The 3 Choices::

Go Avatar and SWR or Ampeg head...whatever suits you.

that's what I'd do w/ 1.5k

 

IMO, Avatar 4*10 n 1*15 is a perfect solution. Not only for the sound, cause for small gigs you can take just the4*10 (or 1*15, whatever!)instead of carrying a huge Ampeg 8*10(or SWR) that weighs more than a 100lbs!!!

And a big fat 15 with 4*10 sound terrific!
Any head from Ampeg to GK would perfectly match the rig.

 

I dearly love my SWR (it is a Goliath 4x10), but since you are talking about the mid-priced Workingman series, I believe you can do even better with the Carvin 1000-watt 8x10 stack -- and save about $300 too.

 

i played through the cyclops combo at jazz gigs and its a pretty loud combo. its the one with a single 15, 2x8 + horn and the r600 head. good stuff...

 

avatar 4X10 + 1X15, and an ampeg head

 

Haven't played one personally, but a bass player from a band we've played with several times has one, and it doesn't sound that great, but I'd bet my left arm that was because of the carvin 8x10 he had it paired with.

Seems like Carvin head with an Avatar cab or two would be a good combo. I have the rear ported 2x10, and I love it for it's price. Would an Epifani sound better? Yes, but for the price Avatar is awesome stuff.

 

Mesa Mpulse head and mesa powehouse 1000 cab (4x10+1x15)

 

Don't think he has the cash for the mesa stuff. The Powerhouse 1000 sounds pretty good, but it's a heavy cab and you have to bring it all to every gig. I like 2 smalled bas, personnally.

 

Get the Carvin and the Avatars. Then you'll have a killer rig and money left over.

 

SWR is the stuff. I own the 8X10 with the 750 watt head, and it's fairly lightweight for being so big. Sounds great at any volume, can get any sound out of it, sweet stuff.

 

avatar 4X10 + 1X15, and an ampeg head

I LOVE my new b4r its so awsome got it used for $650 2yr warr left on ebay

 

Avatar B212 + B210 ($625) and either
SansAmp RBI + QSC RMX1850HD (~$750) or
Second hand good quality head or second hand rack rig.

 

I would highly recommend the Ampeg 8x10 if you are looking to play some larger gigs. Pair it up with a high quality tube preamp: Demeter, Kern, or Alembic and an 850 to 1000 watt Crown or QSC poweramp. The 10'' drivers are fast and punchy at high volumes. Eight drivers give you more surface area than four 10s and a 15. If you need that extreme subbass sound, throw in a crossover box or a sonic maximizer and compress the signal. Compression alone, try the RNC compressor, should get you a lot more punch than you can imagine; the Ampeg 8x10 is a monster cabinet that produces an unmatched wall of sound.

As for the Carvin R600 Cyclops, I used to have one of those. The 15'' driver is very powerful, the dual 8'' ones are extremely weak and the horn doesn't perform too well either. High points of this combo are the built in compressor as well as the blendable tube/solid state knob. The downsides are that the gate/limiter response time is slow, the cab produces a bottom-heavy-only sound and once you turn the volume past 7, the 15'' driver begins to distort. I sold my R600 for these reasons awhile ago and have since had no regrets.

 

Mesa boogie Road Ready, 1x15+2x10

 

Considering you've only got $1500 to work with,go with the Avatar B212,and B410 cabinets.For the money,they blow everything else out of the water that's in their price range.
Please trust me on this because I've owned "economy" cabinets from every domestic company that ever made them.
I've also owned some higher lined cabs too,and the Avatars cabs even compete with them,when you look at the broad picture of cost,weight,power,portability,etc.
Right now I'm using their B210 in my rig,and would be using their B212 if it had came out before I bought my EB/MM Audiophile HD-212.
The power that the Avatars handle for what you pay for them,make them an obvious choice IMHO,and they sound pretty damn good too.Just look at what Bass Player magazine had to say about them in this month's edition.

As far as an amp is concerned,just try out different models from alot of different companies,and then find what you liked the best,here on Talkbass's "Gear for sale" forum.

You should have a kickin rig w/ $ to spare once it's all said and done.