Was it just a lemon...?

Dustin Teel · #1 08-04-2011, 12:03 PM

I don't see how this is possible.

A few months ago, I played a gig where the backline was an Ampeg B2R head and the new (at the time) Hartke Hydrive 410. I considered this a sweet setup, and opted to use it instead of my rig... which weighs like 200 pounds, so that was fine. I was, unfortunately, disappointed with the tone. I've used the head before and the tone is fine, but I was not impressed with the output of the cab. Oh well, the gig went great overall.

Fast forward a few months.

I decide that I was being close minded since you can't judge a cab on 1 venue with 1 head. My buddy's dad has a classic rock band and their bassist uses the HA3500 head with the Hydrive 410. He's out of town, and they needed a sit-in, so I went to jam with them. I figured "well it has a Hartke head with it now, I'm sure it will sound better". I plugged it in and started lightly plucking a few notes and even at practice volume the speakers started farting. I was shocked... so I turned the EQ down completely flat. This helped some, but the slight distortion/clipping was still present. I made sure a speaker cable was attaching the head to the cab and it was. The more volume you cranked into it, the more distortion you would get... but none of the speakers were blown. This just doesn't make sense.

I stand by Hartke products, I'm not bashing. My main head is the 5500c and I swear by it. I use it with one of the Peavey TVX-412 cabs and my tone is massive, tight and thunderous. But how is it that a Hydrive cab, which is newer, state of the art, and has a (supposedly) higher power handling will fart out with a less powerful head?

I wanted to like these cabs so much.

bassplayerbob · #2 08-04-2011, 12:09 PM

I own the same cab paired with the lh1000 head bridged @650 watts and i have no issues whatsoever. I use a Music man bass and play in a band covering funk,classic rock,dance and some disco. What kind of bass do you use? Any pedals?

Dustin Teel · #3 08-04-2011, 12:17 PM

No pedals. I use a Schecter Raiden Special 4, which does have a natural "growl" to it, but nothing that could be confused with speaker distortion. I also tried other basses that were at the practice space and the distortion was worse.

bassplayerbob · #4 08-04-2011, 12:20 PM

Odd. I would say bad cab, but that was 2 different cabs.

Von Felgenhauer · #5 08-04-2011, 12:21 PM

Was the pre gain up to high maybe?

will33 · #6 08-04-2011, 12:23 PM

Battery in bass? Preamp tube in head?

SurferJoe46 · #7 08-04-2011, 03:13 PM

When I was cab shopping, I played a backline Hydrive 410 also and it did the same thing so I opted totally away from Hartke stuff all together.

Everybody called me a liar and trying to razz on Hartke - but seriously if it was bad for me and the other bassist swore by it - then what was HIS problem with me?

There may be contingencies here and this might have been a bad unit - but the same night the other bassist said it was the sweetest tone he ever heard and all I could hear was cr@p.

Doh?

JimmyM · #8 08-04-2011, 10:56 PM

The Hydrives are darn good sounding cabs to me. But the 3500 is only a 250w head at 8 ohms and has a tube so it sounds like the overdrive was coming from the head being cranked too loud to be clean.

BillyIVbass · #9 08-04-2011, 11:17 PM

I use a Hydrive 4x10 and think it's absolutely the cat's pajamas. I think it has a very full sound, handles a ton of power and as a bonus it's easy to transport. The other end of the spectrum I have owned two Schecter basses (Stargazer 4 and Diamond Custom P) and hated the sounds I got from them out of any amp.

Moral of the story? No my cat doesn't wear pajamas, there are plenty of different combinations and what sounds good to one player may sound terrible to another.

**B-string** · #10 08-04-2011, 11:22 PM

Are there two different levels of these cabs maybe? A performer and a beginer's series?

JimmyM · #11 08-05-2011, 12:41 AM

Nope Jon, only one Hydrive 410.

Whitbass · #12 08-05-2011, 03:39 PM

check connections at speakers. Seen that with the HX410. Connections tightened..then night and day difference. With loose connection, sounded like a blown speaker.....

Dustin Teel · #13 08-05-2011, 04:59 PM

I think Whitbass may be right. I checked everything else. The basses were passive, so no battery to worry about. I had all EQs set flat, and tried both the Tube and SS preamp sections. Still distorted... It has been transported a lot, according to the owner. So maybe a speaker connection is loose.

JimmyM has a point as well, the amp is only 250w @ ohms, so the head may have been clipping trying to keep up with the band.

I'm going to take my 5500c head and try it out this weekend to see if the same thing happens.

**B-string** · #14 08-05-2011, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Nope Jon, only one Hydrive 410.

Thanks Jimmy, now I know

Cb4rabid · #15 08-05-2011, 11:13 PM

I used a crapton of Hartke's at the store once, and all of them sounded bad. Not even just subjectively bad, like farting/badtone/or extremely sterile sounding bad :/. I am not a Hartke fan unfortunately.

**B-string** · #16 08-05-2011, 11:47 PM

I hear Hydrives every week night (that I can stay awake) used by Will Lee, they sound darn good from him (still wonder why he stopped using the Portaflex?).

JimmyM · #17 08-06-2011, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B-string

I hear Hydrives every week night (that I can stay awake) used by Will Lee, they sound darn good from him (still wonder why he stopped using the Portaflex?).

He went back to Hartke, no doubt a casualty of the former head idiot of LOUD. They let a lot of big bassists get away. I guess he didn't realize that endorsements sell and let AR go to crap. They finally got a good guy in charge of it now who's landing quite a few big endorsements in their place, but the previous dopes sure didn't make it easy for him.

**B-string** · #18 08-06-2011, 01:36 AM

I just hope this is not an attempt to rebuild the value of the product name to sell off? Forgive the implication Jimmy, but I have been tainted by being a part of the corporate world. Don't trust bean counters as far as I can throw their yachts.

JimmyM · #19 08-06-2011, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B-string

I just hope this is not an attempt to rebuild the value of the product name to sell off? Forgive the implication Jimmy, but I have been tainted by being a part of the corporate world. Don't trust bean counters as far as I can throw their yachts.

Jon, to be honest I couldn't care less why they're improving quality and rebuilding AR. All I care is that they have.

**B-string** · #20 08-06-2011, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Jon, to be honest I couldn't care less why they're improving quality and rebuilding AR. All I care is that they have.