Samson 112C User Manual

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Thank you for purchasing the Hydrive Bass Combo Amplifier from Hartke!  We know 

you don’t like reading owners manuals, but you’ve just purchased one of the finest 

bass amplifiers around, and we want to tell you about it.  So, before you plug in and 

start popping and slapping, we’d like to suggest you take just a few moments to scan 

these pages.  We’ll make it as painless as possible, we promise—and, who knows, you 

might just pick up a tip or two. 

The Hydrive series is new line up of 250-watt bass combo amplifiers featuring Hartke’s 

Hydrive hybrid cone bass transducers.  This manual covers three models, the 112C 

featuring a 300 watt, 12-inch Hydrive speaker, the 115C with a 300, watt 15-inch 

Hydrive speaker and the 210C with two, 150 watt, 10-inch Hydrive speakers. Hydrive 

transducers are a radical change, and improvement, in bass speaker technology. 

Hartke’s unique hybrid cone speaker is constructed using an outside paper cone 

producing deep and warm low frequencies and an inside aluminum cone that 

produces mids that cut, yet are still sweet. Hydrive speakers incorporate a cast frame 

design, supporting robust motors constructed with large voice coils and neodymium 

magnets providing increased power handling while being lightweight!  To complete 

the speakers systems, there’s a 1-inch titanium compression driver with level control, 

producing the high frequency response that allows you to get a sweet tone that 

cuts through the backline. All of the Hydrive combos feature 250 watts of true, clean, 

robust linear power. The beefy power supply features a massive toroidal transformer 

and oversize filter caps.  Plus, there’s internal protection circuitry to help protect 

the amplifier and speaker during power up and power down. The Hydrive combos’ 

front panel features a unique and powerful complement of signal processing and 

tone shaping controls. The Hydrive’s input has been designed to handle the output 

signal from virtually any bass - passive basses with low output pickups, to active 

basses powered by dual car batteries will work fine. Next to the input is a variable 

Compressor control that allows you to squeeze the signal just a little or quite a bit. 

You can use the Compressor to help keep the signal clean or to dial up a sound. The 

Hartke Shape control adds a pre-set equalization curve with a slight lift in the low 

frequencies, a cut in the mids and then a slight lift again in the highs. The Shape 

circuit has a backlit on/off switch to engage the Shape EQ circuit. As you turn the 

Frequency control, you are adjusting the center frequency so the entire contour curve 

is adjusted. For added control on stage, the Shape circuit can be controlled using 

the optional Hartke FS2 footswitch.  The Hydrive combos also feature Hartke’s Bass 

Attack Overdrive. The Bass Attack Overdrive section has three controls: Harmonics- 

which is used to set the amount of drive; Brite- to add highs that additionally excite 

the harmonics; Mix- that blends the overdrive and the clean signal. You can add just 

a touch, which is almost unnoticeable(until you turn it off), a modern overdrive, 

or you can even dial up a creamy fuzz tone. On stage, the Overdrive circuit can be 

controlled using the optional Hartke FS2 footswitch. For expanded tonal control, the 

Hydrive combos feature a 7-band graphic EQ with, +/- 12 db cut and boost allowing 

you tocontour a tone that’s perfect for your sound. Finally, the Bass and Treble 

controls (with Bass providing a low frequency shelving EQ at 100 Hz and Treble, a high 

frequency shelving EQ at 8 kHz). The Hydrive cabinets are constructed using high 

quality plywood with extensive bracing and dado joinery, which makes them rigid