Peavey amp/cab matching help?

[ack1961]

All,
I'm looking to help my kids band out a bit as they need a bit of a bass boost to do a few outdoor gigs (probably without PA support).
I know very little about matching heads/cabs, so I'm looking for a little help.

I quickly stopped in a local pawn shop and I saw the following:
Peavey Mark VIII head (350W @ 4 ohms / 600W @ 2 ohms)
Peavey BX 115 BW cabinet w/ casters (they're in great shape and being sold as a pair for $419)



On a shelf in the shop, I see they have a Peavey 210TX ($199) - looks new.
I couldn't get behind it to get the model number off the label, but it looks like a 210TX.



My questions are this:
1. What in the specs of the 210 cab will help me determine if the 210 can be used with the head alone or along with the head/115?
   My goal is to be to use the Mark VIII/210 or the Mark VIII/115 or the Mark VIII/210/115 as a stack.
2. If I can get out their door with all this gear for ~$525, am I ahead of the game?

Thanks,
Steve

[ack1961]

Specs on a 210 EX:

175 watts (rms) continuous at 4 ohms
350 watts program
Two 10 inch Sheffield® bass speakers
One phenolic dome tweeter w/ L-pad attenuator
30 Hz to 15 kHz
Compact, closed back
Front-ported enclosure
Improved crossover for better midrange tone
Vents located on front of cabinet
Horn tweeter with level control
Protection circuit for horn tweeter
Specifications:

Frequency Response, 1 meter on-axis,
swept-sine in anechoic environment:
30 Hz to 15 kHz
Power Handling:
175 W continuous (26.5 V RMS)
350 W program
Sound Pressure Level, 1 watt, 1 meter in
anechoic environment:
95 dB (2.0V)
Transducer Complement:
2 x 10" Sheffield® bass guitar
speakers
1 x 1" Phenolic dome horn
tweeter
Box Tuning Frequency:
50 Hz
Crossover Frequency (Internal Passive):
3,000 Hz
Impedance:
Nominal:
4O
Minimum:
3.8O
Input Connections:
1 x 1/4" phone jack
Enclosure Materials and Finish:
3/4" MDF, Tolex® covered with
metal corners and an expanded
metal grille
Dimensions (H x W x D):
17" x 24.50" x 19.25"
(43.2 cm x 62.2 cm x 48.9 cm)
Net Weight:
66 lbs. (30.0 kg)

[Hornisse]

I used a Mark VIII with a 410 cab back in the late 1990's.  I really loved the setup.  It was with a top 40 Country band I was in.  I think the Mark VIII may be a bit much for the 210 cab alone.  The combination of the 210 and 115 with the head would be perfect. 

[Dave W]

The price is nothing special. It's not bad, though, since you said they're in great shape. Mark VIIIs can be had for under $200, sometimes well under.

[ack1961]

Thanks a bunch guys.
I've been doing some more online shopping/price comparison and I agree that this deal is OK, but nothing special.
I'm also interested in matching the head & cabs better so I can use the 210 by itself as well as stacked with the 115.

Honestly, I think I'd rather get a 410/115 setup with a decent head without breaking my bank.  I'll keep looking.
Thanks.

[ack1961]

Been shopping the local want-ads for the past few days. Seems like everyone wants to break my bank.
I've got the Pawn Shop down to $440 for the Mark VIII/BX115 BW/210TX - which seems comparable to the best deals I can find on those pieces individually.  The shop is also in my hometown, so there's no driving around involved.
My only concern at this point would be using the Mark VIII alone with the 210TX.

[dadagoboi]

I'm using a 1-15 cab with an Eminence Delta 15A in it with my Demeter Pre and an Ampeg SVP 1600 power amp.  800 watts per channel at 2 Ohms or something like that.  Haven't blown it up yet.  Just because all that power is there doesn't mean You have to use it.  Good lesson to learn at an early age IMO.

[Nocturnal]

$440 seems like a good price for those 3 pieces IMO. Used to know a guy that used that VIII head and he always sounded good. Can't remember what cab's he used but I think it was a 4x10 and a 1-15.

[ack1961]

$440 seems like a good price for those 3 pieces IMO. Used to know a guy that used that VIII head and he always sounded good. Can't remember what cab's he used but I think it was a 4x10 and a 1-15.

Yeah, I'm going to pick it up Monday morning - unless something better comes along.
The kids will love it and will get good use out of it. They have a show at an amphitheater next weekend - we'll see how it goes.
Thanks to all for the help and advice.

[ack1961]

Well, they now have a new home in the Jam Room.
The kids are juiced, as they have an outdoor gig this weekend.

[Dave W]

Good. It will look impressive on stage too.

[Hornisse]

Looks great!  I used a Mark VIII head for 4 solid years with no issues.  Plenty of power too. 

[Nocturnal]

You are a GREAT dad!! 

[ack1961]

You are a GREAT dad!! 

Thanks, my kids make it easy.  They love music and have done more with it in 2 years than I've done in 50.

[ack1961]

Thanks for all the feedback, guys.
Your help/input made it a lot easier to do this - it's quite a confusing topic for someone unfamiliar with head/cab relationships, but I'm learning quite a bit.  Peavey still has manuals for all their gear online.