Hartke TX300 300-Watt Lightweight Bass Amplifier Head

The TX300 fits 300 watts into 4 ohms inside an anodized aluminum chassis that weighs five pounds, so the head goes in a gig bag rather than a rack case. The preamp is where the work happens: an active three-band EQ with wide shelving ranges, a Drive control that moves from mild warmth to full fuzz, and a fixed 1.6:1 compressor with a variable threshold that evens out note volume and protects the cabinet from aggressive slap technique.

The Shape circuit adds a sweepable contour between 185 Hz and 860 Hz, boosting one region while cutting another to suit the instrument. A balanced XLR direct output at 125 ohms feeds a console or interface directly, a preamp out and power amp in split the signal path for outboard processing, and a stereo aux input plus headphone output make it a practice rig on its own.