Watt did you say, again?

[St. Louis Scot]

Old question, new day. My recently acquired Hartke LH500 is 350w @ 8ohms and 500w @ 4ohms.

The 2x12 cabinet designed for guitar that I'm running through now is probs gonna blow at gig-level volumes. So, I'm upgrading. Most Hartke 4x10 cabs in my price range are rated at 300w. I'm not playing with a hard rock band. My volume shouldn't be pushed past 3 or 4.

A Hartke 4x10 300w 8ohms cab, for instance a Transporter 410, should cover it, right? Or do I need the AK410 which is 500w 8ohms, but more $$$?

 

[CL400Peavey]

Why do you need a hartke 410? Go out and try all the cabs in your area. One of them might suit you tonally better than you expected.

 

[RickenBoogie]

An 8 ohm 410 will be a huge improvement over a guitar 212, but you don't want to purchase the low end of bass cabs. Doesn't have to be super high end either, but at least get something decent if you want it to sound good, and last a long time.
Hartke Transporter series is as bottom of the barrel as it gets, but the Hartke HyDrives are really nice. Then there's dozens of "other" brands. Then there are other sized cabs, like bass 2x12's, (which I prefer). I'd suggest trying a few different bass cabs out, and use your ears as a guide, moreso than wattage ratings.

 

[Ewo]

I've had very good experiences buying/trading/selling from the classifieds here on TB. Really opened up some possibilities for gear that's not available in my local area. And the feedback feature lets you check out people before you do business with them. As my old boss used to say, past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.

If you hit the cabs section of the classifieds you'll find all kinds of cabs for sale which might suit your needs and budget. And oftentimes there will be threads you can pull up in the BG forum full of user comments on that builder or that model.

I've found TB to be a fantastic resource when pondering gear selection.

 

[eukatheude]

In short, power ratings don't mean much. However if they are to be used as any indicator, you should probably have double the rating than the power you'll be actually putting through them.

That said, if you're not playing loud you'll robably be fine with a 300w rated cab. Just mind your eq - cut back on the lows if you hear distortion/farting.

And shop used.

 

[St. Louis Scot]

Some good responses. Thanks, guys. The only reason I looked to Hartke is I've read other posts on TB about mixing brands of amps and cabs being a roll of the dice.

My only reqs are clear tone and reliability. In my other gig I run Bass> Preamp/DI> FOH, and my sound techs are awesome. So I don't consider amps and cabs. But now I'm also gigging around town and had to upgrade to a big boy rig. A 410 suits the bill. Just want to ensure it's a good match with the amp. Hartke matches it to a HyDrive 410. But that's way out of my range. I imagine any quality make, e.g. GK, MB, etc is probs fine. Like y'all said, I need to play a few I suppose

I'll check the classifieds on TB and see what's happenning here. Still curious about the wattage match though.

 

[CL400Peavey]

No. Mixing brands of amps and cabs is just fine. Mixing different cabs, of any brand, is the roll of the dice. Meaning if you find a model of speaker cab that you like, its best pairing for a second cab is a second identical one.

 

[johnpbass]

Agree with what everyone else has said. I'd go out and try different cabs available in your area. Take along your amp and see - well actually hear - what works together. Also check the TB classifieds. Always some great deals there.

 

[jumblemind]

Still curious about the wattage match though.

I wouldn't sweat the match if you end up liking the Transporter (or another cab that's rated lower than your amp's output rating). I play a 500w amp through two 200w cabs all the time. Just use your ears if you find yourself cranking the volume in certain venues/rooms trying to keep up...you'll hear the cab start to strain, in which case back it down and hunt for a second cab. More speakers (not more wattage) gets you more volume.

And I get the talk about better cabs, but FWIW I used to own a ratty 410 Transporter that I picked up in a pawnshop years and years ago. It was only rated for 200w at 8ohm, and I had a higher output Ampeg amp. Gigged it by itself for at least 10 years, and it was solid every time. Sold it not long ago when I went to the 2x 210 setup.

 

[Ewo]

Mixing brands of amps and cabs is just fine. Mixing different cabs, of any brand, is the roll of the dice. Meaning if you find a model of speaker cab that you like, its best pairing for a second cab is a second identical one.

Yeah. If you check out the Aggie TH500 thread (an amp) you'll see it used with lots of non-Aggie cabs. And if you check out the Baer ML112 thread (a cab) you'll see folks pushing it with all different amps. (Actually, I used that example because it's a pairing that's worked well for me, and many others. And I've used the TH500 in front of Glasstone L'il Gs and Patterson 12/6/1s and a Low Down Sound 15/6, too. The combinations sound different, but good different.)

That's not to say that any random combination of amp and cab brand will automatically give you your dream tone! But rather, you can be comfortable with pairing a head you like with a cab (or pair of the same cab, as CL400 said, above) that does what you need and sounds good. The likelihood of you being happy is very high, IME. You'll just be setting the amp's gain and EQ differently to adapt to the cab's response curve.

Again, I'd recommend you spend some time on TB looking at what users have to say about various cab choices. I've found that extremely helpful.

 

[JimmyM]

I love Larry and Hartke makes some fine products. The Transporter cabs are not one of them. The cheaper than cheap 410's from anyone are almost never any good, and the very last place you want to skimp is on the cab. If you like Hartke, do Hydrive, AK or XL.