Is My StingRay killing my little Amp??

[LeftyLB]

When I hurt my shoulder a couple of years ago, I traded in my Peavey T-Max combo amp/washing machine and replaced it with the pocket sized Hartke Kickback 12. As we have a 2k Mackie rig, I now DI and only need a smaller amp for stage monitoring and the Hartke seemed the perfect compromise - Stopped the drummer whining at the same time!!

I was originally playing my JD Supernatural Mark King through it and I was astonished when I was in the Bass Centre one day and plugged a Sting Ray 4 into the Hartke straight after my JD and it nearly blew my head off. - That was a year or so ago.

However, I finally got my own StingRay in Feb this year and since then I have had no end of trouble with the Hartke - Is it a coincidence???

Initially I thought the speaker had blown and sent it away to Soundtech in the UK to repair and they very honestly told me that it was only the "dust cover" on the speaker that had worked loose and did not charge me a penny.

Then a month later, and ever since, the sound from the amp keeps cutting out. I have isolated it to probably being a problem with the input jack socket as the speaker is OK and if you jiggle the lead about when it cuts out, you get the sound back - and I have tried loads of leads and it happens with all of them.

Could it be that the much higher output level from the StingRay is just not compatible with a small 120watt amp, which only has a 12" driver????

So the Hartke is back in hospital again waiting for the results of a biopsy.

Any comments???

 

[silly]

i play a stingray on a 25w amp and its all good..
i dont think that a 120w amp wouldnt be compatible with a stingray!

 

[Kennyhoe]

i think it's the amp....also, if it has an active/passive input or switch, set it to active

 

[mike jewels]

I'm no amplifier expert, but, I believe that any stock amp can handle any stock bass on the market, that has not been deliberately "hot-rodded," with mods so drastic as to blow the amp.

Your amp is a more powerful than mine. I have an Ampeg B100R (100 watts into 1x15) and I've had no problem whatsoever.

Maybe it is just a coincidence that your amp started to mess up just when you got your 'Ray. I have a Fender Bassman 60 that decided to stop working when it was 15 months old, and I never cranked it. Go figure.

Then, I bought the Ampeg.

Good luck finding out the problem.

Mike

 

[LeftyLB]

Just picked the amp up from hospital and they reckon that it was simply the solder on the Jack input socket that had deteriorated due to wear and tear. All back to normal now.

Thanks for the all your "feedback".

Liam

 

[Bo.cox]

may i sugest you get yourself some planet waves leads! they are brilliant leads. they won't solve a solderin problem but they will help reduce air noise an buzz!

i am glad to meet another believer of hartke systems!!

they are possibley the cleanest soundin amps you can get mines a 350 watts. i'v never had any problems with it to be honest i get a bit scared of turnun it up coz i think my house will break! you need to have aa least a 4x10 with these things though!

have fun1

 

[LeftyLB]

Bo.cox,

As this is my first Hartke, I was a bit concerned about the fact that it had let me down a few times in the last couple of months. But then again, I have been gigging it around the Sth/East once or twice a weekend for the past two years. I try to look after my gear, but I forget that eventually there will be have to be wear and tear no matter how good the equipment.

You are right about the Hartke's clean and powerful sound though. God only knows how much noise a 350w head must make if my 120 is anything to go by!!!

I might find out this time next year as I plan to buy bigger again and maybe go for a head and cab instead of a combo.

Cheers

Liam

 

[Bo.cox]

liam

if your gonna gigin your equipment alot a seperate head an cab is possibly best! this is because bass vibration is very bad for electrics so the head of your amp should be no were near your speaker!! i no it doesn't look as cool but it will cut down on repair bills!! pluss there easier to carry!

if your goin to get a bigger amp an you want to stick with harkte if you'v got the money try out the bipolar range, its very impressive! an allows you to control your sound abit more!

i'v just been in the studio with my stingray 5 and jazz an it was just a case of plug an play! the sound was there! the depth an cut is so impressive i think it will hard to beat especial for the price!

 

[pjcool]

Hi

I also used hartke kickback 12 and I had the same problem.
First, anytime when I turned the volume knob past the 6 (scale 1-10) it started to sound hoarse as if the battery was dead - but i t wasn't.
One day hartke suffered a lot when it was trasported (road accident). Then I checked it out and it was was playing OK for me.
Then my friend borrowed it from me for a club gig and it stopped playing, choked. Then I brought it to a "doctor", He said that there inside 2 of the 4 power transistors were loose, probably from the accident.
Anyway I've read somewhere that Hartke factory soldering isn't as perfect as other producents.
Besides the tone of hartke amps and cabs is very good and unique.
I think the point of not setting your amp on your cab is worth thinking of. Amp can suffer a lot from transporting and setting it on cab while heavy playing doesn't make it better.

 

[pjcool]

one thing more

This combo hartke kickback 12 doesn't have the input (gain) knob. There is only overall volume.There is only one input. The manual says that this amp can set the gain for its own- I don't trust them fully. Thats way I thought that the hoarsing sound was because of my active bass guitar (too much gain).