Talk about Bass

[Aidan63]

Hartke are now from Hicksville, 

 

I'll just leave that here😈

 

welcome Joel, who are you touring with in the UK ?

[Franticsmurf]

15 hours ago, joel406 said:

So, I hope I'm welcome here. I am willing to share my experiences.

Definitely welcome. I started on BC specifically to read the experiences of real users of kit before buying it. I like that there is a mix of backgrounds, levels of experience and genres here and some healthy disagreement and debate. It's such a valuable resource that I have benefited from and hopefully contributed to in some small way.

 

I'm not so much interested in what the manufacturer says as what the sweating/freezing bass players say after the gear has helped them shine/let them down.

[Ralf1e]

On 17/12/2022 at 22:23, lozkerr said:

That is interesting! I don't own any Hartke gear - my own backline is all Eden -  but I've had mixed experiences with their gear in rehearsal studios, ranging from a decent tone to sounding utterly gutless, no matter how I twiddled the knobs.

 

I don't know if it's a QC issue or Hartke gear's easier to break than other makes, but I do get a sinking feeling when I see a Hartke amp waiting for me at rehearsal. 

Strange that. I have never played through a Hartke but have never heard one that sounded like it had any guts either. I have always thought it might be the alloy drivers which seem to suit slap. Maybe maybe not?

[Waddo Soqable]

3 hours ago, Ralf1e said:

Strange that. I have never played through a Hartke but have never heard one that sounded like it had any guts either. I have always thought it might be the alloy drivers which seem to suit slap. Maybe maybe not?

I had a Hartke amp I think it was called 3500 or something, absolutely hated it, just thought it sounded rubbish, I prob used it on a dozen or so gigs (and a whole bunch of rehearsals) I promptly got rid of it and then used an ancient Peavy thing, can't remember the model, which was great and infinitely better. 

I used both amps thru the same aluminium speakered cab BTW... 

[lozkerr]

4 hours ago, Ralf1e said:

Strange that. I have never played through a Hartke but have never heard one that sounded like it had any guts either. I have always thought it might be the alloy drivers which seem to suit slap. Maybe maybe not?

Could well be. It might be that the few cabs I've encountered that didn't sound gutless might have had the drivers replaced somewhere along the line. Either way, I won't be queuing up to buy any Hartke gear any time soon!

[Lozz196]

I had a Hartke HA4000, with XL 210 & 115 cabs, was an excellent but heavy rig.

 

I used an HA3500 with a Transporter 410 cab. Was a dreadful but heavy rig.

 

 

[Ed_S]

 

Was there something different about the HA3500 compared with the others in the series? I can't remember what, but I'm sure I read something years ago about that being the odd one out somehow. I had a HA2000 and VX410 as my first separates rig, and later a HA5500 which I put through Ashdown and Markbass cabs, and they were all great rigs. I've played a few HA3500s belonging to venues and other bassists, though, and I never got quite the same feeling despite knowing the controls really well, but I always put that down to it being possibly mistreated kit and an unfamiliar room.

[chris_b]

Jeeeeezzzzzz!!!! Fully booked in 2023! I'm officially jealous!

[Huge Hands]

On 18/12/2022 at 10:00, Aidan63 said:

welcome Joel, who are you touring with in the UK ?

I'm no expert, but my assumption was that if Joel is gigging 2-3 times a week and fully booked for 2023 (as well as quoting prices in USD), he is more likely to be based in the US and touring there.

 

Anyway, welcome Joel - I remember someone espousing about the virtues of the aluminium driver Hartke combos back in the early 2000's.  I got to try one myself and did not like it as I like a more mellow sound and this seemed much more harsh and bright.  It seemed to be a one trick pony - I couldn't get a comfortable sound that I like with the one I tried.

 

I then saw one of my heroes Jack Bruce on something like Jools Holland's show in front of a big Hartke rig and I thought it sounded awful - a cranked up version of what I had experienced.  

 

Again, not knocking Hartke for others, just agreeing with you and they are not for me.    As others have said - I get a personal sense of dread if I walk into a rehearsal room and see one sitting there....

 

[joel406]

39 minutes ago, Huge Hands said:

I'm no expert, but my assumption was that if Joel is gigging 2-3 times a week and fully booked for 2023 (as well as quoting prices in USD), he is more likely to be based in the US and touring there.

 

Anyway, welcome Joel - I remember someone espousing about the virtues of the aluminium driver Hartke combos back in the early 2000's.  I got to try one myself and did not like it as I like a more mellow sound and this seemed much more harsh and bright.  It seemed to be a one trick pony - I couldn't get a comfortable sound that I like with the one I tried.

 

I then saw one of my heroes Jack Bruce on something like Jools Holland's show in front of a big Hartke rig and I thought it sounded awful - a cranked up version of what I had experienced.  

 

Again, not knocking Hartke for others, just agreeing with you and they are not for me.    As others have said - I get a personal sense of dread if I walk into a rehearsal room and see one sitting there....

 

Well. Mostly we gig a minimum of 3 times a week. But tis the season and vacations are rolling in. We played our last gig last Saturday night and now we enjoy 13 days off. We start back on the 30th. Ironically at the same venue we played last Saturday. Then we go straight to our New Years gig on the 31st. Then off till Jan 3. After that the next thing I'll know is it's Christmas again.

[Ralf1e]

3 hours ago, Waddo Soqable said:

I had a Hartke amp I think it was called 3500 or something, absolutely hated it, just thought it sounded rubbish, I prob used it on a dozen or so gigs (and a whole bunch of rehearsals) I promptly got rid of it and then used an ancient Peavy thing, can't remember the model, which was great and infinitely better. 

I used both amps thru the same aluminium speakered cab BTW... 

I had a Peavey MK 6 Brilliant amp I had BW 1x15 and BW 2x10 with it. Great sound. Sold it to move house 😢

[tauzero]

On 17/12/2022 at 19:33, Linus27 said:

Welcome, Basschat is super open, respectful and fairly tolerant. We have those that love Precision, those that love Jazz basses, those that love Stingrays and then those that hate them all. We even have the odd members of the family that play Rickenbackers and Gibsons 😂 We have those that play unlined fretless basses and those that play lined fretless basses and those that play with flats and those that play with rounds. It's all acceptable and one big happy family. We also all have the same problems and stresses, usually singers and guitarists but we love drummers 😁

 

And, of course, the enlightened ones who play headless basses.

[Linus27]

4 minutes ago, tauzero said:

 

And, of course, the enlightened ones who play headless basses.

 

Ah yes, how could I forget those who we are aware of but must never be spoken of in public 😁

[joel406]

On 19/12/2022 at 08:29, Ralf1e said:

I had a Peavey MK 6 Brilliant amp I had BW 1x15 and BW 2x10 with it. Great sound. Sold it to move house 😢

I miss my amp sometimes. Don’t get me wrong. My in ears and Quadcortex sound amazing and not having to hump a stack is crazy cool. But I have 2 full Mesa Subway stacks that sound incredible. But the future calls. 

[Cosmo Valdemar]

Welcome to Basschat! I rarely contribute to Talkbass these days, although I do use it for gear research etc.

It does amuse me when looking through historical threads just how many members have been banned 😄

[dmccombe7]

On 17/12/2022 at 19:48, joel406 said:

Thank you all for the welcome. Personally I have no hatred of any brand of gear. But if it don’t work I speak up. I’m a Fender freak. I do not like any other brand. But that’s just what works for me. Precisions and Jazz Basses are all I own or play. I don’t even like Alembics. Who would take a $15k us Bass to a bar gig? Same with Fodera and Sadowsky. Don’t like their 5’s. But I love me some Mesa Boogie. Their new Subway line blows everything away. Love Epifani as well. 

I'm also a Mesa fan. Love what they do. I did get slated on TB when my order for a TT800 was cancelled after a year waiting and i voiced my opinions but to be fair the majority of true TB'ers understood my frustrations and accepted why i was annoyed but some Mesa fans said i shouldn't be posting negative comments about Mesa.

I have found TB'ers are a tad more sensitive than us BC'ers who generally accept viewpoints and we debate/ discuss as required. (most of the time 😂)

I'm with you on voicing my own personal experiences. I'd rather see honest opinions and viewpoints than just fanboy posts on gear. 

Subway cabs are just amazing. I hopefully will get my TT800 later this year when Mesa start shipping to EU again. They have told me it will be Sept / Oct 2023.

Dave

 

[joel406]

On 09/02/2023 at 04:19, dmccombe7 said:

I'm also a Mesa fan. Love what they do. I did get slated on TB when my order for a TT800 was cancelled after a year waiting and i voiced my opinions but to be fair the majority of true TB'ers understood my frustrations and accepted why i was annoyed but some Mesa fans said i shouldn't be posting negative comments about Mesa.

I have found TB'ers are a tad more sensitive than us BC'ers who generally accept viewpoints and we debate/ discuss as required. (most of the time 😂)

I'm with you on voicing my own personal experiences. I'd rather see honest opinions and viewpoints than just fanboy posts on gear. 

Subway cabs are just amazing. I hopefully will get my TT800 later this year when Mesa start shipping to EU again. They have told me it will be Sept / Oct 2023.

Dave

 

I hope you like it. I have owned the entire amp line except for the D-350. The TT-800 and WD-800 just weren't for me. The D-800+ on the other hand ticked every box. Amazing control and tone paired with their Subway 212 and 410 cabs. I now proudly have a pair of each. The 410 and 212 stacked are impossible to find a favorite. Now I also have an Epifani UL901 which is just as full of great tone as the Subway. I recommend considering Epifani if Subway isn't available. I consider mine a jewel.

Edited February 12, 2023 by joel406

[dmccombe7]

21 minutes ago, joel406 said:

I hope you like it. I have owned the entire amp line except for the D-350. The TT-800 and WD-800 just weren't for me. The D-800+ on the other hand ticked every box. Amazing control and tone paired with their Subway 212 and 410 cabs. I now proudly have a pair of each. The 410 and 212 stacked are impossible to find a favorite. Now I also have an Epifani UL901 which is just as full of great tone as the Subway. I recommend considering Epifani if Subway isn't available. I consider mine a jewel.

I have the SW 210 & 115 cabs at the moment and i'm really happy with them.

I did have the TT800 on order for a year (paid for in full) when Mesa stopped supplying outside the US and my order was cancelled but its a long voluted tale best left alone now.

If they start supplying UK again i will be placing my order again. I have a HandBox WB-100 at moment and altho i love the tone i wanted the twin channel Mesa. I just love what Mesa do, tone is 2nd to none and build quality is by far the best i've come across in all my 45 years. 

I have an Mpulse 600 but its a bit of a beast in its rack case and i keep it as a back up for my Handbox all valve head.

I wanted to go full Mesa lightweight and got the cabs before the shutdown from Mesa.

Had i not managed to get the cabs i would probably have gone down a different route with another manufacturer. I prefer keeping my amp and cabs same mfr. No real reason for that to be honest.

Dave

[neepheid]

TB is like London, too effing big to get my head around so I rarely visit.  Threads get too long, too quickly and I can't be bothered sifting through it all unless I really need to know something.

Edited February 12, 2023 by neepheid

[dmccombe7]

As you say its too big. If you follow any thread at all you get constant pings on your phone or laptop with all the new notifications you get on the thread.

Now i just go in to any threads i follow as and when i feel like it and have cancelled the notifications to my email account.

There is a lot of good stuff in there but it takes ages to find the good bits on any thread.

Dave

[Waddo Soqable]

Another one right here that was banned from DorkBass for some ridiculous piddling little reason 😁

I have a look, very infrequently, if a search for something throws up a link to a relevant topic on there, I couldn't be ars'd with their nonsense posting on it even if I wasn't banned! 

[Chris2112]

On 17/12/2022 at 18:37, joel406 said:

 

 

Anyway. Banned. So much for free speech in America. 

 

Talkbass has always been clear that it's not a place for free speech, it's a fairly tightly controlled corporate environment meant to make money without causing upset. 

 

I've been permabanned there before (hasn't everyone?). My mistake was to differ in opinion to one of the mods (name rhymed with 'Burner'). I may have won the argument but I lost the battle because he banned me and sent a gloating message about how he could do that. I expect he was suffering some sort of inadequacy and enjoyed having some power online. I rejoined a week or two later and have enjoyed the last fourteen or so years without another issue. 

 

 

[Musicman666]

well i just got a warning for being abusive on that site ... in truth i didn't think it was that bad but i guess some snowflake saw otherwise ... problem is that they keep spamming my email account with threads that i might be interested in .. so i drop in with  some throwaway comment and then i get flack for unsolicited opinions...??? so i just blocked them and that is that case closed.

[neepheid]

12 minutes ago, Musicman666 said:

well i just got a warning for being abusive on that site ... in truth i didn't think it was that bad but i guess some snowflake saw otherwise ... problem is that they keep spamming my email account with threads that i might be interested in .. so i drop in with  some throwaway comment and then i get flack for  unsolicited opinions ...??? so i just blocked them and that is that case closed.

 

You just described 75% of the opinions expressed on BC

 

[Dad3353]

39 minutes ago, Musicman666 said:

... some snowflake ...

 

To be honest, this kind of attitude is not greatly appreciated here, either. Civility costs so little, and these lazy fashion insults reflect more on the user, really. I'm sure you're better than that; please don't prove me wrong.