Hartke HyDrive HD112 and TX600 test

[Pedro Cofre]

Hey man thank you, glad you like the video and the review.
Well the EQ works in a different way compared to other bass amps.
The LH and the TX works similar to old fender amp with Tone Stack preamp. They are not a cut/boost type where usually the 0 is at 12 o clock position and you cut or boost the frequency.
Been just a boost type make things very easier. So the best way to work is starting from the zero position (7 o clock) and, move slowly, experimenting each frequency combination and believe me, they are very effective.
Usually, I like to use Bass 3.5, Middle 3.5, and Treble 1 but with the bright filter engaged.
But you can really get different tones with small edits on the EQ. For example in the new video below, I recorded a slap groove with the bass preamp set flat and using an Avalon U5 signal and a Mic on an HyDrive 112 powered by the LH1000. The head EQ was set Bass 5, Middle 3.5, Treble 1, Bright on.
If you have any other questions just let me know

Hi man! Wow, Your tone is amazing!. Finally I have my TX 600 , Now I have to buy the cabinets, I'm seeing a Hartke Hydrive 210 (black version), and then I think I'll add a hartke 112, Do you think this configuration will go well?. Thanks for the reviews and share your experience. Regards

 

[nilorius]

Hey man thank you, glad you like the video and the review.
Well the EQ works in a different way compared to other bass amps.
The LH and the TX works similar to old fender amp with Tone Stack preamp. They are not a cut/boost type where usually the 0 is at 12 o clock position and you cut or boost the frequency.
Been just a boost type make things very easier. So the best way to work is starting from the zero position (7 o clock) and, move slowly, experimenting each frequency combination and believe me, they are very effective.
Usually, I like to use Bass 3.5, Middle 3.5, and Treble 1 but with the bright filter engaged.
But you can really get different tones with small edits on the EQ. For example in the new video below, I recorded a slap groove with the bass preamp set flat and using an Avalon U5 signal and a Mic on an HyDrive 112 powered by the LH1000. The head EQ was set Bass 5, Middle 3.5, Treble 1, Bright on.
If you have any other questions just let me know

Thanks, i understood.

 

[Omega Monkey]

Now I have to buy the cabinets, I'm seeing a Hartke Hydrive 210 (black version), and then I think I'll add a hartke 112, Do you think this configuration will go well?

Why wouldn't you just get another 2x10? A 1x12 might not get you much in the way of volume. Another 2x10 should get you a theoretical 6 db or so, which is like quadrupling your amp power. The 1x12 might be slightly less than that, and there might be weird interactions. Apparently the 1x12 is also ported while the 2x10 is sealed, and sometimes different types of cabs like that don't play well together. If you want more of the ported sound with deeper lows, you should just get 2 of the 1x12s to start with.

 

[jshinal]

Bravo, Enrico. Your tone and technique are really impressive. Does your Hybrid Techniques book demonstrate the right hand position you used at about 0:30 in the first clip ? I am intrigued that your tone didn't change when your angle to the string moved so much, very cool.

How low is your action set, normally ?

 

[enricogaletta]

Hi man! Wow, Your tone is amazing!. Finally I have my TX 600 , Now I have to buy the cabinets, I'm seeing a Hartke Hydrive 210 (black version), and then I think I'll add a hartke 112, Do you think this configuration will go well?. Thanks for the reviews and share your experience. Regards View attachment 3362779

Thank you man !
The Hartke HD line (the black HyDrive) are a bit more warm compared to the regular HyDrive, just a bit of punch on lows and cut on mids, adding a 12" cab probably won't make a big difference in my opinion.
I don't talk about pairing two 112 because I think you are a fan of the 10" speakers so, probably you can try the punch of the 2x10 cabinet with a HyDrive 115, than you will keep the punch from the 2x10 with extra warm from the lowest cab.
Or you can try two 2x10, the overall tone could be very nice, however I think the best way is to have the chance to try by your ears these combinations.
Let me know how it goes

 

[enricogaletta]

Bravo, Enrico. Your tone and technique are really impressive. Does your Hybrid Techniques book demonstrate the right hand position you used at about 0:30 in the first clip ? I am intrigued that your tone didn't change when your angle to the string moved so much, very cool.

How low is your action set, normally ?

Thank you so much man.
I really appreciate your comment because you got the point of my book, have the chance to merge different playing styles without sacrificing tone, playability and last but not least, musicality.
Yes, all the styles you see in my videos are well demonstrated in the book, the final goal is to reach your personal style using all of it and merge them when necessary.
There is a playlist on my YouTube where once in while I release some exercise from the book, there a plenty of them.
I hope you will like it and please let me know your feedback if you will give it a try

My action is pretty low, I learned to how to control my hand's touch in a way that could be responsive to the action and produce a different type of dynamics, isn't hard after all and make things easier

 

[nilorius]

I used this rig live already and the TX600 worked well with both one 1x12 or two 1x12 cabs.
Honestly, at the beginning, I had the same impressions, lack of power making me thinking, 600w really?
But then I experimented to understand better how this head works and I found out that the TX600 works more as a ClassA guitar amp than a general Class-D light bass amp. I'll try to explain best I can:

All the ClassD I had until now (the last one was the Aguilar TH500) works more or less at the same.
Let's resume in this way, you get an extremely punch and high output level already when you turn the master from 7 to 10 o'clock. You can go ahead usually up to 1-2 o'clock keeping listening to an increase of volume than usually you start to hear the bass clipping and you have to stop the volume run.
Even if you low the gain, you will hear a very low increase up to the maximum level. Each time I played live with my last rig 1-2 o'clock was the maximum I can get.

The TX600 works differently and to understand better you need to abandon the visual idea to have high output with a small amount of your master volume knob.
First of all, it's important to set the gain at a maximum possible level before it clips (guitar tube amp concept) and to help to reach that, the TX600 gain start to flashing yellow when you're reaching the top and red when you got it. So yellow is good or a little less is better.

Then you will see how the Damp works. The control has a real gradual increase.
From the 7 to 11 o'clock the range increase of the volume is very slow, probably designed for practicing home/studio, than from 11 to 1 o'clock even if the knob range make a short run, the head start to increase the volume faster, than from 1 o'clock to the maximum the increase is very fast, short increases and you will hear several differences even between two dots, a fast boosting of power to make you think, hey what's happening it?
The fun thing is that, if you set the right amount of gain as well the preamp (speaking of, is a boost type, not cut/boost, very important difference) you can have the master knob to the maximum, with all the power output and never a clipped tone.
I attached some pics to resume the explanation. If you need more help please let me know.
Ciao.
View attachment 2863592
View attachment 2863593

Well, how do you got your gain lamp show the overdrive, without master volume at full. Because main gain just gives the power and doesn't look at master master volume position. I can't get a situation to show gain red ?!? Please help.

 

[Pedro Cofre]

Thank you man !
The Hartke HD line (the black HyDrive) are a bit more warm compared to the regular HyDrive, just a bit of punch on lows and cut on mids, adding a 12" cab probably won't make a big difference in my opinion.
I don't talk about pairing two 112 because I think you are a fan of the 10" speakers so, probably you can try the punch of the 2x10 cabinet with a HyDrive 115, than you will keep the punch from the 2x10 with extra warm from the lowest cab.
Or you can try two 2x10, the overall tone could be very nice, however I think the best way is to have the chance to try by your ears these combinations.
Let me know how it goes

Hi Man!. Finally I have acquired my cabinet. In the end I bought a 1x12 ashdown cabinet (300 watts at 8 ohms + twitter). I bought it today and it arrives tomorrow. I have the following doubt, I understand that the head (hartke tx600) delivers 450 watts to 8 ohms, so what is the volume limit that should be the head to not put my cabinet at risk? The other question is which cable to use. speak on or line?
Greetings and thanks

 

[enricogaletta]

Well, how do you got your gain lamp show the overdrive, without master volume at full. Because main gain just gives the power and doesn't look at master master volume position. I can't get a situation to show gain red ?!? Please help.

Nilorius, if your gain control flashes red then definitely there are some settings that you need to check.
The over clipping (the red flash) can depend on different factors and before use the master it's important to set an average/top gain signal.
First of all, what kind of bass are you using, passive or active? In the second case, how do you usually set your preamp? Do you like to excite the tone with the controls of your preamp?
To avoid flashing, the first step is to set the gain knob to the maximum level possible before starts to flash red (if you get occasionally orange flash you should be fine) then play with the hardest dynamic you are able to, you will test the peak after which clipping will come.
So that will be your perfect top clean signal, and if you use a passive bass you're done.
But if you use an active bass or, some pedals that change the dynamics of the tone, as for example an octaver than you need to refine your setting.
After the first step tries to use your onboard preamp, with a useful setting for the most of your playing and if you still get red flash then, you have to decrease (usually the boosts) the frequency knob closer to flat tone. Usually, a common mistake is boosting too much bass or middle.
For pedal effects just decrease the output control you have.

 

[enricogaletta]

Hi Man!. Finally I have acquired my cabinet. In the end I bought a 1x12 ashdown cabinet (300 watts at 8 ohms + twitter). I bought it today and it arrives tomorrow. I have the following doubt, I understand that the head (hartke tx600) delivers 450 watts to 8 ohms, so what is the volume limit that should be the head to not put my cabinet at risk? The other question is which cable to use. speak on or line?
Greetings and thanks
View attachment 3377018

Congratulations man, how the new rig sounds?
Well, I used sometimes similar rig combinations where the amp was powerful of the cabinet after you got the right settings on your bass and preamp probably the best way to prevent your cabinet from any risk is using your hears keeping in mind what how you're gonna play.
Usually, low volume is not dangerous for your cabinet but, when you play loud than you have to keep hears open and set your amp with a bit of margin.
For example, if your maximum volume is 8 before starting to hearing some distortion than play at 6, keep in mind that with a good preamp setting without exciting too much the tone you can also play well at 7.
BUT if, during your playing, you play occasionally with a strong dynamics, for example, a solo, or excite your tone with more bass or middle, or activate a pedal (usually overdrive or octaver) with more gain changes, that moment could be very risky for the cabinet.
There is no difference between jack (if you use power jack, not audio jack!!) or speakon, use just the one more comfortable for your rig.

 

[nilorius]

Nilorius, if your gain control flashes red then definitely there are some settings that you need to check.
The over clipping (the red flash) can depend on different factors and before use the master it's important to set an average/top gain signal.
First of all, what kind of bass are you using, passive or active? In the second case, how do you usually set your preamp? Do you like to excite the tone with the controls of your preamp?
To avoid flashing, the first step is to set the gain knob to the maximum level possible before starts to flash red (if you get occasionally orange flash you should be fine) then play with the hardest dynamic you are able to, you will test the peak after which clipping will come.
So that will be your perfect top clean signal, and if you use a passive bass you're done.
But if you use an active bass or, some pedals that change the dynamics of the tone, as for example an octaver than you need to refine your setting.
After the first step tries to use your onboard preamp, with a useful setting for the most of your playing and if you still get red flash then, you have to decrease (usually the boosts) the frequency knob closer to flat tone. Usually, a common mistake is boosting too much bass or middle.
For pedal effects just decrease the output control you have.

You didn't undestood. My gain never gets red, i can get it red only when my gain, bass and treble is max.

 

[enricogaletta]

You didn't undestood. My gain never gets red, i can get it red only when my gain, bass and treble is max.

Oh I see. It seems that you have a low bass output then. Which bass do you use?
Usually red turns on easily, when the bass signal is loud as example for powerful active basses or if you insert in the passive input your active instrument. Sometimes, using multiple effects in chain that increase the gain before go in to the amp.
Some active basses with a particular electronics have very low output and you'll never gets red clipping too.
For example with my active basses on TX600, I get red if I use the passive input (I rarely use the active input, unless I have to play with very loud volume) with gain at 7.5, bass and middle at 3.5 and treble at 1 with compression at 0 (how do you set this on TX? that could be another reason) and shape/frequency at 6.

 

[nilorius]

Oh I see. It seems that you have a low bass output then. Which bass do you use?
Usually red turns on easily, when the bass signal is loud as example for powerful active basses or if you insert in the passive input your active instrument. Sometimes, using multiple effects in chain that increase the gain before go in to the amp.
Some active basses with a particular electronics have very low output and you'll never gets red clipping too.
For example with my active basses on TX600, I get red if I use the passive input (I rarely use the active input, unless I have to play with very loud volume) with gain at 7.5, bass and middle at 3.5 and treble at 1 with compression at 0 (how do you set this on TX? that could be another reason) and shape/frequency at 6.

I mainly play with Ibanez GWB1005 active el. The signal has always been normal and like other active. I also checked with passive jazz bass = the same. I don't use any effects and tried the built in compressor in all ways. Just tried my ibanez in passive input - yes no the red shows up on 3 but the volume is a bit lower than in active. Maybe just my signal from Ibanez is pretty good for this preamp to use in a maximum way!?

 

[Pedro Cofre]

Congratulations man, how the new rig sounds?
Well, I used sometimes similar rig combinations where the amp was powerful of the cabinet after you got the right settings on your bass and preamp probably the best way to prevent your cabinet from any risk is using your hears keeping in mind what how you're gonna play.
Usually, low volume is not dangerous for your cabinet but, when you play loud than you have to keep hears open and set your amp with a bit of margin.
For example, if your maximum volume is 8 before starting to hearing some distortion than play at 6, keep in mind that with a good preamp setting without exciting too much the tone you can also play well at 7.
BUT if, during your playing, you play occasionally with a strong dynamics, for example, a solo, or excite your tone with more bass or middle, or activate a pedal (usually overdrive or octaver) with more gain changes, that moment could be very risky for the cabinet.
There is no difference between jack (if you use power jack, not audio jack!!) or speakon, use just the one more comfortable for your rig.

It sounds incredible. This configuration is very loud. I have never occupied the head to the maximum power, but I tried with the gain at 12 and the master at 12 and the entire house shakes hahaha. thank you for all Brother.

 

[enricogaletta]

I mainly play with Ibanez GWB1005 active el. The signal has always been normal and like other active. I also checked with passive jazz bass = the same. I don't use any effects and tried the built in compressor in all ways. Just tried my ibanez in passive input - yes no the red shows up on 3 but the volume is a bit lower than in active. Maybe just my signal from Ibanez is pretty good for this preamp to use in a maximum way!?

Probably your Ibanez hasn't that powerful output that usually active basses have but, isn't a bad thing and it doesn't surprise me when I first got my BTB, the output was very low, lower than my passive Fender Jazz.
I changed the Nordstrand pups because I'm not a big fan of their tone, especially the factory Big Single. Now with the EMG the bass has more output but not so much, as some other active basses, I believe the Ibanez preamp has a lower output compared to other active instruments.

 

[enricogaletta]

It sounds incredible. This configuration is very loud. I have never occupied the head to the maximum power, but I tried with the gain at 12 and the master at 12 and the entire house shakes hahaha. thank you for all Brother.
View attachment 3382791 View attachment 3382794

You're welcome man, meanwhile here's is a new video just released of the HyDrive HD112 pumped with the big brother LH1000 in a bass duet scenario.

 

[dbase]

Hi man! Wow, Your tone is amazing!. Finally I have my TX 600 , Now I have to buy the cabinets, I'm seeing a Hartke Hydrive 210 (black version), and then I think I'll add a hartke 112, Do you think this configuration will go well?. Thanks for the reviews and share your experience. Regards View attachment 3362779

One of my setups.

 

[enricogaletta]

One of my setups.
View attachment 3384397

Awesome

 

[Andeeeeeee91]

Any major difference with the HD112 vs 112B?

 

[enricogaletta]

Any major difference with the HD112 vs 112B?

The 112b is native 4 ohm, has no tweeter and is a bit lighter