Posted on Oct 26 2014 09:33 AM
You already have plenty of amp with the PF-800, your problem is speakers/cabinets. Also, a 50 watt bass amp is a bedroom practice amp and won't work well for band practice with a loud guitarists and a hard hitting drummer. For practicing, why not use your PF-800 through the 1x15 cab you already have? That should work fine.
Now, for gigging...
It generally isn't a good idea to mix speaker cabinet sizes using a single head. A pair of 1x15 cabs or a pair of 4x10 cabs works WAY better than a 1x15 and a 4x10 together. I won't get into the science of this but I've been there and the science speaks the truth. However, a 2x10 and 1x15 can work well together.
I have an Ampeg PF-350 head that I use with my 1x15 Ampeg cab small/medium venue rig. It is plenty loud for that. This setup probably wouldn't be sufficient for your band if you guys are really loud.
My recommendation, if your budget allows, is to find a pair of used Mesa 1x15 Diesel or Powerhouse cabinets. "Used" is the key word. Or buy just one for the time being as you will be amazed at how good these cabs are.
Bassists are notorious for wanting/buying the latest "flavor of the month" gear which has resulted in a vast supply of quality, pre-owned gear on the used market for cheap prices. Here's a great place to start looking:
http://www.talkbass.com/forums/for-sale-amps-preamps-and-cabinets.127/
A pair of good 1x15 cabinets will stand up to your 800 watt head if you don't go crazy with the gain and are easier to transport than a 2x15. The older Mesa Diesel versions are particularly good as they are the TL-606 Thiele design and came with Electro-Voice EVM-15L speakers which are dang near indestructible. You can find these cabs in the $300-400 range in the TalkBass.com classifieds, Ebay, Craigslist, etc.
Are you playing gig venues that have P.A. support? If so, there is no reason for anyone in your band to be playing at ear-splitting levels. If there is P.A. support, one of the aforementioned 1x15's or even your current 4x10 by itself should be sufficient if you tilt the cab a bit so you can hear it better. Amps are for stage volume; The sound out of the P.A. is what most of the audience hears. Your PF-800 is 4 ohms but it will run safely on 8 with only a slight drop in volume. I'm a big fan of the Ampeg Micro heads...big, big sound in a tiny package.
Back to band practice - use your PF-800, don't crank it too hard. Bring one 1x15 cabinet. Problem solved! 
And, there is a FREE solution!...In a gig situation, ask the guitarists in your band to turn down their volume a bit. They may not want to but chances are, you guys will actually sound better. We all like it loud, but there is a tipping point where too loud becomes "noise"...
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Last edited: Oct 26, 2014 17:29:10
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