Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
AudioKinesis Cabs Part VI...
- Thread starter Thor
- Start date
Playing my newly arrived Hathor 1203 now...
1. Substance
Last night I played the H1203 for the second time, and for a good while. This time I set it atop the F112 used only as a stand, raising the H1203's 3" driver to waist height. Starting with an epoxy fingerboard fretless J before dinner, later I switched to and stayed with a Fodera Monarch-P with Klein Epic 1959 pickup.
In my first trial of the H1203, I used a 10-foot guitar cable, the Manley TNT's tube channel, and no EQ on the Blue Rock. This time I used a 20-foot guitar cable, the TNT's cool channel (big transformer, etc.), and at some point I engaged the Blue Rock's EQ for a slight fattening and darkening setting I am liking these days.
Awash in options for coloration and response (guitar volume and tone, input impedance, transformer saturation, EQ, cabinet switches and port), nonetheless I stayed focused on choosing a sound or two that I liked playing to, then walking to various points in the room. Now closer or further from the H1203, now on or off axis, mostly I played standing, until tired at the end of a long day and week, finally I sat in a chair to play. The Monarch-P sounded glorious with this setup, I must say.
All the basic features I reported from my first trial remained true last night. The key difference in the setups was the H1203's vertical position. I found that with it raised, the effect of the plugged port was more pronounced. Specifically, though when the cabinet was on the floor I clearly heard the difference between the port open and plugged, with the cabinet raised I both heard the difference and missed the low end extension of the open port. This impressed me more than the slightly increased intelligibility, though probably that would be as important in a group setting.
That seemed to bode well for using the H1203 in a range of scenarios constrained to single-cabinet setups. Likewise two-cabinet setups, with the cabinets stacked. Next, today probably, I will play the H1203 together with the F112. I will stack the H1203 on the F112, oriented first vertically then horizontally.
2. Symbol
When I first became interested in the AudioKinesis Hathor models, I assumed that they were named after the ancient Egyptian goddess. Duke and I corresponded about this several months ago, at which time I shared with him a modern rendering I found, of Hathor in cow form. At the time, he liked it. I hope he does still.
Last Friday, using that original digital artwork by Jeff Dahl and here crediting him in accordance with Invalid Link Removed, I ordered a small sheet of custom stickers to affix to Hathor cabinets. If all goes well, they will arrive soon and be good.
Here is a mockup of how one might look on a Hathor 1203:
Last edited:
Cool, nutdog. Let's see how these stickers turn out. If they look good and will stay stuck to the cabinet finish, then if Duke will allow it I can send my spares to him for distribution to a few lucky Hathor customers.
But you know that I'm going to keep at least one extra sticker for a second Hathor cabinet.
- Nov 24, 2008
- 4,343
- 7,163
- Disclosures
- Owner & designer, AudioKinesis; Auth. mfg, Big E (Home Audio only)
I wish I knew the name(s) of the engineer(s) at Faital who designed that little woofer, because I'd give them credit for having done a really good job.
Shipping not included.
Holy cow! What a great sticker!
Okay, it's probably about time for me to make a confession, because I'm getting credit I don't deserve for the cool name of those bass cabs. The connection between the name and the Egyptian goddess of music is only coincidental.
The name "Hathor" comes from a character I played in a home movie my kids made. I am a really lousy actor. When the script called for Hathor to take a punch or a stab, I would throw my arms out wide, which was really stupid, and my kids picked up on that as soon as we reviewed the footage from that day. We didn't have easy access to the place where the fight scene was shot so we didn't re-shoot it. Hathor was a Helgarian, so my kids named my really bad move the "Helgarian block". We still use the term.
Well fast forward many years and I design this bass cab that throws the midrange driver's backwave energy wide, in a manner faintly reminiscent of Hathor's signature move. Not having any better name come to mind, that's what I went with.
So unfortunately the reality is not nearly as cool as the Egyptian cow goddess thing.
Only if you're really bored, here's a link to that infamous fight scene. Signature move at 2:14 and 4:05.
And, just to show how much better they are without dad in the scene, here's another one without me.
By the way, all metal-on-metal sounds are real. Those are real blades... yes, dad bought his kids knives and swords to fight with. Don't let child protective services get ahold of these clips, as I'm not sure what the statute of limitations is.
Last edited:
OMG. OMG! OMG! I had about two straight minutes of that. You've got to be the first cab builder to post fight scene footage featuring himself on... maybe anywhere.
Last edited:
I too find the port plugs to be the most useful and easily observable on the fly mod for my TC112 & 115. They really, really work well in a boom room. I tend to leave both my switches up, and because I really like how it sounds that way, I don't give them much thought (sorry, Duke). Of course, given the beautiful sound of that woofer, there may be applications in a studio where it would be useful to turn off the horn for micing? ...but I haven't tried it -everybody wants to go direct these days. I'd love to try a Hathor, but I'm so darned satisfied with my V1 ... 
. Can't wait to see a cab builder in a fight scene!
. Can't wait to see a cab builder in a fight scene!I've been thinking about a Hathor for awhile... the sticker might tip the balance!
I like stickers and badges, what can I say!
Dig it, Mark. And surely Duke qualifies for a Coolest Dad Ever award of some kind.
Last edited:
Today I did this test, orienting the H1203 only vertically however. I aligned the fronts of both cabinets' drivers as closely as I could. Though all other things were not equal, I thought this pairing was promising because both cabinets use a stock Kappalite 3012LF woofer plus a stock(?) Faital midrange driver, albeit of different sizes. Because it was handy, I played the same Jazz Bass as in my first try of the H1203. I used a 20-foot cable, walking around the room playing only standing.
The H1203/F112 stack sounded good. It sounded big.
- With the settings I preferred, the stack sounded like not only other than, but also more than either cabinet alone, which I did audition periodically.
- With the H1203's port open, the two cabs sounded much more natural together. Finding this early on, I left the port open thereafter.
- The H1203 sounded more spatial than the F112. With its port open, it laid a yummy pillow of low bass under a well-structured, but comparatively polite midrange.
- The F112 had much more authority in the low midrange into the lows. It simply hit hard everywhere, always.
- The H1203 had a certain magical, crunchy sweetness to its articulateness that the F112 never did, even with its tweeter attenuated.
- The F112, with its tweeter full on had the finer highest highs, which are never harsh it should be said.
- Any combination of the H1203's high switch settings and the F112's tweeter switch settings sounded good; each different, but none bad.
- For the first time, I adjusted the F112's midrange dial. I heard no useful difference, so I returned it to its flat setting.
- The H1203's grindy mode was unique and powerful in the stack. It was seductive and (by me) easily overused.
Last edited:
Excellent It would look really cool if the yellow cow could be painted on the mid grill and this could be on the woofer grill:Cool, nutdog. Let's see how these stickers turn out. If they look good and will stay stuck to the cabinet finish, then if Duke will allow it I can send my spares to him for distribution to a few lucky Hathor customers.
But you know that I'm going to keep at least one extra sticker for a second Hathor cabinet.
or maybe this:
That was kinda awesome.
- Nov 24, 2008
- 4,343
- 7,163
- Disclosures
- Owner & designer, AudioKinesis; Auth. mfg, Big E (Home Audio only)
Yes... we cab builders who do amateur fight scenes are a rare breed...
...or a misdemeanor charge of Child Endangerment.
The resolution is low enough that you can't see the flesh-toned band-aids all over my daughter's hands. I'm pretty sure she still has a scar across one of her thumbs.
Ever the fashion-conscious loser of on-screen fights, here I'm reaching for my hat after falling off a cliff. Great shot of my awe-inspiring battle-spoon.
That's cheap fake blood, not Kool-Aid. We used about a pint of cheap fake blood at the end of the Oorlog fight scene. We only had enough for one take, and we got it.
Seriously, thanks guys. My kids sure had fun doing that.
But it is nothing compared to standing up in front of a room full of people and playing music.
The Demeter is a great amp. It really shines in the mix. I like its responsiveness to my touch.
Day 2 with the B46. Had friends over played music and ate pasta. The 46 is impressive! It sounded wonderful.
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,516
- 19,948
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
Yup, the 46 is perfect for those living room writing, arranging, and creating days with a small group. That pasta looks amazing.
A new day, a new Hathor 1203 pairing. Back to basics. Brother didn't know he had so much soul. Wow! Really... so fine. Got damn. (Get it yet? It sounds good.)
- restored 1969 Fender Precision Bass (open, singing, even, harmonically rich, with a well of deep, clear bass) with Curt Mangan flatwounds (spongy, dull, rubbery, sonorous, with a kiss of high sibilance on the top three strings)
- Kern preamp with vintage tubes
- sfx HPF
- QSC PLX-1804 amp
- winter sunlight
winter sunlight is the selling point, i think.
never heard of the strings. looked him up, no 6-string flat sets.
never heard of the strings. looked him up, no 6-string flat sets.
