Sparky Mark

Mine is a 1991 with a slim neck profile. I've never experienced any neck dive but do use a wide soft leather strap for comfort because although a small body it still weighs about 9.5lbs. I'm only 5'9" and have no insurmountable issues with the first fret position because I use a strap length that allows the neck to be angled more upwards bringing the headstock closer to my shoulder allowing my left elbow to bend comfortably. The shorter the strap the harder it is for me to play.

Apologies; yes it's Fender Shaped Object.

A Warwick Thumb NT is like a Rickenbacker to me; if you want that unique sound you need to adjust your playing technique from the more common FSO position. If you're not able to do that then walk away. End of.

Only if you've got another amp you'd like to sound Trace Elliot-ish.

These are quite hard to find but do a darn close impression of the TE GP12 pre amp tone. The shape control is also adjustable rather than straight on or off which is a great feature IMO.

Ah yes, my misinterpretation . Cheers.

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Is the below another benefit? "Aluminum does not conduct the magnetic field out of the gap thereby making the motor strength higher and the stray magnetic field lower."

Back on subject; the below reads the HG series were intended for use in amplifying acoustic instruments including solid electric upright bass. I wouldn't use it for solid electric bass guitar. I have no doubt they are excellent when used as Jim Bergantino intended. Product Description HG310 ‘Holo-Graphic’ 3-10″ & Tweeter Acoustic Instrument Loudspeaker The Bergantino Audio Systems ‘Holo-Graphic’ HG series of lightweight speaker cabinets break the barrier of 2-dimensional sound. Three woofers are mated to a lightweight sealed cabinet with 2 facing forward and a third facing rearward. This speaker orientation generates a 3-dimensional soundstage that makes any acoustic or solid-body instrument come alive and project a superior depth of sound. The HG310 is the perfect speaker cabinet to reproduce all acoustic instruments including guitar, mandolin, upright bass, acoustic bass guitar, banjo and violin. It will also transform your solid-body violin, viola, cello or upright bass from a single point source into a 360-degree experience. When the HG310 is combined with the Bergantino B|Amp and dedicated profile, you get an excellent acoustic instrument speaker. B|AMP feature’s such as a variable high-pass filter, variable feedback filter and speaker phase reverse capability, combine to give you the ultimate amplification system for acoustic instruments. The precision tuned cabinet architecture and the enclosure is built with the finest lightweight Italian poplar plywood (with Baltic birch baffle board) selected to our specifications. This lightweight cabinet material (along with the lightweight magnet material) helps reduce the overall cabinet weight. A rigid black grille is added to protect the drivers from damage. Like all Bergantino Audio loudspeakers, the internal components used are extremely high quality and they are of Bergantino design. No ‘off-the-shelf’ parts are used. Woofers with Neodymium magnet material are used for the low frequency section of the HG series cabinets, resulting in a very clear sound, punchy low-end, sweet midrange and reduced weight. The HG series cabinets have a High Intelligibility Compression Driver w/ Constant Directivity Horn to ensure consistent coverage from the lowest to the highest frequencies. This horn is mated to the tri-woofer arrangement through a custom designed phase-coherent crossover with a tweeter control. The HG series cabinets are covered in durable vintage Bordeaux tolex, have mounted rubber feet and include a high-impact metal grill for durability and acoustical transparency.

The quality of construction of the first generation HX drivers is excellent. Cast baskets are more expensive to make than pressed steel which may be why Hartke has moved to steel for its current 12s. There's a lot of information online about the benefits of cast aluminium baskets over pressed steel. If you can find another HX112 cab you'll have a high performance lightweight rig.

Be aware that your cab is one of the first generation HyDrive HX112 with a cast frame neodymium magnet driver. The current HD112 driver uses a ceramic magnet so may not be a perfect match. The current HL112 uses a pressed steel neodymium magnet driver so could be closer to your HX112.

Based on what you write in this reply I wouldn't waste money to achieve another flavour of good. Get a preamp pedal; there are loads of great ones to choose from and you'll be able to compare how they change your bass' intrinsic tone instantly, back and forth.

What active bass are you thinking of changing the pre amp on?

Do you mean that the laminate stripes are painted and the headstock front had a real veneer applied later?