Setting Up and Using Your Hartke A SERIES Combo Bass Amplifier

Setting up your Hartke Systems A Series Combo Bass Amplifier is a simple procedure which takes only a few minutes:

1.Remove all packing materials (save them in case of need for future service) and decide where the amplifier is to be physically placed. You may decide to use the “kickback” position for additional directionality and high frequency clari- ty. To avoid potential overheating problems, make sure that the rear panel is unobstructed and that there is good ventilation around the entire unit.

2.Before you plug-in the power cable, be sure the Power switch is in

the off position. Connect the supplied power cable to the AC inlet located on the rear panel. Then, plug-in the 3-pin AC plug into any grounded AC socket. Don’t turn the A Series on just yet, though.

3. Use a standard music instrument cable to connect your bass to the Input jack on the front panel. If your bass has passive electronics (that is, if it has no battery), plug into the Passive input. If your bass

has active electronics (that is, if it has a battery), plug into the Active input.

4.On the front panel of the A Series, turn the Volume and Limiter control to their minimum (fully counterclockwise) position. Set the Bass, Treble and all seven graphic EQ sliders to their “0” position.

5.Press the front panel Power switch in order to turn on your A Series amp;

the LED in the switch will light up.

6.Set the output of your bass to maximum and then, while playing, slowly turn the A Series Volume control up until the desired level is achieved. It’s nearly impossible to overload the A Series amplifier, so if you hear distortion even at low Volume settings, check for a faulty cable (if it’s good, simply back off the output of your bass).

7. Adjust the Bass, Treble and graphic equalizer controls to taste. (When you get a great setting that complements your instrument and playing style, it’s a good idea to write it down for future use.)

8.Now try out the A70 / A100 limiter circuitry. Activate it by turning the Limiter knob clockwise from its “Zero” position. As you turn the knob clockwise,

the input signal from your bass becomes more and more severely com- pressed—you’ll hear peak signals (such as string slaps and pulls) begin to sound increasingly “squashed,” relative to the lower-level signals produced

by standard playing. The result will be a decreased dynamic range but an overall leveling of signal throughout the full pitch range of your instrument. In the A70 and A100, the Limiter LED will light steadily green when no compression is being applied, will go out whenever small amounts of compression are being applied and will flash or light steadily red when limiting (severe compression) is being applied.

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