Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

You dont here alot about Hartke here on the forum, I've never played through one. What do they sound like ? When they first came out everyone was using them, now you dont see them as much.

Hartke, SWR, GK, ampeg ... they are all similar to my ears ... I like ampeg the best ...

I really like the "fly eye" look of your cabs Jeff. As far as tweeters I would rather have one that I could just turn off.

The Avatar 1x12 is tempting to me... I would eventually like something in the 300W-500W range to pair with my future Traynor 200W head (some day). Lots of kick in a small package is whAT i want, not because of my back but because I don't own a car hahahaha

My new rig.

I played thru Hartke at a multi-band show we did a few months ago, they sounded all right, but not good enough to make me scrap my GK gear.

The Hartke 4x10s are pretty much my favourite current 4x10s I think, although I really like the Eden XLTs too. Not too keen on the SWRs, which just don't seem to have the sound I prefer.

It's interesting Jeff that Hartke and SWR sound similar to you, as to me they sound very, very different. Just goes to show how everyone's ears (and of course technique, which obviously affects the final sound) differ. This is why although a recommendation can be helpful, I feel you should always try before you buy.

Different amp setups, as well. I love my SWR amp & 4X10. Just depends on the individual.

I use Hartke 3500 together with VX 410 and VX115 cabinets and it sounds great with my ricks. Ampeg is out off reach for me because of the price. But can you compare this with a big Ampeg tube amplifier? I dont know.

The swr small amps suck ... their big amps are pretty good ... the cabs that I build are a cross between modern cabs and the old fender bassman cabs ... the old bassman cabs were about 11" deep mine are 13" to 14" deep ... most modern bass cabs are 16" to 18" deep or more ... but the shallower cabinets give me a little more of a guitar sound ... when you play through one of those old bassman cabs the whole cabinet would resonate ... that was part of the sound ... the good and bad of that sound ... some modern cabs have a thick non-resonant shell that holds speakers ... this gives a good clean full sound ...

The kick drum on a drum set by itself doesn't produce room filling 20 to 30 hertz chest thumping lows ... but when it is run through our PA it does ... the same goes for my bass amp ... if my amp produces that on its own I then have to be careful running it into a pa that the band does not become bottom heavy ... also if you are not careful the bass drum mike and vocal mikes can pick up bass and add boomy low end as well ... so these days I have 8 different bass cabs that I use for different situations ... but my 10s are my favorite ...

Very nice setup Ken... Some day I will have an Ampeg SVT and 8x10, and hopefully a crew of guys to move them for me!!!

Right now I am into a "pocket rocket" type amp setup... 200W traynor tube head (40lbs) and a 500W Avatar 1x12 cab (45lbs).

p.s... I'm loving your refinished 4001... I wish ric would issue a "fender burst." I love the vintage vibe it has... white binding would make it killer!!!

another reason I use beta 10 speakers it is the best choice from eminence for a 2x10 cabinet that will be 8 ohms ... to achieve an 8 ohm cabinet with 2 10s you need 2 16 ohms speakers or 2 4 ohm speakers ... most of the eminence line are 8 ohm only ... this means a 2x10 cabinet will be 4 ohms or 16 ohms ... since I want 8 ohm cabinets the best choice is the beta 10 ... if someone wants a deeper voiced 10 madison makes 10s at 16 ohms that are more focused on the low end ...

FYI, Eminence makes their speakers in all impedances but obviously a retailer can't stock them all. They used to be our primary speaker supplier, make a great product, and were wonderful to work with. 10's are indeed the cat's meow for all purpose bass.

here's a classic bass amp ...

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-ACOUSTIC-BASS-360-HEAD-AMP-TWO-361-CABINETS_W0QQitemZ7361759164QQcategoryZ10171QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I had one of the acoustic 1x18 cabs without the built in amp in my rig in the 80s which I described earlier in this thread ... those cabs throw out sound ...

I had one of those cabs once, only it was cut in 2 equal pieces & finished off as separate 15 cabs loaded with EV 15's. Still quite awkward to move about.