I still have very fond memories Ampeg V4B 2X15 folded horn and SVT head I used in throughout the '70's and early '80's. I actually had two cabs for a short time. This was with a full time bar/club band - no roadies. The keyboard player had a Hammond B3 and a Rhodes Stage piano that we carried ourselves so my stuff wasn't the biggest. We were strong, young and crazy.
I have read a lot of stuff here that is negative about folded horns. I would like to add my two cents.
First of all not all horns are created equal. I have owned or played through several brands over the years, including Acoustic 360, Earth 1X18, EV Eliminator 1X15, and BFM DR250/ Tuba24 which I owned for a few years. With the exception of the Fitzmaurice setup (awesome!), I found the others lacking for one reason or another and didn't really compare to the V4B.
Also please realize that this was at a time there was rarely PA support. I can remember (barely) playing the really big clubs and arenas - 800 to 1000 people - with just some cheesy PA for vocals. (By the way this was at a time when the drinking age was 18 and DUI was less stringently applied = big venues.)
Horns are correctly recognized as being frequency limited. At the time, the bass was pretty much just used in the bass spectrum, but things were starting to change - roundwound strings, slapping, 4X10 cabs, real bass solos!
And I will say there is another aspect I haven't seen mentioned here: frequency slotting. I played with three guys who were very serious about our "sound". When we learned tunes we were very aware of each others rhythmic separation and counterpoint. And just as important, our respective frequency slots. As a funk band this gave us a clean and dynamic sound.
The V4B horn worked perfectly keeping the bass in its own frequency space, but what a powerful dynamic and clean sound it had. Plenty of grunt and growl. No boom or mush.
I've told this anecdote here before, forgive me for repeating myself: This same band was hired to play at a school for the deaf (Mystic Oral School, Mystic CT). We were specifically hired because we had "a bass sound you could feel".
Half way into the gig I was asked to turn down by some of the deaf students.
