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Funky amp?

N

Norwegianwood

Nov 9, 2003
969
4
40
Norway, Oslo
#1
Hi, I would be very grateful if someone could help me solve my problem.

This is my rig:
Warwick Corvette Standard bass.
Hartke HA 3500 head.
Hartke VX 410 Cab.
Sansamp RBI.

This is it:
I just don't feel that I have enough control over the tone when I play through my Hartke amp. It's amasing for rock (especially if I use the Sansamp), but when I play funk or jazz, it is just never right. Playing Jaco-style is downright impossible. (And don't go there saying it's all in the fingers:) )
The sound is just too massive, it's just too "thick." It's very hard to get a cutting sound, unless I boost the presence and highs very much.

I feel that I easily can have a "funkier" sound on any small practice amp.

I have heard so much good about the Hartke head, though, could the problem be the cheap vx cab? Just a tought....

Anyway: What amp/cab would you advice within the same price range as the Hartke? I don't wanna have another 4x10, so it could also be a combo. And as I've said, I wanna have a funkier sound, that could also be suitable for jazz.
I just love the playability on my Warwick, and seeing as it sounds good on other amps, I don't wanna change it.
Thank you so much.
 
#2
you lucky bastard! you have a Corvette Stanard!!!

anyways. i have the HA4000 and the VX410, i can get a LARGE array of different tones. i just went from crispy clanky sound to a low down rumble that makes your balls tingle. what i'd suggest is that if you have a good media player on your computer (i have itunes) that has really cool preset EQ controls, connect your stack to the computer. put an adapter on the 1/4" instrument cable to connect it to the headphone out on the computer, BUT MAKE SURE ALL VOLUME IS TURNED DOWN ON THE COMPUTER AND THE STACK. and have all the EQ on the head set to zero. then slowly turn up the volume on the stack leaving the volume on the computer as low as possible. then go through each preset EQ on the media player until you find the sound your looking for for your bass. and simply get everything on the heads EQ as close as possible to the EQ on the media player, that can be a little tricky, but easy once you think about it. go from there and PRESTO, you have the sound you've been looking for and, might i add, a really kick ass stereo system that blows your big brothers stereo system out of the water!!!
 
#5
personally i don't like the voicing of hartke preamps. I really have no experience with the cabinet in question. Of course, you could try cutting back on the lows, experiment with boostign various midrange frequencies, and disabling any "contour" type knobs the amp may have. If that doesn't work i'd reccomend bringing you bass, amp and cabinet down to a store and trying different heads with your bass and cabinet to compare them with the hartke head to see if you get a sound that's more to your liking. IMO, you really have to bring your gear with you when trying out a new item as it's the only way to see if there is a significant difference in tone.
 
#6
Hartke is not my favorite amp either, but I did sit in on a gig recently that had a Hartke head and I had trouble controlling my sound and kept trying to find it with the EQ. Finally I reached over and turned one of the contour knobs in one direction and "presto" it was happening for me. Don't ask me which one I turned or which direction.
 
#7
Have you tried cutting back on the bass a little? The mids are what make a bass sing. As someone has said here already, the Contour knobs on the Hartke 3500 are very useful for wholesale tone adjustments. There aren't that many tones you cannot get from the rig you describe. If it is a reliable rig for you, save your money.

Edward G.
Baltimore, MD
 
#8
Ok, thanks alot for the help....
I'll try working more on the EQ, although I think I've tried most of it..+
And I'll also do as one here said: Bring it down to the music store...

But what do you think of changing the 4x1 into a smaller cab? I really don't need the size, as I always go through PA when I play live...
Thanks once again, you folks have proven to be very helpful many times!
 
#11
id have to agree with everything being said.. i own a 3500 myself and it does nothing but sit..the tonal capabilities are very limited, what you get is loud.. i tried 2 rigs side by side in a store 1 hrtke and the other swr , 2 completely different animals with the swr far exceeding in the tonal variations..it didnt help that i realized this after purchsing but we live and learn.. i like the computer idea, ill have to try that myself..
 
#13
SWR SM400\500 sounds like they would fit the bill. I have an SM500 and consider it to be very clear, round and articulate with deep lows. I wasn't happy with the highs or warmth of the amp until I changed the tube, but now it sounds sweet. Sounds better for slap than any other amp I've tried (but there are a lot I havent tried). Also experiment without the SABDDI (or blend at 50% or so) - I find it sounds great overall, but can blur the sound too much as well....
 

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