I had the same problem with the lack of volume. I had the 600 cranked and it still was not that loud. My Mark Bass at 3/4 volume was louder. I ended up sending the Hartke back to AMS.
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Hartke TX600 - review
- Thread starter Thedaivisch
- Start date
I'm assuming you are using the passive input. Do you have the shape control turned all the way down. It's the opposite of the Bassman style tone stack in my Traynor, where flat is approximated by midrange all the way up and bass and treble pretty much down. In the TX600, the shape appears to control the amount of midrange notch, so turning it all the way down should yield a louder and fuller tone.
Otto
Otto
There may be benefit in using a boost to have a bit more signal to the front end. And maybe that thing about turning the shape control way down will help too.
Apparently, turning the shape all the way down will reduce the midrange scoop by 11 dB relative to the 12 o'clock setting.
Otto
Apparently, turning the shape all the way down will reduce the midrange scoop by 11 dB relative to the 12 o'clock setting.
Otto
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Al Kraft
Supporting Member
- May 2, 2016
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Those two heads made me wonder if the laws of physics as they historically applied to bass amps had been rediscovered and I simply hadn't seen that episode on The Science Channel yet!
+1 on the Mesa Carbines.....
I've not yet been able to audition the Mesa D-800 Subway yet, (but I will).
I feel I have given the Micro type of bass heads a fair shot with VERY disappointing, and expensive results.
Bought a G.K. MB2-500 micro to replace my G.K 800RB that I'd been gigging for 29+ years.
Gigged it a year and a half.
The MB2-500 went down on stage, G.K. repaired it, I found it a new home.
Next, bought a Ampeg PF-500.
It burnt-out 30 seconds into it's first power-up.
Ampeg replaced the first one.
The second PF-500 burnt-out at around 5 hours of use.
Swore off micros, went with a old school, big iron Hartke LH1000.
Gigged with it a couple years.
Dependable, LOUD, clean, but it's low-end just wasn't quite what my ears wanted to hear, and it was heavy.
Thought enough time had past for the micro bugs to be worked out.
Bought a G.K. MB-800.
Spent most of my on stage time between songs turning knobs.
It was always to much or not enough.
I never came close to bonding with it.
Used it alittle over a year.
It was dependable and LOUD.
Traded the G.K. MB-800 for the Mesa M-6.
I was so taken with the M-6's slam I went and bought another for a back-up.....
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One thing about passive tone stacks, they always cause insertion loss. Also, they tend to bake in a "pleasing" mid scoop with knobs at 5 (12 o'clock).
A typical Bassman stack is about -10 dB in the mids when the mid control is all the way up to 10 (5 o'clock). Setting bass and treble about 2 or so (9 o'clock) will usually give a similar cut in much of those ranges, yielding a rough approximation to flat response. Turning bass and treble up (5 or above) can yield response closer to 0 dB loss in those ranges, which gives the effect of a mid scoop. Turning the mids down (or the shape up in the TX600) increases this mid scoop.
Of course, the stack has to be followed by a make-up gain stage.
Otto
A typical Bassman stack is about -10 dB in the mids when the mid control is all the way up to 10 (5 o'clock). Setting bass and treble about 2 or so (9 o'clock) will usually give a similar cut in much of those ranges, yielding a rough approximation to flat response. Turning bass and treble up (5 or above) can yield response closer to 0 dB loss in those ranges, which gives the effect of a mid scoop. Turning the mids down (or the shape up in the TX600) increases this mid scoop.
Of course, the stack has to be followed by a make-up gain stage.
Otto
Except for the M9, where when it was having some initial problems, Mesa's solution was to secretly downgrade it from 900w to 600 until they got discovered, and now they admit it.
Al Kraft
Supporting Member
- May 2, 2016
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I was one of the folks who bought a 900 Watt M9 and about 4 years later Mesa "updated it" and returned a 600 Watt unit. I have to say that my M9 never failed in any way, but due to all the problems I read about I contacted Mesa and they recommended I send it in for the update.
Since it hadn't failed, they asked me to pay for shipping out to them and they covered everything from there. I thought that was quite fair, if not generous. In my case it was an informed choice, and in all honesty I can't tell the difference between the unit in a 900 Watt configuration and the one I got back with 600 Watts in terms of loudness or headroom.
I know there were some folks who didn't appreciate the way things were handled, but I was treated well and now have an amp that does everything I bought it for and now has the reliability/longevity I expected.
+1.....
Not totally sure, (but I've a idea of why), there was a down-grade in the M-9's power.
But at the M-9's price it should have remained at 900 watts.
But in all honesty, to my ears, my old Fathom/Carbine M-6's 600 watts are the biggest sounding, clearest, heftiest 600 watts I've yet encountered on stage.
Al Kraft
Supporting Member
- May 2, 2016
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When I need simple and powerful/loud, the M6 is perfect. When I want powerful/loud with bells and whistles (the graphic EQ is great from taming the tone in some rooms and the compressor is quite nice) I reach for the M9.
I almost wonder if there's TOO MUCH limiting and protection going on with the power amp, or if it really is just not a powerful head.
Another thought on this.
When I was gigging my Hartke LH1000 through my two, 8 ohm, 210 cabinets, I always had in the back of my mind, "is this really a 1,000 watt amp?"
It was so "clean" it didn't really feel it.
I questioned it enough I had a tech put it on the bench for me.
At a 4 ohm, bridged load it came in at 1,128 watts!!!!!
Later the opportunity arose to play my LH1000 through a furnished backline Hartke Hy-drive 810.
Having the extra cone area brought that head alive and was certainly capable of causing permanent hearing damage out front.
I'm a big believer in some heads will match up better to some cabinets.
I don't know how efficient the O.P.'s 112 cabinets are, maybe try the TX-600 with a different cab?
Well my replacement TX600 came today. The one I sent back was DOA. I picked it up at the music store and before I took it home I had them plug it into a bass cab (2x12) and play it. I didn't touch anything they did it all. Well they turned it on and it lit up real purdy like and nothing .. no sound. they checked the speaker connection, cab etc etc. nothing. Everything should have worked. Then they got another speaker cable and plugged it into a different bass cab (1x15). It worked this time and I played with the the controls and the amp was putting out and sounded good. So now its home and I will take it to the studio tomorrow for a band practice where I will hook it to my two 1x12 Hartke Hydrive cabs.. Hopefully if will kick some ass. I'll let you know.
Well, I had mine hooked up to a Fender Rumble 115 and a Hartke Hydrive 410 so far. Didn't make that much of a difference. That doesn't leave too many options for matching cabinets really. You would not expect to get a lightweight portable amp and then have to hook it up to a 810 to unleash its full potential..
Now both of those speakers I tried were 8 Ohms and I never tried a 4 ohm option but the amp was clearly quieter and less punchy than a Hartke HA5500 which is nominally less powerful.
Let's hope dbase has some good news!
EDIT because of garbled mess..
