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PMT's Hartke blowout


paul_5
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I bought the 5210 combo for £320, everywhere else is selling them for £865!! Tone heaven! Well chuffed with it.
DPD just left it on my doorstep though. I had to leave work to take it in the house as my elderly neighbour couldn't lift it. Driver just dumped it and drove off!
All OK in the end though.

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I've just spent most of the morning with my Alembic series I 5 strin bass trying this TX600 out with my various mesa powerhouse cabs 2x10, 1x15 and 4x10 in combinations of singly and paired up. Whilst it doesn't sound bad the bottom end I think is nice and clean and heavy even on the bottom end of the low B string. However i'm not warming to the scooped sound I hear from the mid range controls as it's not a sound I tend to use and the high end is quite edgy/distorted and harsh at times which isn't something I'm used to hearing.
Interesting the comments I've read about it not seeming loud enough to substantiate it's rating of 600w @ 4ohms and 450w into an 8ohm cab.
Compared to my Peavey tour 450, the peavey is much louder and fuller sounding with one 4x10 cab than the TX600 did with the 4x10 alone or with either of the other two cabs.
It definitely to me sounds like the voicing of the Tx600 is scooped by design though I accept it could also be that my ears are not perfect.

I'm planning to return it.

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You are right, it is scooped by design. Hartke seems to have a good name but what is wrong with a normal parametric mid? The manual text (adjustable notch) and specification don't tell you what the absolute notch value is: just +11/-3dB relative to 12 o'clock. As we don't know what the Shape value is at 12 o'clock this is useless information. My ears suggest you are forced to have scoop, or even more scoop, somewhere in the mid band depending on the frequency setting (of course). Turning the Shape control counter-clockwise (manual is wrong on direction) increases the depth to point where you can make the amp sound like a transistor radio if you drop the frequency to around 200 Hz. I just wish I could turn the blasted Shape section off. I might get away with max frequency and min scoop. You are also barred from the usual trick of winding in positive mid gain, finding the troublesome frequency (stage resonance like I had on Monday), and setting negative gain to dial our or reduce the problem.

There is an input jack for the power section so the head could be used with an external preamp; I have yet to try that.

I will probably keep it at the price as it feels solid and is ok for practice sessions. But when you bake in an eq profile that not every one wants, then you are unnecessarily limiting the appeal of the head. Why would you do that?

P.S. I feel a bit mean being so negative. PMT/Dolphin's service was excellent and this head might be perfect for many players. This is my first Hartke amp and perhaps I should have known better, in that there is a Hartke "sound" and that is what I am going to get, like it or not.

Edited by DBerriff
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Would the advice given previously for the lh500 amp help?

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1495231147' post='3302412']
From an old BC thread on the 3 band EQ of the LH series amps:

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]"Remember that the LH-1000 has a "tone stack" EQ and the flat reference setting is bass 3, mids 10, treble 0. Setting all the controls at noon will give you a scooped midrange sound. Read the manual and you will get the idea. There are only three knobs so set them where they sound good for you and your bass!"[/font][/color]
[/quote]

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[quote name='DBerriff' timestamp='1495628471' post='3305401']
You are right, it is scooped by design. Hartke seems to have a good name but what is wrong with a normal parametric mid? The manual text (adjustable notch) and specification don't tell you what the absolute notch value is: just +11/-3dB relative to 12 o'clock. As we don't know what the Shape value is at 12 o'clock this is useless information. My ears suggest you are forced to have scoop, or even more scoop, somewhere in the mid band depending on the frequency setting (of course). Turning the Shape control counter-clockwise (manual is wrong on direction) increases the depth to point where you can make the amp sound like a transistor radio if you drop the frequency to around 200 Hz. I just wish I could turn the blasted Shape section off. I might get away with max frequency and min scoop. You are also barred from the usual trick of winding in positive mid gain, finding the troublesome frequency (stage resonance like I had on Monday), and setting negative gain to dial our or reduce the problem.

There is an input jack for the power section so the head could be used with an external preamp; I have yet to try that.

I will probably keep it at the price as it feels solid and is ok for practice sessions. But when you bake in an eq profile that not every one wants, then you are unnecessarily limiting the appeal of the head. Why would you do that?

P.S. I feel a bit mean being so negative. PMT/Dolphin's service was excellent and this head might be perfect for many players. This is my first Hartke amp and perhaps I should have know better, in that there is a Hartke "sound" and that is what I am going to get, like it or not.
[/quote]

You make a good point I will try going into the power amp socket using my F1-x pre-amp and see how that sounds. This too is my first Hartke amp and I have to admit to being a complete novice on bass heads or bass gear generally which is one of the big reasons for joining this forum.

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[quote name='la bam' timestamp='1495643401' post='3305570']
Would the advice given previously for the lh500 amp help?
[/quote]
Thank you, but only partially. Bass on 3 seems to agree with what I have been finding - turn bass down to get a more balanced sound. The Shape control though is not a simple mid. My practice cab does not have a tweeter and I find it difficult to judge what the Treble control is doing.

My settings are Bass at 3 o'clock, Shape and Frequency at the max to move the scoop to where it does least harm for my needs. Treble to 12 o'clock as it doesn't really seem to matter much with my BF One 10. Bright off. At the least the head is now useable and the bass emphasis is ok with a jazz bridge pickup.

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DBeriff, I tried the amp again yesterday but using my Alembic F1-x pre-amp with it. What a difference it sounds great everything I want in the sound is there easily. But it's made me think a better solution for me would be resume my search for a good quality affordable Class D 1U Power amp and use that with the f1-x in a small rack. Thanks again for prodding me in the right way. :-_ :i-m_so_happy:[size=4] [/size][size=4] :thank_you:[/size]

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[quote name='jazzyvee' timestamp='1495701272' post='3305910']
DBeriff, I tried the amp again yesterday but using my Alembic F1-x pre-amp with it. What a difference it sounds great everything I want in the sound is there easily. But it's made me think a better solution for me would be resume my search for a good quality affordable Class D 1U Power amp and use that with the f1-x in a small rack. Thanks again for prodding me in the right way. :-_ :i-m_so_happy: :thank_you:
[/quote]

When I dabbled with the rackmount pre/power thing, I found an effective Class D 1U power amp was a Markbass F1 with the rack ears...just a thought... :)

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Thanks to the OP I now have a new chorus pedal on the way even though I've not shifted the synth pedal I'm trying to sell!! The Mrs was always suspicious of my "one out, One in" policy on guitar gear and this will completely blow my cover!

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