYI Hartke is made in China...I'm just sayin.....

[LaklandBass]

Thank you very much for all the advice guys... ill try to respond in order... somewhat lol
B-string... I also though that it would be too much boost but I have the EQ knobs and Graphic EQ on the amp set to dead flat. When I play my active bass I have the bass turned +.5 yes that is .5 as in one tiny little bit. Its probably 1/32" turn and that is all. The issue is still present with my passive basses as well.
Craig.... I figured this was possible as well but I have tried appyling pressure to every part of the amp and nothing changes. What I hear is a distorting of the sound and not anything loose.
Jimmy... I will be doing that if I cant rectify the issue myself.
Danelectrofy... I have considered this..... Come to think of it... I have a spare small cab lying around..... ill check now.

[B-string]

My mistake I read +5 not +point 5. Maybe the unit was dropped in shipping and the speaker is damaged? Demo unit from a dealer and was abused?

[LaklandBass]

Just plugged it into a 1x8 fender rumble cab from an old combo. Although not ideal it sounds much better. I think this hartke just isnt right for me. Cant understand why theyd bother making something with virtually unusable bass and volume controls. I read some reviews of hartke combos and this seems fairly common. Oh well, ill probably take a $200 loss on selling it and upgrading but i really need something that works for me. I do love my hartke heads tho lol.

[JimmyM]

Hey, not every product a company makes will strike a nerve with you. Even Ampeg makes an occasional product that I'm not fond of. Very rarely but it's been known to happen once or twice.

[LaklandBass]

Very true jimmy. My hartke heads are perfect for me but this combo just wasnt right

[Larry Hartke]

Hey LaklandBass,
Sounds to me like there is something wrong with your A-70, you should have plenty of volume without distortion from the combo. Just give my service manager Joe Antonelli a call at 1-800-328-2882 (New York) and he will get you up and running. If you need further help I’m right here 201-680-8153 Cell or lahartke@comcast.net Thanks for playing Hartke!

[LaklandBass]

Thanks larry. Hopefully ill get a chance to do that this week. As always the customer service from hartke is fantastic and appreciated. Service like this is why i sold all my eden gear and switched to your amos