Hartke = Revolution

1985, the year that the bass amp was revolutionised. Hartke transformed the world of bass amplification upon the production of their innovative aluminium cone driver which proved to be maybe even more popular than Hartke themselves anticipated. The unique driver produced a bass tone like no other, with a much broader dynamic range than had ever been heard on a bass amp before. Since then, the company has continued their production of amplifiers and went on to produce a full line of bass amplifiers, cabs and combos that today, are used by some of the most famous musicians in the world.

"Hartke amps are ROCK SOLID! Tight, high definition, deep and glorious. I absolutely love playing through them." "Obviously somebody not only knows what they're doing , but somebody cares, and that's a big factor for me with the amps I use."

Snag the Sheehan Setup

Hartke has been in the news a lot lately, partially thanks to their “wooing” of some very high profile endorsers including Mr. Big’s Billy Sheehan. The man is a bass icon, playing styles from Heavy Metal to Instrumental Rock and Jazz Fusion, Sheehan covers the whole spectrum of guitar-infused genres.

The bassist’s first full-time band was the power-trio, Talas who opened for Van Halen in 1980 and this lead on to Sheehan landing a gig as the bassist for the David Lee Roth band. It wasn’t until ’88 that Sheehan got together with singer Eric Martin, guitarist Paul Gilbert and drummer Pat Torpey and formed the quartet, Mr. Big.

Sheehan is a proud endorser of Hartke amps and admits to being highly dependent on his Hartke live setup, often consisting of an AK115 or AK410 bass cab and a HA5500C, LH1000 or Kilo Bass amplifier.

Let’s go for a Drive

HyDrive transducers represent a revolutionary improvement in bass speaker technology and a major leap forward, combining paper and aluminum speaker design that is more robust and efficient than many other products available. Hartke's HyDrive series gives you the best of both worlds: the warm tone of traditional paper cones and the clear, punchy attack of aluminum.

HyDrive's patented Hybrid Cone Technology produces a speaker that uses an outside paper cone to push a warm, deep low frequency and an inner aluminum cone that produces mids and highs that cut, yet still remain sweet. But the innovation runs even deeper. Because of its cast aluminum frame and neodymium magnets, HyDrive speakers operate cooler and deliver more reliable power handling at peak performance.

One of the best features of the HyDrive amps is its versatility. With the compressor, graphic EQ, shape control and additional treble and bass controls, you can dial in a hi-fi, ‘80s-LA-funk kind of slap & pop sound, or roll off the treble for a more modern studio pop voice. Bring some mids in and sweep the shape control until you find a sweet spot and you can get some nice punchy straight rock sounds, too, especially with passive pickups. Hit the bass attack overdrive switch and you can dial in as much or as little roar as you like.

The HyDrive 210C pushes out ridiculous amounts of volume and bass. You’ll certainly never need to worry about being heard above a band, and the low end almost feels like you’re getting hit with a subwoofer... in the face... in a good way of course!

It’s our Favourite

“The HyDrive 210C feels absolutely bulletproof. Whether you play rock, metal, funk, pop, jazz, blues or country, it can do it all and, importantly, do it authentically. There’s nothing worse than trying an amp with a lot of features and realising it doesn’t do them all distinctively. Whether you’re using it for its hyper-clean tones or its ultra-distorted ones, the HyDrive feels like it’s meant to sound that way.” - Mixdown

Right now, Hartke amps are being put to good use by artists like Marcus Miller, Frank Bello and Darryl Jones, who are also fans of the HyDrive series. Hartke are always driving the latest innovations in speaker and amplifier technology and we think that it’s their best amp range to date.

View the HyDrive series, or see the full Hartke range by visiting our Hartke Brand Page.