Bad sound with HA3500 and Hydrive 112

[guitarrophobe]

So I am playing a Sandberg California (P and MM pickups) through a Hartke HA3500 and two Hydrive 112s and I'm not really happy with what's coming out.

To me it kind of sounds like wet cardboard - boomy bass and thin sterile highs. I have the tweeters turned off and the Hydrives stacked on each other and on a box, so they are ear level.
The bass knob is usually turned down a bit.

Before I got the Hydrives I used an Orange 115 and a I still own an Ashdown Mag 300 with pretty much the same results.

I play with my fingers and use Pressurewound.

Does anybody have any ideas what to try and do to get a "livelier", growler sound, and how to reduce boomyness without losing the bass itself?

 

[BassmanPaul]

My first though was that the common denominator is your bass. Is it active? If so try a new battery.

 

[guitarrophobe]

Active with passive switch. Switching makes virtually no difference, but the battery is new anyway.

 

[murphy]

Then it is your strings...or try a different bass

 

[murphy]

maybe your pickups are wired wrong...or out of phase

 

[The Chuck]

I had a HA3500 for years- bulletproof. Be careful of the EQ. The sliders to the left are fairly deep and can cause problems if you're not careful and have them too high. Start with everything flat and go from there.

 

[soflbass]

Eq flat and then adjust to a frown from there. Don't fall the victim of the smiley face.

 

[guitarrophobe]

I know to avoid the smiley face but what exactly do you mean with the frown?