It's weird. Some guys on TB enthusiastically discuss how their 1x12 cabs can handle virtually any outdoor festival, while some other guys would have you believe that their 165-lb 810 is totally worth hauling to every little neighborhood bar.
I'm not buying it.
I get that everyone's situation is a little different. Your bandmates, your tone, your style of music, your PA support and a hundred other things can make one man's nightmare rig into another man's dream gear.
To me, an 810 cab is what you put on a stage or in a rehearsal space as a permanent piece of infrastructure, accommodating any bass players who play there. OR, it's what you have when someone else gets your rig from truck to stage and back again.
Guys with 1x12 cabs probably play coffee shops with acoustic guitars and small vocal PAs. And they need the second 1x12 cab for when someone orders a smoothie and the blender goes on.
For me, I want a rig where 1 cab can reach minimum rock band volume and 2 cabs can accommodate larger stages and other higher volume needs. There may indeed be times when 1 cab may be over kill. And there may also be times when I wish my 2 cab rig had a little more to give. But the majority of times I'll have a rig that does me right--and one that I can still carry to and from my own car.
What does that look like? For most of us, we're probably talking two 115 cabs, two 2x10 cabs, two 2x12 cabs...even in some cases two 4x10 cabs. Myself, I'm building a two 2x12 cab rig.
Your mileage may vary, past performance is not an indicator of future returns, see your doctor, frequent heartburn may be a sign of serious illness, does not constitute a binding agreement, think before you drink, objects in mirror are closer than they appear, etc., etc., etc.
