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I gigged with a pf 350 through a 2x10 for about 2 years, and had no problems with low end. I loved that little amp, just moved on to a two channel setup with some more juice when the gigs required it. I did find that compared to some other amps, I had to turn the knobs significantly before the eq started to 'pop'.
So, you're judging the Ampeg based on how it performs with the speaker section of a blown combo amp?
Most bass heads are capable when it comes to low end. My GK400RB sounds beefy through some cabs and more mid forward through others. Take your head to a store and try a few different cabs.
MB115 amp section out of the picture. Using ampeg pf350 direct to GK115 speaker. Tried friend's GK400Rb-IV sounds deeper with little more clarity
I play a pf 350 through a peavey 410 TX with p or j basses and I never had to turn the bass knob past noon. Huge lows!
The 400RB is a classic head *for its time* - but today? I had one in my closet (until recently) and I fired it up a few times... sounded weak compared to my more modern kit - and is rather underpowered by today's standards. A classic head, for sure - but just not as good as other small solid state heads of today.
The old school 400RB doesn't go as low or as high as the current generation of bass amps, and at 120 watts into a 8 ohm load it is certainly not comparable to pretty much anything available today. I've always thought of it as being designed to play through a tweeterless cab since there is some noise up high. I really like the sound of mine through a 115 cab though, and still very much enjoy playing through it. The funny thing is that now I find myself thinking of it as kind of big and heavy because my main amp these days is an Aguilar TH350. It's interesting how perceptions change over time.
The tone controls on the pf350 and MB115 (or 400RB - these both share the GK tone stack) behave differently, and so will deliver markedly different tone when set the same. At the same bass setting, say 12 o'clock, the GK is significantly boosted, while the Ampeg is flat. Don't worry about where the controls are set. Just listen and turn until you hear something close to what you want. The MB115 (V1) cab, used by itself (as a cab) has a fat, prominent bass.
