Hartke Transporter / 410 TP

[nilorius]

If sounds normal and you are shure it will work ok for some time - take it.

 

[Omega Monkey]

These are actually really good cabs for what they are. They sound really nice. And yes, they are definitely ported, the port is just sort of hidden behind the grille, rather than having a big slot port down below like the XL cabs. The only real downside is the somewhat low power handling, but depending on your application, that might not be an issue. It will definitely still get reasonably loud. 80 bucks is a steal for a working one, so 60 is pretty crazy.

 

[Clark W]

These are actually really good cabs for what they are. They sound really nice. And yes, they are definitely ported, the port is just sort of hidden behind the grille, rather than having a big slot port down below like the XL cabs. The only real downside is the somewhat low power handling, but depending on your application, that might not be an issue. It will definitely still get reasonably loud. 80 bucks is a steal for a working one, so 60 is pretty crazy.

Yeah 60 bucks is kind of crazy. 5 bucks cheaper than a 1985 Epiphone Accu Bass I bought about this time last year. I did upgrade the pups, pots, and output jack on that deal. It's one of my recording basses now.

I also picked up a "used" MXL Guitar Cube Pro mic this morning, still new in the box with warranty card, MXL Sticker, user's manual, and all the packaging that goes with it, for 70 bucks. They sell for 150. And I got a 90 day, money back, warranty from the gear store I bought it at.

Back to the Hartke cab. This thing is built like a brick. If it's the weaker of the built Hartke cabs I don't wanna know what the XLs are built like. I actually slipped and fell moving it last night. One corner hit the pavement, the rest of it landed on top of me. Not so much as a scratch on it and I ended up soaking wet down one side while the rat fur seems to repel water. It's not the lightest 410 cab around, just lighter than an XL I guess. But it's not flimsy by any means. So test #1, the unintended drop test, it passed.

As far as sound...

For ease of use and testing I just plugged it into the extension out on a GK MB210-II that I have. So instead of the normal 350 watts @ 8 ohms into the two 10s of the GK, I now have 500 watts @ 4 ohms into 6 10s, 2 GK, 4 Hartke.

And despite the fact that using this setup the 2 GK 10s are now getting 125 watts ea, and the the 4 Hartke 10s are getting 62.5 watts ea, the cab is loud, very loud actually. And to make it even more unfair of a contest between the GK and Hartke, the Hartke is sitting on the floor whereas the bottom of the GK is a foot higher than the top of the Hartke, and I still have no problem hearing the Hartke. I wish I had enough room to walk about 20ft in front of this setup and get a better feel for how they sound together. They're loud together with plenty of air moving bass to go around. I haven't messed with EQ'ing in more mids and highs yet.

So now I gotta decide what to do with this cab.

• Buy another one so I can run both together to have a 600 watt @ 4 ohm capable stack? Of course that means a new head, more money.
  
  
• Just get a new head for it and run it alone for a max load of 300 watt @ 8ohm? Again, more money.
  
  
• Or use it as I currently have it setup testing it with the GK? I don't see it getting used much like this. Mainly for mic'ing / recording options. The GK can handle most gigs I do now anyway by itself. And who wants to move both?

See buying it for $60 bucks was the easy part. Deciding what to do with it could cost me more money. But it sounds great and that's with a 2000 Peavey Millenium BXP fiver running straight into the GK / Hartke combination, no pedals, not even a tuner at the moment. There's mo problem with the "B" string speaking with authority on that set up.

I have removed the grill for now, definitely going to paint that thing black I think.

 

[Al Kraft]

and the the 4 Hartke 10s are getting 62.5 watts ea

IMO 50-60 Watts per driver is a good upper limit on those 10's. IIRC the cab was rated at 300 Watts (75 Watts per driver) and I suspect that rating is thermal, not mechnical (which could easily be less at low frequencies).

 

[Clark W]

The red is gone!
Well that was easy enough, already had the paint sitting here at the house. But I'm not done yet, more on that further down.

I'm going to take the badge...

And I'm going to reverse it. Since the letters are raised I can tape them off on the sides, then tape off the grill around the edge of the actual plate as well. Then I will paint the back part of the plate by hand using some Testor's model paint. But it will be reversed from Hartke's normal logo like this one, except for the gray I used for this pic I'll use a chrome or silver instead.

 

[Clark W]

IMO 50-60 Watts per driver is a good upper limit on those 10's. IIRC the cab was rated at 300 Watts (75 Watts per driver) and I suspect that rating is thermal, not mechnical (which could easily be less at low frequencies).

Yep, as an extension cab for the GK it's surprisingly working out really well. And for 60 bucks, who woulda thought?

It definitely opens the GK on up on the headroom side of things, 350 watts @ 8 ohms with two 10s to 500 watts @ 4 ohms and six 10s. I never get to run it full throttle anyway even when I've had it matched up against a drummer and a screaming lead guitarist by itself with no extension cab on a stage in a bar. It's a stout little combo in it's own right, and it just got stouter.

 

[GreaserMatt]

Great cabs; I've owned a lot of Hartke stuff over the years; black spray paint is your friend... : )

 

[Clark W]

Great cabs; I've owned a lot of Hartke stuff over the years; black spray paint is your friend... : )

So far I've really been impressed by it. And its tone compliments the GK tone. Between the two it's like a mix of GK warmth with aggressive bite behind it. And that's just straight in. I haven't tried my compressor or Sansamp BDDI in the input chain with it plugged in yet.

And yeah, good ole Krylon or Rust-oleum flat black is your friend.

 

[Clark W]

So the re paint is completely finished.
The previous owner apparently is not the only one to do this "red" to a Hartke cab. I found one used on GC's website for sale too.

Went from this...

to this...

then took the grill back off and taped it up under the Hartke badge...
Yes that is actual painter's tape, some kind of crazy design for arts and crafts stuff.

Sanded the face one more time, then free handed the silver for a "reverse" Hartke color scheme, decided not to actually tape the letters off themselves, no need. Once I re installed the grill I took some of the flat black, sprayed it into the cap for the spray can, and touched up the screw heads by brush as well, and now this....
Not too bad looking for a $60 cab.

 

[Al Kraft]

Nice job! I can only imagine the Hartke folks are envious of how you improved the look of their cab design.

 

[Clark W]

Nice job! I can only imagine the Hartke folks are envious of how you improved the look of their cab design.

Well I have to say I'm a fan of the reversed color scheme badge, and I went with silver instead of white. Maybe Hartke should take notice on that.

And I definitely like my restoration paint job over the previous owner's red one.

But this is not the first cab I've bought from him that he's done a paint job on. He did a Marshall half stack, a 412 cab and head, in black and yellow striping, then wondered why other half stacks of the same gear, in their stock black, were selling for twice as much as he was asking for his, that he couldn't sell. I got that rig pretty cheap, but eventually sold it for a loss to a friend that needed a guitar rig. I never did attempt a restoration paint job on that one.

I can't wait to see what he paints next and then can't unload, I hope it's more bass gear.

 

[Clark W]

So I decided to go ahead and do the "stackable corners" and screws for those too. Flat black of course. Just finished up putting the top four back on. Will let those sit overnight before I flip the cabinet and do the bottom ones. They'll eventually get scuffed up again, but no more rusty screws!

Might as well do the recessed "hand holds" on the sides too. Might have to get a can of flat gray for those I think. Just to be different. Naw, got plenty of flat black around the house, no need to invest anymore money than I already have in this

 

[6thplanet]

Man, great score! Looks like a winner now.